Autumn Falls (18 page)

“It’s Reenzie.”

“Reenzie Tresca?” Amalita shrieks. “She’s calling to kiss up. She thinks if she’s nice to you she’ll have a shot at Kyler Leeds.”

“She can’t be that stupid,” I say. “There’s no way I’d ever take her.”

“Not stupid, sneaky,” Amalita corrects.

“Not even sneaky,” I say, “obvious. I’m going to tell her it won’t work.”

I’m about to click over when Amalita gasps. “Don’t! This is perfect! This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.”

“What do you mean?”

“Revenge. Talk to Reenzie. Let her think she has a chance at Kyler Leeds. Act like you’re
cuates
and let her spend the next five days getting all excited and let her buy a new dress and do her hair and nails and let her tell everyone she’s going, then drop her at the last minute. Squash her like a bug.”

I have to admit I like it. It’s nowhere near as evil as anything she’s done to me, but it turns her own game against her and will make her look beautifully stupid in front of everyone.

“That’s good,” I say. “But isn’t it a little suspicious if I start acting like her best friend?”

“She doesn’t think you’ll be suspicious that she’s doing the same thing to you,” Amalita says urgently. “Plus, it’s Reenzie. Worked on Taylor, she’ll think it’s working on you.”

The phone is beeping in my ear again. I check the screen.

“She’s back,” I say.

“Take the call. Rope her in. Call me after. Revenge!”

She hangs up and I click over. “Hello?”

“Autumn? Hey, it’s Reenzie. I hope you don’t mind, I got your number from Sean.”

“Um, sure. What’s up?”

“Not much. I was just thinking … Sean’s been talking about you a lot, and I can tell he’d like it if we hung out.
Are you around tomorrow after school? I thought maybe you could hang at track practice and come back to my place after. Sean will drive us. We could watch a movie or something.”

I go for hard-to-get. Less suspicious. “I can’t watch you guys at track. I have a paper due.”

“Maybe we could swing by your house and get you? Then you could work for a while first. I really feel like I messed up with you, and I want to make it better.”

Does she honestly think anyone would buy this? The only real way she could make things better is to confess what an evil, scheming witch she is in front of the entire school.

Suddenly, I gasp.

I drop the phone on my bed.

Oh my God.

That’s what I wished for. I wished for the whole school to know the truth about Reenzie.

This is how that wish is coming true.

That’s why I won a contest it was impossible for me to win. Kyler Leeds didn’t pick my name, the journal did. And now the journal’s giving me a five-day window to get close to Reenzie. To catch her off guard. To get into her house.

To get justice.

“Autumn?” I hear Reenzie’s voice from my phone. “You there?”

“Yeah,” I say when I’ve picked the phone back up.
“Sounds great. I’ll see you after school tomorrow. Sean knows the address.”

Reenzie’s thrilled and babbles in my ear about random things I guess I’m supposed to be happy she’s sharing, but all I hear is the clock that just started ticking down in my head to Saturday.

If Reenzie weren’t so evil, I could almost feel sorry for her. She’s on borrowed time, and she has no idea.

When I check my phone the next morning, it’s clogged with texts. Most of them are from numbers I don’t know. I scroll through and see a lot of Hey, Autumn, it’s [insert name of classmate/ex-classmate/distant relative], followed by congratulations on winning the Kyler Leeds contest, then a request to get together or talk soon so we can catch up. The “soon” is almost always in caps.

I’m not sure what’s more surprising: that all these people somehow got my cell phone number, or that a lot of the texts are from people who have been actively bombarding me with venom at school. Even Shayla McConkle sent a

I delete all the texts except one from Jenna:

I will never understand how Jenna can’t adore Kyler Leeds. It’s really her only flaw.

My email is equally full. I go wild with the Delete button and nearly erase the one email I actually want. Chills dance up my spine and I stop breathing for a second.

It’s from
Kyler Leeds
.

