Maria promised never to rush her. She never wanted Lily to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with.

Now they’d been together almost a year, and Maria was more in love with Lily than ever. She’d do whatever it took to keep the two of them together, here at Acheron and next year at Stanford.

But she still hadn’t gotten used to the constant lying.

Maria tossed her empty beer can into the paper garbage bag Ryan would smuggle out later and reached for a fresh one. Mateo, ever the gentleman, popped the tab for her and said, “You sure you want to keep going? You look kind of out of it.”

“I’m fine.” Maria took a long drink of the cool yellow liquid and stood up. The room swayed. Ryan and Caitlin were on Maria’s bed, limbs squirming together like some water creature in one of Brandon’s manga books.

Maria shook her head. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“You need help?” Mateo tried to catch her arm. “You going to puke?”

Maria ignored him and caught Lily’s eye. Lily stood up to follow her, and Maria’s rapid heartbeat began to slow.

They’d figure all this out. Together.

4

LEAVE ALL THE REST TO ME

Lily watched Maria make her way shakily toward the bathroom. This might be the only chance the two of them got to talk all night.

Lily reached for the dresser to steady herself so she wouldn’t have to deal with her crutches and hopped toward the bathroom on her right leg. Delilah reached out to help, giggling. “Give me your hand!” Delilah squealed.

Lily slapped her away. Delilah and the others laughed.

Lily smiled. They could think it was a joke if they wanted.

“Princess is totally going to hurl, man,” Austin told the others. “At least she’s got her roommate to hold her hair back.”

Good. Lily followed Maria into the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink and the shower full blast. Hot water—it was already cold enough in that tiny room. The others would think Lily had the water running so they didn’t have to hear Maria throwing up, and Lily and Maria could talk without having to worry about the sound carrying. Lily shut the bathroom door, turning the lock. The heavy brass bolt looked like it had been rotting in the deep brown wood for the last three hundred years.

Maria sat on the edge of the bathtub next to the door. Lily lowered herself next to her, trying not to grimace as her muscles clenched.