The room fell silent again. Looks were exchanged.
"Times up!"
The four jumped at the sound of Mrs. Wheeler's voice.
"Okay, Mom!" Adam called out and then stepped toward Kayla. "I guess it's time for you to go before my mother comes down here and has a hemorrhage."
"Yeah, I can't be late getting home. Again. So I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."
While Adam escorted Kayla to the front door, Conner plopped down onto the sofa and tugged Trevor to sit with him. "Do you really think any of that is true?"
At first, Trevor twisted his face in surprise. Then his features softened. "It seems unbelievable. I mean, I don't know if any of that stuff really happens to people."
"Possession?"
"Yeah. Have you ever met anyone that's been possessed? Or even heard a story by someone who knows someone?"
Conner shook his head. "It's creepy, though. Could you imagine living in a house with someone that's supposedly possessed by a demon or devil or whatever?"
"Hell no!"
Adam returned and stood next to the coffee table. "Uh, I don't think that story's true. It can't be. It doesn't make any sense. I mean, how the hell is that possessed voodoo-crap even possible?"
"Apparently he died of a heart attack," Trevor said. "And that's good enough for me."
"Really?" Conner asked. "Jared used to be our best friend. And then something happened that changed him. He wasn't the same guy we grew up with. He was mean and violent. He changed in a bad way. And the three of us knew that there—"
"So, you think the devil changed him?" Adam asked.
"I don't know. None of us do. We don't know anything about him for like the past five months. Maybe something really bad was going on. Maybe it was"—he took a deep breath—the devil."
Adam ran his hand through his unruly hair and lowered his head. "Does it matter?"
"Well, yeah, it kinda does," Conner replied. "None of us liked him anymore. He wasn't—"
"Whoa!" Trevor bellowed. "That's not fair."
"Be honest," Conner said. "He was a complete ass at the end of our friendship. And none of us liked him anymore. You didn't want to be his friend anymore either. Right?"
Trevor and Adam both nodded.
"See? So, yeah, I think it makes a difference. If something really creepy and strange happened, like the devil changing him, then it wasn't his fault."
After several seconds of silence, Trevor said, "We need to figure out what the real story is. Like, the whole truth. Not us guessing. And not some rumor from Kayla's religious aunt."
"How?" Adam asked.
Trevor shrugged. "Beats me. Can we just ask his parents, or would that be, like, really rude?"
"Seriously? Ask them if their son was possessed by the devil?"
"Kayla's aunt," Conner said. "Maybe she'll tell us. Especially if we convince Kayla to be there with us."
"It could just be a stupid rumor." Yawning, Adam sat on the sofa. "Telling us the same story won't mean that it's true. She could be repeating something she heard at the church potluck."
"Yeah, good point."
Trevor faced the two. "Maybe we could ask the priest."
"Hey!" Mrs. Wheeler called from upstairs. "Did Kayla leave?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Good. And what about Trevor and Conner? If they're spending the night, you guys need to get to bed soon. You got school tomorrow."
Conner rose to his feet. "I need to get my ass home." He took off the jacket and tossed it to Trevor. "We can talk about this tomorrow."
"Yeah, okay," Adam replied. He looked at Trevor. "You going home too or you wanna spend the night?"
"I would. But I don't want to drive home in the morning for all my school crap. So, I'm going to head out too."
"Okay."
On the front porch, Conner said, "Let's keep this story to ourselves. Hopefully Kayla doesn't tell everyone. If she does, let's play stupid."
Trevor and Adam agreed. The boys bumped fists, and then Conner jogged back to his house. Inside, he locked the door and then scanned the dark foyer. An unexpected fear of the unknown slithered into his mind, but he flung it aside and hurried up the stairs to his bedroom.
He'd missed eight text messages from Mackenzie. When he hadn't responded, she'd sent a final text: whatever moving on BBYEE.
Rather than send an apology, Conner planned to talk to her at school the next day. Or maybe he'd chalk it up as a failed opportunity. He certainly wouldn't be heartbroken by the end of their flirtation and stalled sexual encounter. Besides, it was all just high school crap.
As he lay in bed, he tried not to think about the devil and hell and demons and exorcisms. Instead, he concentrated on God and Heaven and angels and miracles. And thankfully, he fell asleep easily.
* * *
As Conner searched his closet for clothes to wear, he silently chanted, I don't wanna think about it, I don't wanna think about it. Then he recalled the look in Jared's eyes that day in the restroom. The more he thought about it, the more he contemplated the possibility that Jared wasn't all Jared. He'd definitely behaved unlike his normal self. Maybe Conner now had an explanation—however outlandish—for Jared's severe personality shift.
A knock on his bedroom door was immediately followed by Conner's dad walking into the room. "Hey. How are you feel—buddy, you're not even dressed yet."
Conner smiled. "I'm in the process."
"You stay up too late?"
"No. I overslept, though."
His father's good-natured morning expression dissolved into a look of concern. "You're doing good, though. Right?"
"Yes."
"All right." At the dresser, his dad surveyed the athletic trophies and framed photographs as if he hadn't seen them dozens of times. "Mason's school is having their Evening of Arts and Music."
"I don't think he has anything in the exhibit."
"Are you sure?"
"He didn't mention anything to me. He didn't remind us at dinner last night either."
"I'll ask him before I leave. If he does, will you be able to go?"
"After practice, maybe."
"Check in with him before you head out." He watched Conner pull on a pair of navy
