What Happens After Midnight, page 18
“And finally,” Dean DeLuca said, “we are stripping you of your senior dinner privilege and thus your salutatorian duties.”
“I’m sorry,” Headmaster Bickford added when I didn’t visibly react. “You would’ve been superb; we know your address would’ve been wonderful.” She rose from her chair. “That will be all, Lily. You may leave.”
“Thank you, Headmaster,” I said, then shook hands with the Dean of Students. “Thank you, Dean DeLuca.”
Madame Hoffman echoed me, but my eyebrows knitted together when my mom stayed seated. “Are you coming?” I asked after my advisor fled for French class.
My mom crossed her legs. “No, I’m not,” she said simply. “I’m not finished here.”
I’m not finished here.
The words took a second to compute, but then I noticed that Headmaster Bickford and Dean DeLuca had moved into the adjoining conference room. My insides twisted themselves into a knot, knowing they were now prepping for a Zoom call with the Swells in Chicago.
Tag hadn’t told me what time his hearing was, but of course they would do us back-to-back. Ames would want everything sorted out before lunch.
Unlike Madame Hoffman, Tag’s academic advisor arrived early. “Ah, Leda,” he commented. “I wondered if I’d see you.”
Mr. Rudnick, Tag’s housemaster, sighed and shook his head wearily when he saw my mother, and I did a double take when Josh walked into the office. Instead of his usual jeans and assortment of AMES SWIMMING apparel, he was wearing a dark suit. Together, he and my mom looked ready to eviscerate the entire boardroom.
It suddenly struck me that perhaps she hadn’t dressed like a shark for my meeting but for someone else’s. “You know his parents are lawyers,” I said.
“Yes, I’m aware,” she said. “Josh and I are advocates.”
“Because you can never have too many,” Josh added, although I saw him glance glaringly at Tag’s advisor and housemaster. They weren’t going to fight for Tag the way Josh and my mom would; they didn’t love him like Josh and my mom did.
My heart flared with hope. “Lily!” Headmaster Bickford called from the conference room. “Shouldn’t you be getting to your next class?”
I have a free period, I almost said, but my mom nudged me.
“Skedaddle.”
“Don’t let him get kicked out,” I whispered. “Please.”
“I won’t,” she said, then looked me dead in the eye. “I am so fucking furious with him, Lily, but I swear I will change my name and move to Montana before I let them kick Tag out of this school.”
TWENTY-ONE
I’d put my phone on silent before my hearing, but after leaving Headmaster Bickford’s office, I pulled it out of my pocket to find enough texts that made me close my eyes and take a deep breath. Everyone from friends to an acquaintance from my art class last term had messaged to see what the scoop was. I can’t do this, I thought, feeling the heat rise on the back of my neck. Not now, not yet.
Friday was the most popular day for campus tours and prospective interviews, so I could hear chatter from Admissions’ lobby, and the atrium was hustling and bustling around me. Three student tour guides gave me long glances as they passed by, and I gulped when one raised an eyebrow. Zoe and Alex and all my awaiting texts were right; everyone did know.
And knowing Tag, he would bypass this chaos by slipping up the back staircase, but there was no chance I was leaving this building without him. Think, Lily, I told myself. Where can you hide for a while?
I knocked on Mr. Hoffman’s door a minute later; it was already half-open, which I took to mean he wasn’t busy. “Come in!” he called, and after looking up from some paperwork, he gave me a gentle smile. His wife had definitely told him about my hearing. “Lily, hello. What can I do for you?”
“Hi,” I said quietly, then swallowed. “Would it be okay if I, um, hung out here for a bit?”
Mr. Hoffman nodded. He was a kind and thoughtful man, always dressing up as Santa Claus for the little kids at our neighborhood holiday party. “Of course,” he said. “I have a staff meeting soon, but you’re welcome to stay”—he stretched to pull a pillow off his armchair—“as long as you’d like.”
