Orientation Week

by Ruby Vincent

  Heart rocketing in my chest, I moved my hands down a fraction and then tossed the ball. It sailed from my hands in a graceful arc, destined for only one place. The smile stretched across my face as—

  Something flashed across my vision and smacked the ball out of its path. “Whoo! Not in my house, cousin-lover!” Derek dove for it when it bounced back and snatched it up before I had a chance to blink. He tore down the court and all I could do was watch with my mouth hanging open as he made the final shot to the raucous sound of the buzzer.

  It was over. Derek’s team won.

  I trudged off the court, picked up my towel, and headed straight for the door. There was no reason to stick around since that was the final game of the day.

  The wind streamed over me as I stepped outside. Summer was bringing its dreaded heat, but the breeze cooled the sweat on my skin. All I wanted was to crawl in the shower and wash the game from my body.

  “Hey, Zeke. Wait up.”

  I slowed down as Adam jogged over to my side. “There may be something in your basketball math thing. You were good.”

  “What are you talking about? We lost.”

  I had managed to make three shots, but halfway through the game, I lost my breath and never got it back. Michael’s breathing tips didn’t help as much when you’re zipping and zagging all over the place and catching elbows in your gut. I struggled to stay on top of Derek and my dribble game was nonexistent. One thing math did help me with was calculating the seventeen points we lost by.

  He shrugged. “Your team was bound to lose with Jose, Justin, Parker, and Derek on the other side. Especially Derek. The guy could be his own team.”

  “That’s right, Moon.”

  I whipped around. Neither of us had noticed Derek come up behind us. Sweat had darkened his dirty-blond locks until they appeared almost black. Despite this, he wasn’t winded or falling over like I was about to. That gorgeous smile hung on his lips, telling of how much fun he found the trial.

  “I’m going to be captain of the team before the end of our first year so Cameron better look out.” He tossed an imaginary ball into an imaginary hoop. “Coach Singh was watching me like I was the answer to his dreams. I’ll be captain and”—he pinned me with a look—“there won’t be any cousin-lovers on my team.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking about? Who said I wanted to join the team? And I’m not trying to get with my cousin!”

  He ignored my outburst. “You can shoot. That much is obvious, but you’re too slow. You stand there for a century staring at the basket before you take the shot.”

  My brows shot up my head. How had he noticed all of that while running around the court?

  “I have to,” I protested. “I’m...”

  “You’re what?”

  “I’m doing the math.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  I looked away. “It doesn’t matter.” The last thing I needed to do was give Derek Grayson more reason to make fun of me.

  “Whatever. One more day of these stupid trials and then we can get this placement test over with.” He backed away, tossing over his shoulder, “See you after dinner, Moon.”

  “See ya.”

  I looked between Adam and Derek’s retreating back. “What’s happening after dinner?”

  “We’re going to study,” he replied as we set off for our dorm again. “I’m going to test him and he’s going to help me with bio. Derek likes to pretend he doesn’t care, but his dad would lose his mind if he didn’t get into the Elite Class.”

  “He would?”

  “Oh yeah, but don’t tell anyone we’re studying. He swore me to secrecy.”

  A niggle of hope unfurled in my chest. “Can I join you guys? The three of us can study in our room.”

  Adam threw me an apologetic look that said it all.

  “Never mind.” I sighed. “Derek won’t study with me.”

  “No, but he was right about you being a decent shot. If that really was because of your math stuff, you should see if you can apply it to soccer.”

  I perked up a little. “Hmm. That’s not a bad idea.”

  We went up to our room, showered, and chilled until dinner. Adam went down to the cafeteria with promises to bring me something to eat while I remained glued to my computer. Researching soccer math had taken me down the rabbit hole of sports math in general. I wasn’t sure if any of it could really help me, but it was fascinating.

  I was halfway through my third stashed granola bar when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen before hitting accept.

  “Hey, JoJo. What’s up?”

  “Good. You’re using your girl voice, so you’re alone.” A clang sounded over the speaker. “We’re about to have dinner. Mom is making your favorite.”

  “Briyani chicken with mushroom pakoras?”

  “Your other favorite.”

  “Ah. Baked spaghetti.”

  “She’ll make it again when we pick you up on Monday. So how’s it going? Has anyone found you out?”

  “Amazingly, no.” Memories of being pulled from my bed and dragged through the night pierced me. “But something strange did happen. It’s too weird to tell you over the phone. We’ll talk about it on Monday.”

  “Okay. What about your roommate? Is that weird too?”

  “He’s actually really nice. Adam has been telling me everything I need to survive this place.”

  “And”—Jordan lowered her voice—“what about the other thing? Did you—?”

  “What are you whispering about over there?” Auntie’s voice was faint but couldn’t be missed. “What is Zee getting up to?”

  “Tell her I’m being the perfect gentleman.”

  “She said she’s— Wait. Mom!”

  There was a scuffle and then Auntie came on the line. “How are you, Zee? Ready to come home yet?”

  “Not yet.” I pushed my laptop away and leaned back onto the pillows. “Everything is fine, Auntie. I promise. I can handle myself.”

  “I know you can, but it’s not too late to enroll you on the other side.”

