“You all right?” Wyatt asks, sliding me a look as we follow the flow of students toward the rows of doors across the front of the building.
“Sure, I’m great.”
He’s not fooled; Wyatt knows me too well. “Relax, Lil. This’ll be fun,” he assures me.
Ahead of us, somebody tugs open the door. We follow them into the mouth of the beast and are instantly surrounded by blaring music, loud voices, and shrill laughter. Tingly heat floods my body and I throb head to toe with the beat of the music that’s playing. I stay close to Wyatt as we weave through the congestion of people.
“Dude! There’s a line,” some guy barks. “You gotta sign in.”
“Sorry,” Wyatt shouts.
We make our way to the back of the crowd and take our place. The line moves quickly, and soon we’re standing before two women. One of them gestures toward a clipboard on the table, saying, “Put your name there, please. Anybody leaving the building has to check out first. If your parents call, we’ll want to let them know whether you’re here or not.” She wags a finger at us and in a singsong voice adds, “Once you leave, there’s no getting back in!”
Wyatt signs our names, while the second woman—a stocky, stern army-sergeant wannabe—shouts, “Over here, ladies and gentlemen! Let’s take a look in your pockets and bags.”
I open my bag, hoping Wyatt doesn’t see the clothes I stuffed inside for the trip to Baltimore. Luckily, he’s too busy turning his pockets inside out to pay attention.
When the lady sends us on our way, I ask, “Why can’t we get back in if we leave?”
“They don’t want people bringing alcohol back,” Wyatt explains.
Kids roam everywhere, relaxed now that the pressure of the ceremony is behind them. A dozen different activities are already underway. A coed basketball game on one of the courts, a volleyball game on another, dodgeball on a third. Both bowling lanes are occupied, and every racquetball court is full.
We make our way to the “Vegas” room, where blackjack tables are set up, and a couple of games of craps are being played. Wyatt spots some friends from the hockey team and they wave us over. As Wyatt, P. J., and another guy named Troy start playing blackjack, I stand back and watch, mentally devising an escape plan for later tonight. I’m so antsy I feel like I could jump out of my skin.
Iris is restless, too. I’m not sure if it’s the crowd or worry about Jake or our upcoming trip that has her on edge, but she’s like a tickle in my ear that I can’t scratch.
Wyatt laughs and teases the blackjack dealer—the father of one of his friends—about cheating. I try to listen and act as if I’m interested in what’s going on, but it’s no use. A sense of urgency thumps through my veins. I wander over to a corner, lean against the wall, out of the way, and check my phone.
“Expecting to hear from someone?” a hoarse voice asks, and I glance up to see Sylvie approaching. She grins and waggles her brows. “Bet I can guess who.”
Just as I’m about to reply, my phone vibrates. “Hey, just a sec. I want to take this in private,” I say. “You know anyplace I could go?”
She nods toward the door. “There’s a bathroom down the hall.”
“Thanks, I’ll find you later,” I say, and slip from the room.
18
I hurry down the hallway, my fingers fumbling across the buttons on my phone until I find the right one. “Hello,” I gasp.
“Hi. Is this Lily Winston?” The man’s voice is deep. Uncertain.
“Yes.” I duck into the small restroom, lock the door, and lean against it, out of breath.
“This is Jake Milano.”
Without warning, Iris rises up in me in such a dizzying spin that I have to reach out and grab the edge of the sink to keep from swaying. “Jake! Mr. Milano. I’ve been waiting to hear from you.”
“My mother told me that you’re Iris Marshall’s sister?”
“Yes. I am.”
A movement over the sink catches my attention. I look up to see my own reflection in the mirror, but for an instant I think I’m seeing Iris’s excited face staring back at me. You did it, I tell her. You led me to him.
“Um . . . this is . . . ,” Jake stammers. “I didn’t realize—”
“My sister passed away before I was born,” I break in, talking too fast. “But I only found out about her recently.