Looking around at the faces of all the people I loved best in the world, I felt the world shift beneath me. “I just don’t want any of you to get hurt,” I said.
Ella wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t you understand?” she said. “That’s how we all feel about you.”
My heart cracked wide open. “Okay,” I said. “We’ll all go.”
Howie cheered. “Finally, he sees sense,” he said. He looked at Ella. “I wish you’d been around ages ago. He’s been a nightmare, honestly.”
I punched him lightly. “Hey,” I said.
Ella only beamed. “We’re all together now,” she said. “And that’s all that matters.”
As the eight of us piled back into the van, I realized I couldn’t agree more.
27
Ella
Together, the guys and I drove straight to the police station closest to the Ball. The fire had already been reported as arson, so as succinctly as I could, I explained that I had overheard Valentina admitting to setting the fire for the insurance money. The detective we spoke with listened impassively until I had finished my story.
Finally, he leaned back in his chair, regarding us. “You’re sure about this?” he asked.
I nodded. “She was planning to blame it on—on my friends,” I said. Behind me, I felt Grant shift. “But they were already out of town when the fire started.”
The detective exhaled through his nose. “I’ll pass this on to the investigator on the case,” he said. “He’ll probably have some questions for you, so try not to leave town in the next few days. Any of you.” His eyes passed over the guys, who formed a protective semicircle behind me. Curiosity flared in his expression, and I knew he wanted to ask about our relationship. I supposed I was going to have to get used to people’s curiosity.
Over the next few days, I had to tell my story over and over, but finally we got the call that Valentina had been arrested. Howie cheered at the news, but Grant looked thoughtful. “What will happen to the Ball?” he asked.
Saul shrugged. “Valentina will probably have to sell it to pay her legal fees, is my guess. Why?”
“I was just wondering,” he said, but his brow remained furrowed in thought.
“I wonder who’ll buy it,” Jason said. “I drove by there the other day; it’s a wreck.”
“I wonder what they’ll do with it,” Darren added. “Probably tear it down.”
“It’s a shame,” Saul said, his voice sad. “Despite everything, the Ball was a special place.” Everyone murmured their agreement, glancing around at each other. Without needing to voice it, I knew we were all thinking the same thing: if not for the Ball, I may never have met them.
With nowhere else to go when we got back to DC, I had moved into the apartment the band shared. Not wanting to spend the night apart, we had covered the floor of the living room in air mattresses, and spent our nights piled together in the center of the floor. A temporary solution, and not great for our backs, but still; I was blissfully happy.
The night after we learned of Valentina’s arrest, I made a big dinner to celebrate. We all gathered around the kitchen table, teasing each other and laughing. I noticed that Grant was unusually quiet, even for him.
Finally, he cleared his throat, and silence fell around the table. “I have a proposition I want to pose to you all,” he said. “I’ve only just started thinking about it, so it’s not really fleshed out yet. And if you all think it’s a bad idea, then of course, we don’t have to do it, but—”
“For Christ’s sake, will you just spit it out?” Howie said finally. Saul gave him a sharp look, but Grant only smiled.
“I want to buy the Ball,” he said. “Well, not just me. All of us. I want us to buy the Ball. Together.”
A stunned silence descended on us. Grant, taking our silence for hesitation, rushed to explain. “I’ve looked into it, and in its current less-than-ideal condition, I think we can afford it, if we pool our savings. We can fix it up, hold a fundraiser if we need to. We can make it our own.”
I looked around the table, judging the reactions of the others. Personally, I loved the idea, but I wasn’t sure how on-board the others might be. Chris was the first to break the silence.
“I think it’s brilliant,” he said.
Slowly, Grant’s serious, anxious face broke into a smile. “You do?” he asked.
Chris nodded. Around him, the others began to nod, as well. “It would be a shame to lose the Ball,” Saul said. “It’s always been a refuge for people who can’t be themselves anywhere else.”
“We can restore it to its former glory,” Lester said, grinning as he warmed to the idea. “Decorate it the way we want to. I have to admit: I was never a huge fan of all that velvet. Kind of a cliché, I thought.”