“Thank you,” I said, wondering for the millionth time why he’d slept here last night. But I wouldn’t ask that question today. “I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem,” he replied, and once he’d closed the door behind him, I reached for his box of tissues. The corners of my eyes stung, prickling with pain before hot tears spilled down my face. My mom—I knew how disappointed she was in me. Four years of nothing but hard work and this was how I would graduate. She had been so proud when I told her I was Ames’s salutatorian, and now, instead of addressing my classmates at our senior dinner, I would be on the couch at home. Probably with Chinese takeout and marathoning Marvel movies.
Christ.
And Tag, I worried. What was going to happen to him?
When I’d finally wiped away the last of my tears, I unlocked my phone to face my texts. “Can you just not?” I muttered as I deleted almost every frenzied inquiry, because anyone outside my circle wasn’t getting any immediate answers. Let alone in writing.
Hey, I hope things went okay, Anthony had texted. I’m sorry if my dad was a dick.
He was harsh, I replied. Just doing his job.
Pravika had sent a series of messages.
OMFG! the first one read. YOU AND TAG? GET IT, LILY!
Veeks, relax, I typed before reading her other messages, then added, It’s not what you think.
Because it wasn’t. We had technically hooked up last night at the boathouse, but it was as if the Jester’s prank had pushed us down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. Tag’s green eyes had flashed in the moonlight before everything began to spin. “Hopscotch,” I remembered him whispering after that first dizzying kiss, the sound of his voice making my body hum. “I don’t want this to fall apart. We need to—”
Enough, Lily, I told myself. It was over; it was done. It was nothing but fun and games.
Heart twisting, I deleted what I’d written to Pravika and instead told her what had happened at my hearing before composing a text to Alex and Zoe. Maya too, since I knew Zoe would tell her everything. I couldn’t quite pinpoint my hesitation for including Manik, but in the end, I did. He was a Jester’s fool, so he deserved to know. No strike, I texted, but detention tomorrow.
Phew! Zoe replied at the same time as Maya said, They took it easy on you!
Ladies, I don’t think she’s done yet, Alex wrote.
My fingers trembled as I typed, No prom, no senior dinner, no longer salutatorian.
Nobody responded for a while, then a message from Manik appeared. I’m so sorry, Lily. That’s awful. I feel awful.
The others echoed him before Maya tried to break the ice. At least you won’t have to go to prom with my brother, she said. That’s something.
I swallowed. Daniel had texted me, but I hadn’t responded yet. Hey, he’d messaged. I don’t know how long disciplinary hearings last—never been in one—but call me afterward.
Play it cool today, Alex reminded us. Especially you, Manik.
The Almanacs, I suddenly realized. They were supposed to be distributed this afternoon!
Don’t worry, Manik texted. I’ve got it all figured out. Daniel and I are supposed to meet at the yearbook office at lunch. I’m going to be “running late” to ensure he’ll be the one who discovers they’re gone.
Once everyone had liked his message, we signed off. I locked my phone, but soon the screen lit up with a private message from Alex: Do you want me to wait with you?
I smiled a little. Alex, you’re in class.
Yeah, he said, but I can always go to the bathroom and then just not come back.
No, I thought. Alex could not get in trouble.
Thank you, but I’m okay, I typed. Tag and I need to talk.
Agreed, he replied. I only offered in case you thought a moderator might help.
I laughed. I’ve missed you, Alex Nguyen.
You too, Lily Hopper, he said. I’ve missed you too.
I’d texted Tag that I was downstairs, but after an hour, something started gnawing in the pit of my stomach. Second period had ended, and it was now student-teacher consultation…how long was his hearing going to last? Where was he?
Everything in me jolted when my phone finally chimed with answers. I’m in the secret stairwell, Tag had texted. Are you still here?
I’m here! I’m coming, I tapped back, and after scribbling a quick thank-you note to Mr. Hoffman, I burst out of his office and zigzagged my way through the crowded atrium. My heart hammered as I turned down an ancillary hallway and ran straight to the door marked PRIVATE.
