That question still plagued him hours later. Moodily, he lay on his bed, watching Reagan iron. Dusk was falling outside. It was quiet except for the hiss and sputter of the iron as it slid over the smooth material. Reed lay with his chin on his folded arms and stared at the small puffs of steam that rose from Reagan’s work.
Reagan endured the silent observation patiently. He said nothing for a long while and kept on with his chore before he finally glanced up from the shirt he was working on. “You’re awfully quiet tonight,” he remarked. “Something wrong? Jilted maybe?”
Reed stirred slightly. “Nah, just thinking.”
“’Bout what?”
Reed was about to brush aside the question with a casual “nothing” when a thought struck him. The answer to his endless wondering lay right under his nose. Reagan.
He had lived with Elijah for months. If Lucy wouldn’t tell Elijah’s secret, perhaps Reagan would. Reed pushed up to his elbows. “Reagan, do you know anything about that chain-pendant thing Elijah wears?”
Reagan kept ironing, but his eyebrows nearly escalated off his forehead. He shot Reed a curious look. “You know ’Lijah? You never mentioned it before.”
“Well, you never told me he was your old roommate, either. Somebody else did.”
“He didn’t, eh?” Reagan held up the finished shirt and eyed it. “To answer your question, I don’t know anything about it. He never took it off; he even slept with it on. He always kept it inside his shirt, and I never saw it. That’s all I know.” He took a coat hanger in his mouth and buttoned the shirt onto it.
“You don’t have any idea what it’s for or why he wears it?”
“Not at all.” Reagan hung the shirt in his shelf space with a click and turned back. “He never volunteered, and I never asked. But I know it’s not just for looks.”
Reed had surmised that much. A guy generally didn’t keep a pendant hidden inside his shirt if he wanted everybody to see it.
Reagan slung a pair of slacks over the ironing board and looked up. “But why do you want to know all of a sudden? And how did you meet my old roomie anyway?”
A convenient cough saved Reed from answering right away. He rolled to his back, mind groping for a reply. “Oh, you know, through a mutual friend.” He breezed on. “Have you seen him lately?”
“Nah. Not since he left. Still as hot as ever?”
“Yeah, I guess. He’s been working out a lot lately.”
Reagan shook his head and began pressing the slacks. “Sad. He was really something! It’s too bad he had…”
The door burst open, and a boy rushed in. “Guys!” he panted, “The Hordes are coming!”
Reagan almost dropped his iron. “What?”
The boy was out of breath and could hardly speak. “They’re coming! There’s a carnival… and a concert… and… and…” he handed Reagan a flyer and bent double, heaving for air. Reagan scanned it and looked suddenly relieved. “Oh, those Hordes.”
Reed sat up. “What is it?”
“Apparently,” Reagan said, still reading for himself, “somebody’s bringing in a street fair… carnival… thingy for the Hill the day after the Hordes of Hell concert. Oh, sweet! The band’s gonna be there all day for us to meet, and they’re giving another concert on the grounds that night! Dude!” He whirled to the dark-haired messenger. “Where’d you get this, Will?”
“Michael gave it to me,” the boy puffed, dropping into a chair. He was a rather thick person that could take a while to catch his breath once he lost it. “Said it’s kind of a promo before the rec center opens.”
“Freakin’ awesome!” Reagan was moonwalking circles around the desks. “So the rec center’s opening, I get to meet the Hordes of Hell, and I get out of my tight spot!”
“Tight spot?” Reed paused in his own jubilation, much to the bed springs’ relief.
Reagan didn’t hesitate. “I couldn’t decide on just one girl to take to the concert, but now I get one for each night!” He stopped. “But that means double tickets. Ouch.”
“No tickets,” Will piped up. “Hill people get into the first one on their ID cards, and the one after the carnival’s free.”
“This just keeps getting better!” laughed Reagan. “I knew I liked this place! But there’s still the rec center to get ready for. Man, I gotta get my tan going again and start doing supersets at the gym.”
“What does that have to do with…?” Will looked puzzled.
“Pool,” said Reed, winking at him.
“Ohhh.” Sudden understanding swept the other boy’s face.
“You got it!” Reagan said, calming down enough to slip on a shirt from the pile on his bed, taking time to make sure it looked all right with his shorts. “Now I’ve gotta go see if this has gotten around yet. Oh, dude, this is… this is… sweet!”