It was silent for several seconds.
“Lily, I don’t want your mom marking me late,” Daniel said, checking his watch. “I have a paper due, and based on what went down this morning, it’s probably best if you aren’t late to your class either.”
Bleh, I thought. His voice was laced with condescension, and for once, I couldn’t ignore it.
“I can’t go to prom with you.” I kept my voice level. No matter what, I would be polite. “Part of my punishment is that I’m no longer allowed to go to prom.”
Daniel didn’t blink.
“I was excited too,” I lied. “It would’ve been great.”
“Really?” Daniel cocked his head. “Because I’m not sure about that anymore.” He looked away and snorted. “In fact, I highly doubt it.”
My brows knitted together. “Excuse me?”
“I liked you, Lily,” he said. “I liked youa lot—enough to wait for you to get the hell over Swell—but just when I thought we might finally happen, you decide to show your true self.”
“Yes, I should’ve told you sooner,” I admitted. “I should’ve said I only wanted to be friends, Daniel, but I didn’t want to hurt you.” I stumbled over my words, the back of my neck prickling. “It’s just, well, Tag’s…”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “It’s now more than obvious who Swell is to you, who he’salwaysbeen to you. I’m embarrassedI thought I ever had a shot—humiliated, if I’m being honest.”
I didn’t say anything.
“But I also feel like I’ve dodged a serious bullet,” he continued. “I didn’t figure you as a girl who would sneak out at night. I thought you were different, more focused on the future than the here and now, like me. I thought you were above this place.”
All of a sudden, a bonfire blazed in my chest. I wanted to point out that he’d snuck out too but knew he would counter that his breaking the rules was for a noble cause. I knew he would say it was a prefect’sdutyto find his missing freshmen.
So instead, I baited him through gritted teeth. “I did something bad, huh?”
“Yeah,” Daniel said. “You did, and this whole circus with Swell aside, it wouldn’t reflect well on me if—”
“You are such a douche canoe!” I exploded. “You are the most narcissistic, uptight asshole, Daniel!” My hands went to my hips so I wouldn’t clock him in the nose. “I’m the one who snuck out and got caught, yet you’re worried aboutyourreputation?”
By way of an answer, Daniel’s jaw clenched.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Any qualms I had about stealing the Almanacs had evaporated. They were gone, and it felt amazing.You’re about to play him, a voice in my head said.You’re about to play him like a fucking violin…
TWENTY-THREE
Rather than texting them, I waited to tell Zoe and Pravika the whole Daniel story until lunch. “I am going to destroy him,” Maya declared after I finished speaking. She had been discharged from the infirmary an hour ago, her face now full of color. “I’m serious, Lily,” she said. “Are we talking crutches?”
Next to Maya, Zoe groaned. “Please don’t mention crutches,” she said. “Just the idea of them is giving me flashbacks…” She trailed off, remembering Pravika was with us. Pravika, who had no clue that Zoe, Maya, and I had played with the Jester last night.Do we tell her?Zoe had texted earlier, and I’d hesitated a moment before typing back,Definitely.
But not yet, Zoe said.
Not yet, I agreed, because one of the best things about Ames’s senior prank was not knowing the person—orpeople—behind it. If we told Pravika, right here, right now, that we were three of the Jester’s fools, it would steal some of the magic. Springing the surprise on her afterward would be more fun. Icould already imagine the questions she would pepper us with, wanting to know every behind-the-scenes secret.
“Ugh, Zoe,” she said, shaking her head. “I still can’t believe you twisted your ankle by tripping over yourgym bag. Why didn’t you turn on your light before going to the bathroom?”
Alex had been right: Zoe hadn’t broken or sprained her ankle, but she had tweaked it enough to where her skin had bruised light violet overnight. With her fake story circulating, Ames’s athletic trainer had conducted an assessment this morning before tightly taping her ankle and wrapping it in a thick ACE bandage so she could walk without trouble.
“I know, Veeks, it was stupid,” Zoe sighed at the same time as someone else said, “Ladies, do you mind if we join you?”
The four of us turned to see Tag, Alex, and a couple of their friends holding milkshakes and to-go bags from the Hub. The heavenly smell of diner food wafted over to our table.
“Ooh, boys,” Pravika whispered.
“Ew, boys,” Maya said and scooted closer to her girlfriend. Zoe laughed and kissed her cheek.