Behind it, Tag sat at the bottom of the staircase. “Lily,” he breathed and barely had time to stand up before I threw myself into his arms and squeezed him as hard as I could. He hugged me back, one of his wondrously warm hugs that never failed to make me melt.
“Smoosh,” I whispered into his chest. “What happened to you?”
“What happened to me?” he sighed and pulled back to look at me with gray eyes. “I’d much rather hear what happened to you.”
I ignored him. “Did you get expelled?”
Tag bit his lip, then shook his head.
“Thank god,” I said, releasing all the bottled-up air in my lungs. “My mom swore—”
“I got all but expelled, though,” Tag murmured.
My stomach dropped. “What does that mean?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I didn’t get a strike, but in exchange, they took away everything else.”
“Me too.” I nodded. “Prom, senior dinner, salutatorian—”
“What?” Tag’s hand tightened on my hip. I hadn’t realized it had been resting there. “They stripped you of salutatorian?”
“Yes,” I said, quickly adding, “But it’s fine, because Alex is next in line and will knock it out of the park.”
Tag was silent.
“Will I be seeing you in detention tomorrow night?” I asked.
“No,” Tag said, then coughed. “No, seeing as I’ll be under house arrest.”
My heart rate heightened.
House arrest.
House arrest?!
“I am allowed to attend classes,” he continued in a monotone voice, “and eat lunch in the dining hall, but after the bell, I only get an hour to swim before I must report back to my dorm, sign in with Mr. Rudnick, and then spend the rest of the night in my room. Dinner will be delivered.” He paused. “Josh negotiated swim practice. Dean DeLuca wasn’t going to let me.”
“Dean DeLuca’s a dick,” I muttered, even though we both knew it wasn’t true. He really was just doing his job.
Tag laughed a little. “Obviously we can forget about prom and senior dinner, but I’m also not allowed to walk in graduation…”
I gaped, my mouth hanging open like the day’s favorite meme.
“…which of course means my parents are now coming to graduation.”
“Wait, they originally weren’t going to come?” I asked, incredulous.
“No, they had a huge business trip to Hong Kong scheduled,” Tag answered. “My sister and her husband were always coming, but you know my parents.” He shrugged. “They don’t care until suddenly they do.”
My eyes welled up. “I strongly dislike your parents.”
One corner of Tag’s mouth twitched in a smile. “They were useless on the Zoom call,” he said. “All my mom could focus on was my hypoglycemic fuckup and whether or not I was okay, and my dad took that as the perfect time to ask why he hasn’t received any bills from my therapist recently.”
“You have a therapist?”
“I do.” He shrugged. “I mean, did—or still do. We haven’t had a session in a while…” He trailed off. “Anyway, your mom scared the shit out of everybody. It was like she was waiting to pounce. I expected to be kicked out, and so did Mr. Rudnick and my advisor. They didn’t even try to help. But once Josh got my parents to shut up, Leda took over. She not so subtly suggested that Headmaster Bickford strike the strike and let me pay penance instead.”
My heart stopped. Freaking house arrest had been my mom’s idea? What the hell?
“She saved my ass,” Tag said with a relieved sigh. “I’m still getting my diploma, and UVA won’t hear a word. I owe everything to her.”
We stood there in silence for a few moments.
“I know it’s our fault,” I eventually said, “but I hate this.”
“Entirely our fault,” Tag said back, “but I hate this too.”
More silence.
“Have you talked to Daniel?” he ventured. “Told him about having to abort prom?”
I shook my head. “I’m guessing he already knows it’s no longer happening, though, thanks to what People magazine has been saying about us.”
He avoided my eyes, and I too looked away to silently contemplate our situation. We needed to figure out how to leave this building. It would make or break the prank.
“Manik said he and Daniel are meeting in the yearbook office around lunchtime,” I said.
“Okay, good.” Tag nodded. “Manik plans to be late, right? So Rivera’s alone when he discovers they’ve disappeared?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, Jester.”
“I’m mulling over when to deliver the first clue,” Tag said, still half in his head. “It depends on how this first part plays out, then the envelope will hit his mailbox.”
