Then another thought struck me hard, chilling me to my core. All my memories were sparked by things Emma uncovered—Laurel’s text, Lili’s threat about the train prank, Thayer’s return. What if my last memory came to me because my killer was doing to Emma exactly what had been done to me? What if we only discovered the truth when it was too late?
Ethan placed his hand on Emma’s knee. “I don’t know. She did try to strangle Sutton in the snuff video. And if she drove back to find Sutton, she could have used her car or some kind of weapon. It will be hard to know unless we…” Ethan’s voice trailed off. He cleared his throat gruffly. “Unless we…find her.”
“True,” Emma murmured, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach at Ethan’s words. She took a deep breath, stopping behind a chugging motorcycle at a traffic light. “I just need to get Thayer alone for a minute so I can ask him if Laurel stayed at the hospital with him all night. If she was there, she’s in the clear, but if not…”
She let her sentence hang in the air, and they drove the rest of the way in silence. A few minutes later, they pulled into the Wheeler parking lot. Emma had just been here a few weeks ago for a tennis match. The school was Hollier’s main rival, but it was a little more run-down, with chipped columns holding up sagging portico. To the left of the school, floodlights illuminated the soccer field. The players were warming up in tracksuits—maroon and yellow for Wheeler and forest green for Hollier.
They got out of the car and strolled through the busy parking lot toward the field. The air smelled of concession stand hot dogs and soft pretzels, and a bunch of kids were milling around the gates. When they noticed Emma and Ethan, they turned and stared. A couple girls nudged one another and smiled at Ethan.
Emma slipped her hand into Ethan’s. His palms were sweaty. This was his first public appearance as Sutton Mercer’s boyfriend.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered.
“I know,” Ethan said stiffly, quickly glancing at his reflection in the chrome siding of one of the food carts just past the entrance. That was when Emma noticed how meticulously he’d dressed tonight—his jeans looked new, his blue polo perfectly matched his eyes, and he’d shaved, using the Kiehl’s aftershave she’d bought for him this past weekend. It was cute that he was so eager to make a good impression.
Even though they were at Wheeler, it felt like all of Hollier had turned out for the match. The stands were full of kids in green, who were stamping their feet and singing the school song. Emma looked for Madeline’s black hair and Charlotte’s shock of red, but she didn’t see them. “That’s weird,” she murmured. “They told me they’d be on the top row.”
“Maybe they’re busy planning another prank on us,” Ethan mumbled under his breath.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Emma said. The Lying Game had trapped Emma and Ethan in an abandoned house together last week. “Maybe they’ll lock us in a bathroom this time.”
Ethan wrinkled his nose. “Hopefully not the guys’ locker room. That place smells like ass.”
“Maybe the massage room for the sports teams,” Emma teased. “With our own personal masseuse.”
Ethan broke into a smile. “Now that I could get behind.”
There was an empty spot at the top, and Emma pulled Ethan up the metal steps. A few kids moved over to make room for them to sit. One girl with a short bob lifted her phone, pretending to text, but Emma could tell she’d snapped Ethan’s picture. Two freshman girls a few rows down giggled and pointed Ethan’s way.
Emma nudged his side. “Don’t look now, but I think you have the beginnings of a fan club.”
Ethan flushed. “Yeah, right.”
His bashfulness didn’t fool me, though. As Ethan ran a hand through his inky dark hair, I caught a trace of a smile on his face. Was it possible Loner Boy was enjoying the new attention? I always thought it was telling that the only people who railed against popularity were the unpopular ones. Who wouldn’t want to be adored?
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.