Leah was on a roll. “Oh, I told her,” she said in a silly high-pitched voice as she imitated the anonymous girl who’d sent the text. “That girl will definitely leave my guy alone now!”

  There was a brief pause, and then everybody started to giggle.

  “You really think it’s no big deal?” Abby asked.

  “Of course,” Leah said confidently. Then she yawned loudly. “Come on, let’s go back to sleep. The sun’s not even up yet.”

  Abby turned her phone off and held it for just a moment. Then she put it back on the table by the stairs before returning to her sleeping bag.

  For some reason she couldn’t quite explain, Abby didn’t want to sleep anywhere near it.

  The sun was shining brightly when Abby and her friends finally awoke for the day. As the girls ate waffles and strawberries for a late breakfast, Chloe suddenly said, “Maybe it wasn’t a wrong number. Maybe it was a prank!”

  “Huh?” asked Leah sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

  “That weird text Abby got last night,” Nora reminded her. Then she turned to Chloe. “What do you mean?”

  Chloe shrugged. “Well, Abby was texting Jake last night, and Jake was hanging out with Max and Toby,” she explained. “Maybe one of them thought it would be funny to send her a scary message in the middle of the night. You know those guys. They can act like total idiots sometimes.”

  “Maybe it was Jake!” Leah exclaimed.

  “No,” Abby said, shaking her head. “Jake’s too nice. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “He might be nice, but he has a wicked sense of humor,” Leah said knowingly. “Remember when he and Max convinced Joey Abrams that everybody was going to do the wave in math class, and Joey had to start it since he sat in the first desk? And then Joey jumped up with his arms in the air, but nobody else did?”

  “And Ms. Garcia was all, ‘Joey? Are you okay?’” remembered Chloe as she cracked up.

  “Oh, and remember that time when they broke into Brandon Murphy’s locker and covered all his books in sparkly pink wrapping paper? And he had to carry them around like that all day, until he could go home and re-cover them!” added Nora.

  The girls laughed at the memory of Brandon shuffling from class to class with his shiny pink book covers grabbing everyone’s attention.

  “Those pranks were pretty intense. And Joey and Brandon are some of Jake’s best friends!” Leah continued. “Yeah, I totally wouldn’t put it past Jake to prank you. After all, you did text him first last night! And maybe this is his way of telling you that he likes you.”

  Abby blushed at the thought that Jake liked her, too, but she wasn’t convinced that it’d been him who texted her last night.

  Chloe recognized the look on her friend’s face. “Don’t worry, Abby, I don’t think Jake did it. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy who would do something like that to a girl, you know? I still think it was just a wrong number.”

  “Well, there’s one way to find out,” Leah said. “Why don’t we call the number back and see who picks up?”

  “No way,” Abby said at once. “Whoever sent that text was obviously really upset. I don’t want to make them any madder.”

  “We could ask Jake if he sent the text,” suggested Nora. “Come on, Abby, aren’t you curious?”

  “Nope,” Abby replied, shaking her head. “Not that curious, anyway. I don’t want anyone to know about it. I’m serious.”

  Her friends exchanged a glance.

  “What would be so bad about that?” asked Nora.

  “Because it was weird,” Abby said. “Even if it was just a wrong number, even if it was just a prank, it was creepy, and I don’t want anyone else to know about it, okay? From now on, consider it a secret. It doesn’t leave this house. Just like you swore you wouldn’t tell anyone that I like Jake. Swear it, okay?”

  “Sure,” Nora replied, as Chloe nodded in agreement. Then all eyes turned to Leah.

  “Leah?” Abby asked.

  “Whatever you want, Abby,” Leah said loudly. “I swear I won’t tell a single, solitary soul!”

  “Won’t tell what?” asked Mrs. Miller as she walked into the room. “Good morning, girls.”

  “Oh, I can’t tell you, Mrs. Miller,” Leah said, widening her eyes innocently. “What happens at Abby’s sleepover, stays at Abby’s sleepover!”

  Everyone laughed as Mrs. Miller poured herself a cup of coffee. “Sounds serious,” she joked. “I hope you all had fun last night.”

  “We did,” Chloe replied. “Thanks for letting us sleep over.”

  “Oh, anytime!” Mrs. Miller said.

