What Happens After Midnight, page 24
“Lily, go to sleep,” my mom mumbled after I slid out of bed and accidentally stepped on a squeaky floorboard. It was 2:45.
“I’m getting a snack,” I whispered.
A beat passed before she flipped on her lamp. “What kind of snack?”
I brought the whole bowl of chocolate pudding back upstairs. “Has he come to commit his federal crime yet?” my mom asked through a big spoonful.
“Federal crime?”
She gave me a look. “It’s illegal to read other people’s mail.”
I shook my head and together we finished off the pudding. Josh would be horrified when he saw the empty bowl in the sink tomorrow.
“Okay, this is pointless,” my mom said an hour after we’d gotten back under the covers. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right.”
Two minutes later, we were in official stakeout mode at her window. I’d grabbed both cushions from her love seat for us to sit on, and she’d lowered her blinds just enough so that Daniel wouldn’t spot us spying on him. My mom patted me on the back for having the good sense to leave the outdoor lights on, and while we waited, I told her about Daniel refusing to help Tag last spring and also blaming me for nearly ruining his reputation. “He thinks he dodged a bullet,” I said. “Because if we’d been dating, my oh-so-scandalous lifestyle wouldn’t reflect well on him—him!”
My mom snorted. “He’s all yours, Harvard.”
The rain stopped at 3:30.
“Do you think he got caught?” I rubbed my eyes. “Are Gabe and Mr. Harvey—”
“Look!” She snatched my arm, and I gasped when I saw Daniel Rivera finally approaching our cottage. The wet pavement glistened, but he did not. The student council president was a walking puddle, his hair plastered to his forehead and clothes absolutely drenched by the storm. “I think he’s carrying at least ten extra pounds,” my mom observed as we watched him drip-drop his way to our mailbox.
“At least,” I agreed. Daniel’s steps were slow, stilted, and not particularly sneaky. It was safe to say he was exhausted from battling the rain and oceans winds all night.
Oh, and his adventure might’ve been a little tiresome too.
I watched him unlatch the mailbox and turn on his phone flashlight once the next clue did not immediately present itself. My pulse pitched excitedly when he extracted the envelope. “Mr. President! Mr. President!” I narrated. “To an emergency cabinet meeting you are sent!”
“Its agenda contains quite the hook.” My mom matched my theatricality. “What happened to Ames’s beloved yearbook?”
I smirked. How was he going to take this?
The answer was “not well.”
We giggled like little girls when Daniel crumpled up the clue and threw it across the lawn before rethinking such a strategy. “I was worried that he would show everyone the clues,” I whispered as Daniel squelched over the wet grass. “But I don’t think he will. The Jester has not only made the school laugh, but he has also made a laugh of its president.” My lips twisted into a smile. “Daniel won’t—”
“Meow.”
“Oh my god,” I breathed. “Puck’s out there.”
Our cat was circling Daniel, his meowing getting louder and louder with each suspicious step. “No, no, go away,” Daniel hissed. “Get the hell out of here!”
My mom dashed over to her bedroom’s overhead light switch. We exchanged evil grins. “Ready?” she asked.
I saluted her. “Set.”
“Go!” we exclaimed, and once she flicked the switch, her bright lights streamed through her blinds and scared the shit out of Daniel. Was somebody awake?!
You better run, Rivera, I thought while he sprinted up the street. You have that final clue to find…
To: Group_All_Students@ames.edu
From: DRivera@ames.edu
Subject: URGENT ALMANAC UPDATE
Everyone,
It is my pleasure to announce that the Almanacs have been safely recovered! I found them before breakfast this morning, and I promise someone will have eyes on them until their long-awaited distribution this afternoon.
I wouldn’t put it past the Jester to cheat us again.
All best,
Daniel
TWENTY-SEVEN
All of Ames rushed off to the auditorium after classes, but I called a summit first. Alex, Zoe, Maya, Manik, and I met at King’s Court, where our fateful dance with the Jester had begun. The ivy-covered chapel gleamed in the sunlight, and birds chirped as my fellow schemers and I gathered around Kingsley Ames’s bronze statue. Still unimpressed? I thought, amused upon seeing the statue’s scowl. Even though we did it?
