She decided to try again, turning back to Carolyn. “We think it was Ali, actually. She’s alive. We were afraid that Tabitha Clark was Ali, in fact . . . but she wasn’t, and . . .”
Carolyn looked desperately at their father. “Dad, tell her to stop.”
“Carolyn, I’m telling the truth.” Emily knew she should shut up, but she couldn’t control her mouth. “Ali survived. It’s really her.”
She looked around at her family, wishing someone would say they understood. But everyone was staring at their plates.
The doorbell rang. Everyone’s heads swiveled toward the hall, and Mr. Fields stood to answer it. There were low murmurs, and then the front door slammed.
Emily got up from the table and peered through the front window. Two tow trucks sat in the driveway. A man in a blue jumpsuit hitched the Volvo wagon to the tow, and a balding guy in a black jacket did the same with the family’s minivan. Mr. Fields just stood there on the lawn, hands in his pockets, a forlorn expression on his face.
“Why are our cars being taken away?” Emily called to her mom in the kitchen.
No answer. She walked back into the room. Mrs. Fields and Carolyn picked at their meals. Emily’s heart started to pound. “Mom. What’s going on?”
“Why is she asking that?” Carolyn’s voice rose in pitch. “How could she not know?”
Emily looked back and forth at them. “Know what?”
Mrs. Fields’s jaw was clenched tight. “We had to sell both cars and use the money we got to pay your bail,” she said calmly. “Among other things.”
Emily blinked hard. “You did?”
Carolyn leapt up from the table and walked over to Emily. “What did you expect? You killed someone.”
Something exploded in Emily’s brain. “N-no, I didn’t!”
Carolyn’s nostrils flared. “We saw you on that video. You looked like a monster.”
“That wasn’t me!” Emily glanced desperately at her mother. “Mom? You believe it wasn’t me, right?”
Mrs. Fields lowered her eyes. “That video. It was so violent.”
Emily looked at her imploringly. Did that mean her mom believed her . . . or she thought she’d done it?
Carolyn sniffed. “All your lies have finally caught up to you. But we’re paying the consequences. We might even lose the house.”
Emily walked back to the window and stared at her father, who was standing with his back to her, facing the tow truck.
“I’m going to have to get a job—that is, if anyone will even hire me,” Carolyn said from the kitchen. “All because of you, Emily. It’s always about you, isn’t it? You’re always ruining everything.”
Mrs. Fields kneaded her temples. “Carolyn, please. Not now.”
Carolyn slapped the table hard. “Why not now? She needs to understand. She doesn’t live in the real world, and I’m really sick of it.” She faced Emily. “It’s always an excuse with you. Your best friend was murdered. You were getting text messages from Mona Vanderwaal, who I personally saw you guys make fun of when Ali was alive. But hey, it’s different when you’re bullied, huh? Everyone’s just supposed to drop everything and treat you like some sort of delicate flower.”
Emily walked back to the table. Her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? She tried to kill us.”
Carolyn rolled her eyes. “And when you get pregnant, you don’t actually face up to it. Nope, you hide in Philly. You use me all summer, make my life hell, and then, afterward, it’s all about you, how I hurt you, how I should have just accepted what you were going through without being upset or afraid or anything.”
Emily pressed a hand to her chest. “I thought you forgave me for that!”
Carolyn shrugged. “I might have forgiven you if I hadn’t known you were still doing it, Emily. Now you’ve killed someone, and you’re still blaming everyone but yourself, basically. But you can’t make excuses anymore. I’m sorry Ali tried to kill you in the Poconos last year. I’m sorry you loved her, and she rejected you. But get over it. Take some responsibility.”
“Get over it?” Emily screamed, anger she’d never experienced before rising up her throat. “How can I get over it if she’s still doing it?”
“She’s not still doing anything!” Carolyn screeched back. “She’s dead! Face it! She’s gone, and what you did is nobody’s fault but yours.”
Emily let out a primal roar, ran for her sister, and grabbed her shoulders. “Why can’t you believe me?” she screamed. How did Carolyn not understand? How could her family believe she’d made all of this up, done something so awful?
Carolyn pushed Emily away, and Emily slammed against the back wall. Emily lunged for her sister again, and suddenly, they were on the ground. Carolyn’s strong body pressed into Emily’s. Her nails scratched Emily’s face. Emily shrieked and nudged Carolyn’s abdomen with her knees, then wrapped an arm around Carolyn and flipped her on her side. Carolyn’s eyes flashed. She bared her teeth and then bit down on Emily’s arm. Emily screamed and pulled away, staring at the marks where Carolyn’s teeth had broken the skin.