Adults excused her from everything from gym class to field trips with a condescending look. And these Acheron assholes thought Lily had an advantage.

“I’ve got an idea!” Delilah said. “Let’s play Truth or Dare!”

The room bubbled with excited murmurs.

“Oh, no. We can’t! Not after last time!” Caitlin leaned over and whispered something into Ryan’s ear.

Tamika tossed her phone down onto the comforter. “I’ll start!”

The others leaned in from where they were perched on the beds and rugs, each waiting to hear who Tamika would call on first.

“Let’s see . . .” Tamika always drew these things out so everyone would look at her as long as possible. “Kei. I dare you to tell us what really happened when you and Emily went behind the Rite Aid on the trip to Monticello.”

Everyone howled as loudly as they dared. Kei and Emily flushed, but they were smiling broadly.

God, Lily hated room parties.

It was so hard to care about all this drama. Lily tried to keep track of her straight friends’ romances—it was important to play along—but it got so exhausting. If Lily had her way, the whole school would consist of just her and Maria.

And if anyone should win the Kingsley Prize, Maria was the one.

But right now she was only in second place.

A lot of good second place did them. There was no chance of moving up with Delilah in the picture.

Maria might get into Stanford without the prize, but there was no way to know for sure. Winning was the only way to guarantee she and Lily could stay together next year. It was the reason Lily had bought the Ouija board in the first place. Maria had seemed so resigned to losing that Lily had to try something to snap her out of it, even if it meant pretending she believed in all the stuff Maria always said about spirits. Lily figured she could move the planchette, tell Maria she was destined to win, and maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to lift Maria over the top.

Lily would’ve tried anything by that point. She’d even broken the no-drinking resolution she’d been following ever since the end of freshman year just to get Maria into the old dining hall.

The worst part was, Maria deserved to win. Delilah most certainly did not.