Bucky plops down in the sand next to me and Elijah, and pretty soon Nate and Darien join us.

“Tell us you’re joking, Cap,” Nate says. He’s holding a Coke in his hand and has a wary smile plastered on his face.

“I’m definitely not joking,” I tell them. “This tradition ends here.”

“Listen, we all know this isn’t exactly your area of expertise,” Bucky says. “How about if we come up with the prank, and all you have to do is help us carry it out?” The rest of the group nods in agreement.

I glance over at Elijah. He’s sitting in the sand with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He doesn’t nod along with the rest of the group, but he still looks at me expectantly.

“Look, we really just need to focus on the games coming up, guys,” I say, trying to reason with them. “Every single one of us has got something to lose this year. Scholarships, all-conference status, ammunition for why you’re the best sibling. It’s just too risky! What if someone gets hurt? Or suspended or arrested? What if one prank ended your entire football career?”

Nate groans. “Come on, Cap. It doesn’t have to be something that could get us in trouble. Can you at least consider it?”

“My dad will never let me live it down if we don’t do something,” Bucky says. Bucky’s dad and even his grandfather have almost made a career out of reliving their Crenshaw Guardsmen glory days.

“Not to mention what Taylor will say about us,” Darien says, throwing a rock out toward the ocean. “How are we going to look them in the face after the flag incident if we don’t at least try and retaliate?”

“Yeah, what about that?” Bucky asks. “What if they show up to homecoming with something epic planned and make us look ridiculous? You’re so sure that we’ll throw them off their game, but they could just as easily do it to us by catching us off guard,” he reasons.

“You owe it to us to at least think about it,” Nate says, poking at the fire with a long stick. It pops and crackles as sparks float up into the dark September sky. “A good captain is supposed to listen to his team, not rule with an iron fist.”

I glance at Elijah again. His eyes reflect the bright flames, and he nods almost imperceptibly in my direction.

I let out a long breath. “I don’t know yet, guys. I can’t just make up my mind right now.”

Bucky turns to me. “So, you’ll at least think about it?”

My lips pull into a straight line. “Yeah.”

We all watch the fire crackle in silence for a few minutes, the heaviness of the conversation putting a damper on the earlier celebratory feelings.