“Someone sent out a text with pictures of Chloe attached. The kind of pictures she wouldn’t want the whole school seeing.”
He frowned. “Was she doing something bad? Drinking at a party?”
Sweet, innocent Wyatt. “Nothing bad. Just . . . private pictures.”
His face reddened. It was cute, really. He was cute. “Right, that. Right. There were pictures?”
“They went out to everyone at the whole school, as far as I can tell. Chloe’s furious.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Wyatt said. “Does she have any idea who could have done this? Do you?”
“I got nothing,” I said. “Someone would have needed access to her phone to get the pictures. Maybe her roommate? But I can’t imagine why Lauren would do something like that.”
“What about the person she sent the pictures to?”
Wyatt had gone to the same place I had, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to tell him about Hunter. And suggesting that she might have sent pictures to more than one person didn’t seem like a good friend move, so I just shrugged.
“It’s strange that three of us in Eucalyptus are being pranked. Or whatever you call what’s happening,” Wyatt said. “It almost feels like someone’s out to get us.”
I was starting to feel the same way. “I can’t imagine who, though.” Though I felt a prickling in the back of my neck. There was someone else Chloe might have sent pictures to, after all. Someone who was cryptic and strange and upset with Chloe at the moment. But I didn’t want to say her name out loud. I didn’t want my suspicions to be real.
“Well, it definitely can’t be someone in the group,” he said. “There’s just no way. So it would have to be someone who knew all of us and held a grudge.”
We sat quietly for a little while, trying to imagine who might resent the group this much. “Could it be someone you invited who didn’t find us? Maybe they feel bad about it now?” I couldn’t think of who might fit in that category, but then again, I didn’t know who Wyatt had invited.
“Maybe. I did invite a lot of the people from that first Game Night—just about everyone I could track down. But you people were the only ones who came, and I thought that meant you were the only ones who tried. It’s possible someone couldn’t crack the code and got frustrated.”
Game Night—that was when Jo had gotten into it with Ken. Ken, who was now on student council with me because Hunter had been effectively eliminated by that article revealing his background. I’d much rather the bad person be Ken than Jo. I asked Wyatt what he thought, but he didn’t seem convinced. “If he was upset about Game Night, wouldn’t he have gone after Jo? She’s the one who embarrassed him.”
He had a point. “If it’s not him I’ve got nothing,” I said. “I guess we’ll have to see what Chloe finds out.”
“Guess so,” Wyatt said. “Should we head back?”
It was a little chilly to walk back to campus, which would have been when normal first-date kissing stuff might have happened, and I found myself relieved. Not that I didn’t want to kiss Wyatt, because at this point I was pretty sure I did. But there was something so lovely and innocent and non-stressful about our simple ice-cream date. I wanted to save the stressful parts for later, when I had some time to get ready. Wyatt seemed to get that; he walked me back to my dorm and then asked if I might want to hang out again sometime soon, and when I said yes he gave me a quick hug and then went back to his room.
It was perfect. And for once, I didn’t let myself feel guilty for being happy when the world around me was less than perfect.
12.
Thanksgiving break came at the best and worst time. I needed to get away desperately. I’d let the combination of daydreaming about Wyatt and worrying about my friends derail me from getting real work done. Second-quarter finals would be upon us soon enough, and I’d only survived first quarter by working as hard as I’d ever worked in my life.
But Wyatt was also an issue. We hadn’t yet had our second date, which meant we hadn’t yet had our first kiss, and given that I was pretty sure it would be the first kiss for both of us, I could not have been more nervous. I almost wanted us to just smash our faces together to get it over with, but then we’d remember the horror of it forever, even if we learned to do a better job later on. Best to wait.
