“What did you do?” Leo asks. “How did you get over it?”

“I think a lot of it was Kendall. If it weren’t for her constantly reminding me of my fabulousness, Jay and I probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as we did.” I stare straight ahead through the windshield, watching the reflective road markers zoom by. “But enough of that. Tell me more about this play.” I don’t like thinking of the Lainey I used to be. What if it was dating Jason that changed me? Does that mean if I don’t win him back I’ll go back to being awkward and insecure?

Leo brakes slowly and smoothly as we pull up to a red light. “It’s the story of a guy who sells his soul to the devil.”

I snort. “Why would he do something so dumb?”

“It’s complicated,” Leo says. “He’s disillusioned with his life. But basically he does it for a girl.” Cars on either side of us fly past as he accelerates in the same controlled manner. He pulls off the highway and turns into the Hazelton Forest campus. We drive past the student union and the social sciences building where my mom has her tiny windowless office.

“Well, just so you know, I’m not the devil,” I give him what I hope is a devilish grin.

“Pretty sure your friend Kendall has dibs on that title,” he says.

Kendall and I have managed to share almost every class since sophomore year, and I don’t remember Leo being in any of them. “You don’t even know her,” I protest. “She’s not that bad.”

“A failing grade is not that bad. Mono is not that bad,” Leo says. “Kendall Chase is evil. Everyone knows that. You practically said so yourself.”

“She was just trying to help me with Jason,” I say. “And everyone must not know that, or else she wouldn’t be the captain of the soccer team. And the front-runner for student government president.”

“Those are just positions of power handed down from one despot to the next.” He pulls the car into a parking space outside the student amphitheater.

“What’s a despot?”

His lips curl upward, ever so slightly. “A dictator. Like Hitler.”

The messed-up thing is I’m thinking Kendall might not be offended by the comparison. Her need to dominate everyone and everything at school probably comes from the fact she has no control at home. I’d probably be exactly like her if I had grown up with her mom. I have no idea how Jason ended up so laid-back.

“Kendall has it tough at home.” I unclick my seat belt and slide out of the car. “And really, her bark is worse than her bite.”

“If you say so.” Leo doesn’t sound convinced.

We cut across the parking lot where families, other couples, and clusters of college kids are making their way toward the auditorium. Even though the sun is starting to set, the air hangs heavy and humid around us.

Inside the building, I let Leo lead me down the plush-carpeted aisle to a seat in the second row. The walls of the amphitheater are covered with gold-embossed dark purple wallpaper. Above our heads, glass-blown chandeliers tinkle from the breeze each time one of the theater doors opens.

He pulls his phone out and holds it in front of us. “To commemorate the night.” He leans over close to me and takes a picture.

I peek over his shoulder as the saved image pops up on his phone. Our faces come out extra pale against the dark backdrop of the room, but it’s a cute photo. “We look like a real couple,” I say.

Leo smiles. “Do you care if I post it online? No caption or anything. I’ll just let people wonder.”

“I don’t mind,” I say, settling back in my seat. If it leaks out, it’ll be just one more thing to make Jason jealous.

Leo slips his phone into his back pocket.

“So, what part does Riley play?” I ask quietly. Other people are talking, but there’s something about the fancy décor that makes me feel like I should whisper.

“She’s Gretchen.”

“And who’s that?” I smooth invisible wrinkles out of my miniskirt, adjusting the hem to cover more of my legs.

“The girl Faust is in love with.”

“Do they end up together?”

“If they did,” Leo murmurs, “it probably wouldn’t be called a tragedy.”

The lights dim and the thick curtain in front of us parts soundlessly to reveal a blue backdrop and fluffy, white clouds. The chattering of the audience fades away as two boys come to the center of the stage and begin speaking.

The language is kind of old-English sounding, but I can tell the boys are supposed to be God and the devil. I miss a few things, but Leo is watching raptly and I don’t want to disturb him.