  Just then a car horn honked outside. Chester barked in reply, and Abby peeked out the window. “Hey, Chloe, your mom is here,” she said.

  “Ack! I still have to pack up my makeover kit!” Chloe cried as she scurried downstairs.

  “I’ll help you,” Nora said, following her.

  “So what are you doing today?” Leah asked Abby. “Any awesome plans? Any awesome plans that would be even more awesome with me?”

  “Nope,” Abby said. “Homework. I have a ton, and I haven’t even started yet.”

  “Boo! You’re no fun,” Leah said, pouting.

  “What about you?” Abby asked. “Did you finish all your homework already?”

  “No,” admitted Leah. “But that’s what Sunday night is for—not Sunday day.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll probably still be working tonight,” Abby said. “I’ve barely started my English paper.”

  “Oh, good, neither have I,” Leah said brightly. “I’ll text you when I get writer’s block!”

  There was another honk outside. “That’s my mom,” said Leah, picking up her plate and putting it in the sink. “Thanks for an awesome sleepover, Abby! Let’s do it again next weekend!”

  “Maybe,” Abby said with a smile. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “You know it,” Leah said, grinning over her shoulder at Abby.

  After all her friends went home, Abby trudged down the hall to her first-floor bedroom to start her homework. But her bed looked so comfortable that she decided to lie down for just a moment. The next thing she knew, she heard her mother calling her for dinner. Oh, man, Abby realized as she blinked her eyes sleepily. I slept all afternoon! Now I’m going to be up late doing my stupid homework.

  Abby ate dinner as quickly as she could, then hurried back to her desk and logged onto her computer. Just as she opened a new document to start writing her report, an instant message flashed onto her screen. It was from Leah.

  Leah601: HEY!!! HOW IS YOUR HOMEWORK GOING? ALMOST DONE?

  AbbyGirl: UGH, NO. I FELL ASLEEP AND HAVEN’T EVEN STARTED YET.

  Leah601: WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

  AbbyGirl: DID U SLEEP ALL AFTERNOON TOO?

  Leah601: NO . . . I JUST COULDN’T GET STARTED. I WASN’T IN THE MOOD.

  AbbyGirl: WHEN ARE YOU EVER IN THE MOOD FOR HOMEWORK?

  Leah601:

  Leah601: I JUST COULDN’T STOP THINKING AFTER LAST NIGHT . . .

  AbbyGirl: ?

  Leah601: I WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU LIKE JAKE.

  AbbyGirl: WHAT ABOUT IT?

  Leah601: IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT . . .

  Abby frowned at the screen. What’s up with Leah? Then she heard a ping; Leah had sent her a link. Abby clicked on it and waited for the website to load. When she saw what was on the website, her heart sank. She knew exactly why her friend had sent her that link. The ping of a new message rang through Abby’s room.

  Leah601: WELL? DID U CHECK IT OUT?

  AbbyGirl: YEAH.

  Leah601: AND?

  AbbyGirl: I KNOW WHAT U MEAN.

  Leah601: IT’S STILL SO SAD.

  AbbyGirl: DEFINITELY.

  Leah601: ANYWAY, I BETTER GO. HOMEWORK CALLS. SEE YA TOMORROW.

  Abby closed the IM window, but she didn’t start her report. Instead she found herself clicking back on the website Leah had sent her: the homepage for the Sara James Memorial Scholarship Foundation. As Abby looked at the large picture of Sara on the website, she felt a strong pang of sorrow. She remembered when that picture was taken—almost one year ago, on last year’s school picture day. When Sara sat on the metal stool and smiled for the camera, she didn’t know that it was the last picture anyone would ever take of her. She didn’t know that she had just weeks to live.

  Sara and her family had moved to Riverdale two years ago. At a large school like Riverdale Middle, a new student wasn’t usually a big deal, but Sara was special. With her long red hair, sparkling green eyes, and mysterious smile, everyone was fascinated by her—especially the boys. It seemed like everybody wanted to get to know her, but Sara was totally into Jake. They had become a couple almost immediately, and Abby hardly ever saw them apart. Abby could still remember them sitting together at a corner lunch table, Jake’s head bent low as Sara whispered a secret into his ear, her sleek red hair brushing against his cheek. While most of the other guys in their class were goofing off and acting totally immature, Jake seemed to really be falling in love.