I wasn’t one for speeches, so I simply pulled out the flask I’d borrowed from my mom. Alex hooted as I unfastened and raised it. “To the Jester,” I said, smiling.
“To the Jester!” my friends echoed.
“And to us,” I added. “For he assembled one fantastic band of fools.”
“And to us!”
“Cheers.” I grinned and took a sip before presenting the flask to Alex. He smirked, assuming it was Tag’s Diet Coke. But everyone sprung backward when a light liquid came squirting out of his mouth.
“Lily Hopper!” he whisper-exclaimed. “Is this what I think it is? Is this champagne?”
“Nonalcoholic champagne,” I corrected. “We must keep our wits about us, must we not?”
Alex chuckled, and once our circle had taken celebratory swigs, we set off for the auditorium. Zoe and Maya left us in the dust, racing away together, and Manik also broke into a run to see how distribution was going. “The editor really should be the one to hand them out,” Alex said. “Or at least help.”
“You never know; the opportunity could present itself,” I replied. “Bequeathing three hundred yearbooks in the blazing sun on maybe two hours of sleep?” I shrugged. “Daniel might be desperate for some assistance.”
Alex was quiet for a moment. “I wish Taggart were here.”
“Me too,” I whispered, a bittersweet pang in my chest. Tag had decided to skip his swim today, but that meant he had to report directly to his room after class.
The Almanac line twisted and turned across the auditorium’s flagstone terrace. It was so long that it dropped off the curb and continued along the street. “We need to play a game to pass the time,” Alex said once we reached the end of the road. “I can’t just stand—oh, thank god!”
I followed his gaze to find Anthony approximately a thousand people ahead of us. He was waving. “You go,” I told Alex. “I’ll wait.”
Alex gave me a look. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “People will give you a pass since you’re his prom date, but they won’t take kindly to me cutting.”
“Ah, the proper etiquette for butting in line…” He winked. “Please pardon me for never giving it a thought.”
I smiled and shook my head when he joined Anthony; from what I could see, no one gave him any trouble. If anything, they flocked around him.
Never has there been a more apt school mascot, I thought, than the seagull.
Somehow, I passed over an hour in line. Pravika found me and we chatted for a while, although I couldn’t stop staring at her hefty yearbook. The cover was beautiful, light blue with an inlaid gold foiled campus map and THE ALMANAC printed overtop in red. “You can look through it if you want,” she offered, but I didn’t want any spoilers.
It felt like a triumph when I finally made it to the terrace. I looked up from my newly downloaded Wordscapes app to see an elaborate balloon archway. When I rose to my tiptoes, my heart warmed. Manik was at the table, grinning while he gifted the result of months and months of hard work to students. Yes! I silently cheered. Yes, Manik!
But unfortunately, it was Daniel who handed me my copy. I wondered if anyone had commented on the heavy blue-gray bags under his eyes. “Thank you,” I said before politely asking if I could also have Tag’s Almanac.
Daniel paused, checking my name off his master list. “You want Swell’s book?”
I shrugged. “He can’t exactly get it himself.”
“And whose fault is that?” Daniel muttered as he shoved Tag’s Almanac into my arms. “Be sure to give him my best.”
“Will do, Mr. President.” I stepped out of line after watching Daniel roll his eyes, but before successfully fleeing the terrace, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
A familiar hand.
“I know it was you,” Daniel said when I turned.
“Excuse me?” I asked, pretending my pulse hadn’t just jumped.
“I know it was you,” he repeated, voice even icier. “You’re the—”
“Daniel!” someone shouted.
“Yeah?” he said, overtly irritated.
Blair Greenberg appeared. “Prom?” she asked.
Daniel couldn’t nod fast enough.
“Great.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “My dress is—”
“Hey, Blair!” I blurted before I could stop myself, but she raised an eyebrow when I didn’t say anything more. My heart hammered. What did I want to say?
