Gwen mentioned at dinner; the one of the cemetery and my father’s grave. I hate the idea of going to celebrate my father while Doug is there. He pretends to be respectful—my dad was a hero, after all—but I know he’s jealous that my mom still honors him every year. He dotes on her all day and I get the brunt of his attitude. That’s what finally makes me realize that I not only want Sebastian to go with me, I think I need him to.
Thinking about all this dries up my creative mood, and I put away the equipment. If Georgia is right, I shouldn’t be down in the lab during a major social event. I lucked out with this scholarship and I should take advantage of every opportunity. I’m part of Preston Prep now, stupid basketball games included.
I lock up the lab and head across campus to the gym. I show my ID to the woman at the entrance and she waves me in. Inside is a clash of color; red and black against the cool silver of the opposing team. From the chatter around school, the Devils are poised to win the entire championship with this game against Sparrowood Academy. Even up in the Briar Cliffs, the rivalry between these two elite schools is well known. I doubt the Academy will go down without a fight.
When I enter the rowdy gym, the clock is counting down to halftime. I search the stands for a familiar face, but it’s all a blur of red and black painted faces and chests, devil iconography, and electrified energy. The players run down the court, shoes squeaking on the sparkling hardwood. A ball flies past my face and I yelp before darting up the nearest bleacher. I take the first empty seat that I find, heart pounding from the close call, and take a deep breath.
From up in the bleachers I have a better view of the gym. The cheerleaders are along the end, cheering and shaking their shiny pom poms. Afton is in the middle, more super model than cheerleader. Down the row I see Aubrey, and then Sydney and Fiona. I recognize Elana with the dance team, their lithe bodies in motion with the music being played by the marching band. There’s a Devil mascot, some poor shirtless student, painted red with a head covering mask, roaming up and down the sidelines, working the crowd into a frenzy. He waves a flag adorned with a grinning Devils face. In the chaos, I keep an eye out for familiar blond hair, but even though I see a few of the other lacrosse boys, I can’t find Bass in the crowd. I pull out my phone and text him, hoping that he’ll see my message and come find me. If not, I make a plan to hide out here until things clear out at halftime and make my escape.
Preston Prep is up by four when the buzzer blares through the gym and the players jog off the court. I’m about to make a break for it when the game announcer’s deep voice comes over the speakers: Don’t leave your seats now! One lucky winner will get a chance to play for a big cash prize! But, first, let’s give it up for the Dancing Divas!
A deep tempo fills the gym, techno music bouncing off the walls, and the cheer and dance squads rush to center court, falling into line. I drop back down, feeling like I should watch Afton and the other girls I’ve become friendly with. Some guy near the court shouts, “Afton! I love you!” as they stand in position. She doesn’t flinch at the attention, but I notice her eyes dart down the court. I follow her gaze, and see the Devil mascot’s return, flag raised in the air. The girls on the floor begin their routine, while the Devil strides across the court. That’s when I notice he’s not alone. Seven other masked devils swarm the gym floor. None of them are shirtless, some are clearly girls. When the crowd sees them, the energy in the room amplifies. The guy next to me says, “Fuck, you see that?” to the person next to him.
“What?” his friend asks, searching the court.
“The main Devil’s flag. It’s not the Preston Prep logo. It’s the Devil logo, like from homecoming.”
I look at the flag and realize it doesn’t have the smirking devil on the front anymore. It’s a circle with a pitchfork