“You don’t have to,” says Tori at once. She doesn’t make any move to drink any herself. Instead, she’s watching skeptically as Sinclair lifts the bottle to his lips.
“Have you ever been caught?” I ask, remembering the school rules that Ms.Barnett had listed the day I arrived.No alcohol anywhere on the school grounds. That’s nonnegotiable.
Sinclair and Tori exchange a brief glance. “Yeah, once,” he admits. “But that was three years ago. They’re stricter when you’re young. Don’t worry.”
“I don’t know.” Maybe they’re stricter with everyone who isn’t the head’s son. Mind you, I can’t imagine she’d let anyone give Sinclair special treatment on her account. “I don’t want to get into trouble in my first week.”
“Henry, have you been brainwashing her?” Sinclair sighs, handing the bottle on to Olive.
“Very funny.”
His voice...Jeez, girl, cool it.
I try to smile as I turn to face him. Friendly but not too friendly. Pleased-to-see-a-classmate friendly. No more. I fail the moment I realize Henry’s already looking at me. A few strands of his dark hair are peeking out from under his hood.
“Did we wake you?” Tori asks. Henry glares sharply at her. On a closer look, he does seem kind of tired. Maybe it’s still the jetlag that isn’t jetlag. I hand the bottle on to Salome.
“Aye, and guess who had to climb in through the window to do it? Yours truly.” Sinclair flits past me and comes to stand next to Tori.
“Me too,” she says. Sinclair looks puzzled. “To wake Emma, I mean.”
“Through the window?”
“No, I had to knock for her. Just as well Ms.Barnett didn’t hear.”
“Aren’t you in the WhatsApp group?” Sinclair asks me, and I shake my head.
“Your number got smudged,” I tell Henry, not thinking, “or I’d have texted you.”
Olive, Tori, and Sinclair are all looking at him. The look Tori and Sinclair give each other speaks volumes, while Olive is eyeing Henry derisively.
“Oh, right,” he mumbles. “I did wonder.”
“Anyway, tell me your number, and I’ll share it in the group,” Tori announces when the silence between us gets awkward. Soon after that, I’m a member of “Midnight Memories,” with its three moon emojis. There are fourteen in the group, and I can’t shake off the feeling that not all of them want me. I feel Olive’s eyes on me as I stand with Henry, Tori, and Sinclair. She’s sitting on one of the tatty old armchairs, tapping on her phone, as she watches me. It’s only when Grace walks into the greenhouse with a couple of others that she stands up. Henry vanishes to say hi to them. I’m nervous, even though I have no reason to be.
“Hey, Emma.” I jump when Grace speaks to me. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’d like to come along to the track team next week. Henry says you did athletics at home.”
I’m burning up. Is this a trap? Why’s she being so friendly? Olive must have been telling her about the Henry’s-number thing, right? Or wasn’t she?
“Oh, yeah, I—I was in a club in Frankfurt,” I stutter.
“Cool,” she says, with a smile. “We train three times a week, out on the grounds if possible. Monday at five, if you like.”
“Oh, that’s... Thank you. I’d love to come.”
“We’d love to have you,” says Grace, turning away.
How can she be so nice? I don’t get it, and it’s not exactly helping me feel any better. Grace is stunning. She’s kind, clever, and dedicated. She’s perfect for Henry because he’s all those things too. And as for me, what am I even doing here? She’s just perched on the arm of the chair that Henry’s sitting in. He puts his arm around her, but they don’t kiss. Maybe they’re not the kind who have to advertise that they’re a couple. Noah liked to do that. Making out in front of the others at parties, even if I didn’t really feel comfortable. I hastily glance away as Henry looks toward me.
I spend a while chatting to Amara and Salome, who tell me about their families in India and the US. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Grace and Henry standing up a while later. They’re probably about to slip off together. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I see Henry nod, then lay his hand on her cheek and kiss her. A bit later, Grace waves to everyone and slips out through the glass door. Is she off home again? When I pull out my phone, I see we’ve been here almost an hour and a half already.
“So how’s your first midnight party?”
Startled, I hurriedly put my phone away. When I glance up again, it’s right into Henry’s face. His skin looks so soft. It’s not fair.
“Very cool,” I say, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks.Wow, what an original answer, Emma.But Henry just smiles and digs his hands into his jacket pockets. He looks like he’d rather be back in bed than hanging around here. “Just kind of late...”
He laughs. “I know, right?”