At least, it seems that way, but when I open it I realize it’s only sort of from Kyler. It’s really from Donovan, his assistant. Donovan’s coordinating the Night of Dreams. He needs to confirm my home address and that he can pick up me and a friend there at six p.m. on Saturday. There’s also a bunch of forms I have to print out and sign or get signed—a parental permission slip and something that says I’m cool with being filmed.

I’m shaking a little. I’ve been so caught up in how I’m going to use the Night of Dreams to nail Reenzie, I didn’t even think about the reality. In four days I’m going out with Kyler Leeds. I, Autumn Falls, am going out for the night with
Kyler Leeds
!

“Carrie Amernick called me last night,” J.J. says when we meet up. “She wants to know how to become your new best friend so she can meet Kyler Leeds.”

“Did you give her the secret formula?”

“Only if the secret formula is ‘Amalita will shave you bald if you think of trying to snag her spot.’ ”

“It’s a good thing you guys aren’t together,” I say. “Girls don’t like when you lie to them.”

“I’m not lying,” J.J. says. “Amalita would literally break into Carrie’s house and shave her head.”

“True,” I say, “but you lied about me taking Amalita. At least, Carrie will think so.”

“I’ve already blasted through one cryptogram this morning,” J.J. says, “so maybe you could just tell me what you mean.”

I tell him Amalita’s plan to promise Reenzie the night, then dump her at the last minute. “But that’s just the beginning,” I continue. “I’ve added another layer. In her misguided attempt to become my best friend, Reenzie has invited me to her house, where I can secretly gather evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“That she posted the picture of me on the student portal. That she started the rumors about why I left Maryland. That she’s the one behind
Winter of My Discontent
.”

“The site’s down, by the way.”

“Of course it is,” I say. “Because Reenzie knows that I know that she did it, and she wants me to think we’re friends now. How do you know it’s down? Do you cruise it regularly?”

“Never more than the once,” he says. “But sadly, Carrie does. She told me it’s down. She’s disappointed there won’t be more updates, but assures me she cut and pasted all the best dirt into another file.”

“You really went out with her?”

“She has other redeeming qualities,” J.J. says.

“Two of them, maybe?” I ask, rolling my eyes.

We’re at school now, and as we head for the door I instinctively move closer to J.J. I get tripped, pushed, and cursed far less violently when I’m next to someone than when I’m alone.

Then I remember the slew of texts and emails from all my new “friends.” I walk ahead of J.J. and throw open the doors.

“Hi, Autumn!”

“Hey!”

“Congratulations!”

“Autumn! I’m so excited for you!”

“Are you dying? I’d be dying!”

The minute I walk in I’m surrounded. Huge smiles on everyone’s faces. Hugs from people who have no reason to believe they’d be welcome in my personal space.

I won’t lie. It feels great. I know it’s meaningless. I know it’s only because I have something they want. Still, I bask in it. And when Sofia Brooks links her arm through mine and asks me if I’ve decided who I’m taking on the Night of Dreams, I’m thrilled that Amalita’s and my plan requires me to say no.

The throng of admirers walks me all the way to homeroom. When I walk in, I see Sean and Reenzie next to one another. There’s a free seat next to each of them and I’m dying to take the one by Sean, but Reenzie’s waving me over, a huge grin on her face. I sit next to her.

“Congratulations!” she says. “I just heard about you and Kyler Leeds!”

“You didn’t know?” I ask. “ ’Cause you called me last night right after it was announced, so—”

“No!” Reenzie says. “Total coincidence!”

I catch Sean’s eye. I can tell from the look on his face that even he knows she’s lying, but he seems more amused than bothered. We share a smirk at Reenzie’s expense. I wouldn’t say it feels as good as sharing a kiss, but it’s up there.

“So do you know who you’re bringing?” Reenzie asks me.

“Not yet,” I say. “I need to decide soon, I guess. It’s just four days away.”

“Crazy,” Reenzie says. “Well, I will just put out there that I’m a huge Kyler Leeds fan, and totally willing to go anywhere, even in a full leg cast.”

“Maybe he could sign it,” I say. “Then after it comes off you could sell it.”

