A ref blew his whistle, and the two teams ran back to their benches to talk to the coaches before the game started. The scent of yellow mustard tickled Emma’s nose, and a soft breeze whispered across the back of her neck.
Ethan slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Are you cold?”
“Maybe a little,” Emma said.
“Sutton used to say night games were her favorite,” Ethan murmured so no one else could hear. “She said there was something really sexy about playing under the stars.”
Emma twisted around to face him. “Really?”
Ethan tucked a dark curl behind his ear. “I overheard her say that once in the halls. I guess it stuck with me.”
Emma pulled in her bottom lip, feeling unexpectedly jealous. It seemed like every guy at school had had a crush on Sutton. Had Ethan, too? She knew it was ridiculous to be jealous of her dead twin sister, but she couldn’t help but wonder, sometimes, if Ethan saw something in Sutton that he didn’t see in her. “Is there anything else about her that stuck with you?” she asked quietly.
“I’ve told you everything.” Ethan curled his fingers around Emma’s. “I wish I knew more.”
Emma let out a breath. “So do I.”
“Sutton!” Gabby cried. She and Lili were making their way up the bleachers, wearing matching HOLLIER SOCCER GROUPIE T-shirts. Charlotte, Madeline, Thayer, and Laurel followed a few steps behind. Thayer wore his old soccer jersey. Somewhat ironically he was number thirteen.
“Hey!” Emma said, waving them toward her. All she had to do was glance at the kids around them, and a whole slew of girls and guys got up, no questions asked, and moved down several rows. It was insane having that kind of power, especially when in her previous life, she would have been the one scurrying away.
Ethan watched as everyone climbed up the bleachers. “Let the games begin,” he murmured under his breath.
Lili reached the top and twirled around, showing off the back of her hot pink T-shirt, which read GET CRASS ON THE GRASS. “Like ’em? We had them custom-made.”
“You can’t find something this authentic in the school store,” Gabby added. She was wearing an identical shirt, except in neon yellow.
Madeline slid in next to Ethan on the other side from Emma. “Hey, Poet,” she said, nudging him in the ribs.
Emma avoided eye contact with Thayer, willing him not to sit in the empty spot next to her, but to her chagrin, he sank down and said hello. Emma’s fingers tightened around Ethan’s, as if to say, It’s okay. Luckily Ethan squeezed back and gave her a small smile.
Laurel looked sourly at Thayer and Emma, then took the seat on the other side of Thayer.
“How’s Hollier soccer’s number-one fan?” Thayer asked, fake-punching Emma in the arm.
“Uh, still kicking,” Emma said, realizing how lame she sounded.
Thayer gave her a stern look. “You aren’t going to cheer for Hollier now that I’m off the team, are you? Personally, I’m hoping Wheeler wins.”
Emma frowned good-naturedly. “Traitor.”
Thayer laughed louder than necessary, and he stared at Emma with twinkling, unblinking hazel eyes. Emma felt Ethan’s fingers slip from hers.
I felt a little hurt, too. Thayer was looking at my twin the same way he looked at me in the memories I had of our time together. I wanted to put my hands on his shoulders, to make him see me, not Emma. If he loved me so much, how come he couldn’t see that the girl he’d fallen for wasn’t the person sitting next to him?
Charlotte took a huge, floppy red hat out of her purse and pulled it low over her forehead. Madeline looked at her and giggled. “What are you doing?”
Charlotte pulled the brim lower over her forehead. “I’m sick of everyone staring at me because of that stupid Devious Four prank. Tad Phelps actually had the nerve to ask which bras were mine. Seven people unfriended me on Facebook, and no one was afraid of me in debate. Before, they all used to cower when I took the podium, never wanting to argue with me for fear I might retaliate by pranking them. Today one girl questioned my use of the phrase ‘moral character’ given the, quote, ‘recent vandalism to school property.’”
Emma looked out over the bleachers, and sure enough, at least fifteen different people were peering at the Lying Game members and whispering angrily.
“Throwing the dance isn’t enough. We need to prove that we didn’t do this,” Charlotte said.
Laurel sighed dramatically. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually wish the school did have security cameras. Then we could show everyone it wasn’t us.”
Ethan looked up, a hesitant expression on his face. “You know, there are traffic cameras on the corner next to school.”
Laurel narrowed her eyes. “So?”
“So,” Ethan continued, “I got a ticket once for running the light there, and they sent me my ticket along with a photo. I could see the front of the school in the background. Maybe those traffic cams caught the vandalism to the school.” Ethan shrugged.
“Seriously?” Madeline’s eyes lit up. But then she visibly deflated. “How could we ever get access to that though?”
Ethan licked his lips. “Well…the camera feed goes to an online site that you can access remotely and I’m pretty good with computers. I, uh, hacked into the site at the time to see if I could get the ticket erased.” His cheeks reddened visibly. “I couldn’t, but I did notice they kept an archive of the video footage. The password’s probably changed, but with a little time, I think I could figure out how to get back in.”