Her hair was longer than Kaci’s then, and she wore it blown out straight. Her skin was tan in the way that people who occasionally tanned were, not in the way that Kaci’s was, from living in the sun.

But otherwise? They were identical.

At least, it had looked that way from a distance. In the three years since, Kaci had found ways to get closer. She’d found pictures of Liv. Kaci had grown out her hair and taken to blowing it straight.

She carefully measured her time in the sun.

It still wasn’t enough. No matter how much she looked like Liv, no matter how often she watched her—Kaci wasn’t Liv.

Kaci would never be Liv.

And she couldn’t shake the feeling that Lillian wouldn’t want her, not when she had a daughter like that of her own. Liv was popular—and fearless. She had pretty manners, but she decided when to use them—and when to break the rules.

Liv had a perfect boyfriend. Liv had perfect friends. Liv was just starting her Debutante year.

And Kaci had nothing.

Don’t think about that. Just watch. Kaci had gotten good at watching. It was easy. Liv wasn’t the type to worry or look over her shoulder. She took it for granted that the world was as it should be.

As she wanted it to be.

Just watch. Kaci pressed closer. It was dark enough that she could take some chances, late enough that there was no point in going home now.

Hours earlier, Kaci had watched as Liv and her friends—Julia and Charlotte, Sterling and J.D. and a boy called Thomas—had set up camp. Kaci had pushed back a snort of laughter when they’d been unable to set up the fancy tents Liv had bought and decided to just make use of the sleeping bags.

She’d watched them pair off.

She’d watched Liv with her boyfriend. The boy Kaci had recently found herself dreaming about, more and more.

J.D. Easterling.

As Kaci watched from the shadows, Liv disentangled her limbs from his. Kaci was torn. Now that Liv was awake, she should leave.

She should go before she got caught.

Then again, what harm was there in lingering a bit longer? In staying close and hidden and imagining herself lying down next to Liv’s boyfriend?

Don’t. The warning came from the snake part of her brain, the place where her fight-or-flight instincts lay in wait. Kaci hadn’t gotten away with watching Liv for this long by being sloppy. Stay very still.

Oblivious to her presence, Liv crouched next to one of the other boys. Sterling Ames. Kaci cataloged what she knew about him: wealthy, handsome, too charming for his own good—or anyone else’s. Liv’s friend Charlotte had been pining for him.

They’d kissed, just hours ago.