We played videogames on his big-screen TV in the basement until his parents went to bed a little before midnight. And then Ray turned to me, his eyes gleaming with trouble.
“Boys,” he said, gesturing to the rest of his friends, “how about we take a walk?”
Ray grabbed a large duffel bag—I’m not sure what’s inside it—and we climbed out of the window grate leading from his basement to his backyard and then out his back gate. Then we took a series of backroads until we ended up at this nature preserve.
Ray reaches into his bag and grabs a red taper candle in a silver holder. He lights it, giving us just enough light to see each other’s faces.
He walks between Max and Corey and puts his hands around their shoulders. “Brothers, I would like to nominate Harrison O’Rourke for membership in The Club.”
I widen my eyes. What?
Corey nods. “I second, Brother Ray.”
“Me too.” Max grunts.
“Then we are agreed.” Ray leaves the other two and takes my hand. “Brother Harry, do you accept your nomination?”
I blink. “Do I what?”
Ray grins. “Do you want to be part of The Club? Like, officially?”
I glance over to Max and Corey. “I thought I was already friends with you all. We’ve been hanging out for months.”
Max and Corey laugh softly at that.
Ray hushes them with a hand gesture and then turns back to me. “We’ve been hanging out for sure. Think of it as a trial run. We’ve been getting to know you, and we’ve decided that we can trust you. I’ll ask again.” He lowers his voice. “Brother Harry, do you accept your nomination?”
I swallow. “I guess.”
“We require a definitive yes or no, Brother,” he replies.
I widen my eyes. “Y-Yes.”
“Good.” He clamps his hands over my shoulders. “Now, Brother Harry, wash your old self out in the waters of purity.” Ray takes my hand and guides me to the river. I kneel at the bank, slip a few fingers under the surface. “No, Brother. You must submerge yourself completely.”
I raise an eyebrow. “But my clothes will get wet.”
“No matter,” Ray says. “You’ll take them off. You must enter the river naked.”
A chill runs down my spine. Not only because it’s a pretty cool fall night, but because I’ve never been naked in front of anyone before except my parents or a doctor.
This doesn’t feel right.
“Can’t I wear my underwear?” I ask.
“Would you like us to join you?” Ray asks.
“I don’t know if that would make?—”
Ray snaps his fingers, and Max and Corey immediately take off their shirts, pants, and underwear. I look back at Ray and he’s unclothed himself as well.
I can’t help thinking about the fact that he’s Regina’s twin brother. They’re fraternal, of course, but they look a lot alike.
For right now, this is the closest I’ll ever get to seeing her naked.
And that thought, for some reason, gives me the courage to strip down myself. I shimmy out of my underwear, allowing the cool breeze to flow through parts of my body it’s never met before.
Ray gestures to the river. “Initiates first.”
