Oren gasped.

Both girls looked at him. His eyes narrowed, and now he looked really, really mad.

So mad that I actually thought he might say something.

He didn’t.

“What’s wrong?” Miri taunted. “Nothing to say, Zombie Boy?”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT! UUUUUUPPPPP!” I hollered. I couldn’t have helped myself even if I’d wanted to. “You are horrible human beings! You have no idea about anything. You’re so awful I wish you were dead!”

It worked. Both girls clamped their mouths closed as their eyes widened in surprise.

I glanced over at Oren. He was staring at me, tears in his eyes now.

He reached for his phone. For what? Was he planning a snappy text comeback? Too late for that!

“Come on,” I barked at him. “Let’s go. Dad will be here any second.”

We stepped out into the sunshine.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

There was Dad, parked right out front. In the hearse. For all to see.

Pretending to ignore the snickering behind us, I grabbed Oren’s good wrist and tugged him toward the car. I yanked the door open and dove in. Oren was right behind me, but he struggled to shut the door with his cast.

Which meant we both got to hear Sasha’s parting words.

“There go the zombies. Back to the graveyard in their deathmobile.”

Twenty-Three

“Did you have a good time?” Dad asked as Oren finally got the door closed.

“Fine,” was all I could get out without bursting into tears.

“That’s it?” Dad said as he pulled away from the curb. “Just fine?”

“Yes,” I said, looking straight out the front window. “Perfectly fine. The movie was fine, the popcorn was fine. Everything’s fine.”

I could feel Dad’s eyes on me, but I didn’t dare look at him.

“Okaaaaay,” he said.

That one word pushed me over the edge. “I mean, seriously, Dad? Did you have to pick us up in this?” I demanded. “Couldn’t you pick us up in our regular car like a normal parent?”

Even though my face was trained on the road straight ahead, I could feel Dad’s eyes on me.

“Excuse me?” he said.

“It’s embarrassing!” I added, even though I could tell by his tone that I was on thin ice.

Dad squeezed his fingers on the wheel and then loosened them. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Evie. I’m not sure why it would be embarrassing to you all of a sudden.”

“All of a sudden? Are you kidding?”

I heard him take a slow, deliberate breath.

“No, I’m not kidding,” he said. Then he added a very stern: “And watch your tone please, young lady.”

I huffed and bit my lip, keeping my words inside.

He’d never understand anyway. What did he know about what it was like to be me?

I glanced at Oren, but he was looking out the passenger window.

“Evie?” Dad said, sounding a little less stern now. “You want to tell me what happened?”

“No, thanks.” We were almost home. I just wanted to put the whole thing behind me.