Chapter XXXIII

It was another slow day for Lilly and she desperately wanted it to be over as fast as possible. In anticipation for their later conversation with Jay in the clubroom, she once again struggled to focus on class. She knew that if she wanted to get her head in gear then she needed to put the whole Evan/Rina dilemma behind her. It had taken up far too much of her time and she just wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be. She enjoyed heading up to the clubroom after school and hanging out with the club members. With each day that passed, she felt like she was truly beginning to belong with them, and she realized that she was forming some of the first real friendships she’d ever had. She never thought she’d feel that way, but she didn’t want to lose it.

She glanced over her shoulder to stare across the empty classroom to where Eric was standing by the window, staring down at something below. He was most likely considering the most efficient way to handle Jay when he arrived. Given his clearly disturbed state, they didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, they needed to know what he and Vinny were hiding. They couldn’t allow him to keep it from them any longer.

And honestly, he’ll probably feel better if he gets it off his chest, she thought. Maybe he just needs to talk to somebody. I really am worried about him.

After everything they’d been through, Lilly could say with confidence that she considered Jay to be her friend. He was strange and awkward, but she had come to realize that he cared about her. Even if it spawned from her reminding him of an old friend of his, she could tell that he genuinely considered her somebody he trusted. She didn’t want to betray that. She made a promise to herself the night he took the stone to be a good friend to him—to start over and put their earlier troubles aside. She still intended to stay true to that.

“Well then…”

She glanced back at Eric when she heard him mutter under his breath and, when she did, she found him smiling down at his phone.

“What’s up?” she asked, sitting up straighter at the potential of good news.

Eric didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked across the room then placed his phone down on her desk with the screen facing upwards. When she turned to look, she couldn’t help but to smile as well. It was a picture of Liz and Damien standing side by side, grinning, with peace signs held up. She also noticed Liz holding the stone in her other hand with the text below the photo reading: “I’ll give you the gem back tomorrow. Thanks a bunch!” followed by a winky face.

“So whatever she did worked, huh?” Lilly mused.

Eric smirked. “It would seem so. Only thing is, if my hunch was correct and she did indeed swap bodies with him then I can’t imagine how she managed to convince him.”

Lilly shrugged. “She probably just put on a pouty face and begged. Damien always seems weak when it comes to Liz.”

“Ah, the siren song,” Eric replied. “Yes, Vinny and I have always said she’s got him under a spell. But I suppose I can’t complain this time. I’m glad to see them together again.”

“I think it was inevitable. Those two were two close to break up because of this. Not to mention it was blatantly obvious to everybody that they both hated being apart.”

Eric nodded, picking his phone back up and pocketing it once again. “Yes, they’re quite adorable. I’m happy they’re together. I think they’re good for each other.”

She smiled, feeling a little of her stress relieved at the thought that one of their problems had finally been resolved. Now all that was left was to learn what happened to Rina and Evan and to bring Damien and Vinny back together.

“Truly,” Eric continued. “They are an ideal couple fueled by the magic of love. I strive to have a relationship like theirs when my time comes.”

She looked up at him in surprise to see him staring up at the ceiling, smiling in a way that was so innocent it reminded her of a child. She couldn’t help but find herself suddenly drawn to him. She just wanted to look at him and enjoy his presence. In the past, it was rare for them to spend so much time together but, in recent days, she realized that they had been alone quite often. It was unfortunately a result of the club’s split, but she found she was grateful nonetheless.

In the next moment, she began speaking without even thinking.

“Is there anybody? You would want a relationship with, I mean?”

Wait, why the hell did I ask that?! That’s none of my business! What an utterly embarrassing thing to say!

She quickly went to apologize but Eric spoke before she could.

“Yes, there is.”

His casual tone threw her off. He didn’t seem bothered by the question at all and he answered as if he was fine talking about it. Yet, for some reason, she found herself kind of sad by his answer.

“Oh?” she muttered. “Want to tell me who or…no?”

