AFTER I CALMED RUTHIE down, I explained that although I didn't trust Zander, he was the best shot I had at finding out what really happened to my mom. That meant I had to keep hanging out with him. I just needed to come up with a plan to trick him into divulging all of his secrets. She didn't like it, but since she didn't have a better idea, she shrugged and we finally headed over to my house."I know we were all about getting you a guy this year, Tru, and I know Zander is way good-looking, but maybe you should focus on one guy at a time, someone normal, someone who isn't lying to you and pretending to be your friend." She tapped her long fingernails against the steering wheel with false patience before gesturing madly into the air. "Oh yeah, like your Homecoming date!" She oozed disappointment as she sunk down into her seat. Well, crap, I thought. Now I felt guilty. She'd been trying to help me so much this year and she'd been so excited about Isaac asking me to Homecoming. Here I

I DON'T KNOW HOW long Zander had been gone before I heard the doorbell. I was just wandering around the kitchen, speculating about what he could have been talking about, and I was angry, really angry. Oh no, I thought. Ruthie probably drove over because I didn't text her. I had turned my cell phone to vibrate until I changed the ringtone. I rushed to the door as the bell pealed again. But the person standing on my doorstep was not my best friend. Instead, it was a fuming Isaac Efoti. His face was purple, shoulders curved up, fists on his hips, and thunder on his face. I backed up."Uh. Hi, Isaac. What's up?" I said, pulling the door closed a little.I could have sworn I heard a low growl come from his mouth. Really? There had been way too much growling around this house lately, I thought. "What was he doing here?" Isaac snarled."Whoa, there! What's wrong with you? Are you okay?" It occurred to me that I knew next to nothing about him, mostly what Ruthie had told me since scho

AS SOON AS THE front door slammed, Ruthie whirled around on me. "Man! I thought they'd never leave!""Yeah, they were weirder than normal."Ruthie shrugged. "They've always been that way. So, now you can finally tell me what really happened. And I know something happened. My scoop antenna is going crazy!" She rubbed her hands together gleefully.I shoved away from the table, not in the mood to divulge anything. And I was still kind of frustrated with her immature attitude toward my situation. "You really need to work on your improv. I mean really! You came over for math help, without your math book?" I grabbed another soda out of the fridge. "And then there was that stupid ringtone! Seriously, that was totally awkward for me!"I stared out the kitchen window. A chair scraped across the floor and a moment later Ruthie's arm curved around my shoulders. Strawberry-scented hair tickled my neck as she brought her other arm around me for a side-hug."Hey, girl, I guess I flunk at

RUTHIE LOOKED EXTRA FINE this morning when she picked me up. Her energy seemed to reach and attach itself to me, giving me a much-needed buzz. I smiled at her as she cheerfully explained her plan to nudge Val into inviting her to Homecoming."Did you ask your dad to pick you up from school today?" She asked. "Because I don't want to leave you stranded.""Oh, yeah, he's picking me up." I laughed. "I wouldn't dare mess with Operation Homecoming!" She giggled at the name I had given her scheme.After everyone had left the night before, Ruthie called me to discuss how she would manipulate things the next day with Val, starting with looking as hot as possible. She was going to pull him aside for a private lunch, which would just happen to be under a homecoming sign, which would make it simple to bring up the topic of who was going with whom, which would inevitably cause her to speculate on who she might go with, dropping a few names and batting her long black eyelashes. If he didn't ask

I AWOKE TO THE smell of pine and ashes. And, the mother of all headaches. I tried to bring my hands to my head, but they were being held in place. I opened my eyes to find my wrists tied with rope to the leg of a wooden chair. I yanked uselessly. What the ...? Where was I? Blinking back my confusion, I sat up to assess my surroundings.The small room couldn't have been more than twenty to thirty square feet. The ceiling was made of bare, wooden beams, the walls knotty wood planks. Across the room stood a brown sofa with an end table and lamp. The sound of running water slipped out the bottom of a door next to it. My breath hitched. Who was that? A few scenes from different horror movies crossed my mind as I sped up my perusal of the room, looking for escape routes or possible weapons. Off to my right lay a small, faded kitchen with an old refrigerator, microwave, and sink. Rustic cupboards hung above a short counter. On the other side of me sat a wood stove. The door to this cozy esta