me.
“Cute jacket!” Maddy said as I approached. “You two are so adorable.”
I took that as a compliment to my acting, even if William and I being an adorable couple brought strange feelings to my gut. I figured my blush was fitting. “How long before it starts?”
“Five minutes,” Maddy said. Then her attention landed on the field and she was back to gushing about her latest Richmond player crush. “Oh, see that tall one over there? Number two? That’s the one.”
“Hey,” Lola interrupted, obviously tired of Maddy’s infatuation. “Did anyone invite Desmond tonight?”
Sophie and Lola exchanged looks before Maddy let out a sigh. “Crap, no, I totally forgot.”
“Desmond?” I asked innocently.
“He’s our photographer,” Maddy explained. “He usually puts together videos of our parties. He just got back from an extended summer break. He goes to Richmond, actually.”
I needed to squeeze my nails tight into my palms to stop myself from betraying my thoughts. The photographer actually exists? Of course I’d pondered the idea, I’d even done a ton of research since I concocted my plan, but the only conclusion I’d ever made was that Monica was exaggerating. Level One wasn’t really conceited enough to have their own photographer.
But maybe they were.
I begged my voice to stay level. “Oh, I’ve never seen one before. You’ll have to show me sometime.”
“We don’t post them,” Sophie said. “It’s more a way we can look back on old memories. We don’t exactly want to share everything publicly.”
I could read through the lines enough to make my own conclusion. The footage was just another tendon bonding them into the highly coveted and unbreakable group they’d become over the years. Collecting videos meant group liability. One member couldn’t break without the entire group breaking. Everyone had to keep their mouths shut, maintaining their exclusivity. When your friendship group contained cashed-up teens from the country’s most influential families, there was more at stake than high school gossip when it came to insider secrets getting out.
I pinned my lips shut. My heart was beating fast. If footage of Level One parties did exist, and Desmond was in the right place at the right time on that monumental night, then there was proof of what really happened to Monica.
It had the potential to be the perfect weapon to take them all down, and finally get justice for my best friend.
I’d never realized what a brutal game lacrosse was. Our seats gave us a perfect view of the field, where navy-and-gold uniforms clashed barbarically for a white rubber ball the size of my fist. I could now understand why each player was dressed in what looked like a suit of armor.
Watching William made me uncomfortable. I swear I winced every time he collided with another player or their stick. It was obvious why he was captain, though. He scored four goals, leading the team to victory.
“Come on!” Maddy yelled over the crowd’s applause. “We should go down there and congratulate them.”
Though they didn’t look half as enthusiastic, Sophie and Lola joined us as we maneuvered between the cheering sea of navy.
“Everyone’s looking at you,” Maddy whispered into my ear as she linked her arm in mine. “You’re wearing the last name of the best player.”
I looked around to see a number of eyes pinned on me, darting away as soon as I noticed. One remained, though, and that was the cold stare of Lola Davenport trailing behind us.
The boys took a while to come off the field. They were too busy basking in the joy of the win. When they did, they were still breathing deeply and covered in mud and sweat, helmets and sticks in hand.
“Congratulations,” Sophie said loudly as the Level One boys walked our way, flanked by the remainder of the team as they filtered through the crowd one by one.
“Thanks, Soph,” Zach said. “Where were your pom-poms?”
“Must have left them in the car,” she said with a smirk.
I looked between them. It must have been a private joke.
I jumped when someone’s arm snaked its way over my shoulder and squeezed me close. “What did you think?”
William’s eyes were bright jade against the flush of his skin. His hair was pushed out of his face, slick with moisture, and his scent enveloped me.
“It was rough,” I said when my mind and lips finally found the ability to work together again. “I can’t believe you can do all that.”
William laughed, and I felt his chest rise and fall against me. The way his arm rested around my shoulder could