Devils' Day Party: A High School Bully Romance - C.M. Stunich Page 0,147

I think, helps seal the deal for me. I still feel bad about lying, but I'll feel a lot better if Pearl doesn't kill herself today. “I've got my mom's credit card. We could have some fun?”

Pearl looks at me like she's never seen me before, like maybe I'm not such a bag of ugly dicks.

“Yeah, okay. You have a car? My parents didn't bother to let me keep mine.” Her tone darkens, and I can see the shadows falling across her face. She looks back up at me, almost contemplatively. “Alright, fine. Let's go.” Pearl turns and heads for the doors with me following behind. The teachers at Crescent Prep aren't really prepared to deal with their ultrarich students, so discipline is definitely lacking; we walk right out the door as the bell rings, and nobody stops us. Further proof that the academy isn't a place meant for rehabilitation, so much as it is a prison in the middle of the woods to dump unwanted kids.

I lead Pearl into the trees where I've hidden Little Bee, and she raises her eyebrows at the damage to the front end.

“I noticed Calix's car was trashed. Your doing?” I nod and Pearl grins, adding yet another thing to my mental checklist that I can use on her for a different day. There's no point in actually making a checklist; come tomorrow, when everything resets, it'll be gone anyway.

Pearl examines my myriad bumper stickers before climbing in, settling herself into the seat and locking her belt, her eyes taking in the stuffed soot sprite hanging from my rearview mirror. It's a little black ball with eyes, tufted with bits of fake fur, and it's from some Japanese anime movie that Luke is obsessed with; she's the one who bought it for me, and even though I haven't seen the movie it makes me smile.

“I was thinking we head to Eureka Springs, start off with some breakfast and then dress shopping?” I start the car—takes three tries for the engine to turn over, as usual—and start us down the dirt logging road that leads to the highway.

We drive in silence for a while before Pearl nods toward the stereo.

“No offense, but does this piece of crap play music?”

With a laugh, I reach down and grab my phone from the cup holder, passing it over to her.

“My moms splurged on a new sound system for me last year; it has Bluetooth and all that shit.” I smile, my hands tightening slightly around the wheel as it occurs to me how much I take my family for granted. Fuck, as soon as this is over, I'm going to make more of an effort with them. Next time my little sisters ask to paint a mural with me, I'm not going to act like it's an imposition. “Choose whatever you want.”

Pearl browses for a few and then starts one of my playlists, one that I forgot I had titled I Hate the Knight Crew. It's angry and wild and full of screaming vocals. She starts it off with “Venom” by Icon For Hire.

“So. Why are you being so fucking nice to me? This isn't some bullshit Devils' Day trick is it? Because if I find out you're using my baby against me, I will cut a bitch.” A chill shivers through me, but I force a smile anyway, glancing her way. But only for a second. Goddess knows I'm not taking my eyes off the road for long, not after suffering three fatal car crashes in less than a month's time.

“You're the only one I thought might understand what I'm going through,” I say, trying to word things carefully. I'd rather not dig myself an even deeper pit of lies. “Besides, there's no reason why we should hate each other. I mean, I don't hate you, but you've never seemed to like me.”

Pearl scoffs and glances out the window at the passing trees. That's all there really is out here, trees and springs and lakes. Personally, I like it, but I want to try living in a city once I graduate, at least for a little while.

“You're always panting after the Knight Crew,” Pearl says with a shrug of her shoulders, removing her mask and setting it between us. Eureka Springs doesn't celebrate Devils' Day the way we do in Devil Springs. Likely, most of the locals have some idea of what we do out here in the boonies, but most won't be wearing masks or celebrating