“We also need to rethink our alibis,” I said, making eye contact with him again. His cloudy gray irises had returned to their natural green. My pulse quickened. “As criminally evil as those two clues about us are, they’re looking a little flimsy now that everyone knows we snuck out. Because when it gets out that the Almanacs are missing…they’ll wonder…” I winced. “We should assess our options.”
Tag gave me a flatlined, almost bored look. “Assess our options?”
I suddenly felt the urge to shove him, so I did. He was goofing around, pushing my buttons, and I fell for it every time. “Come on!” I exclaimed when he grinned. “Options, Tag!”
“There are no options, Hopscotch,” he said lightly. “There is an option.”
My stomach somersaulted. Yes, there was, and I knew it was agonizingly waiting for us. Ames was under the impression that Tag and I had been caught hooking up, and we had the chance to run with it. Everyone, including old Bunker Hill, thought we had gotten back together.
How could I be the Jester? Tag would say if questioned. I was with Lily.
And I was with Tag, I’d tell others. How could I have known about the Almanacs?
I’d never been able to pretend with Tag; it had always been all or nothing with him. But for the Jester’s sake, I knew I had to try, no matter how treacherous it already felt and how painful it would be in the end. He might not bleed, but I would.
“Lily.” Tag held out his hand. “Do you trust me?”
TWENTY-TWO
Hand in hand, Tag and I sprinted up the hillside’s curving stone staircase. Consultation had ended, and there were only a few minutes before third period, so not many students had seen us leave Admissions. There had been a few whistles as we crossed the Circle together, along with an over-the-top catcall, but I was pretty sure that had been Alex on his way to Russian.
Even though we already knew our fates, it felt like we were holding on to each other for dear life. “You’re cutting off my circulation,” I said as we took the stairs two at a time.
“You’re cutting off mine too,” Tag replied.
Neither of us loosened our grip.
Because of all the classes on our schedules, Tag and I had Latin. Latin! It was so painfully farcical that I almost wanted to laugh.
I remembered the bright beam of Bunker’s flashlight last night, the way it had captured Tag and me after we’d hidden the Jester’s second clue. We had wanted to avoid his cottage at all costs, even army crawling across the grass to stay out of sight!
Yet now here we were, racing for his front door. I gently unwound my fingers from Tag’s once we reached the porch. They were so tangled together that it felt like undoing one of those complicated sailing knots Tag had been so good at tying. “Lily—” he started but was interrupted by our phones pinging.
I sighed and pulled out my iPhone to silence it. Bunker always confiscated phones at the beginning of class, storing them in a lacquered cigar humidor, but if one still went off, he held it hostage for the rest of the day.
The Jester’s group chat, I figured until I tapped and saw the notification—an email from Ames’s student council president. My stomach swished. “Tag,” I breathed.
He didn’t respond, already skimming his screen.
I glanced down to read mine too.
To: Group_All_Students@ames.edu
From: DRivera@ames.edu
Subject: Almanac Distribution
Hello, Ames,
I am thrilled to announce that today is finally the day! This year’s edition of the Ames School Almanac will be available for pickup this afternoon. Come to the auditorium after the bell, where I will be handing them out until dinnertime.
Make sure to bring a Sharpie for signatures!
All best,
Daniel
Tag and I made eye contact, and while I spied a smile playing on his lips, all he did was tilt his head at me. “What?” I asked, heart somersaulting. “What’s so funny?”
“He has no idea,” he replied. “He has no idea how well he’s setting himself up.”
I shook my head. “You sound like Alex.”
“Yeah, we get that a lot.” Tag smirked.
“Alex can be a real douche canoe at times, Tag.”
“Well, I guess that makes three of us,” he said lightly, then held up his phone. “This email is absurd. Could he be more of a narcissist?” He rolled his eyes. “I mean, at least give credit where credit is due. He couldn’t give a shout-out to Manik and the yearbook team? Not even half a sentence?”
