Ace of Spades

Devon is distracted in music class. Mr. Taylor asks him if everything is okay. At first, Devon does not want to tell him what is going on, but he reasons that “Mr. Taylor isn’t like other teachers” (289) and has always made him feel safe. He tells Mr. Taylor that he thinks he is in danger and needs help. Mr. Taylor says he remembers how stressful school can be, especially with college applications coming up.

Devon admits that his application to Juilliard “is the only thing keeping [him] sane right now” (290). Mr. Taylor cracks up laughing and tells Devon that he is not going to Juilliard because he does not have perfect attendance. Devon thought that Mr. Taylor had given him a sign-off to miss certain classes to work on his application, but Mr. Taylor reveals that he lied. He tells Devon, “You should never leave your fate in the hands of someone else” (291), but states that it is acceptable if Devon does not go to college because “[his] kind needn’t have an education” (291). Devon runs out of the school.

After class, Chiamaka goes back to the Morgan Library. She finds her phone on the floor where it fell the night before. She finds the section of the library that has past yearbooks from the school and locates the records for 1965, the year attached to Dianna Walker’s name in the Aces files. There is a Confederate flag on the spine of the yearbook. As she looks at the yearbooks and the wall of graduating photos in front of her, Chiamaka realizes that every Black student disappears from the pictures in their senior year. In the 1965 yearbook, she finds a section titled “Camp Aces 1965” and reads, “one hundred years later, we proudly live up to our ancestors’ legacy” (296). She realizes that 100 years before 1965 was 1865, just after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in America. There are photos of men in the Niveus uniform holding the ace of spades playing cards. One of them looks just like a young Headmaster Ward.

Chiamaka then gets a Facebook notification; Belle has posted a photo. Under the photo, there is a comment from her sister, Martha Robinson. Chiamaka clicks on Martha’s profile and is horrified to realize that she is the girl from the car crash who was in the library.

Devon is at Terrell’s house. He has just filled Terrell in on everything that happened in the last two days. Terrell looks up Niveus Academy on the internet. He tells Devon his findings: that “niveus” means “white” in Latin and that Niveus was “founded by some of the biggest funders of slavery—popular plantation owners, merchants and bankers who financed operations” (300). He also discovers that the school was founded in 1717, which suggests that even the number of the school computer is significant. Because Devon never told Terrell the number of the computer, he starts to suspect that Terrell might also be in on the Aces plot.

At home, Devon tells his mom that he hates school and feels guilty that she works so hard so that he can attend Niveus. He asks her if she knows a boy named Terrell, and she looks shocked. She reveals that she knows that Devon is gay and has known ever since he was in middle school. Devon and Terrell were caught kissing by someone who beat Devon badly; he repressed the memories of the event. Devon asks her if she cares that he is gay, but she is unexpectedly supportive. Devon finally remembers kissing Terrell years ago. He gets a text from Chiamaka telling him that she knows how Aces and Niveus are connected. The two agree to meet and talk about it. Then, Devon receives another text “that makes [his] heart skip and [his] brain fuzz” (308).

Chiamaka knocks on Belle’s door. Belle is surprised to see her, but the two go into the kitchen. Chiamaka confronts Belle about her sister. Belle tells her that she can explain, but Chiamaka is angry. She admits that she never suspected that Belle was in on the plot to ruin her and Devon’s lives. Belle insists that her feelings for Chiamaka are real and that she did not have a choice because Aces is a family tradition. She says that “it seemed harmless” and that “it’s not just Niveus; there are places all over the country that […] that do this” (313). She calls the Aces plot “social eugenics” (313). Chiamaka tells Belle that she never wants to see her again.

Devon and Chiamaka go to Chiamaka’s house. She tells Devon about Martha and Camp Aces. She has learned that Aces was created with the sole aim of ruining the lives and potential of the only two Black students who are invited to the school each year. As the narrative states, “Aces was set up […] to invite two Black students who showed exceptional promise to join the school, then to break them down. Stop them from achieving what they should” (316). Later, Chiamaka’s father asks her if everything is going well at school. Chiamaka knows that she cannot count on her father to help her because he does not defend her from the racist views of his own family. She lies and tells him that everything at school is great.

The next day, Devon visits a prison. He remembers the first time he ever visited a prison. He was 10 years old, visiting his dad. He remembers the date exactly: September 9. In a flashback, he recalls seeing his dad on the other side of the glass, dressed in white prison clothes. At the end of the brief visit, his dad told him not to ever come and visit him again. Devon did not know why, but he has not seen his dad since that day. Now, it is Andre on the other side of the glass. Andre tells Devon that cops raided his apartment and found drugs. Devon wonders if Aces was the one who tipped off the police. Andre’s uniform is orange; Devon asks what the different colors mean, specifically white. Andre tells him that people on death row wear white.

After the visit, Devon asks the receptionist if she can look up his father. She tells him that his father died seven years ago, on September 9. Devon realizes that he saw his father on the day he was executed. He is devastated. He texts Terrell and asks if he and Chiamaka can come over to plan their attack on Aces.

Chiamaka and Devon go to Terrell’s house. Devon tells Chiamaka that Terrell knows everything. Chiamaka is not happy that Devon did not consult her before involving a stranger in their business, but she tells them both that she thinks they cannot take down Niveus alone because the group is too powerful. She wants to go to a local news station and offer them “an exposé on Niveus Academy” (337). Though he is wary of this plan, Devon agrees to let Chiamaka call Central News 1 to see what they will say.

Devon cannot sleep. He and Chiamaka have set up a meeting with a journalist at Central News 1, and he is dreading it. He posts a tweet about Niveus that states, “This school sabotages its Black students. Every Black student who has attended since 1965 has been targeted and forced to drop out. I was one of the most recent victims” (341). He uploads all of the photos he took of computer 17 and all the other photo evidence that he and Chiamaka have collected and posts it online. Later, Devon meets Chiamaka at her house. They are going to drive to the news station together, but when they get into Chiamaka’s car, she asks him to drive. Devon protests that he does not have a driver’s license, but Chiamaka insists. She is still traumatized from the car crash, even though she now knows it was fake. Devon reluctantly agrees, and they drive off.

A police car flashes its lights at them, and they pull over. Devon and Chiamaka quickly switch seats so the police officer will not know that Devon was driving without a license. They are both terrified. The cop asks them why they are out of class and Chiamaka says that they are in college. The cop asks if they have any college ID on them and Chiamaka replies, “With all due respect, Officer, we are not obligated to show you that” (347). After the cop leaves, Devon has to take a minute to cry before they continue on their way. They arrive at the news station, feeling like freedom is in sight.