Half the time I didn’t want to be here, but I was here, and I wasn’t going anywhere. And it wasn’t even that I felt I didn’t deserve thismaybe I did, like some kind of penance I’d have to pay for coming back from the dead and for what happened to Dustin. I was unnatural and wrong. I could understand why someone wouldn’t want me here.

But Olivia was here, and that meant I stayed.

* * *

I didn’t want to go to the party after the toy Lexus incident, but Hayden had insisted. “You need to do something normal,” he had said after dinner. “Besides, I want you to go. With me.”

Those two little words pretty much sealed the deal. So I tried to force it all out of my head as I dug through my closet. I decided on a jean miniskirt and black opaque tights that actually went with my chunky sweater. I also found a pair of totally ugly sheepskin boots, but they’d keep my feet warm.

Getting my curls to not look like one giant frizz ball took a good forty minutes, especially since Olivia dumped half the bottle of curl revitalizer on her own head.

“Mine.” I snatched it from her and made a face.

Olivia sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her feet back and forth. “Why aren’t you dressed like Phoebe?”

Phoebe had left over an hour ago, wearing a killer black dress that seriously pushed the dress code with its neckline. And she’d looked good.

I returned to the bathroom mirror and puckered my lips. Olivia giggled from the bed. “She went to a dance.”

“Why didn’t you go to dance?”

“Dances are lame, Olivia.” I said, telling myself the same thing. Once I was satisfied with my curls, I tossed the bottle in a basket and twirled for Olivia.

She clapped a bit too enthusiastically. “You look pretty, Emmie.”

“Emmie does look pretty.”

The sound of Hayden’s voice brought me to an abrupt stop. He stood in the doorway, dressed in a dark pullover, loose-fitting jeans, and a black baseball cap. Wisps of brown curled out from the sides, adding a boyish charm.

He also had his hands planted behind his back.

“Hey,” I said.

Hayden gave me a lopsided smile before turning to Olivia. “Aunt Liz is baking cookies.”

Her eyes lit up like someone shoved a diamond in her face. “Cookies? Coca-chip?”

“Uh-huh, but isn’t it your bedtime?” asked Hayden. “You probably missed out on the chance.”

“Nooo.” She dragged the word out, eyes wide.

I shook my head, smiling. “So wrong.”

He grinned at me. “Maybe if you hurry, you’ll get to sample some before bed.”

Olivia leapt off the bed and hauled butt out of the room. Coca-chip cookies were far more important than her sister. Her departure left us alone… in my bedroom.