by Ruby Vincent
Eric blew off before I could catch my breath to respond. I watched him go with mixed feelings. Knowing that no one was going to purposely drop me on my head, or slick the mat with grease was good of course, but I hated that it depended on me winning for a team that despised me.
Pushing that aside, I gathered my things and made for the door as Isabella slammed out of it. I hopped in the shower right after entering my room and took my time washing practice out of my hair and body. Wrapping myself in a fluffy towel, I padded out into my bedroom. My phone buzzed at me from my backpack.
Sofia: I’ve been looking at photos for over an hour. These are the ones I found that have people wearing red and white masks. Are they here?
The towel almost slipped off, I was rushing so fast to hop on my bed. I pored over every attachment she sent me—zooming in and out, squinting until my eyes hurt—but none of the masks I saw belonged to the person in the woods.
Me: Sorry, they’re not there. Were these all you were able to find?
Sofia: Only in the last hour. I’ve still got more to go, and I think I can get more from Ezra.
Me: Ezra?!?
Sofia: Broadcast club’s photographer was going around the party getting in everyone’s face. The kid washed out in freshman year, but Ezra may know where the photos are backed up. Goes without saying that I won’t bring you up.
Me: I seriously could not do this without you. Thank you, and be careful.
Sofia: I’m not the one actively pissing off the Knights. It’s you who should be careful. Love ya.
I shook my head at her last text. Only she could be the perfect mix of supportive and disapproving at the same time.
THE SKY WAS STORMY the next morning. I stuck my head out of the window and could practically drink the moisture in the air.
It’s going to piss down in a few minutes. Better get ready.
I closed the window and turned back to my closet. Evergreen expected full uniform whether it was raining, snowing, sleeting, or lava was falling from the skies. I wriggled into my skirt and blazer, then pulled on my bright pink rainboots.
The skies opened just as I was reaching for my umbrella. Quickly, I grabbed the rest of my things and rushed out of the door.
Wind and rain tore at me as I stepped out of the dorm building. I popped open my umbrella and raced across the quad, my leather shoes squeaking in the soaked grass. I heard screams as those unlucky to be without an umbrella ran for cover, and I pulled mine lower on my face.
My head bent, I saw their feet before I did their faces. I stopped short, yanking up my umbrella as the Knights fanned out and closed me in.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” Ryder had to shout to be heard over the rain. In one hand, he was gripping the handle of his umbrella so tightly his knuckles were white.
“Me?” I took a step back and bumped into a solid wall of flesh. I twisted around and found Maverick behind me. “What do you think I did?” They had formed such a tight-knit circle that their umbrellas were giving me extra protection, but only from the rain. The looks on their faces made unease skitter up my spine.
Ezra didn’t have his blandly polite smile hanging off his lips today. The fury that wasn’t expressed on his handsome face shone brightly in his obsidian eyes. The same couldn’t be said for Jaxson or Ryder, their anger was clear in every line of their bodies.
Ryder’s lips curled into a snarl. “You leaked those recordings.”
“I didn’t—”
“Don’t fucking lie!” Jaxson burst out. “I thought about it and there’s no way I left my phone in class. I had it on me until I went into that broom closet with you.”
I shrugged. “That doesn’t prove anything. Maybe it slipped out while your pants were down and a custodian got their hands on it.”
“This is how you want to play it?” Ryder took a step forward until our umbrellas knocked together. He dropped his and stepped under mine, getting in my face. “A few days ago you were running your mouth about getting us back, and now you don’t want to take credit?”
I grinned. “I’m not stupid enough to admit to anything. For all I know Jaxson is taking more secret recordings and he’s hoping I’ll say it was me so Daddy will forgive him.”
Growling, Jaxson lurched forward, but was stopped by Ryder’s hand to the chest. “It was you.” It was a statement, not a question. “And it was you who destroyed the violin.” To my surprise, a faint grin curled his lips. “I’ve got to give you credit, Val. I said there was nothing you could do, but you proved me wrong. So now, in the spirit of respect, I’ll give you one chance to end this now. If one more thing happens—if me or my boys so much as trip over a shoelace—we’ll come after you with everything we’ve got. It’ll make last year look like we were playing nice.”
Ryder stepped back and the rest of them fell in beside him. He tossed me a wink before turning and leading them through the rain.
I followed at a slower pace. The bell rang while I was halfway up the stairs, but I didn’t move faster. Things would get more complicated now but I didn’t have regrets. I wanted them to know it was me, and if this meant they would strike, I would only strike back harder.
SOMEHOW I GOT THROUGH my first week of school physically and emotionally intact but the same couldn’t be said for Airi, Jaxson, or Isabella. Airi was still weeping over losing her violin, Jaxson was still red from his dad’s scolding, and Isabella was still smarting from getting shown up at practice.
The taunts, attacks, and insults against me hadn’t stopped for a moment, but it felt good to have left the worst of them bruised.
“I can’t believe it was you who destroyed the violin,” Sofia said. Saturday practice had let out, but instead of going to the dorms, I wandered around back and joined Sofia on the roof. “Airi is so upset, she’s thinking about not auditioning for first chair. I heard her on the phone with her mom arguing about it.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “Claire wants to join the orchestra with her flute so I went to watch her.”