  “But it is. The trials are almost over.”

  “No, I’ve spoken to your vice principal and as long as you take the placement test, students can still start in the fall. You’ll just have to take zeros on the rest you missed.”

  I stiffened. “You spoke to the vice principal about me?”

  “Relax. I told her I was asking for Jordan—no one else. The point is you can end this without a problem.”

  “No problem except for zeros on my trials and everyone wondering what I was trying to pull by pretending to be a boy. The few friends I have would drop me.”

  “Zee—”

  “Auntie, please. I know what I’m doing. Trust me.”

  “I would if you weren’t lying to me. I know you’re not doing this for any book. You might have spent most of your life far from me, but I know you, little niece. Something else is going on here and whatever it is, you can talk to me.”

  This wasn’t her stern disapproval or her amused sarcasm. Her concern was reaching through the phone and burrowing inside of me.

  “I just want you to be happy and safe, Zee. You’ve been through so much.”

  “I know,” I croaked. Tears stung my eyes and I roughly wiped them away. “But you have to believe me. I need to be here.”

  I listened as she took a deep breath and held it. After a few seconds, she slowly let it out. “Okay. I’ll let this go... for now.”

  Those final words didn’t fill me with too much reassurance, but I’d take what I could get.

  Jordan came back on the line. “Hey, you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “So, what about...?” Jordan trailed off, but I didn’t need any more details.

  “Nothing to report. It’s only been a few days though.”

  “Call me if you need me, okay?”

  “I will.”

  We said goodbye. I tossed my phone on my bed and reached for my la
ptop again.

  “Wait...”

  My head snapped up.

  “Please, wait!”

  The computer almost fell to the floor as I whipped around, but nothing met my eyes but an empty room.

  “Wait!”

  “No.” I scrambled back and tipped over. Crashing to the floor, a sharp pain shot through my elbow, but I kept crawling until running into the dresser stopped me. “No, no, no, no. Not again. Not again!”

  “Wait for me...”

  I clapped my hands over my ears, but that couldn’t drown out my sobs. Memories I thought I buried long ago rose from the depths and dragged me under.

  Chapter Six

  A chorus of screams, shouts, and piercing whistles echoed across the field as the players ran around like ants. It was the final day—the final trial—and a fervor gripped the boys. This was their last chance to impress the coaches and then it was all down to the placement test. They were feeling the pressure while I was feeling nothing.

  The players were blurs in my vision as I gazed at the soccer field through unfocused eyes. Why did it happen again? I thought it was over. I came here to end it.

  “Zeke?”

  The voices have to stop. They should have stopped. I’m better now. I—

  “Hey, Zeke.”

  A nudge jerked me out of my thoughts. I shifted around and Adam came into focus.

  “Are you okay? You seem out of it.”

  I nodded.

  “Are you sure? You’ve been quiet all morning and you didn’t eat breakfast.” His concern was etched into his face. “Stressing about the trial?”

  “Yeah,” I replied when I found my voice. I pushed my fears down and locked them away. I wouldn’t deal with this. I couldn’t. “I stayed up late researching soccer math, but I don’t know if it will help.”

  “It can’t hurt. Besides, I don’t think you have to worry so much about this crowd. Coach Fineman looks like he wants to fling his whistle and run out of here.”

  “What?” I looked down the stands at Coach. The bridge of his nose was pinched between two tight fingers. I hadn’t paid a lick of attention to the game, but I focused on them now.

  It was a disaster.

  Most of the boys clearly didn’t know what to do besides kick the ball, but some couldn’t do even that right. Justin reared back, angling for the goal, and whacked the ball with all his strength. The heads of those in the stands followed it as the ball went whizzing our way and narrowly took out Coach.

  Red faced, he scrambled to grab his whistle and jammed it in his mouth. Sense returned before he blew and he yanked it out and threw it down. He wasn’t allowed to say or do anything unless the boys did something dangerous. He was forced to sit out this mess with the rest of us.

  “Oh my goodness.” Justin and Landon dove for the ball at the same time and collided with a smack that made me wince. “What is happening out there?”

  “It’s not surprising. Most of us graduated from Evergreen or Chesterfield Middle and neither school teaches soccer. The only guys who learned how to play did from their families or outside teams and, as you can see, not even they can save this game.” Adam clapped a hand on my back. “For the first time this week, we’re on equal footing.”

  “Why does that make me feel better?”

  We laughed and the last traces of my misery fled. Everything was going to be okay. I knew what I needed to do. I just had to focus on why I was here.

  Adam’s gaze flicked over my shoulder. “Incoming.”

  I turned around just as Cameron and Santi stepped up to our row. The boys walked up to us, but made no move to sit.

  “Yes?” I squinted at Cam through the glare of the sun. Once again, I was struck by the charm of his smile, but this close, I could see it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “There’s a party tonight to celebrate the end of the trials.” He gestured at Santi. “Our group plus Dominic and Tyler’s group, and a few of the girls are coming. Last chance to have some fun since everyone will be pulling an all-nighter tomorrow to get ready for the placement test.”

  “Is that a good idea?” I asked. “What if Argyle catches us?”

