Hide and Seek (The Lying Game #4)

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.”

“OMG, that would be amazing!” Charlotte squealed.

“That’s badass, Ethan,” Madeline said admiringly. “I had no idea you had it in you.”

The other Lying Game girls cheered and smiled. Only one person looked less than delighted: Thayer. He kept his gaze on the field, even though play hadn’t started yet. “Like it’s really that hard to get ahold of surveillance footage,” he said under his breath, in a voice only Emma could hear. She pretended not to notice.

Emma turned to Ethan. “Are you sure you want to do that?” The last thing she wanted was for Ethan to get in trouble just to make Sutton’s friends like him.

Ethan shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Honest.”

Suddenly, a shadow fell over Emma. A girl with dark, curly hair in a side ponytail stood in the aisle. Tiny yellow shorts barely covered her thin thighs, and a white T-shirt showed off the outline of her bra. It took Emma only a few seconds to realize it was one of the members of the Devious Four—Bethany something.

“Hi, Ethan,” Bethany said, staring at him and only him. She hitched her shorts even higher.

Ethan blushed, clearly not used to the attention. “Um, hi?”

I rolled my eyes. I was dead and practically memory-less, but even I knew that you never, ever talk to a freshman. You pretended you were too busy to realize they exist, even if you were related to them.

“What are you up to this weekend?” Bethany asked.

Madeline’s and Laurel’s eyes widened. Lili and Gabby already had their phones out, texting furiously.

“Um…” Ethan stalled, glancing at Emma.

It was all Emma could do to not laugh. “He’s hanging out with me,” she said, looping her arm in Ethan’s elbow.

Madeline leaned in. “Why? Does your mom need someone to babysit you?”

Bethany’s cheeks flushed scarlet. She slunk away back to her friends, who surrounded her and started whispering.

Charlotte shook her head. “We definitely need that video footage.”

“Agreed,” Emma said. “Those girls need to go down.”

“Consider it done,” Ethan answered.

“Our hero,” Madeline swooned.

Thayer looked more and more annoyed. He leaned over and stared at Ethan. “Landry, when did you become the man?”

For a second, Ethan looked caught off guard. Then he took a deep breath. “I guess when I started dating the hottest girl in school,” he said smoothly.

Thayer focused his brown eyes on Emma, like he was looking at her for the first time that night. “Yeah, can’t argue with you there,” he said in a wistful tone.

Next to him, Laurel choked on the Diet Coke she was drinking. Thayer spun around instantly and clapped her on the back. “Are you okay?”

Laurel nodded frantically, but she couldn’t breathe for a few more seconds. “Could you get me water?” Laurel spluttered, her eyes tearing up.

“Sure.” Thayer struggled to get up, then limped down the bleachers.

Laurel kept coughing until he was out of sight, then calmly took another sip of her soda, angling a sidelong glance at Emma. It was a look that said, You’re not the only one who has him eating out of your hand.

To me, there was something extra to the look, too. It also said, Stay away. Or else.

10

SMOKING GUN

People in the Mercers’ neighborhood took Hollier soccer seriously. Following the school’s victory, horns were honking down the street, and the Wessmans, who lived two doors away, had put a Hollier banner on their garage.

Emma pulled into the driveway and heard a ping on her phone. It was Ethan. TONIGHT WAS UNEXPECTEDLY FUN, he wrote. OR IN THE WORDS OF THE DAILY EMMA: SHY BOY SCORES BIG AT SOCCER GAME.

Emma flushed, loving that Ethan had picked up on her headline habit and was writing some of his own. NOT TOO BAD, RIGHT? she typed back, feeling a warm, happy sensation all over. Besides the minor blip with Thayer, Ethan had been awesome: He’d charmed Sutton’s friends and even made a couple of hilarious jokes. By the looks Madeline and Charlotte had given her at the end of the game, Emma knew they’d accepted him. It was nice to know Ethan had accepted them, too.

Emma cut the engine and looked around. Surprisingly, she’d beat Laurel back, even though Emma had driven Ethan home after the game. The Mercer parents’ cars weren’t there either, and though Grandma’s car was parked outside the garage, the house was dark.

She stepped through the front door and fumbled for the light. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the silent house. She made her way into the kitchen, where moonlight spilled through the French doors and cast long shadows over the wooden table. She’d come home to plenty of empty houses, but the Mercers’ felt oddly cavernous and lonely tonight. She realized with a jolt just how much she’d gotten used to Mrs. Mercer greeting her with a warm hello.

Emma was about to switch on the light when she saw the burning orange glow of a cigarette in the backyard. Her heart picked up speed. A few weeks back, when Ethan had taken her to a gallery opening, they’d been sitting outside on a bench when she’d noticed a dark shape smoking just feet from them, listening to every word they said. The figure had vanished before Emma could see who it was.

Emma let out a low whistle for Drake. Soon enough, she heard the Great Dane ambling into the kitchen. Drake glanced at her with wide eyes. Her fingers were shaky as she ushered him toward the back door—as nervous as she was around the enormous dog, she was more scared of the smoker outside.