campus and back over to the tower. Emory is just inside the entrance.
“Shit, did anyone see you come down here?” he asks, looking over my shoulder. It’s cold as a snowman’s dick, so I push past him and jog down the staircase to the Devils lair.
“Nah, I doubled back. But I think the Admin is still in the gym trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.” I don’t mention Sydney, because what is there to say? I enter the room and see that other guys are already down here in the process of changing. None of them went all out with the body paint like I did.
Jesus. Altercations with Sydney aside, what a fucking rush.
Part of it was that I’d finally—fucking finally—gotten the all-clear from my doctor earlier that day. No more worries about being careful all the time. No having to coddle myself. No sitting on the sidelines anymore, restless and agitated.
But a bigger part was just pulling something off with my boys. With my girls. It’s been too long.
“Good job, man,” Carlton says, changing shirts. He’d been one of the other masked devils and the hair around his temples is still damp with sweat. “I hope someone gets a video of the Headmaster’s expression when he realizes his halftime show was hijacked.”
Emory walks into the lair and shuts the door behind him. He approaches me, fist out. I bump mine against his and he grins. “Dude, you should’ve been the mascot all year. You killed it!”
I scoff. “That’s a pussy position. I’d rather be on the field than on the sidelines.”
“How do you think Sugar took being the winner?” Tyson asks. “She looked a little stunned.”
“Oh, she’s going to be pissed. She’s probably already trying to return it,” I reply. “Too bad that money came out of our funds and not the school’s. There’s no one to return it to.”
“Have you said anything to her about it?” Reyn asks, buttoning his shirt. “You know, the Devils.”
I give him a stony look. “I’m not a squealer. You know that.”
“What if she recognized you?” Emory asks, eyebrow arched. “You were right in front of her—half naked. You think she didn’t recognize your body? She would, right?”
It’s a loaded question, and I don’t know why Em doesn’t just come out and ask if Sugar and I have had sex yet. He probably doesn’t want to be on the other side of my temper if it doesn’t land right.
“If she recognized me, I’ll deal with it.”
The others leave first and I change quickly, wanting to go up and find her. To be honest, I wasn’t even expecting her to come to the game. If that happened, we wouldn’t have given away the big prize at all. Everyone agreed to give it to Sugar. None of the other assholes around here deserve or need it. I know the way she’d see it, though—as charity.
My phone buzzes and I pick it up.
Sugar: Leaving the gym. Where are you?
I type out my response: Wait there. I’ll be there in a minute.
Pulling on my jacket, I head up the stairs, locking the door behind me. I shove the key in my pocket and step outside the tower. Walking fast, I turn around the curve of the building toward the gym, but stop when I see a shadowy figure a few feet away, with their arms crossed over their chest.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, clutching my hand over my heart.
Sugar steps into the light, revealing her narrowed eyes and taut jaw. “I know you’re the one who gave me that money.”
I observe her for a moment, the camera hanging around her neck. She doesn’t seem to go anywhere without it nowadays. She’s also looking at me like she’s figured everything out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the shit, Wilcox.” Ouch. Wilcox. “That was you, in the Devil mask. You’re the one who gave me that shirt.”
“Babe,” I say, following a deep exhale, “Johnny Weider is the mascot. He’s out there right now.”
She doesn’t look even remotely convinced. “One? Don’t ever call me ‘babe’. Two, I’ve seen your abs, and now I’ve seen Johnny Weider’s. Not even in the same fucking ballpark. That was secret society stuff. You’re one of them, aren’t you?”
A few students walk toward us and I wait for them to pass. I want to tell her. For the first time in my life, I want to tell someone everything. I can’t, though. I took an oath.