“It would have been agreatidea,” I grind out, “if Sumner kept his mouth shut.”
She sighs. “I thought we weren’t going to do Capture because it pulls too much focus into a game that, to be fair, doesn’t matter.”
Quite frankly, the gamedoesmatter. Because last night Sumner took it as his own personal challenge to pulverize my chance of escape. He sealed his own fate as my public enemy number one, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he pays.
The jerk.
But on the other hand, part of me wanted to experience what it felt like to subvert people’s expectations. Everyone’s placed me on the same overachieving pedestal as my older brother. I’m not just Delaney but “Jared’s younger sister Delaney,” so I work hard to live up to this outward image of perfection. Just this once I wanted to do something for me.
“I don’t know,” I hear myself say. “It was kind of fun.”
Since Analiese’s idea of fun is spending her free time creating multilayered spreadsheets to maximize her study time, I don’texpect her to understand. Her disapproving stare says it all. And I do see it from her perspective. Look wherefunlanded me.
But I don’t want to quit Capture. I’m going to make it up to the team. It’s okay if Analiese and I disagree about that.
Isn’t it?
“I don’t mean to be dramatic, okay? But I worry about you.” The tenacity behind her eyes melts into sympathy. “We barely spoke all summer. Don’t get me wrong. I understand why. But I just—I don’t want to see you waste your potential.”
My excitement shrinks to the size of an acorn. Analiese means well, but this is the last thing I want to hear. It’s an echo of what Ellerby told me this morning. Never mind that I’ve spent the last three years hunched over textbooks until my neck ached. Or that I’ve made hundreds of flashcards for every subject under the sun. I’ve put in the hours. I’ve pulled all-nighters. I’ve spiraled over the best adjective choices for essays.
I already know how this year will go. Analiese will plan our study sessions, where we’ll compare notes and exam scores. Time will be dedicated to preparing college applications and perfecting essays. She’ll organize the deadlines by due date, and I’ll shoot my shot at applying for ones that offer exceptional premed programs, like UPenn. Living up to my potential is all I’ve ever done. So while I can have my fun playing Capture the Flag, Ialsoneed to fit the mold expected of me.
“I won’t,” I say. “I’m still the same Delaney.”
Her eyes soften. She leans over and squeezes my hand. “Youknow,” she begins, “wish night is fun. The kind of fun thatdoesn’tget you in trouble.”
This gets my attention. In the past Analiese has complained wish night throws off her sleep and her weekend study schedule, which she has mapped out to the half hour. Maybe she’s offering because she knows I look forward to it. It’s a harmless Ivernia event that takes place on the first Friday of the new semester. At midnight, students toss a penny in the main quad fountain and make a wish for the forthcoming year.
“You want to go?”
“When have we ever missed it?” She lights up. “It’s tradition.”
I’m not sure whether she’s agreeing because she wants to or because it’s a familiar ritual, but it makes me feel a tiny bit better.
By the time we finish eating, we complete our usual routine—trash on her tray and dirty dishware on mine—before navigating to opposite ends of the dining hall for proper disposal.
I’m stacking our used dishes in the bin when I realize Sabine’s heading toward me. Dread sinks like a stone in my stomach. I wasn’t supposed to get caught last night. She’s probably coming to tell me I can’t play anymore. Now I’m a liability to the game, and everyone’s voted to boot me from the team.
I’m about to say hi when she says, “Delaney, you’re a real one.”
Oh. Well. This is not what I expected. “I am?”
“Of course.” She tucks a glossy strand of dark hair behind her ear. “The guys won this round, but so what? At least you located the trophy. There’s no way they’ll hide it in the kitchenette again.”
I think I’m starting to understand. This is a process of elimination. There’s more strategy to a victory than I assumed.
“Did Ellerby go hard on you?” she asks.
She looks concerned, like she cares about my personal repercussions. That’s also unexpected.
“She’s making me join Ladies of Polite Society.”
“That’s it?” She grins as though I’ve gotten off easy. I guess I have. “I’m joining too. Same with Inessa.”
Huh. Nowthisis interesting. Ladies of Polite Society has never been one of the cool clubs per se, but to be fair, Ivernia is a STEM-centered boarding school full of nerdy-at-heart academics who crave a level of intellectual challenge public schools usually can’t provide in larger class settings. Therefore, any student-led organization is slightly nerdy by nature.
The question blurts from my lips before I can stop it. “Why?”
