“Hold on.” Lionel jumps to his feet. “Maybe we test Delaney’s wish theory and if it doesn’t work, we come back to this?”
“Or perhaps,” William interjects, “I stay. If our attempts are not achievable, that is.”
We fall silent. What if he stayed? Really, would it be so bad? He’d get to live out his life on his own terms, though it’d come with a huge sacrifice. And if he did remain here, what would it mean for the two of us?
Sumner’s gaze darkens. And then he stands, pulling on his jacket.
I throw my hands up. “Where areyougoing?”
He tugs a beanie over his tamed waves. “To hang with Hailey, since we’re clearly done here.” He throws a second glance my way as he heads toward the door. “Unless that’s a problem?”
My face burns. “Why would it be?”
But he doesn’t answer, doesn’t even say goodbye as he pushes his way out the door.
28
I try not tolet Sumner’s words bother me, but they do.
Fueled by a mix of raw determination and spite, I vow to obliterate him on our next history test. I calculate how many points I need to overtake spot twenty-one, then figure out how many I’ll need to reclaim twenty. I’ll destabilize his superiority and prove I am not distracted by William.
I spend the next evening reviewing the feedback Mrs.Vidar-Tett gave my UPenn essay. Sabine and Inessa invite me to study with them most nights, and despite my better judgment, I find myself searching the commons for Sumner. If he sees I haven’t lost focus, then it allows me to win back my dignity.
Unfortunately, Sumner rarely shows his presence.
And as if to one-up me yetagain, the trophy disappears from Hyde the next evening.
“Three weeks,” Sabine says encouragingly as our team gathers in one corner of the student lounge. “That’s the longest stretch we’ve had this year. And once we steal it back, we’ll break that record.”
When the weekend rolls around, Sabine, Inessa, and I catch up on volunteer hours by organizing donations at the local food bank. Once we finish, we scour secondhand stores until we findHalloween costumes. I stumble upon a cheap black shirtdress and fake white beard and announce I’ll attend Ivernia’s Halloween party as Galileo, while Inessa unearths a pair of overalls for a Mario costume. Sabine decides to plaster painted handprints on a white shirt and call herself “the dirty window in Mr.Westergate’s classroom.”
And when Saturday arrives, I go all out for Inessa’s Halloween birthday.
Sabine and I bake a dozen cupcakes in our kitchenette and decorate her door once she’s gone to bed. We are not subtle. Sabine directs where I should hang streamers, and on my fourth time shushing her, Inessa goes, “I canhearyou!”
“No, you can’t!” Sabine calls back, which brings upon a fresh wave of laughter.
Now the three of us are occupying space in the athletic center as Ivernia’s Halloween party takes shape around us. Thumping pop music pulses through the speakers. Scattered smog machines release hissing smoke at rotating intervals, which results in creating a spooky, foggy haze. A giant mirror ball sends light fragments scattering through the room, and the entire basketball court is saturated in moody purple and orange lights. Some students sit on the bleachers, others gather on the dance floor, and many take advantage of the candy and soft drinks spread across long folding tables.
Three people have asked me if I’m goth Santa and one person assumes I’m a monk. Every time this happens, I hold up mypretend telescope I crafted from an empty paper towel roll, but it doesn’t help.
William mentioned he’d meet me here, so I’m surprised he hasn’t shown. Analiese arrived earlier with the newspaper crew, stopping briefly to say hello before rejoining them. I wonder if she’s also felt the distance this year. We both have a lot going on, so maybe it’s natural our lives wouldn’t intersect the way they used to, but it doesn’t make me feel better.
Gareth Shep strolls over to us as Inessa adjusts her homemade Mario cap. “If I throw a banana peel at you,” he says, eyes twinkling, “will you slide right into me?”
“Stop it.No. Absolutely not.” She spins Gareth around and shoves him away. “Come back when you have a better line or when you mature five years, whichever happens first.”
Sabine clasps a hand over her mouth to prevent a stream of laughter from erupting. “Do you think he knows how that sounded?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Her eyes land on someone entering through the double doors. “Oh shit. Guess the fencing team had a littletoo muchfun.”
I follow her gaze toward the gymnasium doors and freeze. Not only is William wearing the exact outfit I found him in, top hat and all, but he has two arms looped around Micah and Brayden. That’s not the problem. His posture is loose, like his limbs are pliable pine needles, and his eyes are slightly unfocused.
Oh god. William is drunk.
It feels like I’ve missed a step going down stairs. Underage drinking is prohibited for obvious reasons, but students are sometimes secretive about it. Though certainlynotat school-approved events in front of teachers who are currently supervising the function.
Analiese zeroes in on him from across the room. Shoot. If she’s noticed, then it’s only a matter of minutes until the faculty catches on.
