homework was the same as steroids for sports: cheating. (How Sasha didn’t make that comparison was beyond her.) But this was about Hutch. He’d died from an Oxy overdose. The Health Center didn’t seem to be Hutch’s source. Matt and Bodhi had both denied that they would ever supply a drug as hardcore as Oxy, but that was what they told her. Would they admit to something like that in person? To Devon of all people? What if the request came from another source? Devon grabbed a pen and wrote 30Ox/10 on a piece of her Keaton paper. Now she had to find the right person to give Matt the order.
“DEV, WAKE UP.” THE flashlight glaring in her eye woke her up before Presley’s whispering did.
“What time is it?” Devon covered her eyes with a hand. Presley stood next to her bed.
“It’s almost two A.M. Come on.” Presley pulled Devon’s comforter down.
“Pres, come on. I wanna sleep,” Devon said. She rolled over.
“Devon. Get up.” Presley wasn’t whispering anymore. “There’s a thing for Hutch at the Nest. You should be there.”
Now Devon was awake. She squinted up at Presley. “What?”
“Just put on your damn shoes.” Presley flicked off the flashlight and tossed one Converse at a time onto Devon.
THE FIRE WAS THE first thing Devon noticed once they’d cleared the weed-entangled path to the Nest—the other Keaton hideaway for bad behavior, on the opposite side of the hill from the Palace. Funny, in all her time at Keaton, she’d never been here. It was nothing more than a tiny clearing with a metal trashcan at its center, now roaring with flames.
Devon could only see the dark outlines of other students until she wedged herself in the circle around the fire. Presley slid next to Pete, who wrapped a blanket around both of them. Allison Rice, Greta Lewis, and Taylor Pierce—all contributors to The Keaton Hawk, like Presley and Hutch—were writing on small pads of paper. These three had been on the newspaper since freshman year, and seemed to always have an article about something in the works. Devon was amazed that in such a small community, where the same things happened all the time, they still found new things to write about. Well, maybe this year was an exception. Taylor handed Devon a pad of paper and a pencil.
“Here,” she said. “We’re all writing notes to Hutch. You know, for closure.”
“Um, okay.” Devon looked down at the blank page. Across the fire Allison ripped a page off the front of her pad and dropped it into the fire. Her eyes filled with water and reflected the flames as she watched her paper burn. Greta rubbed her back in a supportive gesture. Allison wiped the tears from her cheek. Another subculture that Hutch was a key member in, and yet once again Devon didn’t get the invite. At least Presley knew Devon would have wanted to be there.
“I got one,” Taylor said. She unfolded her piece of paper and read aloud, “Dear Hutch, I remember the first day you walked into the Hawk and wanted to join. You were so excited to interview other students. Your love of writing a good story, or learning something new about someone was infectious. With you gone, I will try to spread your enthusiasm to the rest of us. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. With the utmost respect and love, Taylor.”
She let her paper flit in a loopy spiral down into the fire.
Presley cleared her throat. The fire made her curly hair and pale round cheeks glow like honey. “I’m not writing this one down.” She smiled at Devon across the flames. “Last year I almost got busted buying vodka in Monte Vista. I was at the register and Hutch was outside. Mrs. Ascher was about to walk in, and Hutch distracted her so I could get out before she saw. Thanks, Hutch, for having my back.”
She ripped a piece of paper from a pad and watched it burn.
“Amen, sister,” Pete chimed in.
“Amen, God bless America, and word up, homeboys.”
A deep voice slurred its way into their circle. Someone was stumbling toward them through the brush. Matt? Devon tucked her chin to her chest and tried to be invisible. He might not like seeing her at Hutch’s secret memorial. He could make a case that Devon was a narc. If he did, everyone would see her that way—probably until well after they’d all graduated.
“What’s up, children,” Matt’s glistening eyes skimmed past everyone and