rich,” Eddie said.
“Almost,” Danny repeated. I could hear the bitterness in his voice. I hoped he wasn’t going to cause more trouble.
* * *
Sophie was waiting up for me in our room. Her face was sweaty even though a breeze was floating in through the open window, making the curtains dance.
She sat up on her knees on her bed as I came in. Her nightshirt was caught beneath her legs. She tugged it free.
I turned on the ceiling light. Sophie’s cheeks were flushed. Her normally perfect black hair was matted to one side on her head. “I didn’t know if you’d come home or not,” she said softly, her eyes studying me.
“I was worried about you. You sounded so weird,” I said.
“You weren’t at Rachel Martin’s,” Sophie said, frowning. “I tried her house first.”
“You what ?” I returned her stare. “Why didn’t you just call my cell? You knew I wasn’t at Rachel’s. So you were checking up on me? Why?”
She stuck her chin out. “Mom and Dad think you’re so perfect, and I know you’re not.”
I groaned. “Sophie, please don’t start this. It’s been a long night—”
“Look at your sneakers,” she said, ignoring me. “They’re caked with mud. Where were you, Emmy? Where were you really?”
“I’m sick of you being jealous all the time,” I snapped. I didn’t mean to say it. It just burst out. Now that I’d started, I couldn’t stop. “Sick of you checking up on me, watching me, commenting on everything, always criticizing me, always being angry. Poor Sophie. Poor Sophie. She’s not as popular … not as much fun as Emmy. I’m sick of it! I’ve got my own problems, you know?”
Sophie’s eyes went wide. She wasn’t expecting such an explosion. She raised a finger to her lips.”You’re going to wake up Mom and Dad,” she said.
“I don’t care,” I said.
“You just don’t want to be honest with me,” she said, her chin trembling, like she was getting ready to cry. “You don’t think you can confide in me. Because you think I’m some kind of lower life form. I’m just some kind of larvae, or … no … a leech … some annoying creature you have to pull off your leg.”
Huh? That made me burst out laughing.
After a few seconds, Sophie began to laugh, too. It was such an insane, dopey thing to say. We hadn’t laughed together like that in a long time. We both laughed till we had tears in our eyes.
I dropped down on the edge of her bed and took her hand. “Okay,” I said. “Okay, leech. How about a truce? What do you say?”
She wiped her eyes with her fingers. “Truce?”
“I’ll tell you the truth,” I said, “if you swear not to tell anyone. Can you keep a secret?”
I could see she was thinking about it. “Okay,” she said finally. “Truce.” We bumped knuckles.
So I told her the truth. Actually, it felt good to tell her. “I was with Eddie and a bunch of friends,” I said. “We had this plan to camp out all night in the Fear Street Woods.”
“Oh, wow,” Sophie said. I could see the surprise on her face. “You and Eddie? You haven’t even been going with him that long. I hope you were careful.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I told her. “Eddie has this thing about camping … being outdoors. He says we spend too much time cramped up indoors. He says he can’t breathe indoors. So he came up with the idea. And … we all thought it would be an adventure.”
No way I planned to tell Sophie about the briefcase of money or burying it in the pet cemetery. I wasn’t used to confiding in her. I decided I’d better go slow. See if she could be trusted. This was a good test. If she went running to my parents with this info, I’d know for sure that I couldn’t trust her with any secrets.
“So … what happened?” Sophie asked, settling her back against the wall, straightening the hem of her nightshirt. “Why’d you come home?”
“Because of your call,” I said. It wasn’t a total lie. “You sounded
“Almost,” Danny repeated. I could hear the bitterness in his voice. I hoped he wasn’t going to cause more trouble.
* * *
Sophie was waiting up for me in our room. Her face was sweaty even though a breeze was floating in through the open window, making the curtains dance.
She sat up on her knees on her bed as I came in. Her nightshirt was caught beneath her legs. She tugged it free.
I turned on the ceiling light. Sophie’s cheeks were flushed. Her normally perfect black hair was matted to one side on her head. “I didn’t know if you’d come home or not,” she said softly, her eyes studying me.
“I was worried about you. You sounded so weird,” I said.
“You weren’t at Rachel Martin’s,” Sophie said, frowning. “I tried her house first.”
“You what ?” I returned her stare. “Why didn’t you just call my cell? You knew I wasn’t at Rachel’s. So you were checking up on me? Why?”
She stuck her chin out. “Mom and Dad think you’re so perfect, and I know you’re not.”
I groaned. “Sophie, please don’t start this. It’s been a long night—”
“Look at your sneakers,” she said, ignoring me. “They’re caked with mud. Where were you, Emmy? Where were you really?”
“I’m sick of you being jealous all the time,” I snapped. I didn’t mean to say it. It just burst out. Now that I’d started, I couldn’t stop. “Sick of you checking up on me, watching me, commenting on everything, always criticizing me, always being angry. Poor Sophie. Poor Sophie. She’s not as popular … not as much fun as Emmy. I’m sick of it! I’ve got my own problems, you know?”
Sophie’s eyes went wide. She wasn’t expecting such an explosion. She raised a finger to her lips.”You’re going to wake up Mom and Dad,” she said.
“I don’t care,” I said.
“You just don’t want to be honest with me,” she said, her chin trembling, like she was getting ready to cry. “You don’t think you can confide in me. Because you think I’m some kind of lower life form. I’m just some kind of larvae, or … no … a leech … some annoying creature you have to pull off your leg.”
Huh? That made me burst out laughing.
After a few seconds, Sophie began to laugh, too. It was such an insane, dopey thing to say. We hadn’t laughed together like that in a long time. We both laughed till we had tears in our eyes.
I dropped down on the edge of her bed and took her hand. “Okay,” I said. “Okay, leech. How about a truce? What do you say?”
She wiped her eyes with her fingers. “Truce?”
“I’ll tell you the truth,” I said, “if you swear not to tell anyone. Can you keep a secret?”
I could see she was thinking about it. “Okay,” she said finally. “Truce.” We bumped knuckles.
So I told her the truth. Actually, it felt good to tell her. “I was with Eddie and a bunch of friends,” I said. “We had this plan to camp out all night in the Fear Street Woods.”
“Oh, wow,” Sophie said. I could see the surprise on her face. “You and Eddie? You haven’t even been going with him that long. I hope you were careful.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I told her. “Eddie has this thing about camping … being outdoors. He says we spend too much time cramped up indoors. He says he can’t breathe indoors. So he came up with the idea. And … we all thought it would be an adventure.”
No way I planned to tell Sophie about the briefcase of money or burying it in the pet cemetery. I wasn’t used to confiding in her. I decided I’d better go slow. See if she could be trusted. This was a good test. If she went running to my parents with this info, I’d know for sure that I couldn’t trust her with any secrets.
“So … what happened?” Sophie asked, settling her back against the wall, straightening the hem of her nightshirt. “Why’d you come home?”
“Because of your call,” I said. It wasn’t a total lie. “You sounded
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