Going home did mean having to deal with my family in person. Much as I hated to admit it, I’d missed them terribly; the weekly phone calls kept me up to date on what they were all up to (Mom and Dad were mostly working, as usual, while Shana was becoming obsessed with softball), but I’d never been willing to get into detail about Gardner, even though I was long over being angry they’d sent me there. I hadn’t realized how far from home I felt until I got off the bus at South Station. My dad came to pick me up, and I was shocked to find my eyes stinging with tears when I saw him. I blinked them away before he could see.
I don’t know why I bothered—I broke out into full-on sobs when we got home and the whole family started hugging me. “Oh, honey, is everything okay?” Mom asked, her arms squeezing me even tighter. “If we thought you’d be this miserable at school we’d never have sent you.”
“I’m not miserable,” I said, though my nose was so plugged from crying all my m’s sounded like b’s. “I love it there.” It was true, too. I really did love Gardner.
“Then what’s wrong?” Dad asked, smoothing down my hair.
“I just missed everyone. I’m sorry I’ve been so awful.” I had the best relationship with my family of any of my new friends—Jo had no parents, Wyatt struggled with his parents’ divorce, Hunter hated his dad and resented his mom, and Chloe barely acknowledged the existence of hers. And here I was, resenting my own parents wanting to help me through a bad patch. All this time we spent in Eucalyptus worried about the end of the world, and I’d barely considered the fact that my world really would end without my family. Maybe I’d been wrong about being Team Survival.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Mom said. “We love you no matter what.”
“As long as you keep making those grades,” Dad said, only half joking.
“I will need to study this weekend, but not until Saturday,” I said. “Let me help cook.”
Mom looked surprised—I’d never offered before—but we went into the kitchen and she showed me her to-do list. I’d had no idea how intense Thanksgiving was, especially since we had my aunt and her family over, along with my grandparents on my mom’s side. Dad’s family was still in Israel, and we’d only met his parents and brothers a few times—Dad had resolved not to go back until the political situation changed, though he’d said he wouldn’t stop me from visiting if I wanted to.
Mom set me up peeling potatoes over the sink while she chopped up celery and carrots for stuffing. We worked quietly for a while, companionably more than awkwardly, until finally Mom broke the silence. “So, anything you want to tell me about school?”
“We talk every week,” I reminded her. “You know all about school.”
“I know all about your classes,” she corrected. “I know almost nothing about your life there. I’m assuming you have one, given that you seem so happy there.”
I’d already admitted they were right to send me; I wasn’t about to do it again. Still, Mom was right—I’d told her almost nothing about Gardner outside of academics. But where to start? “I went on a date last week,” I said.
Mom put her knife down. “You did what?”
“His name is Wyatt.” After we established that he wasn’t Jewish but wasn’t otherwise religious, as far as I knew, I told her about our ice-cream date, and then about Eucalyptus and my other friends. I didn’t get into the drama; my mother was worried enough about the club.
“You joined a survivalist group?” She’d been excited about Wyatt, but now she frowned.
“It’s not that, exactly,” I said. “It’s more a group for people who care about what’s going on in the world, you know? Like climate change and immigration and
stuff. And we play games. It’s fun.”
Mom looked skeptical. “Well, I’m glad you’re having a good time. Are you still doing your research?” She was referring to all the obsessive reading I’d done after the temple fire, the books about white supremacy and World War II and governmental collapse.
“No, there isn’t as much time, with schoolwork and everything.” I didn’t tell her I’d talked Hunter into doing our team project in European History on fascism or that I was writing a term paper on genocide.
“I have to admit that’s a relief.” Mom went back to chopping and told me to peel apples when the potatoes were done, and we went back to working in silence.
The holiday weekend flew by in a blur. Thanksgiving was a raucous affair, as always, my family lining up to inhale turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a million desserts. We ate until we were stuffed, watched the Patriots game, napped, ate leftovers. On Black Friday I wanted to do nothing but sleep and finish digesting, but Shana insisted on dragging my mom and me to the mall for all the sales. She already had better style than I did, though she talked me into some sweaters and boots for the Vermont winter, along with a new pair of Converse that had zebra stripes, just to mix things up. I spent the rest of the time studying, as planned, and actively avoiding thinking about how Hunter and Chloe and Jo were doing. We still had two games left, and I didn’t want the club to break up just because everyone’s romantic lives had gotten so complicated, including mine.