I really need to shut up. This isn’t my business! Why do I even care?!

He chuckled softly. “No offense to you, dear Lilly, but I think I’ll keep it to myself for the time being. A man can’t show all of his cards, after all. When I’m ready…I’ll make sure to let you know.”

When he’s ready? Honestly, why do I even want to know? I’m not the type of person to care about who dates who! Jeez!

She went to apologize for being so rude and once again, she was interrupted. This time, though, it wasn’t by Eric but rather by the door to the clubroom suddenly opening. When both turned to look in that direction, they found Jay poking his head in, looking as nervous as he had that morning.

“Brooks, my friend,” Eric called out. “Welcome, welcome!”

Jay begrudgingly stepped inside, looking at Eric with clear caution, as if not wanting to go anywhere near him. Instead, he turned to glance at Lilly.

“Uh, hey guys,” he muttered. “Sorry I’m late. Mickelson…wanted to talk to me about something.”

Vinny did? Lilly’s guard was instantly up. Was it about Evan and Rina? But why talk to Jay about that now?

“Ah, Vinny,” Eric replied. “I didn’t realize you two ever talked. What about, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Jay hesitated, clearly realizing his mistake in bringing up Vinny at all. He seemed nothing like his usual self and he hardly even seemed to be fully with them. It almost seemed like he was deep in his own thoughts.

“Um, nothing,” he whispered. “It was…uh, homework—about homework.”

Eric nodded. “Homework…a student's worst nightmare. Well I hope you got everything worked out okay.”

Jay shrugged and looked once again at Lilly. “So…did you guys have anything planned or…? I mean, did you need me here for something?”

Lilly had intended to play it safe and try to make Jay feel more comfortable before confronting him about Vinny but, much to her surprise, it seemed Eric had come to a completely different conclusion.

“Actually, I did want to talk to you about something,” he replied.

Jay visibly cringed and Lilly saw him inch back toward the door. When he didn’t say anything more, Eric continued.

“As I’m sure you know, Vinny hasn’t exactly been forthcoming as to what he did to resolve the unfortunate situation with Wright and Davens. He refuses to tell me what went down and so, I was wondering if you might be able to shed some light on the matter.”

As Eric spoke, Jay became visibly paler and she could see him subtly shaking. Lilly slowly got to her feet, wanting to try and calm him as fast as she could but he sputtered out a response before she did.

“I-I-I don’t know anything! He didn’t—”

“Please, Brooks,” Eric interrupted. “Don’t lie to me.”

Jay went silent and even Lilly found herself looking at Eric in confusion. The way he spoke was casual but there was a certain strength to him. He wasn’t demanding anything. He was simply calling it as it was in the normal bluntness that Eric had. There was none of the subtlety that Lilly had intended for.

“I consider you a good person, Jay,” Eric said. “I truly do. I don’t think you’re hiding this for any malicious reason and I think it’s clear to everybody that you feel guilty about what happened. I understand the desire to keep it bottled up and I want to apologize for bringing this on you. However, the simple fact is that I can’t stand by and do nothing any longer.”

“I…” Jay breathed but quickly went quiet.

Lilly desperately wanted to intervene but there was a part of her that warned her not to. Her instincts told her that Eric’s approach would work and that he knew what he was doing. He was holding himself with a confidence that left her speechless. Instead, she decided to help Jay by looking at him with as comforting an expression as she could.

“Vinny is one of my best friends,” Eric explained. “I’ve known him since middle school and I care about him like a brother. And because I know him, I know why he would do anything in his power to help Mendez. I respect that about him. It’s a good trait to have. But at the same time, he can go overboard on his crusade for his perceived justice…as I believe he did this time.”

Jay’s features tightened, confirming Eric’s assumption.

“Please,” Eric pressed. “I will not force you to tell me anything. If you choose not to then you can turn and leave and I won’t stop you. But I have to know what Vinny did. I bear some of the responsibility and for my own peace of mind, I have to know. And I truly think that if you get it off your chest, you may feel better, too.”