“That’s her,” Leo whispers, when Riley first comes on the stage. Those are the only two words he says to me during the whole first act. It’s hard to tell what she looks like beneath her wig and heavy stage makeup. It surprises me how seriously the students are taking everything. The stage sets look like someone spent weeks designing and constructing them, and as far as I can tell no one flubs a line during the whole first section of the production. At one point, they close the curtain for a few seconds only to reopen on a completely new set.

What surprises me the most, though, is how much I like the show. There’s something otherworldly about the whole deal. I can almost see myself up there, in a fun costume with cool makeup. Preferably a play I actually understand, but still, I never imagined I would enjoy theater so much. Even my desire to enroll in Karlsson’s class was mostly because one of the projects everyone does is film a fake Celebrity Sightings segment and put it on the internet.

The curtain closes again and Leo turns to face me. “Intermission,” he says. “Fifteen minutes. Do you want to get up and walk around? Get something to drink?”

“I’m okay.” I’m still kind of dazzled by the ornate theater, by the glistening chandeliers and the golden threads embedded in the wallpaper.

“I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” Leo squeezes past me and I pull out my phone and check my messages. No texts, but there is an email from Steve:


Hey L—

So far Ireland is really wet, but I don’t even need my fake ID to drink here, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice. How is everyone? How’s your summer going? I hope Dad’s not making you work too much since I’m not there to play barista.

Since when do you like baseball? I know you’re crazy about Jason, but don’t forget to do some things for yourself this summer too. The fall will be here before we know it.

More soon,


S


I type him back a quick reply:


Hey S—

Actually, Jay and I broke up and I was at the game with someone else. We might get back together though. I think he’s having some family issues or something.

Mom and Dad are the same as always (so, you know, kind of lame but points for effort, ha-ha) but they’re not overworking me. I gotta run because I’m actually at a play. I know, right? Since when do I like plays? Let’s just say I’m broadening my horizons this summer.

Stay dry,


L


Leo returns to his seat just as I am slipping my phone back into my purse. “Sorry if you’re bored to death,” he says. “I don’t even know if Riley saw us. She used to tell me it can be hard to see anything out in the audience because of the lights, that even the first rows are mostly just silhouettes of people.”

“What about at the end?” I ask. “Do the actors stand at the door or anything?”

“They come out for curtain call, but everyone will be clapping and she still might not notice.” He pauses. “There’s this after-party,” he says hesitantly. “I figured it might be a lot to ask.”

“We can go if you want.”

“Really?” Leo sounds hopeful. “The guy who’s throwing it lives a few miles away.”

I pull my phone out of my purse to check the time. It’s only 8:30 p.m. “No problem.” I twist my legs sideways as an older couple squeezes past us back to their seats. “I just need to be home by midnight.”

The house lights dim again and this time I find myself getting almost as engrossed in the play as Leo. I watch how the characters move around the stage, listening to the way they make their voices louder without shouting. Afterward I stand with Leo and clap as Riley and the actor who played the devil come out for their curtain calls. Leo puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles. Riley looks over at him. A little smile appears on her face, like she’s surprised to see him there.

“Nice one,” I whisper in Leo’s ear. “She’s definitely looking at you.”

The after-party is being held at the devil’s house. “This is awesome,” I say as Leo leads me up the steps toward the porch. “My first college party.”

Leo smiles. “Glad the night isn’t a total loss for you.”

I grab a couple plastic cups and head over toward one of the beer kegs. “Nothing is a total loss if beer is involved,” I say. It’s actually one of Jason’s favorite lines. I don’t even drink beer that much, but I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to drink at my first college party. “And I liked the play, even if I’m not exactly sure what happened.”

Leo takes the cup I hand him without even looking at me. He’s too busy staring across the room at a petite blonde girl with a pixie haircut. The girl is standing in a group with the devil and two taller girls.

“Is that her?” I whisper. The girl he’s staring at looks nothing like the girl onstage, but there’s something familiar about the way she gestures with her hands as she talks.

Leo nods. The beer cup teeters in his fingers and a bit of frothy head sloshes over the top, barely missing my strappy sandals.

I nudge him in the ribs. “Hey. Get it together. I’m your date, remember?” I put my hand on his arm and laugh. “Dude. You are so funny,” I say brightly.