A Deal With the Devil (Boys of Preston Prep 2)

“Em,” Aubrey says quietly, but he moves right along.

Or, he tries to.

Voice hard, I interject, “We all need to be focused and on our game tonight. I’m telling you right now, if I have to spend an hour alone with you, I won’t be either of those things.”

Emory looks at me and everything goes quiet. I know the others are uncomfortably watching our standoff. Among those stares, I feel only the heat of Reyn’s eyes settled on me.

“Fine,” he relents through clenched teeth. “But I need you on the welcoming committee. Georgia, you’re with me. V can go with Tyson.” I’m not sure if Tyson feels the threat under the directive, but I know I do. “Now, enough of this. Everyone huddle up.”

Huddle up? Like a game?

There’s a shift of confusion where we all look at one another quizzically, but when Emory sticks his arm out in the middle of our circle, everyone reluctantly stretches their hands out to meet it. It’s a cluster of shoulders and arms, and I’ve never done a huddle before, but when I feel a familiar warm hand settling against mine, I lift my eyes, locking with Reyn’s.

“Hail to the Devils!” Emory says, ever the captain.

“Hail to the Devils!” Ben barks.

“Devils!” we respond as a group. It’s so stupidly silly that I almost screw my face up distastefully. But Emory is a captain, and he must know how it feels to share one voice as a unit, because as embarrassing as it is, I feel it.

We’re one. And we have an epic prank to pull off.

If I thought my drama and the looming event would get me out of going to Aubrey’s house to pick out a dress, I was wrong. She waits patiently for me in the parking lot by her dark gray BMW. I only get in because she pushes Emory away when he tries to approach us.

“Girl time is for girls only,” she explains primly, opening her car door.

I watch her curiously when I settle into my seat. The way she holds herself. How she manages to ignore my brother, who’s glaring at us as we exit the parking lot. “You’re different,” I observe. “From his other girlfriends.”

“You mean Campbell?” She raises an eyebrow, nose scrunching up. “God, I hope so.”

My laugh sounds lighter than I feel. “Not a fan, huh?”

“She’s a fucking tyrant. Made everyone’s life miserable.” She adjusts the heat and points to the seat warmers. I flip mine on. “I don’t hold her against him, though. Emory’s spent the last few years trying to find his footing in a world of assholes. I mean, I guess we all have been, right?” She snorts. “Living in the shadow of Hamilton Bates and Campbell Clark isn’t easy. For the first time in years, I feel like I can breathe.”

I’m surprised. I didn’t know the popular kids resented them so much.

“You may not know this,” she goes on, “but most of your brother’s bad decisions have been made under the influence of impressing those people.”

“I do know. That’s why…” I run my hands nervously down my thighs, “it’s why he and Reyn stole the car that night. It’s probably what gave him the guts to do what he did with Skylar,” God, I’m still reconciling that one, “and the prank with Micha.”

“Trust me, we’ve talked about that, particularly Skylar. It’s just…” her nose wrinkles, “gross. Repulsive. And I want you to know I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t believe he was truly sorry for it.” She glances over. “I’m sure he hasn’t told you this, but he did contact her to apologize directly.”

I gape at her, stunned. “No, I didn’t.” Wow.

She nods. “It’s almost as if being part of that toxic group was like being under the influence of a drug.”

Well.

That I get.

“But they’re gone and he’s really determined to run the new Devils in a different direction. Less asshole-ish. More tradition.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure he regrets inviting me to join.” It’s not like I wasn’t already aware that he didn’t want me to in the first place. That was all Reyn, and only because I’d blackmailed him.

“I disagree,” she says, turning into one of the more expensive neighborhoods in our area. The security guard at the gate waves us in. “Honestly, he’s liked having you involved in this. He told me himself that it was cool to have you around this year. He just worries so much.” She cuts her eyes to me. “I don’t think

you know just how much.”

“I have an idea,” I mutter. “Did he tell you that he saw me and Reyn together?”