said nonchalantly as she pulled open a drawer that was really a fridge, pointing to the drinks inside. âSheâs got a design firm downtown. Nortonâs Interiors. Maybe you heard of it.â
âYeah. Maybe.â Devon reached for a Coke.
âSo hereâs what Iâm thinking for the dance,â Amanda said quickly. âI want it to be elegant. Formal. Iâm thinking red and white.â
âRed and white?â Devon was confused.
âAll the girlsâ gowns must be red or white.â
Devon considered her auburn hair and pale skin. âI donât look good in red or white.â
Amanda studied her briefly. âNo, you probably wouldnât. How about this? Red, white, and green.â
âGreen?â Devon nodded. âThat works.â
âOkay. Red, white, and green. Although I want it to be elegant and formal, we should keep it simple so thereâs not too much work. Of course, we need a photo booth.â Amanda started shooting out ideas, as if sheâd given this plenty of thought.
âSo, you got all that?â Amanda asked as the doorbell rang.
âI guess so.â Devon grinned. âAnyway, I know you do.â
âBecause I want you to back me,â she said as she went to get the door. âYou can pretend like some of the ideas are your own too. This will keep things much simplerââshe gave Devon a sly grinââthan if we let the others try to take over. You know?â
âAbsolutely.â
Before long their committee was settled in the family room, munching on pizza, and Amanda, with Devonâs help, was tossing out ideas. Whenever othersâlike Tristin or Siennaâquestioned anything or tried to go another direction, Devon spoke out in support of Amanda. Did she feel a bit like a puppet? Sure. But maybe it was worth it. Who better to pull her strings than someone with the kind of influence Amanda Norton had?
8
E mma loved the direction that the Christmas ball was going, and she was happy to help on the Project Santa Sleigh committee. But as Cassidy drove her home afterward, she felt uneasy.
âYouâre awfully quiet,â Cassidy said as she pulled up to Emmaâs house. âSomething wrong?â
âSort of,â Emma confessed.
âDid I say something to offend you?â Cassidy asked.
âNot this time.â Emma made a stiff smile.
âWell, thatâs a relief.â She turned to peer curiously at Emma. âWhatâs wrong?â
âI keep thinking about Felicia,â Emma admitted.
âOh?â Cassidy frowned. âI feel bad for her too. I even put her on my prayer list. Iâve been asking God to turn her life around.â
âWhat if her life doesnât need to be turned around?â Emma challenged her. âWhat if Feliciaâs the victim here?â
âHuh?â
âI studied those MyPlace photos, supposedly of Feliciaâbefore they were removed, that is. Something about them just seemed fake to me.â
âHow so?â
âThey were just so cheesy looking, Cass. And the wordsâit was like someone was trying to set up something that looked really disgusting without crossing over a line, you know?â
âWhat kind of line?â
âLike a legal line. Like in case they got caught. It couldnât be called pornography. Just really bad taste.â
âI donât get it. Why would someone do that?â
âI have no idea, but I want to find out if itâs true.â
âHow is that possible?â
âIâm going to visit Felicia.â
âSeriously?â
âUh-huh. Iâve tried to text her and call her, but I think her phoneâs disconnected.â
âDo you even know where she lives?â
âI know where she used to live. We used to be in Girl Scouts together. Sometimes Mom and I gave her a ride.â
âOh . . .â Cassidy looked concerned.