That I don’t hold it against you, I thought. Yes, I had originally blamed Blair for my breakup with Tag, but truthfully, it came down to me. Blair was not responsible. Her feelings for Tag had psyched me out, but she still had a right to them. We both had the right to crush on Tag, a wholeheartedly equal right. She had chosen to shoot her shot when it looked like Tag and I were drifting apart, and while their relationship hadn’t been healthy, it hadn’t caused the ruin of mine.
Blair snapped her gum. “Lily?”
“Congratulations on valedictorian,” I said quickly. “I can’t wait for your speech.”
“Thank you.” Blair smiled back, a genuine grin. Something told me she knew. “After multiple drafts, I think it’s going to be great.”
I grinned back. “That’s awesome.”
And that was that.
“You were saying?” I prompted Daniel once Blair had gone.
He glared at me. “Lily, I didn’t get to sleep until five in the morning.”
I pretended not to follow. “How is your insomnia my fault?”
“Because you’re the Jester! Swell helped you steal the Almanacs on Thursday and then last night you sent me on a twisted scavenger hunt—”
“Wait, a scavenger hunt?” I laughed. This was the performance of my career. “You had to go on a scavenger hunt to get them back?” I wrinkled my nose. “Sounds a little childish.”
“Yeah, believe me, it was,” Daniel said. “But only you could’ve done it.”
“Why?” I challenged. “Because I’m a fac brat?”
His sneer slipped off his face.
“My mom keeps a close eye on her keys, Daniel,” I said. “I also don’t abuse living on campus.” I put a loving hand on my heart. “I make the most of it.”
Then I spun on my heel to take my leave.
“Swell!” Daniel called after me. “Swell—”
“Demanded FedEx sort out shipping, remember?” I called back, holding up my Almanac for emphasis. “Swell saved your ass!”
Students had fanned out on the Circle and Crescent to dig into their Almanacs, but I hurried over to Grundy House’s willow trees. “Excellent,” I whispered when I saw that my secret stash was still safe under the swaying branches. Quickly and quietly, I grabbed everything and snuck over to Tag and Alex’s window. My stomach swirled with magic as I set down his yearbook and then placed his surprise champagne on top of it. I’d written Long Live The Jester! in whimsical letters along the bottleneck.
And, for the finishing touch, I reverently added Tag’s jingling green-yellow-and-purple Jester’s hat. Something told me Daniel wouldn’t want it as a keepsake, so I’d snuck into the storage room once the pyramid of Almanac boxes had been dismantled and moved back to the yearbook office. Daniel had chucked the hat into a dusty corner, but still—there it was, waiting for me. Next year’s Jester would have to buy his own; this was Tag’s trophy.
“Hey,” Tag said after I’d crept back to the trees and called him. “Promise me you’re not still standing in that life-sucking line.”
I smiled. “How do you know it’s life-sucking?”
“Prior knowledge,” he said. “Previous experience.”
“Well, perhaps you should open your window…” I shifted from one foot to the other, ready to remember this moment. “And see for yourself.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Alex was not impressed with my prom attire. “Lily, you couldn’t have dressed up even a little?” He gestured to my worn J. Crew shorts, Tag’s favorite Dave Matthews Band T-shirt, and my striped espadrilles. “I mean…”
“Why does it matter?” I asked as I snapped a photo of Zoe and Maya. My friend’s white jumpsuit was to die for, and Maya looked amazing in her deep turquoise dress. “I’m behind the scenes today.” I looked up from the camera lens. “Who cares?”
“I care,” Alex said. “It’s not professional. You look like we booked you as our photographer only fifteen minutes ago.”
“You literally did,” I reminded him, cradling Tag’s Nikon close. There were several school photographers roaming around the Circle for Ames’s prom processional, but my oh-so-vain friends wanted a personal one. I was available, after all, and Tag had more than one camera to spare. He’d given me a refresher tutorial before letting me sling the Nikon’s bag over my shoulder and report for duty.
