look back. Reyn’s resting his head back against the seat, looking down his nose at us, and his mouth is curved into a crooked smile that’s big enough to reveal a single dimple. “Good to see you two are still status quo.”
I turn back around to hide my smile—and my reddening cheeks—because Reyn probably doesn’t realize just how un-status quo that little scene has been lately. Maybe Emory had taken our talk last night to heart.
Emory adjusts the AC to the middle position, which is slightly higher than he keeps it normally.
Wow, a compromise.
He backs out of the driveway and asks, “So Mom really gave you permission to ride on the bus?”
“Yeah,” I say, checking the camera in my lap and making sure I didn’t forget the list of game notes Coach Morris sent for the newspaper. “She wasn’t happy about it and kept aggressively ‘offering’ to drive me, but I think she’s just ecstatic that I’m involved in something at school.”
My brother glances at the rearview mirror and says to Reyn, “Until last night I thought Vandy was just a boring nerd hiding out in her bedroom all the time. Now I realize she was just getting high.”
I jab him with my elbow. “What happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon,” I snap.
He holds up a hand defensively. “Last time, I promise!”
My eyes flit up to the rearview mirror, checking to see Reyn’s expression. The smile has faded. I have no idea what he thinks about my confession, but I’m not going to let anyone judge me, least of all him. I was in pain for a long time. Sometimes, I still am.
Emory talks about the game the rest of the drive, but Reyn’s responses are all rote and quiet. When we get out of the truck I call out, “Good luck,” before walking over to the non-player bus. Emory raises his helmet in response and Reyn meets my gaze, offering a tight smile that’s nowhere near the dimpled easiness as before.
I bite back a sigh and look for Syd.
The bus I’m riding on is filled with cheerleaders, members of the dance team, and their coaches and sponsors. Micha Adams is standing in a grassy area behind the bus with a cluster of cheerleaders showing off his backflip. Sydney glides up to me the instant she sees me, eyes focused toward the field house.
“Did Reyn ride with you?”
“Yes.” I dig in my bag for a pen.
“Oh.” She frowns, eyes following them to the bus. “So, you two are like… cool now?”
“Um.” I chew on my lip for a moment, thinking. “I don’t know if I’d call it that. We’re neighbors, and he’s Emory’s best friend. Civility just seems the best way to handle it.”
She looks at me, eyebrow curved upward. “I heard he’s not allowed to have anything to do with you—per Headmaster Collins.”
“Well, Headmaster Collins can stuff it.” My bristling tone is only half meant for Collins. Some of it’s reserved for Syd’s snarky tone. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, we weren’t friends before he left. We just had—” A life changing event? A shared tragedy? An epic failure? “Well, nothing really. He’s back. I’m me. We definitely don’t reside in the same social circle. Other than rides to school with Emory, I doubt our lives will even cross.”
As I say it, she glances at my neck and says, “What’s that? A new necklace?”
I touch the metal hanging at the center of my chest. “It’s nothing.” But right when I say it, Afton walks by, dolled up in her cheer uniform. She does have a necklace on, but it’s a delicate chain with a cursive ‘A’ hanging in the V of her top. But then she raises her hand high into the air and I see it. The black cord is wound around her wrist.
And like that, we’re connected.
“Devils!” Afton shouts, fingers snapping. All the girls—plus Micha—focus on her intently. “Gather all the stuff and get in the bus, we’re leaving in five! No dawdling, got it? You all know what it’s like when the players get there before us.”
“Well, I don’t think you can sit with the squad on the way there,” Sydney says, giving me an exaggerated frown, “Afton likes us to do this whole ‘bonding’ thing before the games. It’s super lame. But we can talk at halftime, okay?”
“Yeah.” My smile feels a little tight. “Sounds great.”
She skips off, her little skirt flouncing behind her. I know by now that climbing on