When Eric finished speaking, the room went silent, leaving Lilly to hold her breath as she waited to see how Jay would react. Eric laid it all out for him and there was nothing more to say. If Jay refused then there wasn’t any way to get him to talk without threatening him—something neither Lilly nor Eric would ever consider. Finally, after a moment, Jay muttered something so softly Lilly couldn’t make it out.

“I’m sorry?” Eric said.

“It won’t,” he repeated, slightly louder. His voice was shaking. “It won’t make me feel better, Reiner. If I tell you…you’ll look at me like I’m disgusting. What I helped him do to Rina…I can’t take it back.”

This time, Lilly managed to find the words to say before Eric could reply and she was glad she did. It was something she needed to say to him.

“That’s wrong,” she said firmly. “I would never think you’re disgusting nor would Eric. I promise you, Jay. I will not blame you for whatever happened. I promise you!”

He looked up at her with wide eyes before frantically shaking his head. “N-no! You don’t understand!”

“Then explain it,” she retorted. “Explain so I do, Jay. Please do that much.”

There were tears forming in his eyes and she could tell he was close to giving in. So, she smiled, wanting him to know that she wasn’t lying to him. For a second, they looked into each other’s eyes and she could see him desperately trying to figure out what to do. So she never looked away. Eric remained quiet and left the floor to her and, after a moment, Jay finally gave in.

“He…used the stone to steal Rina’s body and took pictures of her naked to use as blackmail!”

He said it all in a single breath, as if desperate to get it out before he could reconsider and, when he did, Lilly and Eric were left staring as they processed what he had said.

“He…” she stuttered. “…did what?”

“He took pictures of her naked,” Jay repeated, crying freely now. “He still has them. He told me that terrifying her enough that she stayed away from Alice was the only way! So he showed her our power and told her that he’d send those photos out if she ever went near Alice again! I wanted to stop him! I swear! But I couldn’t! I couldn’t do it! I let him terrify her and defile her…and I did nothing!”

Lilly took a deep breath as she took in everything Jay was telling her.

Vinny did that?! No wonder Eric said his sense shifted! To do something like that to a girl…even after what she did, I… But even as she thought it, she couldn’t help but have a sliver of doubt in the back of her head. It did work, after all. Rina hadn’t gone near Alice since before Christmas. Alice was safe. But was it worth it? Was doing something like that to her worth it? I…can’t really say…

“Thank you, Brooks,” Eric said softly. “I appreciate it.”

And with that, he took off past the sobbing Jay and out into the hallway. She had no idea where he was headed, but she knew she had no choice but to follow him. Whatever Eric intended to do, she wanted to be present for. She sprinted after him, but stopped briefly beside Jay to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “And you’re not disgusting. This weight…is Vinny’s to carry.”

And with that, despite wanting to stay behind and comfort him, she took off after Eric.

***

Once the end of the school day arrived, Damien and Liz officially swapped back into their normal bodies. The feeling of being in the formless world was just as jarring as the first time and he was thankful that he wouldn’t have to experience it again any time soon. When they were back to normal, they sent Eric a text letting him know and began their walk home. Damien suggested giving the stone to Eric before leaving but Liz said that he’d asked her to wait until the following morning, claiming that he had something important to deal with and didn’t want to be distracted.

So, Damien took Liz’s hand in his and they walked through the school gates and out into the surrounding neighborhoods. The sky had become overcast during fifth period and Damien had a feeling it was going to either rain or snow soon. It was chilly out so he kept his jacket zipped up. The two didn’t talk as they walked. Instead, they opted just to enjoy each other’s company. They’d already said everything that needed saying. Now, he just wanted to enjoy having Liz at his side again. Her presence gave him a sense of calm that he hadn’t felt in weeks. He felt better and now, he was determined to face Vinny once again. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel and knew that they had the chance to make everything right again. The club was close to being whole once more.