“Or keep it forever to help me remember a fabulous Night of Dreams,” she says. “If I went, I mean.”

Lunch is a trip. I come out of the Tube with my tray and it’s like I’m at a rock concert—all the arms waving in the air. Only they’re not cheering for a band, they’re calling for me to come join their groups and be their friend for the day. Or maybe the next four days.

I smile at everyone but still beeline for Amalita, Jack, and J.J. I’m almost to them when I hear Reenzie shouting my name. Amalita and I lock eyes; then I completely change paths.

“Reenzie! Hey!” I say as I head her way.

“Are you kidding me?” Amalita trails behind me. “You’re blowing me off for her? Don’t mess with me, Autumn. You will not like what happens when you mess with me!”

It’s hard not to laugh.

“Sorry about that,” I say when I get to Reenzie. She’s sitting on a folding chair like a queen on her favorite spot of lawn with Taylor, Sean, and a group of other people I recognize from track. Zach isn’t around. I wonder if he and Taylor broke up. Then I wonder whether if they did, it was because Reenzie and Trevor broke up and Taylor felt she had to follow suit.

“Don’t worry about it,” Reenzie says. “All due respect, I know she’s your friend, but she’s a little crazy. Come sit.” She points to the ground next to her. “Scooch over,” she tells Taylor. “Autumn needs room.”

Taylor obediently moves over, but she doesn’t look happy about it.

“So Sean’s been saying great things about you,” Reenzie says, “but none of us know you that well. Time to fill us in. Autumn Falls, ten words or less. Go.”

The whole crowd stares at me. I can feel the spotlight blazing down. I suddenly hate Amalita’s and my plan.

“Bitingly funny beauty with a secret passion for the game of football,” Sean says.

I don’t know if it’s what he said or the fact that he saved me, but I may well love him.

“That’s twelve words,” I say, “but if you get rid of ‘the game of’ and replace ‘secret passion’ with ‘wild indifference,’ you’re good.”

Now a bunch of people jump in to try to convince me of the awesomeness of football. None of them succeeds, but it breaks the ice, and soon we’re all talking like we’ve hung out forever. I have to remind myself it isn’t real. If Reenzie hadn’t pulled me under her wing to get to Kyler Leeds, all these people except Sean would still hate me. They probably
do
still hate me; they’re just acting nice for Reenzie’s sake.

After school I go home and try to make headway on
Hamlet
, but I’m distracted. I keep texting with Amalita about the best way to find evidence at Reenzie’s house.

Don’t stress, she writes. Exposing her great, but original plan still works on its own.

She’s right, but exposing Reenzie is what I wished for in the journal, and I know I can make it happen. I just have to figure out how.

Sean calls when he’s about to pull up at my house. When I run out to meet him, I see Reenzie wave from the passenger seat, so I climb into the back.

“Hey!” Reenzie says, nodding. “Sorry we’re a little late. Practice ran long.” She blew out her breath. “Coach wants me there even though all I can do is sit and watch.”

“How long will you be in the cast?” I ask.

“Six weeks. Sucks.”

I feel incredibly guilty, then shake it off. I have a mission to accomplish.

“So we’re going to your house?” I ask.

“We were,” Reenzie says, “but I had a better idea. I think you’ll like it. It’s a little cheesy but very fun.”

“Hanging out at the house sounds fun,” I say hesitantly, wondering what she has in her evil mind.

“Well, this is
more
fun,” Reenzie says, flashing me a smile.

I catch Sean’s eye in the rearview mirror. He shrugs. “Usually best to just go along with Reenzie once she’s set on something.”

“Believe him,” Reenzie says. “He’s spent his whole life learning that lesson.”

Sean rolls his eyes. They have such an easy rapport. It’s like they really are brother and sister.

A little while later, Sean pulls up near a high school parking lot filled with carnival rides. It’s already dark, and everything blinks in yellow, red, and blue. Through the window I can see the top of a high Ferris wheel, a rocking pirate ship, and one of those insane giant arms that rises high into the air, then spins a wheel of gondolas filled with people who don’t value their lives.