  Then everything went terribly wrong one foggy autumn evening as Sara walked home alone after studying at Jake’s house. A car rounded the corner just a little too fast, lost control, and swerved onto the sidewalk, slamming into Sara and killing her instantly. Abby remembered all too well the awful days that followed: the small groups of students crying quietly at school; the funeral that was unbearably sad; the scholarship foundation that Sara’s grieving parents had started to make sure their beloved daughter would never be forgotten.

  And Abby remembered something else, too: the heavy cloud of sadness that seemed to follow Jake everywhere last year. In fact, it was only recently that Jake had started to seem like his old self. It seemed like his summer away at baseball camp had really lifted his spirits. Abby was so happy to see her old friend smiling again. And she started to realize that she liked him as more than just a friend, and maybe he liked her that way too.

  But as she looked at the photo of Sara, Abby felt her hope fade. Even if Jake is ready to go out with someone else, I’m totally not his type. I’m nothing like Sara James.

  Suddenly the light on Abby’s desk burned out with a loud pop that made her jump. In the darkness of the bedroom, the computer monitor gave a spooky glow to Sara’s photo on the website. Abby shook her head as she closed the site and went to the basement to find a new lightbulb.

  But it was impossible for her to forget those luminous green eyes, gleaming in the darkness.

  CHAPTER 4

  Arriving at school the next morning, Abby and Leah found a cluster of kids just inside the entrance, blocking the front doors. Abby raised her eyebrows as she looked at Leah. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Must be something important,” Leah said as she craned her neck, trying to get a glimpse over the crowd. “Or something exciting!”

  “Exciting? Here? Yeah, right.” Abby laughed as they slowly made their way into the lobby. Just beyond the doors, they saw what all the fuss was about: a large poster announcing the first dance of the school year.

  Leah grabbed Abby’s arm. “A dance!” she squealed. “I can’t wait! And it’s the perfect excuse to get a new outfit. What are you going to wear?”

  “Let’s see,” Abby mused. “My gray hoodie and my favorite jeans.”

  Leah frowned. “You’re kidding,” she said bluntly. “That is the worst outfit for a dance.”

  “But it’s perfect for lounging around and watching TV,” Abby said. “Which is what I will be doing instead of going to some stupid dance.”

  “Don’t be like that,” Leah complained. “I know the dances were boring last year, but this is the first dance of this year. That’s kind of a big deal.”

  “Whatever,” replied Abby. “Every dance is the same, Leah. They play the same lame music and serve the same nasty cafeteria hot dogs every single time. And all the girls stand around just waiting for anybody to ask them to dance while all the guys end up shooting hoops. No thank you. Come on, I need to go to my locker before homeroom.”

  But Leah hovered near the poster. “Well, here’s something different,” she said slowly. “It says here that proceeds from the dance will go to the Sara James Memorial Scholarship Fund. You know what that means, right? You-know-who will definitely be there, so—”

  “Shhh!” Abby hissed, glancing around to make sure no one had overhead Leah. “You promised you wouldn’t mention that ever again.”

  “All right, all right,” Leah said. “I just want you to come to the dance! It won’t be any fun without you. Please?”

  “I’ll think about it,” Abby finally said, just to stop Leah from badgering her.

  “That sounds like a yes!” Leah said, clapping her hands. “Now, seriously, what are we going to wear?”

  “I’ll think about that, too,” Abby promised with a laugh. She couldn’t stay annoyed with Leah, not after being her best friend since kindergarten—even if it meant suffering through another awful dance in the gym.

  But as the days passed, it started to look like Leah was right to be excited. The whole school was buzzing with rumors about the dance, like that the student council’s events planning committee had actually hired a DJ and promised to order better food. After school on Wednesday, Abby and Leah joined a group of kids who had gathered around Morgan Matthews, the class president. Morgan was in the process of describing all the improvements she had planned for the dance. “It’s the least we can do in memory of Sara,” she gushed.

  Abby resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Um, I don’t think a pizza upgrade is a really special way to remember Sara,” she whispered to Leah.

  Just then she felt someone tug on her backpack. She turned around to see who was behind her.

  It was Jake!

  Oh, no, Abby thought in a panic. Did he overhear me?