I don’t know what he did, Damien thought. But after our talk this morning when he thought I was Liz, I know how he feels about it. I can make this right. I’m close and, after today, I think I can do it.

He glanced down at her, finding the girl staring up at the sky, seeming lost in thought. Her free hand was tucked into her skirt pocket where the infamous stone lay. Part of him briefly considered asking her about how she convinced Eric to hand it over then recalled that it was Eric and he probably did so without even hesitating. That was just how he was. If he believed giving Liz the stone would help them then he would do so, no questions asked.

Still though, I don’t like the damn thing, he thought. Even after experiencing it myself…no, especially after experiencing it, I’m afraid of it. There really is no denying what it is but…where did it come from. What was its purpose? Who created it? Even after a whole semester, we still haven’t answered a single question. Hell…if I didn’t want to piss off Eric, I’d take that stone and get rid of it. But I can’t do that. The only way to be free of it is if Eric parts with it himself. It has to be his choice or else…he’ll never truly let it go. He took a deep breath. I have no choice. I’m in this until the end whether I like it or not. I want to be by Eric’s side until we finish this…I just hope it’ll be a peaceful ending.

Even as he thought it, he knew he was being optimistic. That bad feeling in the back of his mind persisted, telling him that it wasn’t going to be as easy as he wanted it to be.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, the two of them finally reached Damien’s house. Naturally, there was no sign of his parents’ cars so he knew he’d have the house to himself once again.

“Want me to stay?” Liz asked, as if reading his mind.

He smiled. “I would, if you’re up to it.”

“Of course I’m up to it. We have an entire break’s worth of time to make up! Let’s get in there and have a late Christmas celebration or something!”

“Yeah, of course. In that case—”

He was cut off by the sudden ringing of a phone from Liz’s bag. She looked back in confusion as she slid it from the side pocket to check the caller.

“It’s Eric,” she muttered. “That’s odd. I thought he said he was busy.”

Damien smirked. “I wonder what he wants.”

Liz frowned, answering the phone and putting it on speaker so Damien could hear. “Hey, Rein—!”

“Liz, quickly!” Eric interrupted her, surprising both of them with how insistent he sounded. “I need you to do me a favor! Do you know where Rina Davens might be right now!”

Damien stared down at the phone, stunned. What the hell? What’s going on?

“Um…” Liz stuttered. “Well, I assume she’d be down at the track with her boyfriend. Why? Did something else happen?”

“Thanks!” Eric replied. “I’ll explain it all later. I promise.”

And with that, he hung up, leaving them standing in silence as they tried to process the bizarre call.

“Rina?” Liz whispered. “Why would Eric be looking for Rina?”

Damien shook his head. “No idea. You don’t think she did something to Alice again, do you?”

“I hope not,” she replied softly. “But this only makes me more curious to know what Eric’s been up to today.”

Damien sighed, suddenly feeling his stress returning ever so slightly. “Yeah, same.”

***

She felt bad about leaving Jay behind, but Lilly knew she had to follow after Eric. There was a look of determination in his eyes that told her he had a plan. She hadn’t been sure of what it was until he pulled out his phone and called Liz to ask where Rina was. It was then that it clicked for her—Eric wanted to talk to Rina himself. Lilly wasn’t sure how well that would go, especially considering what they just learned, but she agreed that it was something they needed to try. However, not knowing Eric’s intentions in speaking with her, she decided it would be best to remain quiet and allow him to take the lead.

When the two reached the bottom floor, they turned and began heading around to the back end of the school that led out toward the sports fields. The track and the football field were on the opposite side from the courtyard so they had a relatively long trip to make and they couldn’t even be sure they’d find Rina there. For all they knew, she’d already gone home. When they reached the school’s southern exit, the two hurried out onto the path that led toward the field. There weren’t many students out since school had ended nearly thirty minutes prior so there wasn’t anybody to give them weird looks at how quickly they were walking. The path led up to a gate that opened up into the top of the bleachers overlooking the field. Lilly immediately noticed a group of boys doing drills around the track and, spotting Brad, she realized it was probably the baseball team doing their conditioning.

