What Happens After Midnight, page 19
I scanned the message again, knowing Daniel scheduled most of his presidential emails. He’d probably written this one yesterday because there was no way he was in this buoyant mood right now. Are you seriously ignoring me, Lily? he’d texted again while Tag and I’d been finalizing our game plan in Admissions.
Plus, he couldn’t have just sent that email. His phone was currently in a cigar box. “Let’s go,” I said to Tag in a small voice. “We only have two minutes.”
Tag nodded.
“You’re not a douche canoe,” I added. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be.” He rested a hand on my waist. “We both know I am.” He gave me a squeeze so soft that it sent sparks through me. “I’m working on it, though.”
I nodded before stepping away from him. Waves of hazy heat pulsed from where he touched me, and it was too much. Affection had always been so natural between us, but now it felt wrong. If no one on campus was watching, I didn’t want to keep up this hoax.
This sad, beautiful, tragic hoax of loving each other.
Tag followed me inside once I turned Bunker’s doorknob and crossed the cottage’s threshold. The front entryway was empty, and so was the living room, but neither of us gave it a second thought. Bunker held Latin in his solarium. “Ah, excellent!” he said when Tag and I entered the all-glass, rounded room. Sunlight streamed through the ceiling, and our teacher had a twinkle in his eye. “We were beginning to worry you’d lost your way.”
Tag made a quip, but it went in one ear and out the other. After depositing our phones in the black lacquered box, I realized that there was no place to sit save for what our class called the “chessboard.” Another one of Bunker’s beloved antiques, the small mahogany table had a marble chessboard inlaid in the center and was only big enough for two people. I closed my eyes for a moment; Tag and I had sat there exclusively for almost three years. It wasn’t until we’d broken up that a classmate had silently stolen my spot. She took my chair while I switched to the settee across the room. It was the only time the seven murderous Latin students had ever shuffled seats.
Although now that Tag and I were seemingly back together, my old chair was waiting for me. I chanced a glance over at the settee and indeed saw that Daniel had his original seatmate back. She gave me a friendly half smile before taking a sip of tea, but Daniel’s expression was dour when our eyes met.
“Well, well, go ahead and pour yourselves a cup,” Bunker said once Tag and I had shucked off our backpacks. He gestured to his tea service table. “We must begin.”
Neither of us paid much attention to today’s lesson. I’d flipped to a fresh page in my notebook and marked the date using one of my colored pens, but my bullet points were sparse. Tag’s page looked identical, but the true tell was his shaking leg. It was one of his tics, which happened whenever he was impatient or full of anticipation…or full of excitement.
I didn’t want Tag to draw even more attention to himself, so I scribbled something in my notebook before angling it toward him. Kindly quit the bouncing, it said.
He picked up his pencil. TRY AND STOP ME, he wrote back.
The solution came much too easily. I took a breath and twined my leg around his under the table, quelling the shaking with steadiness. Tag only bounced twice more before his leg relaxed.
But my spine straightened, sensing someone’s eyes on me. I didn’t need to do a sweep of the solarium to know Daniel was staring. Something in my stomach twinged as I jotted down another message to Tag.
I need to talk to Daniel after class.
He gave me a single nod, knowing it was the right thing to do. Daniel and I’d been study partners forever and prom dates. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t just ignore him.
And you should talk to Blair, I added.
Tag’s face twisted at the note, and he opened his mouth to say something before realizing he couldn’t. We were in class. Instead he dashed off another missive.
WHY SHOULD I TALK TO BLAIR?
Because she asked you to prom, I said.
Tag’s reply was swift: THAT DOESN’T MEAN I SAID YES.
My heart lurched, and my handwriting became illegible. You didn’t?
“No,” Tag murmured softly, shaking his head. “You assumed.”
A lump formed in my throat. Yes, I had assumed. Last night Tag insisted that he and Blair weren’t back together, but she’d still proposed they go to prom…and I hadn’t even given him the opportunity to answer. “Oh,” I’d said before sweeping the subject under the metaphorical rug, embarrassed that I hadn’t heard it from my friends and even more embarrassed that I hoped our borrowed time at the boathouse meant something.
