Thursday morning, as Emily emerged from one of the bathroom stalls in the gym locker room dressed in her regulation Rosewood Day white T-shirt, hoodie, and royal blue gym shorts, an announcement blared over the PA system.
"Hey, everyone!" a chirpy, way-too-enthusiastic boy's president, and I just want to remind you that Hanna's Marin's welcome-back party is tomorrow night at the Rosewood Country Club! Please come out and bring your mask—it's costumes only! And also, I want everyone to wish Spencer Hastings a great big good luck—she's off to New York City tonight for her Golden Orchid finalist interview! Best wishes, Spencer!"
Several girls in the locker room groaned. There was always at least one announcement about Spencer. Emily found it strange, though, that Spencer hadn't mentioned the Golden Orchid trip yesterday at the hospital when they were visiting Hanna. Spencer usually overtalked about her achievements.
As Emily passed the giant cutout of Rosewood's shark mascot and emerged into the gym, the heard hooting and clapping, like she'd just walked into her own surprise party.
"Our favorite girl is back!" Mike Montgomery whooped, standing underneath the basketball hoop. It seemed like every freshman boy in Emily's mixed-grade gym class had gathered behind him. "So,you were on a sex vacation, right?"
"What?" Emily looked back and forth. Mike was talking kind of loudly.
"You know," Mike goaded, his elfin a near mirror of Aria's. "To Thailand or whatever." He got a dreamy smile on his face.
Emily wrinkled her nose. "I was in Iowa."
"Oh." Mike looked confused. "Well, Iowa's hot, too. There are lots of milkmaids there, right?" He winked knowingly, a if milkmaids equaled instant porn.
Emily wanted to say something nasty, but then shrugged. She was pretty sure Mike wasn't teasing her in a mean way. The other gangly freshman boys gaped, as if Emily were Angelina Jolie, and Mike had been brave enough to ask for her e-mail address.
Mr. Draznowsky, their gym teacher, blew his whistle. All the students sat down cross-legged on the gym floor in their squad, which was basically gym-speak for rows. Mr. Draznowsky took roll and led them through stretches, and then everyone started to file out to the tennis court. As Emily selected a Wilson racket from the equipment bin, she heard someone behind her whispered. "Pssssst."
Maya stood by a box of Bosu balls, Pilates magic circles, and other equipment that exercise-aholic girls used during their free periods. "Hi,"she squealed, her face bright pink with pleasure.
Emily tentatively walked into Maya's arms, inhaling her familiar banana gum smell. "What are you doing here?" she gasped.
"I skipped out of Algebra III to find you," Maya whispered. She held up a wooden hall pass carved into pi's squiggly shape. "When did you get back? What happened? Are you here for good?"
Emily hesitated. She'd been in Rosewood for a whole day, but yesterday had been such a blur—there was her visit to the hospital, then A's note, then classes and swimming and time spent with her parents—she hadn't had time to talk to Maya yet. Emily had noticed Maya in the halls once yesterday, but she'd ducked into an empty classroom and waited for Maya to pass. She couldn't exactly explain why. It wasn't as if she was hiding from Maya or anything.
"I didn't get back that long ago," she managed. "And I'm back for good. I hope."
The door to the tennis court banged shut. Emily looked at the exit longingly. By the time she got outside, everyone in her gym class would've already found a tennis partner. She'd have to hit balls with Mr. Draznowsky, his student on-the-fly contraception lectures. Then, Emily blinked hard, as if startled out of a dream. What was her problem? Why did she care about stupid gym class when Maya was here?
She whipped back around. "My parents have done a one-eighty. They were so worried that something had happened to me after I left my aunt and uncle's farm, they've decided to accept me for who I am.
Maya widened her eyes. "That's awesome!" She grabbed Emily's hands. "So what happened at your aunt and uncle's? Were they mean to you?"
"Sort of." Emily shut her eyes, picturing Helene and Allen's stern faces. Then, she imagined do-si-do'ing with Trista at the party. Trista had told Emily that if she were a dance, she'd most definitely be the Virginia reel. Maybe she should confess to Maya what happened with Trista…only, what had happened? Nothing, really. It would be better to just forget the whole thing. "It's a long story."
"You'll have to give me all the details later, now that we can actually hang out in public." Maya jiggled up and down, then glanced at the enormous clock on the scoreboard. "I should probably get back," she whispered. "Can we meet up tonight?"
Emily hesitated, realizing this was the first time she could say yes without sneaking around behind her parents' backs. Then she remembered. "I can't. I'm having dinner out with my family."
Maya's face fell. "Tomorrow, then? We could go to Hanna's party together."
"S-sure," Emily stammered. "That would be great."
"And, oh! I have a huge surprise for you." Maya hopped from foot to foot. "Scott Chin, the yearbook photographer? He's in my history class, and he told me that you and I were voted this year's best couple! Isn't that fun?"
"Best couple?" Emily repeated. Her mouth felt gummy.
Maya took Emily's hands and swung them back and forth. "We have a photo shoot in the yearbook room tomorrow. Won't that be so cute?"
"Sure." Emily picked up the hem of her T-shirt and squeezed it in her palm.
Maya cocked her head. "You sure you're okay? You don't sound so enthused."
"No. I am. Totally." Just as Emily took a breath to go on, her cell phone vibrated in her hoodie pocket, jolting straight through to her waist. She jumped and pulled it out, her heart pounding. One new text message, the screen said.
When she hit Read and saw the signature, her stomach turned for a different reason. She snapped the phone shut without reading the message. "Get anything good?" Maya asked, a little nosily, Emily thought.
"Nah." Emily slid the phone back into her pocket.
Maya tossed the pi hall pass from one hand to the other. She gave Emily a quick kiss on the cheek, then sauntered out of the gym, her tall, sandstone-colored Frye boots clunking heavily against the wood floor. As Maya rounded the corner into the hall, Emily pulled out her cell phone again, took a deep breath, and looked at the screen again.
Hey, Emily! I just heard the news that you're GONE! I'm really going to miss you! Where do you live in PA? if you were a famous Philadelphia historical figure, who would you be? I'd be that guy on the Quaker Oats box…He counts, right?
Maybe I could visit sometime? xxx, Trista
The gym central heater came on with a clank, Emily snapped her phone shut, and, after a pause, turned it off completely. Years ago, right before Emily had kissed Ali up in the DiLaurentises' old tree house, Ali had confessed that she was secretly seeing an older guy. She'd never said what his name was, but Emily realized now that she must have been talking about Ian Thomas. Ali had grabbed Emily's hands, full of giddy emotion. "Whenever I think about him, my stomach swoops around like I'm on a roller coaster," she'd swooned. "Being in love is the best feeling in the world."
Emily zipped up her hoodie to her chin. She thought she was in love, too, but it certainly didn't make her feel like she was on a roller coaster. Inside the fun house was more like it—with surprises at every turn, and absolutely no idea what would happen next.