like you just really like journalism. Like you’ve already found that thing you’re passionate about. Like your mom.”
“I guess.” I chew on my lip, thinking. “Although, my mom’s got a drive that I don’t think I could ever have. For her, it’s less about the story and more about the glory. I’d be perfectly happy if no one ever looked at me again.”
His forehead creases as he turns off the highway. Daylight is fading, and we need to get to the school before it’s fully dark to do a little recon. The small town of Thistle Cove is in the distance, the river on one side and thick trees on the other. My mind wanders back to the girls seeking affection and money from older men, back to Afton.
“You think she’s pretty,” I say suddenly.
His eyes jump to me and back to the road so fast that it seems involuntary. “Who?”
“Afton,” I answer awkwardly. “I’ve seen you looking at her.”
There’s a long stretch of silence where I cringe internally. It isn’t until we hit a stoplight that Reyn flicks his turn signal and finally answers. “I spent three years in military school. I think a lot of girls are pretty.”
“Well, she is.” I focus out the window at the sinking sun, feeling self-conscious and strange. “Pretty, I mean.”
He looks away to turn, face neutral when he responds, “Yeah, but she’s not really my type.
“No?” I hate how quickly it comes out. “From the looks of it, you can probably take your pick. Who is?”
“I don’t know.” His hands grip and release the steering wheel. “I guess I’m still trying to figure that out.”
“I saw you go into the Devil’s tower after that first game,” I admit. “I thought you were going to meet a girl.”
“Sneaking around again?” he says teasingly.
“No.” I narrow my eyes. “If anyone was sneaking around, it was you.”
“As you know, I was meeting your brother.” He comes to a stop sign—we’re getting close now—and while the car idles, he gives me his attention. “The Stairway to Hell isn’t really on my radar right now.”
“Whatever.” I flap a hand dismissively. “I bet your name is already up there.”
His expression is guilty enough for me to know that it’s true, but he says, “I wasn’t here long enough to really make a mark.”
I idly wonder, “Do you think that, because the other girls and I are officially Devils—well, Playthings, I guess—we’ll get to put our names up there? Assuming there’s opportunity for any of us.” Not that there’ll be any for me. Who would I even go up there with? What would we even do? That train of thought brings back some of the tension I’d had from earlier.
“I’m not sure,” he says slowly, eyes going inexplicably tight. “I don’t know the rules about that—for girls. We’re in new territory, I guess. Before, the Playthings were just…” He pauses here, and I know he’s editing. “Just the girls who hung out with us. But now you’re a member.” His eyes dart over, eyebrow quirking. “Look at that, you’re already shaking up the patriarchy. Maybe you should get your own spot on the beam.”
“Yeah, right. Like anyone would want to.” I scoff. “And anyway, I’m not doing this for me. I’m in this for the sake of the community, our peers. A secret society isn’t really opening doors for anyone.”
I’ve been diligently taking notes and collecting evidence for my article. I take screen captures of the meeting times, photos of the box and key in my locker, the envelope, all of it. I’ve even saved the slip of paper telling me and Reyn what to do tonight. I felt a twinge of guilt as I did it, though. The Devils are so important to my brother, but he’s also graduating this year. Honestly, all three of us need to move forward and leave this kind of trouble behind.
We cross the bridge into Thistle Cove, and I point to the scrubbed remains of what had been a memorial. “That’s where she jumped. Rose Waller? They thought she was dead, but she wasn’t. She was just in hiding from her crazy dad.”
“It should make me feel better that Preston isn’t the only fucked up place in the world, but I’m not sure it does.”
The GPS leads us to the school, but it wouldn’t be hard to find, anyway. The campus takes up a central location in the middle of town, a historic three-story school building, and a big stadium ablaze with