Emily sagged. “I know. I still miss her. I kind of hoped she and I would be friends again when you and I became friends. Not that that’s the only reason I wanted to hang out with you,” she hurried to add.

“Why aren’t you friends anymore?”

“It’s my fault. My mom put me in a bunch of activities in third grade. I met a lot of new girls and wanted to hang out with them. They were so popular.”

“But you’re popular!”

“I know you think that, but that’s not how it feels to me. Anyway, Cassie’s feelings were hurt, and they didn’t want to hang around with her, so I did the wrong thing.”

Ali knew what that was like.

“The day you went to sit with Cassie at lunch, I was so jealous. Not just because you were friends with her, but because you did the right thing. You didn’t abandon your friend.”

They were interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing. Ali and Emily spun around. Murray and Cassie were in the doorway, looking embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” Cassie whispered. “We didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

Emily started to back away, but Ali grabbed her arm. “No. You guys both want to be friends again, so be friends again!”

“Way to take control, Sloane,” said Murray, pushing Cassie forward.

Neither Cassie nor Emily spoke for a minute, and then, as if they’d choreographed the moment, they stepped forward at the same time and hugged.

“Folks, the war is officially over,” said Murray in a news-anchor voice.

Everyone laughed. Cassie and Emily stepped apart, grinning.

But there was one more thing that had to be done. Ali turned to Emily. “I’m glad we’re friends again, but there’s something you need to know. I can change into other things, like people and animals.”

Emily smiled. “Thank you for telling me, but I already know.”

Ali’s jaw dropped. “How?”

Emily’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “I followed you guys to Tin Can Beach last weekend. I saw you turn into a seal. And I knew you were the cat in the bathroom that day. I’m sorry I talked about you behind your back. I shouldn’t have.”

Ali was pretty sure that Gigi’s birthday was going down in history as the day every single one of her beliefs turned out to be wrong. “You don’t mind?”

“Please. Half the kids at Princess Elizabeth School are trying to be someone else. You’re just a little extra, that’s all.” And then the room exploded into laughter, because everyone knew that being a Copycat was extra extra.

They were interrupted by Ali’s mother bursting into the room carrying a stack of coats. “There you are! I need you at the front door, Ali. The party’s hopping.” She dropped the coats on the couch and rushed out.

“I can help,” Emily said.