“Oh. Good for Claire.” I wondered if my words sounded clipped to her ears too. Of all the friends who ditched me, I held a particular anger against Claire. We had come from the same place, same neighborhood, and she had joined in with those rich bullies at the drop of a card.
Sofia must have picked up on the need of a subject change. “Are you going to the game tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I’m going to cheer on the Kings. Show some school spirit.”
Sofia made a face. “Right, we’ll pretend like I believe that, but seriously, whatever you’re going to do, you need to be careful. The first game of the year is a big deal and Lancaster Prep are our rivals. Parents are coming in to see this game, and if there’s anything that gets the headmaster’s notice, it’s embarrassing the school in front of outsiders.”
I put my hands up. “I’m not going to embarrass the school. I’m telling you, Sof, I just want to cheer our boys on.”
Sofia was quiet for a long time. “You’re protecting me, aren’t you?”
My grin melted off my face. “Yes,” I said, “I am.”
“Then it must be bad.”
I wanted to tell her it wasn’t, but I couldn’t. Soon, I excused myself and went to get ready.
Hours later, I was stepping out of my dorm for the game. The headmaster had given special permission for us to be out of our uniforms and I had taken full advantage. I rifled through my closet until I came away with a beautiful white lace dress that fell mid-thigh. I paired it with ivory ankle boots and a white headband decorated with a simple flower.
A few looks came my way as I joined the line of students stomping through rain puddles—nasty looks from the Diamonds in particular. I ignored everyone as I carefully tiptoed around the mud to the football field.
The field’s bleachers loomed high in front of us, lit up by luminous beams that almost blocked out the stars. We entered the field and Evergreen studen
ts filled in the seats while I hung back.
“Wow,” I breathed. I had never been to a football game before, but I had a feeling none of them would have lived up to this anyway. Banners and ribbons in our school colors weaved through the metal of the bleachers, while the blue and yellow of Lancaster Prep dominated on the other side. The energy in the air could almost be felt.
I scanned the faces on our side and picked out many familiar ones. A man that could only be Marcus Beaumont took up two seats in the front row. The guy was as massive as his son. Next to him was a person I recognized from the small screen. Amelia Lennox’s charming face lit with a smile at something Marcus said. She looked even nicer and proper than she did on the news. I veered off and went straight for her.
“Mrs. Lennox?”
The older woman turned away and peered curiously at me. “Yes?”
“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to meet you.” I stuck out my hand which she shook. “You’re such an inspiration. You built an empire on boldness and integrity and managed to make me want to watch the news.”
Her laughter was like tinkling bells. “Not easy to do, so that is high praise. So what’s your name?”
“My name is Valentina Moon.”
“Lovely name.” Amelia tugged on my hand and pulled me down next to her. I sat down with a hidden smile as she introduced me to Marcus. “We’re here to cheer our sons on,” she explained. “Little Ricky is the quarterback and my Ezra is the announcer.”
“Little Ricky? Are we talking about the same Maverick?”
Marcus laughed. “Our families have known each other long enough to have seen my son before his growth spurt.”
“That’s nice.”
“Do you know our boys?” Amelia asked.
I nodded. “Yes, we’re in the same class.”
Amelia beamed. “I hope they don’t cause too much of a stir. Of course, we were so proud we heard they had been chosen as Knights, but I had to keep Ezra out of pictures until his hair grew back.”
The adults laughed again while I forced one of my own. Even people grown and living in the real world bought into the strange one that had been created here.
I wonder what she would say if she knew I was marked.
“Yes, that seems harsh. Do they make girls shave their hair too?”
Amelia inclined her head. “They most certainly do. When I went to school here, Cora Daniels had to walk around bald as an egg. I’d have felt for her if she wasn’t always harping on me about the length of my skirt.” She winked. “I was a bit of a wild child in my days.”
I joined in on her giggling. It probably wasn’t good that I was starting to like her, but one didn’t get as far as she did without a winning personality.
Amelia patted my knee. “So tell me more about yourself, Valentina?”
“Okay. I’m from a town called Wakefield and—”
“Mom!” The squishing of rapidly approaching footsteps made me turn my head in time to see Ezra before he was on us. “Mom, what’s going on?” He grabbed her arm like he was going to pull her away and narrowed his eyes on me. “Why are you talking to her?”
She frowned. “Excuse me? What do you mean why am I talking to her? Since when are you so rude?”
He pinked. “I just meant—”
“Isn’t Valentina a friend of yours?”
I waited as his eyes flicked from me to his mother, then back to me. “Yes,” he finally said. In a blink, the mannequin smile was back on his face. “We’re real close. I used to tutor her and sometimes we like to mess around. I hope you haven’t been listening to her jokes, Mom.” His smile grew tight around the edges. “Nothing she says about me is true.”
Amelia playfully swatted his shoulder. “We haven’t been talking about you, my little narcissist.” Amelia suddenly seized her son’s face and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I know my baby is an angel.”
“Mom,” Ezra mumbled, trying to wriggle away. “Everyone is looking.”