I found myself anxious about going back to school. Wyatt and I had messaged back and forth all weekend, so I was less worried about him than everyone else. I knew Hunter had gotten roped into a vacation with his parents; his mother wasn’t much of a cook, and, as he put it, “They’re not thankful for much, other than their money.” Chloe and Jo were both staying on campus, but it wasn’t clear to me what their status was. It was entirely possible I could come back and find Eucalyptus in shambles.
It was a relief to show up at lunch and find Hunter and Chloe in our usual seats, complete with their customary trays of horrific sub and colorful salad, respectively. “Hi, you two,” I said, setting my tray down. After a few weeks away from PB&J I’d returned to form, and there was something comforting about being with my friends, all of us eating our usual lunches. “How were your holidays?”
“Complete disaster,” Hunter said, but cheerfully. “My parents booked us on a four-day cruise to the Caribbean. Can you imagine? They even got me my own room and there was still no way to avoid them. Thankfully I found other ways to keep busy.” He didn’t say what they were, but he was blushing a little, and I took that to mean he’d met someone on the boat. I checked to see Chloe’s reaction, but she seemed unfazed. I hoped that meant they were going to get back to normal, but I wondered whether Chloe had ever found out who sent the pictures.
“At least you got to go somewhere warm,” Chloe said. “They barely keep the heat on around here. And you wouldn’t believe the sad, dry turkey they served in the dining hall.”
“I heard there were good parties, though,” Hunter said. “Not many dorm parents, lots of kids with free time and money.”
“Sounds like an opportunity for scandal,” I said. “Did you end up hanging out with Jo at all? She’s doing the next game this weekend, right?” According to Wyatt, she’d said she would, but who knew, given everything that had been going on?
Chloe gave me the side-eye. “She was here, yes. And we hung out. No scandal, as far as I know. I think it’s still game on.”
That didn’t completely clarify things, but I supposed it meant they were on good terms, which was a start. I wanted to know more, but I wasn’t about to ask in front of Hunter.
“How was home, Amina?” Hunter asked. “Did you pine away, missing Wyatt?”
“Missing who?” Chloe turned toward me so fast her hair practically hit me in the face. “Amina, did we not just have a conversation about how you would tell me if you had boy-related news to report? And you shared it with that one?” She jerked her thumb over at Hunter.
“It wasn’t on purpose,” I said. “He just busted me is all.”
“Whatever,” she said. “Spill.”
I sighed, and then I told them about the ice-cream date and messaging over Thanksgiving weekend (Wyatt was visiting his dad in Utah, and I was learning more than I ever expected about Mormon preppers). I did not bring up kissing or the lack thereof, and if Chloe did I was going to kill her.
“Have you seen him since you got back?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, but we talked about doing something over the weekend.”
“I love it!” Chloe said. “Don’t you love it, Hunter? Isn’t it just the best news ever?”
“Totally,” he agreed.
I, for one, thought they were both happy to have another couple in the group to take the attention away from their nonstarter of a relationship, but that was fine with me. I was just looking forward to the weekend. Jo emailed later that day calling a Eucalyptus meeting for Saturday afternoon, and Wyatt and I agreed to do something afterward.
I got to the bunker early, eager to find out what Jo had planned for us but even more eager to see Wyatt. I could have tracked him down at dinner at the cross-country table, but I didn’t want to be around him with other people; I wanted him all to myself. Otherwise I was afraid I’d do something awkward and horrible and I didn’t want this thing to end before it started. Seeing him in the bunker with everyone else wasn’t nearly as nervous making.
I wasn’t the only one with plans to get started quickly, though. When I opened the door it became clear someone had beat me there; the room was mostly dark, with a row of candles flickering along one of the shelves.
