“No, I mean I can relate to the painting. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a path and going one place, only to discover the road has changed somewhere along the way and I’m hurtling toward someplace else. It’s never what I expected.”
“Is it ever?” Haley mused. After another moment, she said, “Thanks for not being weirded out by the date comment. I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t have very many people I’m close enough with to share my relationships.”
I smiled. “Really? I’m surprised you’re not gabbing over girls with good ol’ Dave.”
Haley scoffed and let the drop cloth fall back over her painting.
A blue-and-green piece in the corner of Haley’s room piqued my interest and I walked over to examine it. “Tell me about this one.”
“Just something I had to get out of my head. I saw this green hill cut across a clear sky. It was like a stock photo, it was so perfect, and I wanted a version of it for myself. To remember it.”
The whorls of blue were so thick they held texture and contrasted against the swipes of green. It was almost like I could see through the paint to the memory Haley captured, could sense the movement of the grass in the wind.
“I think this one is my favorite.” I noticed the various writing utensils and stacks of Homecoming nomination forms on a chair. “Should we get to work on the ballots?”
Haley shrugged, slipping back into Red Court mode. “Sure. We need to cast a hundred or so votes for Maura.” She sat on the floor and began divvying up the ballots and pens.
“Doesn’t sound so hard.”
“It’s not, but it is tedious. Max now knows that the Red Court will have a hand in the results. Until it’s done, we don’t want him to know who we’re getting elected. Once it’s over, he won’t have any reason to pipe up. We’ll be writing our nominations in various pen and marker colors with a hundred different handwriting styles.”
“Got it, Coach.”
Haley’s cat eyes narrowed to slits, but she didn’t object to the nickname.
I took note of the precautions in our plan. It seemed like Haley had thought of everything. As I filled out nomination forms, I thought about how little I knew about the Red Court, information I’d need to bring it—and its members—down. I sat on the floor and took a gamble at asking Haley another personal question. “Why’d you join the Red Court?”
She stopped working and glanced up at me. “For the favor. I admit it’s not the most inspired reason.”
I didn’t respond, waiting for her to enlighten me.
“The favor. You know?”
The implication that I was missing something obvious poked at a personal sore spot. I wouldn’t have asked unless I didn’t know, and I hated not knowing. “No, I don’t know.”
“It’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? The supersize favor?”
“What?”
“We don’t ask for favors like everyone else because we’re guaranteed the biggest one of all. Before you graduate, you get one very big favor. No debt to pay. It can be anything you want. You write up the assignment and the Queen of Hearts will review and accept. She’s never turned down anyone. I’ve heard that she’ll make suggestions, but whatever you want, you get.” She paused and cocked her head at me. “If you didn’t hear rumors about the favor, then why did you join?”
Shoot. I chewed my lip for a moment. “Control,” I blurted out. “A lot of my life is dictated by other people or activities. It’s nice to be the one pulling the strings.”
Haley squinted at me in appraisal and then went back to her forms. “That’s what my first partner said. She liked the thrill of working behind the scenes. I think the protection aspect must hold a lot of appeal to other members, too.”
I gave a mental sigh of relief. I needed to be more careful. I couldn’t paint myself into any corners with Haley, open any conversations I didn’t have a way out of. I already got the feeling that she sensed something was off about me. Maybe April and I had done too good a job setting me up to be Red Court material. I was honed and sharpened for this role, formed to be exactly what they would need.
“Have you already asked for yours?”
She smiled slyly at me. “Indeed, I have.”
“What is it, then?” Haley’s favor would give me the answer to my biggest question—why was she part of the Red Court?
“That’s for me to know, but it’s going to be epic.” She raised her brows at me. “Start thinking about what you want, Ember. Your senior year will be here before you know it and you’ll need to have your plan all worked out by then.”
I pasted a devious smile onto my face but knew my eyes were still uneasy. “Sure thing.”
For the past two years, there had been only one thing I wanted, and I was getting it. But sometimes, getting exactly what you want feels like the worst thing to ever happen to you.
CHAPTER 11
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” I exclaimed in chorus with my family and Gideon the next day.
My mom blushed and quickly deflected our attention. “It will be April’s birthday before we know it. How do you think it will feel to be out of your teens, sweetie?”
April’s gaze moved from her phone back to Mom. “What?” Her glazed expression spoke volumes of the toll midterms were taking on her.
Mom’s smile turned brittle. She and April were never very close, but over the last couple of years it seemed like they could never quite sync up, even in casual conversation. “I asked how you think being out of your teens will feel.”
“It’ll probably feel the same.” April’s tone wasn’t sharp, but resigned. “I really need to get back to my budget spreadsheet for the work retreat I’m planning.”
“Of course, let’s cut the cake,” my mom murmured.
It wasn’t that she was a bad mother; she and April were just so different. Our mom was up when the tide was high and left low when it went back out. April was steady, nearly unshakable.
I scrambled to think of something to say when Gideon chimed in. “Just think, April, soon you’ll be able to score us booze.” He winked at my mom.
“Oh, Gideon,” my mom said through a laugh, pulling herself back from the edge of her melancholy. Inexplicably, Gideon was my mother’s favorite human and thus he was invited to every family gathering.
She picked up the cake to carry it into the kitchen and asked Gideon for help slicing it. He shot me a look that said I was both welcome for his help and I would probably be buying him coffee for the next two weeks.