“Isn’t it your parents’ house?”
He waves his hands, indicating everything around him. “It’ll all be mine one day. It’s equal parts curse and blessing.”
Jack is ... unexpected. Now that he’s not flirting, he seems oddly wise. Like ... Jay, actually. Twin Yodas. Maybe this is why they’re friends?
“Hey, Jack, how well did you know Jay Hoque? I heard he used to come to your parties.”
Jack looks at me, blinking a few times. Then he reaches into the bedside table and pulls out a joint. He wordlessly offers it to me.
I shouldn’t. I’ve never mixed weed and alcohol, and those two (or three?) drinks are still making my head spin. But it feels like Jack’s looking for an ally right now, and if this is what I need to do to make him talk to me, then I’ll do it. Also, I can easily imagine what Mia would say to the others if she heard I said no. In fact, I want Mia to know that I’m sharing a joint with this incredibly hot and incredibly rich guy.
I also remember Jay’s warning. I shouldn’t be alone with Jack for too long. In his bedroom.
“Yeah, but ... out there?” I indicate toward the party.
He nods. “I get it. Safety first.” He stands and reaches out to help me up. I take his hand. It’s warm and soft.
Back in the party, we sit on a lone sofa far from the others. He pulls a silver lighter from his pocket and flicks it open. I put the joint between my lips. As he holds the flickering flame in front of the joint, I inhale. I do my best not to cough ... then hand it to him.
After he takes a long drag, he nods. His expression is blank. “Yeah, I knew Jay. He was also a wildflower ... not a water lily, though. Jay was a thistle, or a forget-me-not.” Jack makes no sense. I wonder if he really is on cocaine, like Bailey said.
“Are you into flowers or something?”
He shrugs, staring out into the distance. “Jay wasn’t the first or the last person absorbed by this gilded swamp. He might be the most unfortunate, though.” He hands me the joint again. I take it, enjoying the buzzy feeling moving through me.
“Were you close?” I ask.
He suddenly looks at me. “Why all the questions?”
“Just curious. Coincidentally, I’m living in his old room at East House.”
Jack’s eyes are hooded, but he stares at me with an unfocused gaze. I take another hit of the joint, then hand it back to him. Feeling floaty and unfocused, too, I have no idea how I’ll remember anything Jack tells me now. He isn’t saying anything important, is he? Would it be weird if I recorded him? He takes a long pull of the joint until it’s pretty much done, then puts out the smoldering end on a plate of half-eaten sushi.
“Jay was different, you know? He was always drawn to unexpected bursts of light. He’d dance with the water lily and make it bloom. He didn’t come from the swamp ... he could see right through the murk.” He sighs, sinking deeper into the sofa. “He could have been the best ofus ... heshouldhave been. The swamp flowed through his veins, too, you know. But it’s not right. He didn’t sign up for any of it. Wanderlust shouldn’t hurt anyone. It’s a gift.”
I nod, like any of this makes sense. I do know Jay. Sort of. And Jack’s right. Jayisdifferent. I try to imagine him here ... He’d fit in, but also stand out. People would notice him. Be drawn to him.
Not like me. The only person paying attention to me is a high-as-a-kite trust-fund kid who talks in riddles that I can’t understand.
A dull nausea builds in my stomach. My heart beats heavily in my ears. I close my eyes.
“I miss him,” Jack says softly. “When I see him in the lagoon, I’ll tell him that the water lily is in his room now. He’ll be so happy to see you again.”
Aster and Gracie are suddenly next to me on the sofa. “Jack, I told you to leave her alone,” Aster says. She gives me an apologetic smile. “I don’t think he’s been sober since Halloween.”
“After that,” Jack says.
“We’re going,” Gracie tells me. “I’ve called an Uber.” She looks at me for several long seconds. “What are you on?”
“She’s high on life,” Jack says, his voice changing again to bored rich kid. “Aster, you have to stop bringing civilians to my parties. We can’t keep corrupting good people.”
He’s talking about Jay. Jay, who is ...wasa good person, but then got caught up with this crowd. And now he’s gone. I look at Jack, my eyes welling up with tears.
“C’mon, Aleeza. Let’s get you home,” Gracie says.
I stand, but everything spins. I try to clear my head and focus only on Gracie as she gets our coats and hands me mine.
When we get outside, the car’s already there. On the drive back to the school, I rest my head on Gracie’s shoulder. “Where’s Aster?” I ask, my words slurred, only then noticing that she’s not with us anymore.