“Don’t turn the lights on,” Jo said. “I’m not done here.”
In the dark I couldn’t see her face, and it took me a while to get used to the darkness enough to notice there were candles set up everywhere. Jo was in the process of lighting them, flicking a lighter in her hand on and off. “Ouch! This thing gets hot really fast.”
“Let me help,” I said, taking one of the lit candles and using it to light the others.
With more light, I could see her looking at me with surprise. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“You don’t have years of lighting menorahs behind you,” I said.
“That’s a Hanukkah thing, right?”
I nodded, though Hanukkah was only one of the many holidays that involved lighting candles. I especially loved the braided candle lit for Havdalah, the service signaling the end of Shabbat. But usually we used matches or lighters for that. The candles Jo had chosen looked more like traditional Shabbat candles but thicker: white, unscented pillars that tapered at the top. Their flickering lights made the room somehow feel both festive and calm. I had a feeling Jo’s game was going to be good, whatever it was.
The others arrived not long after we were done lighting up the room, and I almost broke my face smiling when I saw Wyatt. His smile was just as wide when he saw me. Funny how different it felt, having a crush versus liking someone who liked you back. I’d had butterflies with Hunter, but they’d made me feel a little bit sick. Wyatt made me feel nothing but happy.
“All right, let’s get this party started.” Jo sat in a chair, and we all gathered at her feet, as had become our habit. “You’ll notice I’ve done a little work to our bunker here, and that’s designed to help me explain what we’re going to be doing. Most of you don’t know this about me, and I don’t like to admit it out loud, but I’ve got a thing about the dark.”
“A thing like you love it?” Hunter asked.
Even in the faint light I could see Jo glare at him. “A thing like I’m scared of it, okay, Red? There are reasons, some rational, some not. But we’re not here to talk about those. We’re just going to talk about how the odds are the power grid isn’t likely to survive the apocalypse, even if we do. That’s what my game is about.”
I started to panic. I could ha
ndle the dark just fine, but she was talking about more than just lighting.
“My game goes like this,” she went on. “An asteroid has just hit the power grid in Vermont. The state government has informed us it will take at least a week to get it back up, if not longer. No power, no internet. It’s getting pretty cold and I’m not a terrible person, so we’re going to pretend the school’s using radiant heat and the plumbing runs on well water, because I don’t want to have to deal with not using the toilets or showers. But other than that, starting tonight, we’ll need to live as if we have no power.”
Chloe’s hand shot up in the air.
“Slow down, Princess,” Jo said. “I’m sure you have a million questions, but let me finish the rules and we’ll see if I’ve covered them, okay?”
Chloe groaned but nodded. I swallowed a giggle. This game was Chloe’s only chance of even getting a tie—she’d only won one and Jo had won two. But Jo was no idiot—she’d designed the game to drive Chloe insane. Makeup by candlelight? This was going to be fun.
Jo laid out the plan. She hadn’t picked the completely worst time; exams didn’t officially start until just before break and I had no papers due until then, so technically I could probably get by without my computer for schoolwork. She’d tracked down our roommates and suggested they might want to sleep elsewhere for the week, if they were willing (and she’d either convinced them or terrified them), so there was nothing to keep us from getting started. “You can assume the school is using backup generators for classes and stuff, but that doesn’t extend to the dining hall—you can’t eat anything that requires refrigeration or cooking. You can’t use power in your rooms at all, so you’ll have to figure out something else. And it all needs to be stuff you already have or stuff you can track down on campus. No shopping for this one.”
I could practically hear the air whooshing out of people’s lungs. I had to tamp down another laugh, because there was no way Jo hadn’t done all this on purpose. She’d designed a game that Chloe would almost certainly lose. It would be hilarious watching this go down. Maybe this was my chance to show I could be a competitor too. “We’re starting right now?” I asked.
How to Pack for the End of the World Page 16