Perfect (Book Two)

Thirty: Cornfields Are The Scariest Place In Rosewood.

Emily had shoved herself into a little back alcove on the Kingman Hall terrace and was quietly watching all of the Foxy smokers. The girls in their frilly, pastel dresses, the boys in their elegant suits. But who was she watching more? She wasn't sure. She shut her eyes tight, then opened them fast, and the first person she noticed was Tara Kelley, a Rosewood Day senior. She had bright red hair and beautiful, pale skin. Emily gritted her teeth and shut her eyes again. When she opened them, she saw Ori Case, the hot football player. A guy. There.

But then she couldn't help but notice Rachel Firestein's thin, giraffelike arms. Chloe Davis made a sexy, teasing face at her date, Chad Something-or-other, that made her mouth look adorable. Elle Carmichael tilted her chin just so. Emily caught a whiff of someone's Michael Kors perfume and had never smelled anything so yummy in her life. Except, maybe, for banana gum.

It couldn't be true. It couldn't.

"What are you doing?"

Toby stood above her. "I..." Emily stuttered.

"I've been looking all over for you. Are you all right?"

Emily took stock: She was hiding in an alcove on a freezing-cold balcony, using her pashmina as a cloaking device, and doing a deranged peek-a-boo to test herself whether she liked boys or girls. She turned her eyes to Toby. She wanted to explain what had just happened. With Ben, with Maya, with the tarot reader—everything. "You might hate me for asking this, but...do you mind if we leave?"

Toby smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask that." He pulled Emily up by her wrists.

On their way out, Emily noticed Spencer Hastings standing on the edge of the dance floor. Spencer's back was to Emily, and Emily considered going up and saying hello. Then Toby pulled on her hand, and she decided against it. Spencer might ask her something about A, and she was in mood to talk about any of that right now.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Emily rolled down the window. The night smelled delicious, like pine needles and oncoming rain. The moon was huge and full, and thick clouds began to roll in. It was so quiet outside, Emily could hear the car's tires slapping along the pavement.

"You sure you're okay?" Toby asked.

Emily jumped a little. "Yeah, I'm fine." She glanced at Toby. He told her he'd bought a new suit for this, and now she was making him go home three hours early. "I'm sorry the night sucked."

"It's cool." Toby shrugged.

Emily turned over the little Tiffany box that sat in her lap. She'd plucked one off the table right before she left the tent, figuring she might as well get her parting gift.

"So nothing happened?" Toby asked. "You're so quiet."

Emily blew air out of her cheeks. She watched three different cornfields roll by before she answered. "I was accosted by a tarot card reader."

Toby frowned, not understanding.

"She just said that something was going to happen to me tonight. Something, um, life-changing." Emily tried to muster up a laugh. Toby opened his mouth to say something, then quickly shut it.

"Thing was, it kind of came true," Emily said. "I ran into that guy, Ben. The one who was in the hallway at the Tank, who was...you know. Anyway, he tried...I don't know. I guess he tried to hurt me."

"What?"

"It's okay. I'm all right. He just..." Emily's chin trembled. "I don't know. Maybe I deserved it."

"Why?" Toby clenched his teeth. "What did you do?"

Emily picked at the gift's white bow. Raindrops began to spatter the windshield. She took a deep breath. Was she really going to say this out loud? "Ben and I used to date. When we were still together, he caught me kissing someone else. A girl. He was calling me a dyke, and when I tried to tell him that I wasn't, he tried to make me prove it. Like kiss him and...whatever. That's what was happening when you came into the locker room hall."