“Who’s next,” Emory barks, looking around. This effectively ends Sebastian’s confession, and everyone looks grateful for it—most of all me. I fall back into my seat and wonder if I could even take him. Maybe. I wouldn’t want to find out, though.
Again, the room falls into silence, no one sure what to say. Then Afton thrusts the phone at Aubrey, who turns it on the cheerleader.
She flips her hair over her shoulder and says, “I’ve been having an affair with my dad’s best friend.” The confession hangs in the air, and her shoulders relax a little. “It started a year ago. We were at a family barbecue. I went with him to the garage to get some ice, and next thing I know, we’re fucking on the tool bench.” Her lips curve mischievously. “It was the best sex I’d ever had, and we’ve been hooking up ever since.”
Elana’s eyes bug out, and I can’t help but wonder if she knows who Afton is talking about. Vandy hasn’t moved an inch since I stepped between her and Sebastian, but I can hear her beside me, shifting more uncomfortably at this confession than the others. She may be too pure for this—too innocent—but then again, she’s the one blackmailing me to be in this club in the first place. That’s obviously what her confession is going to be.
“I’m really into it,” Afton continues, “but I know if my dad finds out, he’ll be devastated. Not just because I’m his daughter, but because it’s his friend. I mean, they go way back, they’re almost like brothers. It’s a huge betrayal, which of course makes it even sexier. But I can’t stop seeing him.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I won’t.”
Emory and I make eye contact, both of us having the same thought. Afton Cross has major daddy issues. No thanks.
We continue around the circle. Tyson, the new kid from Northridge, runs his hands through his hair a couple of times and admits, “I’m an atheist.”
No one replies until Ben says, “That’s not really a damning secret.”
“Well, it is to my girlfriend, who’s a seriously devout catholic.” He reaches under his shirt and pulls out a chain with a sliver cross attached. “She only dates religious guys and her parents are super strict. I lied when I met her—like, created this fake persona for her and her family, thinking it was no big deal, and now I’m in love with her, so I have to keep up this whole phony life. If she found out, it’d be over. She’d dump my ass so quick.”
I scoff, drawing a few stares, but I don’t need to elaborate. Emory just confessed to a possible sex crime. Sebastian might have hospitalized someone. Poor Aubrey got used and abused by two jocks. Afton is fucking some old dude and she doesn’t even realize how creepy and fucked up it is. Tyson is an atheist? It getting out might ruin a high school relationship?
What kind of weak shit is that?
“Well, that’s all I’ve got,” he finishes, sinking back into his chair.
I’m not sure how anyone else accepts this, but Caroline goes next.
“My mom forged documents and paid someone to take the SATs for me. ‘I’ got a 1540.” Caroline rolls her eyes, shrugging. “She got a few wrong so it wouldn’t look suspicious.”
I narrow my eyes at Tyson. See? That’s something with consequences.
Georgia is a cheerleader, like Afton, and from what I can tell, is a lot nicer than her pimply-faced brother, George. Emory wanted to make sure we had enough Juniors in the Devils to keep it going once we leave. She has wavy red hair and pretty green eyes. Her nails pick at the seam of her jeans when she says, “I told everyone that I went on a six-month foreign exchange program to France during Freshman year. Really, I was in a psychiatric facility for what they called a major depressive event.” She wrings her hands in her lap for a moment, eyes cast down. “But I was just…well, there was this video going around.”
Carlton springs up, “Oh shit! That was you!”
Georgia’s eyes go wide and hunted, and she turns them on Emory. “This stays here, right?”
Emory looks about as confused as I feel. “Uh, yeah. That’s the point.”
Her gaze darts around the circle, and I think I can see what she must be seeing: varying degrees of recognition. I have no idea what it’s all about. Everyone here has history, knows the in-jokes,