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The ht about it, the , there were certain times in life where she felt acco her So crazy dreairl who looked like herbut she kneasn’t her The drea on a sun-dappled Appaloosa at so a dark-haired doll across a patio Besides, if Becky was irresponsible enough to forget E with another baby Perhaps all those duplicate pairs of shoes Manic Becky bought weren’t for Eirl Becky had already abandoned
Perhaps Eht Perhaps they’d been fornext to Sutton in the photo MADELINE VEGA, said a se brown eyes, a y build, and a gap between her front teeth, just like Madonna Her head tilted suggestively to one side There was a fake--or perhaps real?--tattoo of a rose on the inside of her wrist, and her bloodred dress plunged provocatively to her breast bone
The girl next to Madeline was a redhead named Charlotte Chareen eyes, and wore a black silk dress that tugged over her broad shoulders Two blondes with similar wide eyes and upturned noses stood on either end of the group Their names were Lilianna and Gabriella Fiorello; in the caption Sutton had nicknamed them THE TWITTER TWINS
I looked over Eirls in the photos I understood we used to be close But they were like books I’d read two suo; I knew I’d liked them, but I couldn’t tell you nohat they’d been about
Ee Most of the Facebook profile was public Sutton Mercer was going to be a senior this year, just like Eh Her interests were tennis, shopping at La Encantada Mall, and the Papaya Quench full body wrap at Canyon Ranch Under LIKES AND DISLIKES, she’d written, I love Gucci more than Pucci, but not as much as Juicy Emma frowned at the line
Yeah, I had no idea what it e and peered at a picture of a bunch of girls in tennis polos, skirts, and sneakers A plaque that said HOLLIER TENNIS TEAM rested at their feet Eirls’ names until she found Sutton’s She stood third from the left, her hair pulled back tautly into a smooth ponytail Eht A tag over her head said NISHA BANERJEE There was a saccharine, kiss-ass smile on her face
I stared hard at her, a spotty, snapping sensation coursing through htless body I knew I didn’t like Nisha, but I didn’t knohy
Next E on the tennis courts next to a tall, handso over his face, but the caption said, Me, C, and Mr Chamberlain at Arizona Tennis Classic After that was a shot of Sutton with her ar a Hollier soccer jersey Love ya, G! she’d written Someone named Garrett had replied in the comht
My heart warmed, too
The last picture E around a patio table with two attractive, older adults and a dirty-blond, square-jawed girl named Laurel Mercer Sutton’s adoptive sister, presu slushy drinks in a toast I heart the faered on the photo for a long ti All of her daydreams about a Mom Star, Dad Star, and Emma Star family looked pretty ood life If she cut her own head out of a snapshot and pasted it on Sutton’s body, the picture would look no different Yet her story was as opposite from this as could be
There were a few YouTube clips on the Facebook page, and Emma clicked on the first one Sutton stood on what looked like a lush green golf course with Madeline and Charlotte Everyone knelt down and vigorously shook canisters in their hands Slowly, silently, they spray-painted designs on a large rock WE MISS YOU, T, Madeline’s e said NISHA WAS HERE
"Where’s Laurel?" Charlotte asked
"A thousand bucks says she’s too scared," Sutton murmured on the screen Her voice was so familiar it made Emma’s throat catch
Emma clicked on the other videos There was one of Sutton and her friends skydiving, another of theirls walking around the corner unaware, and the rest of the her scream The last video was titled "Crossinto a pool at night As soon as she hit the water, she started to flail "Help!" she screaainst her face "I think I broke ! Ican’tmove!"
The camera wobbled "Mads?" Charlotte cried out
"Shit," someone else said
"Help!" Madeline continued to flail
"Wait a ly "Did she say it?"
The caed to Charlotte, frozen midstep She held a red-and-white life preserver in her hands "What?" she asked dazedly
"Did she say it?" Sutton said again
"I-I don’t think so," Charlotte squeaked She claether and dropped the life preserver on the deck "Very funny We know you’re faking, Mads," she yelled, annoyed "Such a bad actress," she said under her breath
Madeline stopped splashing "Fine," she panted, paddling for the ladder "But I had you going for ato pee her pants" Everyone cackled
Whoa, Eht So this hat they did for fun?