  “You know what?” Jake asked in a low voice. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “Hi, uh, hey, Jake,” Abby stammered. “Yeah . . . it’s kind of weird, huh?”

  “A little bit,” Jake said, nodding. “What are you doing now?”

  “I was just about to head out for the bus,” Abby said.

  “It’s such a nice day,” Jake began. “I was wondering if you’d like to walk home with me.”

  “Um, yeah,” Abby said as her heart started to pound. She shot a quick glance at Leah. “I’ll see you later, Leah?”

  “I’ll call you!” Leah exclaimed as she gave Abby a little wave. “Bye, Abby! Bye, Jake!”

  As Abby and Jake crossed the wide school lawn toward the sidewalk, Abby couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Finally she blurted out, “So how’s your school year going?”

  “It’s good, so far,” Jake replied. “A lot more work this year, huh?”

  “Tell me about it,” Abby said. “I have hours of homework every night.”

  “Me too!” exclaimed Jake. “I already can’t wait for summer vacation.”

  “Well, that’s only eight months away,” Abby pointed out.

  “Don’t remind me,” Jake groaned.

  Abby smiled at Jake and looked down at her feet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy to walk home.

  “So that dance,” Jake began, “it’s turning into kind of a big deal, I guess.”

  “I guess,” Abby said carefully. “Everybody seems really excited about it.”

  “Are you?” Jake asked, shifting his backpack to his other shoulder. “I mean, are you going?”

  “Um, yeah,” Abby replied. “I think so.”

  “That’s cool,” Jake said. “Me too. Do you want a ride?”

  “A ride?” repeated Abby.

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “My mom’s going to drive me, so we could give you a ride. If you want one.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Abby said quickly. “That sounds great.”

  Jake smiled at her, and Abby felt like she had a hundred butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “Great,” he repeated. “We’ll come over at seven on Saturday.”

  “Okay,” Abby replied. “I’m, um, looking forward to it.”

  “Me too,” Jake said. Then, lowering his voice, he added, “I heard a rumor that there’s even going to be pizza.”

  As they rounded the corner of Elmhurst Lane, Abby started to laugh. “Do you mean really amazing, really delicious pizza?” she asked, imitating Morgan. Jake’s laughter told Abby that her impression was spot-on.

  “Well, here’s my house,” Abby said.

  “Right,” Jake said. “I’ll see you around. Later, Abby.”

  “Bye, Jake,” Abby replied as Jake turned to cross the street. She couldn’t stop grinning as she walked along the path to her house. When she had almost reached the front door, she dared to glance behind her.

  Jake was standing across the street, looking at her—and smiling! When he saw Abby peeking over her shoulder, he held up his hand in a wave. Then he turned away and walked over to his own front door.

  Abby opened the door as slowly and calmly as she could, just in case Jake could still see her. But when she got inside, she raced down the hall to her room, smiling so broadly that her cheeks started to ache a little. As she expected, she already had two voice mails, an e-mail, and IMs from Leah.

  Leah601: HELLOOOOOO!!

  Leah601: WHERE ARE YOU? I AM DYING HERE!!!!!

  Abby grinned as she sat down at her computer. She quickly typed a message back to Leah.

  AbbyGirl: I’M HERE!!

  Leah601: WELL?!?! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!

  AbbyGirl: JAKE IS GONNA GIVE ME A RIDE TO THE DANCE!

  AbbyGirl: HELLO?

  AbbyGirl: DID I LOSE U?

  Leah601: SORRY, I FAINTED AND FELL OFF MY CHAIR. R U SERIOUS?! ABBY! U HAVE A DATE W/ JAKE!!!

  AbbyGirl: NO, IT’S NOT A DATE, JUST A RIDE :)

  Leah601: WHATEVER!! IT’S TOTALLY A DATE. I HATE U SO MUCH. U R SO LUCKY.

  AbbyGirl: OH PLZ. IT’S JUST A RIDE.

  Leah601: COME ON, HE’S SOOO INTO U! AND U DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO GO TO THE DANCE!

  AbbyGirl: LOL, I WANT TO NOW!

  Just then Abby heard her mom’s voice. “Honey, can you take Chester out?” Mrs. Miller called from the living room. “He won’t stop barking, and I’m expecting a phone call any minute now.”

 

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