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Iris wiped a tear and looked at the screen, too She let out an annoyed sniff "Well, I guess you found souy have a picture of Ali?" Emily asked shakily

Iris leaned back on her hands "Because we all were at The Preserve together We were friends"

E Ali’s face in somewhere so unexpectedaround her shoulder--the only identifying thing was a gold watch on the person’s hairy wrist She squinted at it Had she seen it before?

She pointed to the diseht the photo close to her face Her ht be him The boyfriend"

Emily blinked hard "You mean the one who came to the hospital all the tiot out?" Eht now"

Iris shook her head "No can do" She stood up and headed out of the room

Emily pocketed the cell phone with Ali’s picture and followed her downstairs, out the back door, and onto the lawn Iris alking quickly, but Eht up with her on the sidewalk

"Daestured to the house "I broke into a house with you! What’s next, ive uy’s name?"

Iris stopped next to a tree stump She lowered her eyes "I can’t tell you his namebecause I don’t know it"

Emily felt like the wind had been knocked out of her "What?"

Iris’s skin looked even paler in the sunlight "I never knew it I’uy who visited all the tilike Carrie in Sex and the City I never knew his na secret she kept fro out with hihtened "That’s why I’s fro the truth"

Eainst a tree "Why didn’t you tell rass "I thought it was the only way you’d keep drivings could be normal for a little while As soon as you found out I didn’t know anything, you would ship ht back to The Preserve"

Emily blinked She had no idea Iris was afraid of that "Sowait You like hanging out at my family’s house?"

"Uh, yeah," Iris said, as if it was an obvious answer "But whatever--it’s over now You can leave me just like o back to The Preserve now and rot there for another four years You can go to prom Get on with your life"

She turned away After a moment, her shoulders shook silently Emily was so stunned that she couldn’tIris there, her spindly arms wrapped around herself as she sobbed, Emily couldn’t help but feel for her She knehat it was like to be abandoned by her faht loved her When Ali laughed at E inside Emily had died Another piece of her had withered ahen Real Ali tried to kill her in the Poconos

She looked at Iris’s quivering form Really, she and Emily weren’t that different If Emily’s circumstances had been just a bit harsher, as to say she wouldn’t have lied about inforet soe way, it was al to, Eht struck her: If Iris had just asked Eh she didn’t know Ali’s boyfriend’s naht have said yes

She put a hand on Iris’s shoulder "Iris, I’ to send you back to The Preserve before you’re ready In fact, I think you should come to proave her an incredulous look "Yeah, right"

"I’m serious" Emily’s voice rose "I know prom isn’t on your list, but maybe it should be Have you ever been to one?"

Iris tucked a lock of hair behind her ear "Well, no, but"

"A lot of guys go stag We could find soo out with Someone much cooler than Tripp"

Iris pinched a piece of skin on her arm A bird chirped in the distance, and a car swished past on the road Emily’s heart pounded hard Please say yes, she willed silently Both because she wanted to see Jordan’s surpriseand because she really thought it would do Iris sohed "Well, okay"

"Yes!" E Iris was stiff for a ed back When they pulled away, Iris’s cheeks were shiny and pink

Then E She picked it up and said hello

"Miss Fields?" said a brisk voice "This is Jasmine Fuji We met the other day?"

Erunt came out She stared at the phone as if it were on fire "H-how did you know this nuave it to me I called your house first"

Emily’s head started to spin Her mom Mrs Fields had forced the burner cell nuive the nuiven it out to?

"Look, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you and all of your friends, but I’ent Fuji barked out a harsh laugh "Do you have a lanced at Iris, who had now stopped on the sidewalk and was staring at her "U, I promise"

"I’ht now Maybe another ti up the phone

23

The Cold, Hard Truth