Page 95 of The Devils They Are
Soph comes bouncing over, Tai in tow. For a seemingly confident dickface, he's barely looking up, acting shy.
"Bex! I'm so sorry," Soph rambles, hugging me. "I had no idea."
Words are caught in my throat, and seeing my confused expression, Rylan places a gentle hand on my back. "I hope you don't mind, but I told Sophia. I figured you could use a friend."
When his head scans the Cedar crowd, I can tell he's just as perplexed as I am at the mass gathering.
"Sophia dragged me," Tai mumbles. "My condolences."
My eyes switch between the two Willowbrook men, welcoming the distraction from what will be a rough morning in a few minutes. Rylan cocks an eyebrow but doesn't say anything, the two of them sharing a silent conversation.
I turn back to Arch, starting to feel overwhelmed. He smiles softly, reaching out to rub my arm.
"We just want to support you. We're your family too."
Choked up, all I can do is nod in reply, signaling to Mr. Morrison that he's free to start.
Everyone falls quiet, and despite originally wishing I could keep this quiet, there's a feeling of peace around me as I stay flanked by the group.
I can't bring myself to speak for once, tears slipping down my cheeks as I throw a red rose on top of the casket as it's lowered into the ground. A portable speaker plays a collection of Mom's favorite songs, and when Arch stands up to say a few words, recalling some of our fond memories with her, I'm relieved to feel an arm around my waist. Rylan tightens his grip, holding me up as my legs shake. I let myself lean into him, swiping tears away with the back of my hand.
And there, in death, the enemies wave the white flag, laying their weapons to rest as we farewell a life that deserved better.
When Monday rolls around, I've officially entered the Twilight Zone.
I don't remember anything from yesterday, and the funeral is all but a blur.
After the service finished, Rylan, Tai, and Sophia stuck around for a bit to make sure I was alright before heading to set up Willowbrook's night at the beach. Arch stayed with me at the house, and Abby cooked us dinner. I had no idea the girl could cook but I'm so appreciative of her. Most girls would be jealous of their partner having a female best friend, but not her. She shares Aquarius Instagram reels with me. But on the plus side, I'm allegedly coming into wealth, a new relationship, and prime opportunities for my career.
Despite everyone from Cedar Heights knowing that Mom was gone, no one mentions anything. In fact, it appears Rylan, Tai and Sophia also keep it under wraps. Besides the usual taunts and glares from Willowbrook peers, I manage to escape pretty unscathed.
Rylan continues to text me in the evenings while Soph has made it her mission to join us at lunch. She seems completely immune to the whispers, people deeming her a traitor. But as Tai's sister, it doesn't go beyond that. No one is brave enough to voice their concerns or opinions to the three leaders.
And speaking of which, they look as snuggly as ever. The three of them stalk around the school, apparently unfazed with the brewing trouble in their inner circle. Hunter glares at me whenever we cross paths and today, I've already flipped him off three times—making sure to flash my black nail polish at him. I can't tell what's annoying him more—my seemingly unbothered attitude to his little stunt, or that Rylan and Tai give me a little wave whenever we see each other. But he's not the only one pissed off. A few times I found Liv seething, steam almost billowing from her ears at Rylan's attention toward me. Soph told us that she was expecting him to go to the dance with her, but when she brought it up, he was dismissive of the idea.
At least three times a day, Ms. Power Suit makes an announcement over the speakers, requesting volunteers to help set up the dance for Friday. As expected, I don't have a choice in attending. When tickets went on sale, Soph purchased one for me. And Arch has been sucked into it too. Apparently, that friendship guess between Sophia and Abby was accurate. They purchased the tickets together, and now Arch is being dragged there as well.
I have no choice but to bite back a groan and give my blessing when Cedar students come and ask if they should go to it. It would be wrong of me to advise them not, just for photos and rumors to emerge that I was there.
So, anyway, after classes, the two girls practically kidnap me, forcing me into Soph's little yellow Mazda. I silently curse Archie for being able to get out of this impromptu shopping trip, but I make a mental note to send him teasing text messages about Abby. I'm not going to suffer alone.
We arrive at the Ridgeview Valley Mall, the two of them linking arms with me on either side as they drag my flailing dead-inside corpse to the nearest formal wear store.
The shop assistants can see them coming from a mile away, offering glasses of non-alcoholic bubbly the moment we step foot inside.
I have to admit, even though the idea is daunting, seeing all the dresses hung up in colored order makes me oddly happy. I try to ask the question of why we need formal dresses when the theme is Villains and Sinners, but they just shush me, throwing sequined prisons at my head.
"Whyyyyyy?" I groan, digging my heels into the plush carpet as Sophia attempts to shove me into a changing room.
"Because everyone deserves to feel like an evil temptress. Get in there!"
I'm ashamed of the squeal that rips out of me as a second pair of hands shove me in the back. The last thing I see before they close the curtain is Abby and Sophia's grinning faces.
"I could end you both in the blink of an eye!" I half-threaten.
"That's the evil energy we are looking for!" Abby calls out with a giggle.
Sighing, I have a look at the pile of dresses they have thrown into my hands and hung up on the hook inside the changing room. They range from black and navy-blue to bright red. Shit—how am I going to be able to decide? One… I can't even afford a dress. And two, I don't have character inspiration yet.