Eric stopped at the gate and scanned the bleachers before they both noticed the familiar girl sitting alone on one of the seats near the top. She seemed to be texting on her phone, but she looked up every once in a while to watch the boys working. Lilly had never officially met Rina Davens, but she knew what she looked like. It was her.

“She is here,” Eric muttered.

Lilly nodded. “So what’s the plan? You know that if what Jay said is true…she won’t want to talk to us.”

“I know,” he replied. “But I have to speak to her. Especially if Brooks was telling the truth and I’m pretty confident he was.”

“Is there something you want to know?” she pressed. “Cause I don’t think there’s much else to learn. Jay’s story fills all the blanks.”

Eric shook his head. “No. Nothing. This…is for something else.”

She was about to ask what he meant when the boy took a breath and proceeded down the stone steps and toward the girl. Lilly hesitated for a second before quietly following behind him, deciding just to stand back to see how it played out. Rina’s back was to them so she didn’t immediately notice them approaching. But when she did, her eyes went wide and she looked ready to jump to her feet and bolt. It almost seemed like she was about to when Eric quickly held up his hand and stopped walking.

“Please, don’t run,” he said calmly. “I’m not here to hurt you, Davens. I just want to talk for a moment.”

Rina hesitantly glanced down at the track, probably hoping her boyfriend or one of the other guys would come help her, before meekly nodding.

“O-okay,” she uttered. “What is it?”

Eric took another slow breath and then responded in a comforting and gentle tone.

“I wanted to apologize for what happened to you,” he said. “For what one of my club members did to you and your body.”

Rina bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, seeming still on guard for some sort of trick or prank. “A-apologize?” she parroted.

Eric nodded firmly. “Yes. Apologize. I did not ever intend for something like that to happen. In fact, when I allowed them to use our magic, I was under the impression that they wouldn’t do anything too bad. I thought they’d just spook you a bit, but it seems I misjudged the situation and I misjudged my club mates. For that, I am very sorry.”

This time, Rina seemed to let her guard down a bit as she first looked at Eric in bewilderment and then to Lilly as if expecting her to say something. But even she was speechless. Eric was apologizing to the girl who tormented Alice not even a month ago. Part of her wanted to get furious that he would ever apologize to someone like her, but then again, she also knew that no matter what Rina did, he would never approve of Vinny’s decision. Eric Reiner loved to help others, but it was never at the cost of his morality.

Damn you, Eric. I really should be letting you have it for this but…I understand where you’re coming from. It’s because of this that…I’ve grown to care about you the way I do… Though it’s not like I even understand how exactly I feel about you.

“Um…” Rina began weakly, “I don’t…”

“I’ll have the pictures deleted as soon as I can,” Eric assured her. “And I shall ensure that our powers are never used on you ever again. You have my word.”

“But…” The girl continued to struggle to find her words as she frantically looked away. “W-why? Why do that? You don’t have any reason to trust me. After what I did to Alice…”

“Don’t get me wrong, Davens,” Eric replied. “I don’t trust you…nor have I forgotten what you and Wright did to Mendez. I do not like you in the slightest. But regardless, I do not approve of what was done to you. I don’t care what you’ve done, I do not want what happened to you to be a representation of my club. I will delete those pictures and hope you and us can officially go our separate ways and never speak to each other again.”

Rina simply stared up at him, tears forming in her eyes. “W-well…thank you.”

“Of course,” Eric said. “Now, I’ll leave you be. I’m sure you don’t want to be in my presence any longer than necessary. I appreciate you listening to me.”

With that, baffling both girls, Eric turned and began making his way in the direction they came. Rina stared after him for a moment before turning toward Lilly questioningly.