  “Yeah, Cam,” Adam piped up. “It’s not worth the risk. I’m going to stay in and study tonight.”

  Cameron’s smile didn’t falter. “I’m sorry. Did it sound like I was asking? Let me try again: There is a party tonight and you both will be there.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “You didn’t think becoming one of us was as easy as a chat in the woods? The placement test isn’t the only one you need to pass. We’ll see you tonight.”

  With that, they turned and left. A thread of unease nagged at me as I watched them go.

  “A test? What kind of test?”

  “One we won’t like.”

  If I was worried before, my anxiety ratcheted up to a thousand at Adam’s reply. Was this some kind of hazing? What would they do to us if we go?

  What will they do if we don’t? I can’t face being yanked out of bed and dragged through the dark again.

  “Next match!” Coach Fineman called. He waved the others off. “You guys hit the showers.”

  The players trudged off the field—a ragtag bunch of sweaty messes covered in grass, dirt, and a few bruises. Our match did not go much better.

  I tried using soccer math to make goals but only managed one. Having to stand still and make calculations wasn’t suited for a fast-moving game like soccer. The ball was kicked out from under my feet half a dozen times, and off again I went chasing after it.

  The game ended two to zero in favor of my team. I was praying that getting one of those points meant I did well on this trial, but who knows. What I really cared about was dragging myself in my bathtub and sinking my tired muscles in water that was near boiling. I never worked, ran, or exercised as hard as I had done that week.

  “The results of the trials will be posted on Monday,” Fineman told us as we gathered our things to go. “Good luck to all of you.”

  I waved goodbye and then hurried to catch up with Adam. We headed up to our room, washed off, and then pulled out our things to study. We worked in silence—Adam at his desk and me on my bed with my laptop—as the clock ticked down and the light retreated through the windows.

  Our phones buzzed around eight o’clock. Adam put down his pen and read the group text. “Cam says the party starts at eleven and we’re supposed to meet him behind the basketball gym.”

  “Are you going?”

  “He doesn’t give us much of a choice.”

  I sighed. “That’s true.”

  We fell silent as we went back to our work. I wasn’t sure how to study for the test or what to focus on, but I had notes saved on my computer from years of homeschooling, so that seemed a good place to start.

  As it got closer to eleven, I noticed the both of us were spending more time looking at the clock than we were paying attention to our work. At ten forty-five, I called it quits.

  “Let’s just go.”

  Adam didn’t argue. We got up, shoved our shoes on, and headed out of the door. Adam spoke up when we were almost to the first floor. “We don’t look like we’re about to go to a party.”

  “More like we’re visiting the undertaker.”

  We laughed a little at that, but quickly sobered. I wasn’t crazy about risking two months detention on some “test,” but they gave me a chance to back out and I refused. I wouldn’t be chased away from the Elite Network. I just hoped I could handle whatever was coming next.

  Adam and I made it outside without issue. No one passed us in the halls. No vice principals chased us in hair curlers. We skirted around to the back of the gym and discovered we weren’t early. Landon, Cole, Michael, Zachary, Cameron, and Santiago were all here.

  “Waiting on Grayson,” Cameron said, “and then we’ll go.”

  “Are you going to tell us what this test is?” Cole asked.

  “When you’re all here.”

  His tone i
nvited no argument, so I leaned against the wall and settled in to wait. I figured that wouldn’t be long, but eleven came and went with no sign of Derek.

  Cameron glanced at his watch. “Where is he? He’s ten minutes late.”

  “I’ll text him.” Santi pulled out his phone and the glowing screen lit up his face as he typed.

  A faint chime sounded moments after he put it away.

  Derek rounded the corner as we all turned our heads. “Was that you messaging me?”

  “What took you so long?” Cameron demanded. “We told you eleven o’clock.”

  He made a face. “Shut the hell up, Dupre. I’m here, aren’t I? Let’s get this over with.” Derek stormed off, striding toward the trees without a glance back. After a pause, we followed him.

  Twigs snapped beneath our feet and critters scurried through the night, but our group remained quiet. Soon Derek fell back and let Cameron lead us farther and farther away from the school.

  Just how far are we going? I get not wanting to get caught, but we could get lost going this deep. Who would want to party so far out here?

  A chilling thought went through my mind. What if there is no party?

  I stopped cold, dread filling my bones. What the heck were we walking into?

  “Zeke?” Adam stopped and peered back at me. “What’s wrong?”

  I raised my voice. “Why are we here, Cameron? What is this test?”

  “Yeah.” To my surprise, Cole stopped walking too. “Tell us what we’re supposed to do.”

  “We’re almost there,” said Cameron. “Just hurry up.”

  “No,” snapped Derek. “Tell us now.”

  “I said hurry up!”

  Cameron must have been annoyed because that was the first time I heard him yell. He didn’t slow down and we were forced to keep going or get left behind.

  Several minutes passed before I heard the rhythmic bumping of music. A few more minutes and I heard the talking and laughter to go with it. We passed through the copse and finally stepped out into a clearing. The party wasn’t as packed as the first one, but there were still plenty of students dancing, drinking, and making out against the trees.