She opened her arms, offering a hug, and Rebecca hesitated only briefly before hugging her back. “We’re all in high school for the rest of our lives,” Rebecca had told Alexa earlier in the summer. Tragically true. But even high school sometimes offered redemption and second chances. Right? That was only fair.

“Okay, by the way,” said Gina, “you are not going to believe what happened right before you got here.” She pointed, and Gina turned. She saw a woman she didn’t recognize walking away from the bar in a gold dress. And then she did recognize her. It was Sherri, with a new hair color, looking knock-your-socks-off gorgeous, disappearing into the shadows.

73.

Alexa

Alexa forgot to be scared for a little while, she was so busy complimenting Sherri on her dress and her shoes and even her earrings and her hair. Her hair was blond! Like the Sherri from the newspaper photograph. But done in a really tasteful way. Shanti, Alexa could tell.

After Sherri left for the party, Katie and Morgan headed right for the TV and started watching Pitch Perfect 3. Alexa wondered if she should encourage them to choose a more age-appropriate movie, maybe Paddington, but she was still feeling jittery and she didn’t have the energy for a battle. She paced back and forth in the tiny kitchen and kept checking her phone—for what? she wondered. Because the bad man was going to text or send a Snap before he came over?

“You girls want to go somewhere?” she said, when she could stand the feeling of being trapped not a second longer.

“Ice cream!” Katie and Morgan said together, and Alexa said, “Sure, why not? Why don’t we go to Haley’s?” Haley’s wasn’t in the center of town so she felt a little safer with that choice.

They all left the house and piled into the Jeep and then Alexa thought, The Jeep! She couldn’t drive the Jeep around town while the bad men chased her down. “We just need to make a quick stop,” she told the girls. She swung down Olive Street and turned left on Merrimac, not too far from Brooke’s house. She parked the Jeep.

“Change in plans,” she announced. “Everybody out. We’re switching cars with my mom.”

“What’s wrong with this car?” asked Morgan.

“It’s running funny,” said Alexa. “I don’t want to take any chances with you two.”