“What… is the deal with you people?” Rina managed to ask.

Lilly considered the question, glanced back at Eric’s receding form and couldn’t help but smirk. Her reply was perhaps cheesy but it felt right in that moment and it served to tease the girl a bit. “We’re the Magic Club,” she responded. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

Finding some joy in Rina’s confused look, Lilly turned on her heel and hurried after Eric, who had stopped up at the gate to wait for her. When she jogged up to his side, the two headed back onto the path that led toward the school.

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Lilly grumbled.

Eric chuckled. “How so, dear Lilly?”

“How do you think?” she retorted. “I can’t believe you just apologized to her. I mean, I get your reasoning and all but…after everything she did…”

“She suffered enough,” he replied. “She smashed a locker, we took nude pictures of her, we’re all even now, I think.”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow. “And the death threats?”

“Wright’s doing, I think,” Eric answered. “One look at her was enough to know she wasn’t the ringleader of that whole debacle. I think she was being strung along because of her history with Mendez.”

Lilly snorted, always in awe of the confidence he had in everything he said. “And how could you possibly know that? Don’t tell me your sense doesn’t have a problem with her.” She said it more as a joke but when he turned a grin her way, she stared at him in bewilderment. “Oh don’t tell me…”

“She’s not evil,” he stated. “Or at least she doesn’t seem to be. Misguided sounds like the right term, in fact.”

“But…” Lilly stuttered. “How does that make any sense? Are you trying to tell me that Rina isn’t bad but Vinny is?”

Eric shrugged. “If I have to guess, it comes down to regret. The primary difference between Rina and Vinny is that Rina regrets what she did to Alice and Vinny fully believes that what he did was right. That’s what I’ve gathered from this.”

Lilly sighed, once again opting to take him seriously for the sake of conversation. “Okay…so what you’re saying is that if we can get Vinny to regret what he did…”

“Then everything should go back to normal,” Eric answered. “That’s my plan.”

“Great,” she muttered. “And how do we go about doing that? I doubt it’s as simple as just talking to him.”

Eric shrugged again. “Dunno. But for now, I need to call Liz back and explain the situation. Then we should probably check on Brooks.”

Right…Jay. She recalled the sight of him breaking down in the clubroom and instantly felt guilty for leaving him there. I hope he’s alright.

***

Damien sat at his kitchen table, staring off into space as he processed everything he and Liz had heard from Eric that afternoon. His parents still weren’t home and wouldn’t be until late so the house was silent. He still couldn’t fathom that Vinny could bring himself to blackmail Rina the way he did. Everything Eric revealed put the pieces together for him. He understood why Jay was so torn up over it, he understood why Vinny expected him to hate him, and he understood why Vinny kept it all to himself. Now, Damien didn’t know what to think.

Do I hate him for this? No, I don’t think so. At the end of the day, he did what he did for Alice and that’s something I can’t ignore. However, there had to be other ways of handling it. I get that he was desperate to solve the problem but this… I can’t support this. Vinny’s intentions were right but his actions were wrong. He’s right. I can’t accept this.

Damien sighed and leaned back in his chair.

So what now? Where does the club go from here?

He recalled what Eric had said on the phone.

“We need to talk to him. That’s the first step. What we’ll say and how he’ll respond is up in the air but I’m confident that we can get through to him. We have to convince him that he was in the wrong.”

Easier said than done, Eric, he mused.

He no longer had any idea how Vinny would react, but he was confident that talking to him was the right call. The only thing was that the problem still lay between Vinny and himself. Their differing ideals regarding the stone had led to the events that fractured the club and so, Damien had a feeling that he would have to be the one to fix it. He needed to talk to Vinny, face to face.

The boy glanced over at the microwave clock and realized that it was a little after seven. There was still plenty of time left that night.

Well…there’s no reason to wait, is there? I’ve got nothing better to do.

With that thought crossing his mind, Damien Clark got to his feet, grabbed his jacket, and departed his house.