I didn’t bother to smother my laugh.
“Go on.” She released him. “The game is starting soon.”
“Okay.” Ezra let her go and grabbed me instead. “Have fun. I’ll give you guys a shout-out. Let’s go, Val.”
“I—”
I was hauled up and led away as fast as possible. Ezra’s hold on my wrist was tight, but not painful. I could have yanked away, but if his mom was still looking, I didn’t want it to seem like anything was wrong.
“You seem tense, Ezra,” I purred. “Your plastic is cracking.”
“Don’t know what you’re trying to pull, Moon,” he hissed. We slipped beneath the bleachers and Ezra spun on me. “What were you doing with my mom?”
I lifted my shoulders. “We were talking about how proud she is of her precious angel. Parents really are the last to know about their kids.”
Ezra’s dark eyes glittered through the shadows. “You must be some kind of masochist. We warned you what would happen if you tried anything else.”
“And that includes a harmless conversation with your mommy? You need to chill, Ezra. Don’t be so scared.”
A sharp tug on my arm brought me careening into his chest. I didn’t let the cry escape as Ezra held me fast. “I’m not scared of you.”
His chest was rising and falling almost as fast as mine. Saying he was cracking was a good description. The harsh lines around his eyes, nose, and mouth were the complete opposite of his usual placid smoothness.
Slowly, I extracted my hand and placed it on his chest. I pushed him away firmly. “I’m not going to do anything. I only want a little peek in the announcer’s box.” I sidestepped him and continued down the tunnel. “Come on. Show me how it’s done.”
“Wait— You can’t just—” Rapid footsteps sounded behind me as Ezra ran to catch up. “You’re not going into the box.”
I didn’t slow my stride. “I thought you weren’t afraid of me?”
“I’m not.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Ezra stumbled along next to me technically in silence although I could hear his mind moving a mile a minute. If he was trying to figure out what my angle was, he wouldn’t.
I led the way to a metal staircase. Behind us, the noise from the field began to fade. It was just us back here.
Eventually Ezra pulled out in front of me and I followed him to a nondescript door with no sign. Ezra pushed inside without bothering to hold it for me and I caught it before it swung shut.
The announcer’s box wasn’t much to get excited over. It was a simple room with white walls and a fourth that was all windows. Before the windows was a panel of buttons, knobs, chairs, and microphones. Ezra scooted his chair in front of one and I pulled up another.
No words passed between us as we waited for the game to get underway. I looked across the sea of tiny faces hoping to spot Sofia, while at the corner of my eye, Ezra snuck glances at me.
“We know it was you.”
I tore my eyes off the field and met his intense gaze. “What?”
“How did you do it?” he went on. “Get into Airi’s room and into Jaxson’s phone. Airi said a boy went into her room that night. Do you have someone helping you?”
I turned back to the windows. “Don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
He scoffed. “Why won’t you take credit now? What do you think will happen to you if you admit it that isn’t going to happen to you already? Airi is on the warpath. She’s talking about suing you no matter what the security camera says.”
I shrugged.
“And Jaxson is wrecked. His father says he’s never allowed to go into the studio or meet up with the bands again, and it’s because of you.”
“Me? I thought it was because he stupidly recorded private sessions and then bragged about it to everyone. Lots of people knew he had those songs, I’m not surprised they got leaked.”
“You leaked them so why would you be surprised.”
I responded by f
lashing him a bland smile.
“I’m guessing you have something special planned for me too.” Ezra wasn’t letting my silence slow him down. “But you can give it up now because it’s not going to happen. I changed my passcode this morning just in case. My phone won’t be leaving my sight, and you don’t have a thing on me and you never will.”
I nodded along. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“I did. I get you’re upset about being marked, but it was your choice not to drop out when we told you to. You were warned and you received your fate.” Ezra leaned forward, his eyes piercing into me. “End this, Moon, you’ve made your point.”
The laughter formed like bubbles and rolled out of my chest in a wave I couldn’t stop. “Oh, Ezra,” I said between giggles. “I haven’t even begun to make my point.”
His frown twitched. “You—”
Ring! Ring!
Ezra fished his phone out of his pocket and jammed it to his ear without looking. “What— Oh, right, I— Sorry, sir.”
He hung up and scrambled to grab the mic.
I sat back and got comfortable as Ezra slipped into his role. It was funny watching him. Ezra had always thrown me off. I knew what to expect of the other Knights, but this one always seemed like he had more beneath the surface that no one had ever seen. Whoever that was, I suspected he was harder, sharper, but I didn’t know if I would ever know for sure. The pleasant, smiling guy before me hid him well.
“Whoo! Our own Maverick Beaumont runs it in for the lead! Call me biased, but the Evergreen Kings are killing it tonight.”
He was turned slightly away from me, but that didn’t stop me from traveling over the curves and angles of his face.
I wonder what it’ll take to meet the real you, plastic man. Maybe... I’ll meet him tonight.
I didn’t bother to watch the game. What did I know about sports? No, I kept my eyes fixed on Ezra and I hoped it made him uncomfortable. It was a knock at the door that finally made me shift my gaze.
