My mouth dropped open. So she did matter to Haley, if not exactly in the way I thought. Even if she wasn’t the Queen of Hearts, I was glad my instincts weren’t wrong.
Just before she closed the door behind her, she looked back at me. “See you around, kid.”
* * *
By the start of first period, dozens of signs were posted around the school.
The Red Court is no longer in business.
We kindly suggest that you handle your own dirty work from now on.
Anyone caught making requests will face consequences.
EPILOGUE
THE DAY BEFORE winter break came, and I was finally getting used to the quiet life. The gossip about the signs and the demise of the Red Court was starting to ebb. I heard rumors passed around that the Red Court disbanded because business had dried up, or that the school administration had posted the signs to keep students from making requests, or that there was never any Red Court to begin with and this was some elaborate prank.
I kept an eye on the locker mailbox and was surprised when not even a single request was made. With winter break looming, the chatter about the Red Court fizzled. Students were too busy planning excursions to the mountains for early season skiing or trips to the mall for holiday shopping.
“Do you want to grab dinner with me and Damien tonight? You can bring Lover Boy,” Gideon said as he sidled up next to me at my locker after school.
“You have to stop calling Chase that.” I kind of loved that he did.
Gideon laughed. “I’ll call him what I want. He’s still terrified that I don’t approve of him.”
“That would be great. I’ll ask him. Maybe I could invite Haley, too? And Brit?”
My conversations with Haley were mostly over text, but on our own phones now. Her responses grew longer each day, from one-word answers to nearly complete sentences. And after only light pestering on my part, she did introduce me to Brit. I thought back to the dinner at her house when she said she wasn’t close enough with anyone to share her relationships. I counted it as progress on the friendship front.
“Ugh. Fine, but I liked it better when you didn’t have any other friends.”
Gideon could grumble all he liked. Haley won him over the moment she praised the composition of his photo in the Winter Showcase, where they both received an award in their categories. Plus, Haley’s piece caught the attention of Sally in the Heller postgrad office, who offered to connect her to contacts at two top art schools. It was no Red Court favor, but it was a start.
I opened my locker and froze.
“What?” he asked.
A Queen of Spades sat on the top shelf of my locker. Just the sight of it was enough to set my hands shaking as I grabbed it.
Gideon examined the card in my hand. “What does it mean?”
“I have no idea. We didn’t use this one on its own.”
“Do you know who sent it?”
“I have one really good guess.” Shauna had been lying low the last few weeks, but I knew it wouldn’t be forever. She’d bide her time and wait for the right moment. After the final meeting of the Red Court, Haley changed all the passwords for the accounts and deleted as many files as she could find. It wasn’t a guarantee that she got rid of everything, but it was the best we could do. It wasn’t enough.
I looked back down at the card in my hand and turned it over, knowing I’d find something written on the back. Just like the notes from the Queen of Hearts.
I read the note aloud.
The Red Court is dead.
Long live the Black Court.
* * *