Emma’s skin felt hot and prickly at the nearness of the Twins. Her brain spun. Would Lili and Gabby do anything to her with the other girls around? Maybe if she played it cool
—and stuck with Laurel al night—nothing would happen. No no no, I thought desperately, wil ing Emma to get out of the car.
“Okay, bitches.” Madeline revved the engine. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Everyone whooped. “Hot springs, here we come.”
Charlotte draped her arms across the back of the seats. Laurel swiveled around and looked at Lili and Gabby.
“You remember how to get there, right?”
“Yeah. We just went camping there with our dad.”
Gabby’s voice was languid and happy, as though she’d just spent hours at the spa. “He didn’t want us to swim in them, but we did when he went to sleep.”
“That’s not true,” Lili said sharply. “Dad didn’t care if we swam in it.”
“Yeah, he did,” Gabby said. “He thought we’d drown.”
“You’ve got it al wrong.” Lili sounded real y worked up.
“You always get everything wrong.”
Everyone fel silent at the razor-sharp tone of Lili’s voice.
“Rrow,” Madeline whispered.
The car rol ed over a speed bump and out the school exit. Someone had draped spiderwebs over the gates and affixed devil horns to the large, many-armed cacti lining the path. Madeline turned up the winding roads that led toward the mountain. A sports car with round, xenon-bright headlights passed them going the other direction. The girls began to chatter about the dance—Madeline and the disastrous Freddy Krueger, Laurel’s burgeoning crush on Caleb. “And how about you?” Madeline nudged Emma. “You disappeared for a while. Did you find someone fun?”
“Definitely not,” Emma said quickly. She wanted to forget the whole Ethan thing ever happened.
“What did you think about the dance, ladies?” Charlotte asked, swiveling around and looking at the Twitter Twins.
“Was being on the court everything you hoped for and more?”
“Of course,” Gabby said automatical y, lifting her sash from her chest and admiring it lovingly. “Al eyes were on me. I felt like a princess.”
Lili let out an irate squeak. “There were eight court girls, Gabriel a. Not just you!”
Gabby shrugged. “You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t think I do.”
“What’s wrong with you tonight?” Gabby wrinkled her nose. “You sound like Mom when you cal me Gabriella.”
A smal , frustrated noise came from the back of Lili’s throat. “As if you don’t know?”
Everyone laughed awkwardly. Madeline cleared her throat. “Um, girls?” But the Twins ignored her.
“If you’re going to be a mega bitch, maybe you shouldn’t come tonight,” Gabby said primly.
“You know what? Maybe I don’t want to come. Maybe I don’t want to spend another minute with you,” Lili growled. She pointed at a Super Stop gas station at the next intersection. “Pul into there.”
Madeline gripped the wheel, but she didn’t put on her turn signal.
“I’m serious!” Lili screeched. “Pul frickin’ over!”
Emma stiffened. Lili was more unhinged than ever.
“Whoa.” Madeline set her jaw, veered into the next lane of traffic, and wheeled into the gas station. Several cars waited at the pumps. Two teenage boys in death-metal Tshirts loitered near the entrance, smoking cigarettes. Inside, Emma could see brightly colored soda bottles, racks and racks of candy, and grayish hot dogs spinning slowly on a gril .
As soon as the car slowed, Lili pushed Gabby out the back door. Then she climbed out herself, giving Gabby another shove. Gabby wheeled backward into a green trash barrel. “What the—?” she screamed.
Lili’s eyes were wild. Her Lady Liberty toga was slipping, showing the scal oped, lacy edges of her bra. A bearded, greasy-haired truck driver fil ing his truck with diesel stared. So did the smokers by the door. “You know I like Kevin! I told you a mil ion times!”
Gabby blinked her large blue eyes. “You never told me that.”
“Yes, I did!” Lili stamped her foot. “You always do this to me! You knew ful wel I liked him. I saw you looking at me every time you guys danced. You were rubbing it in, and you know it!”
Gabby placed her hands on her hips. “Wel , I like him, too . . . and he likes me back. Get over it.”
“You insensitive little . . .” Lili lunged at Gabby. Madeline shot out of the car and grabbed Lili around the waist. Laurel climbed out, too, and restrained Gabby, pul ing her toward a fledgling mesquite tree on the little walkway that led to the mini-mart. Emma stayed glued to her seat, unsure what to do.
The smokers by the door nudged one another and grinned. One of them cal ed, “Cat fight!”
Lili panted hard. “I’m so sick of you,” she hissed at Gabby.
“Yeah? Wel , I’m sick of you, too,” Gabby shot back. Lili broke free from Madeline and pul ed her iPhone from the tiny beaded clutch she held under one arm. After pressing several buttons, she put the phone to her ear.
“Who are you cal ing?” Gabby asked.
Lili tossed her head. “A cab to take me home. Go camping without me. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Lili . . .” Gabby looked repentant. “I’m sorry, okay?”
“Yeah, Lili,” Charlotte said, pushing a reddish curl over her shoulder. “You should come. You guys can work this out.”