I didn’t realize Tag had written another note until he tapped his notebook with his pencil. I DON’T NEED TO TALK TO BLAIR, HOPS, BUT I DO NEED TO TALK TO YOU AND YOU NEED TO TALK TO ME. OKAY?
My eyes welled up without my permission. He was right; we did need to talk. Really talk. All the half-told secrets and unfinished truths weren’t enough to piece together what had happened between us, and if I wanted anything before graduation, it was closure.
It was clear Tag felt the same way.
We’ll talk, I wrote, words inked in fountain pen. I promise.
Tag and I did not leave Latin together. When Bunker’s clock chimed, he casually packed up his things while I zipped my backpack in record time. “Daniel…” I started to say, but Bunker waved me over before I could get Daniel’s attention.
I went to the blackboard as my classmates retrieved their phones from the cigar box. “Yes, Mr. Hill?”
Bunker gave me a look that said, You need not call me “Mr. Hill.”
“Yes, Bunker?” I tried again.
“I’m sorry to hear about your disciplinary hearing,” he said. “From your mother’s text, it seems Penny was quite rough on you.”
I sighed. “But at least I didn’t get a strike.”
“No, although I believe a strike would’ve been less of a punishment,” he mused. “Instead, she has stolen all the end-of-year joys you deserve to experience.”
“Don’t you mean deserved?” I asked. “Tag and I didn’t follow your advice; I didn’t go home last night. We don’t deserve anything.”
Bunker chuckled. “Oh, my dear Lily,” he said, “even though you and Taggart discarded my suggestion yesterday and didn’t pay a cent of attention to my lecture, you both deserve each and every joy life has to offer.” He smiled knowingly. “I suspect one of them was last night.”
“Daniel!” I shouted, leaping off Bunker’s porch like a flying squirrel. “Hey, Daniel!”
Halfway to the hill’s staircase, Daniel turned and paused to wait for me. “Hi, Lily,” he said, tucking his hands in his pockets as I sucked in a deep breath to collect myself. “Class was really interesting today, wasn’t it?”
My cheeks warmed. His curt tone suggested Bunker wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Tag and I were in our own orbit.
Douche canoe, I almost wanted to say.
“I’m sorry,” I said instead. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier. This morning was extremely overwhelming, and I thought it would be better if we talked in person…”
“Okay.” Daniel shrugged when I trailed off. “We’re in person now.”
“Right.” I nodded. “Right.”
It was silent for several seconds.
“Lily, I don’t want your mom marking me late,” Daniel said, checking his watch. “I have a paper due, and based on what went down this morning, it’s probably best if you aren’t late to your class either.”
Bleh, I thought. His voice was laced with condescension, and for once, I couldn’t ignore it.
“I can’t go to prom with you.” I kept my voice level. No matter what, I would be polite. “Part of my punishment is that I’m no longer allowed to go to prom.”
Daniel didn’t blink.
“I was excited too,” I lied. “It would’ve been great.”
“Really?” Daniel cocked his head. “Because I’m not sure about that anymore.” He looked away and snorted. “In fact, I highly doubt it.”
My brows knitted together. “Excuse me?”
“I liked you, Lily,” he said. “I liked you a lot—enough to wait for you to get the hell over Swell—but just when I thought we might finally happen, you decide to show your true self.”
“Yes, I should’ve told you sooner,” I admitted. “I should’ve said I only wanted to be friends, Daniel, but I didn’t want to hurt you.” I stumbled over my words, the back of my neck prickling. “It’s just, well, Tag’s…”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “It’s now more than obvious who Swell is to you, who he’s always been to you. I’m embarrassed I thought I ever had a shot—humiliated, if I’m being honest.”
I didn’t say anything.
“But I also feel like I’ve dodged a serious bullet,” he continued. “I didn’t figure you as a girl who would sneak out at night. I thought you were different, more focused on the future than the here and now, like me. I thought you were above this place.”
All of a sudden, a bonfire blazed in my chest. I wanted to point out that he’d snuck out too but knew he would counter that his breaking the rules was for a noble cause. I knew he would say it was a prefect’s duty to find his missing freshmen.
