“Wait—”
And just like that, she was gone, a flash of red hair disappearing through the front doors of the school. And Cam was alone once more, wondering if he’d ever again know the bliss of her lips—or if he would starve on memories alone for the rest of eternity.
After school, Cam waited at the front door of Lilith’s house, holding two heavy bags of groceries. He’d spent the afternoon at the town’s tiny health-food store, picking out strange, exciting things he thought she’d like. Avocados. Pomegranate. Couscous. Food that, he guessed, she had never been able to afford.
Truth was, he couldn’t afford them either. He’d swiped them when the storeowner wasn’t looking. But what was the worst thing that could happen—he’d end up in Hell?
“Hey,” he called as Lilith trudged up the path, her head bowed under the weight of her guitar and her backpack. She didn’t look up. Maybe she hadn’t heard him.
“Lilith,” he said loudly. “Luis told me you were surviving on Doritos for breakfast. He’s under the impression that’s good for a musician’s stamina. You need protein, complex carbohydrates, antioxidants, and I’m here to deliver.”
“Drop dead, Cam,” Lilith said, not even looking at him as she marched up her porch steps. She pulled her key out of her backpack and rammed it into the lock.
“Huh?” he said. “What happened now?”
She hesitated, then turned to face him. Her eyes were an angry red. “This happened.” Lilith thrust open her backpack and pulled out a messy stack of photocopies. Some were folded, some were stomped on, one had a piece of gum stuck to it.
Lilith tossed the pages in Cam’s face. He grabbed one as they fluttered to the ground and saw the lyrics to the song they’d played together the day before, “Flying Upside Down.”
“It’s a great song,” Cam said. “I already told you that. What’s the problem?”
“The problem?” Lilith asked. “First you sent my lyrics in to the competition without my permission. Then you somehow convinced me that you’d done that for my own good. But you couldn’t stop there, could you?”
Cam was confused. “Lilith, what—”
She grabbed the paper out of his hand and crumpled it into a ball. “You had to go make a thousand photocopies of my song and paper the school with them.”
Suddenly, Cam realized what must have happened. Lucifer had seen him getting close to her, and the devil had stepped in. “Wait—I never…I don’t even know where the copy machine is!”
But Lilith wasn’t listening. “Now all of Trumbull not only thinks I’m a narcissistic monster, but they also hate my song.” She choked back a sob. “You should have heard them laughing at me. Chloe King almost passed out, she was having such a blast shredding my lyrics. But you”—she glared at him with deep, committed rage—“you skipped school today, didn’t you? You missed the whole fantastic scene.”
“Yes,” Cam said, “but if you’d just let me explain—”
“Don’t worry,” Lilith told him. “I’m sure you’ll catch the recap tomorrow in the cafeteria.” She slung her backpack over her shoulder and pushed open her front door. “I’m done with you, Cam. Leave me alone.”
Cam felt dizzy, not only because Lilith was so angry, but also because he knew how mortifying it must have been to have her lyrics posted all over school.
“Lilith,” he said. “I would never—”
“Are you going to blame Luis or Jean? You were the only other person who had a copy.” When she looked up at Cam, tears shone in the corners of her eyes. “You did something today that I didn’t think anyone could ever do. You made me ashamed of my music.”
Cam’s face fell. “Don’t be. That song is good, Lilith.”
“I used to think so.” Lilith dabbed her eyes. “Until you sent it out into the world, naked and defenseless.”
“Why would I do that?” Cam said. “I believe in that song. I believe in you.”
“The problem is, Cam, I don’t believe in you.” Lilith stepped inside, staring out at Cam from her doorframe. “Take your stupid groceries and get out of here.”
“The groceries are for you,” he said, setting them down on her stoop. He would make Lucifer pay for this somehow. The devil’s interventions had gone too far. They were tearing Lilith apart. “I’ll go.”
“Wait,” she said.
“Yes?” he asked, turning back around. Something in her voice gave him hope. “What is it?”
“You’re out of the band,” Lilith said. “For good.”
Approximately 1000 BCE