“Hey, guys!” Laurel said brightly, beaming at Gabby and Lili. “That would be awesome.”

“No problem!” Gabby’s eyes flickered, snakelike, to Emma, then back to Laurel. There was a hint of a smile on her lips, as though she were trying to hold in a laugh. “We all know how badly Sutton needs her car back.”

“Yeah, so she can stall it again,” Lili added under her breath.

An eerie shiver passed through me.

Lili steered Emma to their white SUV, which was parked in the lot. “C’mon. A little birdie told me the impound closes at six.”

“But . . .” Emma protested, planting her feet. “I don’t have to go today. . . .”

“Nonsense,” Lili said hurriedly. “We don’t mind. That’s what friends are for, right?”

“You guys are the best!” Laurel reached into her purse for her car keys. “Have fun reuniting with Floyd, Sutton!”

Emma glanced over her shoulder at Laurel, sure that helplessness and fear were written all over her face, but Laurel just waved obliviously. She flung the yellow plastic Scare-O-Rama bag over her shoulder and skipped toward her Jetta.

Lili opened the backseat of the SUV with a flourish. “Ladies first,” she said sweetly, pointing Emma to one of the black seats inside. Emma hesitated, wondering how far she could get if she took off in a sprint.

“What’s wrong, Sutton?” Gabby teased, noticing Emma’s reluctance. “You all freaked out from being inside the Halloween store? Afraid another light was going to fall on your head?”

Emma swallowed hard, the words cutting her like knives. Her heart had never pounded so fast or so hard. But she told herself that the Twins couldn’t do anything to her today—not when Laurel knew she was with them. Straightening her shoulders, Emma brushed her dark hair over her shoulder and called upon her deepest Sutton reserves. “No, I’m freaked out by your wardrobe choices,” she snapped, eyeing Lili’s mismatched polka-dot blouse and plaid skirt. “Did someone dress while under the influence this morning?”

Lili sniffed. “This month’s Vogue says mixing patterns is in.”

“I would’ve thought you’d know something that basic,” Gabby scoffed.

“What’s with the attitude today, ladies?” Emma tried to sound exasperated. “Are you two still not over that prank during your court party?”

“Please, Sutton.” Lili opened the front passenger door. “We were over it before it even began.”

Gabby nudged Emma into the backseat, which smelled overpoweringly of Skittles. The Twitter Twins climbed into the front, and Gabby started the engine. Her blue eyes met Emma’s in the rearview mirror. “To the impound, right?”