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was a way to get attention? she squeaked.
Isaac raised his hands, helpless.  I m not saying that. It s just& I wanted to go out with someone
who wasn t into drama. I thought you did too. Whoever I go out with has to like my family, not bat-
tle against them.
 That s not what I m doing! Emily pleaded.
Isaac shoved open the passenger door and stepped out. Icy air swirled in, harsh against her bare
skin.  What are you doing? Emily demanded.
He leaned over the open door, his mouth small and solemn.  I should go home.
 No! Emily cried. She lurched out her own door and followed him across the parking lot.  Come
on!
Isaac was walking toward the little wooded path that led from the Wawa lot to the street. He
glanced over his shoulder.  This is my mom you re talking about. Think about what you re saying.
Think really hard.
 I have thought about it! Emily shouted. But Isaac kept going, not answering. She came to a
stop in front of the store, going limp. Above her, the neon Wawa sign buzzed fiercely. There was a
line of kids at the counter buying coffees and sodas and candy. She waited for Isaac to turn back,
but he didn t. Finally, she walked back to her car and got in. The inside of the Volvo smelled like the
Colberts detergent. The passenger seat was still warm from Isaac s butt. For at least ten minutes,
she stared numbly at the Dumpster, not knowing what to make of what had happened.
A little chime went off inside her backpack. Emily swiveled around, reaching for her phone.
file:///C|/Users/Shanna/Desktop/Killer.html[29/08/2009 3:09:23 p.m.]
Killer
Maybe it was Isaac, writing to apologize. And maybe she should apologize too. He and his mom
were close, and she certainly didn t want to hate his family. Maybe she should ve found another way
to break the news instead of blindsiding him with it.
Emily opened the new text, swallowing a sniffle. It wasn t from Isaac.
Too distracted to decipher my clues? Go to your first love s old house and maybe it ll all make
sense. A
Emily glowered at the screen. She d had it with these vague clues. What did A want?
She slowly pulled out of the Wawa parking lot, braking to let a Jeep full of high school boys cut
in front of her. Go to your first love s old house. A obviously meant Ali. She d take the bait; Ali s old
neighborhood was only a few blocks away. What else did she have to do right now? It wasn t like
she could bang on Isaac s door, begging for him to come back.
She turned onto a quiet road with acres of rolling farmland, tears still stinging her eyes. The stop
sign to Ali s street came up fast. There was a WATCH CHILDREN sign at the entrance to the neigh-
borhood. Years ago on a warm, sticky summer night, Ali and Emily had decorated the sign with smi-
ley- face stickers they d bought at a party store. They were all gone now.
Ali s old house loomed at the end of the street, the Ali shrine a dark, shadowy lump at the curb.
Maya s family lived in the house now. A few of the lights were on, including the one in Ali s old bed-
room Maya s new bedroom. As Emily stared up at it, Maya appeared, almost as though she d
known Emily was going to be there. Emily gasped, shrank away from the window, gripped the steer-
ing wheel, and peeled around the cul- de- sac. Once she was in front of Spencer s driveway, she
pulled over, too overcome to go on.
Then she saw a flicker of something to her right. Someone in a white T- shirt was standing in the
front window of the Cavanaughs house.
Emily turned off the headlights. Whoever was in the window was tall and somewhat broad, prob-
ably a guy. His face was obscured by a large, square- shaped floor lamp. Suddenly, Jenna appeared
next to him. Emily sucked in her breath. Jenna s dark hair cascaded down her shoulders. She wore a
black T- shirt and plaid pajama pants. Her dog sat next to her, scratching his neck with his hind leg.
Jenna turned and spoke to the guy. She spoke for a long time, and then he said something back.
Jenna nodded, listening. The guy waved his arms, as if Jenna could see his gestures. His face was
still hidden. Jenna s posture got defensive. The guy spoke again, and Jenna lowered her head, as if
ashamed. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her big Gucci sunglasses. She said some-
thing else, her face contorted with an expression Emily couldn t rightly determine. Sorrow? Worry?
Fear? Then Jenna walked away, her dog following.
The guy rubbed his hands through his hair, obviously flustered. Then the living room lamp
snapped off. Emily leaned forward, squinting hard, but she couldn t see anything. She looked around
at Jenna s yard. There were still wood blocks fastened to the tree trunk, makeshift steps to get into
Toby s old tree house. Mr. Cavanaugh had taken the tree house down shortly after the firework
blinded Jenna. It was amazing that after all this time, the Cavanaughs still blamed Toby for blinding
his sister. In truth, it had been Ali who had done it. And it had been Jenna who had wanted to set
up the prank to get rid of Toby for good.
The Cavanaughs front door opened, and Emi ducked again. The guy from the living room
ly
stomped down the front steps to the dark front path. When the motion- sensor light above the
garage doors snapped on, he froze, startled. Emily saw him head- on, flooded with light. He wore
running sneakers and a heavy down parka. Both hands were curled into tight, angry fists. When
Emily s eyes got to his face, her stomach dropped to the bottom of her boots. He was glaring right
at her. She instantly realized who it was.  Oh my God, she whispered. That shaggy blond hair,
those bow- shaped lips, those stark blue eyes, still locked with hers. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]