The sun was still up since it was only 4:00. After the photo shoot, the seniors and any underclassmen dates would board their awaiting motorcoach and drive an hour and a half into Boston. For as long as I could remember, the prom had been held at a fancy hotel there. “We’ll go have tea sometime,” Penny had told me earlier, knowing I was bummed about missing tonight. “They do a wonderful afternoon tea…”
“For fuck’s sake!” I shouted when my group suddenly scattered. “I can’t take pictures of you if you’re all in different—”
“Language,” someone said, and I turned to see two arm-in-arm faculty chaperones smirking at me. My mom stole the show in her dress, a one-shouldered black gown that made her look like she’d time traveled here from the Roaring Twenties. It was tea-length and covered with intricate swirls of silver beads, which flawlessly matched the art deco diamond on that finger. “Please announce everything already,” I’d begged her and Josh the other night. “It’ll make my year if you announce it!”
People had been congratulating them nonstop.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright tonight?” my mom asked after I took a few shots of them. She affectionately smoothed Josh’s hair. “Because remember, Mrs. DeLuca said you’re welcome for dinner.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’m going to test a new fish taco recipe—”
Josh mimed a chef’s kiss.
“—and then I’ll probably FaceTime with Tag while watching Netflix.”
My mom nodded. “I left my keys in case you need anything.”
“Thanks,” I said with a lump in my throat.
“Oh, Lily.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I’m sorry you have to miss this; I know how much you were looking forward to it.”
“But on the bright side,” Josh said, “you won’t have to suffer through a three-hour round trip, eat an uninspired meal, hope the DJ is decent, and stop students from sneaking off together.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why did you volunteer to chaperone again?”
He straightened his bow tie. “I didn’t. A chaperone promposed to me.”
The three of us laughed, and I hugged them goodbye (and wished Josh good luck) before backing away to let a group of girls gush over my mom’s engagement ring.
I hadn’t taken a picture of Pravika and her date yet, so I started scanning the crowd for her, but before spying her sunset orange dress, I spotted another pair of chaperones. Bespectacled Mr. Rudnick stood talking to Penny Bickford at the edge of the Circle. My pulse quickened, and as soon as they parted, I made for the maple tree. Penny’s silver-blond hair was pulled back in a classic chignon, and I knew tonight’s pantsuit had to be Chanel. “Lily, darling,” she said. “Hello—”
“He’s alone!” I blurted.
Penny blinked. “Pardon?”
“Tag,” I said, out of breath for absolutely no reason. “Mr. Rudnick is his housemaster, and since he’s chaperoning, Tag is all alone in Grundy.”
“Oh,” Penny said. “Oh my.”
“Yeah!”
“Well, that is an oversight on our part,” Penny said after a moment. “An extreme oversight.” She glanced at the motorcoaches, which students were now boarding, before warmly touching my cheek. “We will be back at midnight.”
“I know.” I nodded. “But Tag…”
Penny smiled. “Midnight,” she repeated. “He’ll be alone until midnight.”
My heart suddenly spun. Alone doesn’t just mean “alone,” I realized. It also means “unsupervised.”
I grinned as Penny left for her bus, tapping out what I knew was an all-faculty email on her phone. Not only was she letting them know Tag was unsupervised, but she was also giving him authorization to be unsupervised. Headmaster Bickford’s word trumped all.
Midnight, I told myself. We have until midnight.
I called Tag once I’d crossed the covered bridge. “Hey,” he answered. “I was about to text you a screenshot from this email Headmaster Bickford cc’d me on—”
Blood pounding in my ears, I let the words fall right out of my mouth. Just like he had freshman year. “Tag Swell?” I said. “Lily Hopper here. How are you?” I didn’t give him time to answer. “I’m fine, even though I hate history. The debate today was awful, wasn’t it? I was too quiet, way too quiet. But you were incredible, really incredible. Anyway, I was wondering—” I closed my eyes. “Would you like to go to prom with me?”
Tag was silent for a beat…then two, then three. “Yes,” he said after five seconds. “That would be nice.”