So instead, I baited him through gritted teeth. “I did something bad, huh?”
“Yeah,” Daniel said. “You did, and this whole circus with Swell aside, it wouldn’t reflect well on me if—”
“You are such a douche canoe!” I exploded. “You are the most narcissistic, uptight asshole, Daniel!” My hands went to my hips so I wouldn’t clock him in the nose. “I’m the one who snuck out and got caught, yet you’re worried about your reputation?”
By way of an answer, Daniel’s jaw clenched.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Any qualms I had about stealing the Almanacs had evaporated. They were gone, and it felt amazing. You’re about to play him, a voice in my head said. You’re about to play him like a fucking violin…
TWENTY-THREE
Rather than texting them, I waited to tell Zoe and Pravika the whole Daniel story until lunch. “I am going to destroy him,” Maya declared after I finished speaking. She had been discharged from the infirmary an hour ago, her face now full of color. “I’m serious, Lily,” she said. “Are we talking crutches?”
Next to Maya, Zoe groaned. “Please don’t mention crutches,” she said. “Just the idea of them is giving me flashbacks…” She trailed off, remembering Pravika was with us. Pravika, who had no clue that Zoe, Maya, and I had played with the Jester last night. Do we tell her? Zoe had texted earlier, and I’d hesitated a moment before typing back, Definitely.
But not yet, Zoe said.
Not yet, I agreed, because one of the best things about Ames’s senior prank was not knowing the person—or people—behind it. If we told Pravika, right here, right now, that we were three of the Jester’s fools, it would steal some of the magic. Springing the surprise on her afterward would be more fun. I could already imagine the questions she would pepper us with, wanting to know every behind-the-scenes secret.
“Ugh, Zoe,” she said, shaking her head. “I still can’t believe you twisted your ankle by tripping over your gym bag. Why didn’t you turn on your light before going to the bathroom?”
Alex had been right: Zoe hadn’t broken or sprained her ankle, but she had tweaked it enough to where her skin had bruised light violet overnight. With her fake story circulating, Ames’s athletic trainer had conducted an assessment this morning before tightly taping her ankle and wrapping it in a thick ACE bandage so she could walk without trouble.
“I know, Veeks, it was stupid,” Zoe sighed at the same time as someone else said, “Ladies, do you mind if we join you?”
The four of us turned to see Tag, Alex, and a couple of their friends holding milkshakes and to-go bags from the Hub. The heavenly smell of diner food wafted over to our table.
“Ooh, boys,” Pravika whispered.
“Ew, boys,” Maya said and scooted closer to her girlfriend. Zoe laughed and kissed her cheek.
I smirked at Tag. “Only if you pay us in fries.”
Smirking back, he pulled out a large cone of French fries from his paper bag. “I figured that’d be your price.”
“Why takeout?” I asked after he, Alex, and the other guys had dragged extra chairs over to our table. “Why not eat at the Hub?”
“Because our favorite booth was taken,” Alex answered through a massive bite of his grilled cheese. “By Blair.”
“Mmm,” I said, not needing to hear any more. The schism in their friend group seemed inevitable after Blair had seethed like a snake at Tag during calculus. “Well, I now know why you said no to me,” she’d harped, to which he simply nodded and said, “Yes, you do.”
Meanwhile, Tag had not only gifted me with fries but also with a cheeseburger and a black-and-white milkshake. I pushed away my limp salad and smiled. “Thank you,” I said as he unpacked his own lunch. Naturally, it included ten ketchup packets.
“We really came for the five of us to be together,” he murmured once the others had fallen into conversation. “Alex and I wanted the team to be in the same place when the news breaks, so Blair stealing our booth was a brilliant excuse for takeout.”
I hid my grin by sipping my milkshake, thick and creamy. “Have you heard from Manik?”
“Yes,” Tag said. “He was also at the Hub and gave me a thumbs-up. It’s really packed, so the wait will explain why he’s late to the office.” He chuckled. “I’m impressed.”
