“Because I’m not going to let any of them win,” Hope says.
The men are already heading back in their direction, Tony swinging another six-pack of beer at his side.
“Okay,” he says, handing Hope the cans and sitting down in a spot closer to her than before. “Let’s go.”
Hope takes a can, cracks it open, and hands the pack back to Tony. “Kevin deals this time,” she says. “Let’s see if you can win if you’re not the dealer.”
“Fine,” Tony says. Kevin shuffles the cards with a practiced hand and deals them in. Ash checks her cards.I hope I don’t have to ask a question or tell a secret, she thinks. She wants no part of this game, but she’s in too deep now.
Ash feels a thread of tension looping and tightening around the group as the game progresses, as if an invisible rope is pulling them in. The sky above hints as to what time of day it is—right now, they’re sliding past sunset. “So which high school did you go to in Juniper City?” Tony asks Hope. “Juniper High or Canyon View?”
“Juniper High,” Hope says smoothly.
“Nice.” Tony crumples a can in his hand and tosses it to the side. Spencer surreptitiously reaches for it and puts it in the trash bag.Is hetoomuch of a Boy Scout to be real?Ash wonders. And her heart is beating quickly.Is Tony onto Hope?
Caro’s mouth has tightened.
“Where didyougo to high school?” Hope asks. “Red Mountain or St. John High? Are you a Panther or a Rattlesnake?”
Nice, Ash thinks, surprised. Hope really does know her stuff.So when was she going to letusin on this role she’d been planning?
“A panther,” Tony says, grinning at Hope. “So, our high schools are rivals. Think we can overcome that?”
“Time will tell,” Hope says, with the perfect amount of slight flirtatiousness and obvious dignity that doesn’t piss Tony off—there’s no clear rejection—but also doesn’t compromise who she is. Hope’s so good at this, but Ash hates that she has to do it. That any of them have to deal with guys like this.
Why do the other two put up with him?Ash wonders. They both seem much nicer than Tony. Kevin’s his brother, so he’s stuck for life, she supposes. But what about Spencer?
“I think,” Caro says, putting down her hand, “that I’m going to winnow.” The others crane their necks to see her cards. “Can anyone beat a straight flush?”
They cannot.
“Oooh,”Hope says. “You get to ask someone a question. Make it good.”
“Okay,” Caro says. “Let’s see. Spencer.” She glances over at her old friend, who spreads out his hands and shrugs as if to say,Go easy on me. “What’s something I don’t know about you from when we were teenagers?”
“Um,” he says. “Let me think.” He snaps his fingers. “Okay,” he says. “I’ve got it. I stole a CD from the Sound Shop when I was in ninth grade.”
Caro is laughing. “Which CD?” she asks. “Was it Fall Out Boy? Weezer?”
Spencer’s laughing, too, but Tony’s shaking his head. “Come on, man,” he says. “Say something that counts.”
“It counts,” Spencer says. “It’s a crime, and I’ve never told a soul until now.”
“That’s some weak-ass shit,” Tony says. “Say something real.” Why is he baiting Spencer? Ash can’t quite put her finger on the dynamic between the three.
“Tony,” Kevin says.
“It’s fine.” Spencer’s voice is tight. He looks Tony right in the eye, as if daring him to say that he’s weak again. Ash is surprised that Spencer is taking the bait, that he’s letting Tony get to him. But she also understands. Patterns play out even when you’re grown. She’s felt herself doing it when she’s home with her family, slipping into the role of youngest sibling without wanting to in the least. It can happen with longtime friends, too. Spencer clears his throat. “Caro, when we hung out that summer after your freshman year in college, I was in love with you.”
“Therewe go.” Tony sits back in satisfaction.
“Oh,” Caro says. “Spencer. I didn’t know. I thought we were—”
“Really good friends with really good benefits,” Spencer says. “I know. I didn’t want to mess that up. Don’t worry. I’m not anymore. I’m glad you’re happy and married and all of that. Seriously.” He sounds like he means it. When he grins at Caro, she grins back, and for a second Ash swears she can see the younger versions of them.
“Thanks,” Caro says. “It’s kind of nice to know, to be honest.”
“No problem,” Spencer says. “It’s kind of nice to say, to be honest.”