Together we laughed before tuning into the table topic: prom. “You guys need to get your priorities in order and freaking ask someone,” Pravika was saying to Tag’s friends, which made my heart dip. While my punishment had ended up saving me from a night with Daniel, I still wanted to go. It was prom!
What does he think? I wondered, sneaking a quick glance at Tag. He was chowing down on his chicken tenders. If it hadn’t been taken away from us, would we have gone together?
We were already dancing with our hands tied.
“Fine, fine, fine,” one of his buddies chuckled. “I promise I’ll ask someone.” He paused. “Pravika, would you like to go to prom with me?”
My friend beamed, and after a round of applause, everyone finished their food…but my stomach soon soured. Our lunch hour was almost over, yet we hadn’t gotten any updates from Manik. Why hadn’t he texted our group chat? Daniel had to have discovered the absent Almanacs by now, right?
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Tag take out his pump so he could bolus. Alex monitored him too. Their friends didn’t give him a second look, knowing it was normal. But they hadn’t seen him last night. “All good, Taggart?” Alex asked.
“All good, Alexander,” Tag said. He then bumped my knee under the table, silently telling me the same.
I flushed before picking up my phone. My fluttering heart beat faster when I saw that Manik had finally texted.
Prepare yourselves, his message said, and after reading the warning on my phone, Tag unlocked his own and tapped his screen a few times. Something was coming.
Not even a minute later, a chorus of iPhone chimes and vibrating Androids drowned out the voices at our table. “Another email from my brother,” Maya said with a seemingly disinterested sigh. “Probably a reminder to—”
Pravika shrieked. “Oh my god!”
“Holy hell.” Alex glanced up from his phone, eyes wide. “Guys, you better read this…”
To: Group_All_Students@ames.edu
From: DRivera@ames.edu
Subject: Almanac Distribution Update
Ames,
Today, as you know, the Almanacs are supposed to be distributed; however, due to unforeseen events, that will not be the case. Editor in chief Manik Patel and I recently discovered the Almanacs to be missing. The faculty has been made aware of the situation, and we are working to get to the bottom of it. If you have any information regarding the yearbooks’ whereabouts, please email Manik (MPatel@ames.edu) or myself (DRivera@ames.edu).
Thanks,
Daniel
A hush had fallen over the dining hall. Instead of hearing cheerful chatter and the scraping of utensils, I saw students staring at their phones and whispering to one another. “Is this a joke?” a nearby junior asked. “How could the Almanacs be missing? This has to be a joke, right?”
Then, as if on cue, our phones pinged again. Only this time, the email wasn’t from President Rivera; it was from someone else. Someone without an Ames School domain. I shut my eyes and willed myself to keep a straight face before I opened and read Tag’s message.
To: Group_All_Students@ames.edu
From: TheJesterXXIII@gmail.com
Subject: Almanac Distribution Update #2
Greetings, Ames,
My oh my, what a puzzle we have here! Missing yearbooks? With only a week left of school? Well, I’d say that’s a mystery that better be solved…
But not without me.
Fear not, I will offer my help soon enough, but for now, I give you this advice: In troubling times such as these, I find it best to look to our leaders for hope!
Yours in merriment,
The Jester
I held my breath, hearing nothing but complete and utter silence before some squeaks and shrieks…and then the dining hall erupted into unanimous and uproarious laughter. Our table was soon swarmed. The guys’ lacrosse team shook Alex’s shoulders and punched his arm. “Dude!” They grinned like they’d won the state finals, even offering him fists to bump. “What the hell?”
“I know, right?” Alex had held up his phone, the Jester’s email still onscreen. He was prepared; he knew the school would go after him first. “What the hell is happening? The Almanacs?” He whistled. “Well played, Jester.”
Maya faux-furrowed her brows. “Wait, you didn’t do it? You’re not the Jester?”
“Sadly not.” Alex sighed heavily. “And you know it was only my biggest dream in life.”
“You’ll find a new dream, Alexander,” Tag encouraged, ever the loyal sidekick. He was too cool for his own good, so relaxed in his chair with his fingers casually winding themselves in my hair.
