Chapter 132
Who’s ready to have the best night ever?”
This time, I didn’t yank Bryony out of the way—I couldn’t spare the time. I said a silent apology to her as I started running, taking my wallet out of my bag as I ran, heading straight for Johnny’s merchandise kiosk.
If he was perturbed by the sight of a senior sprinting full-speed up to his kiosk, he didn’t look it. But then, in all the times I’d had interactions with him, he really didn’t seem bothered by much. “Hey,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “How can I help?”
“A hat,” I gasped, looking around for one that would shield me, at least for a few moments, from the Emmas’ notice so that I could help Tabitha. I grabbed the first one I saw—it had Baby Yoda embroidered on it—and tossed it down. “As quick as possible please.”
“What’s the rush? I thought Grad Nite just started.”
“Not for me,” I said, as I thrust my card in his direction. “I have to get to Cars Land.”
“And what’s in Cars Land?”
“I have to help someone,” I said, tapping my card on the reader he held out to me and waving off the receipt, grabbing the hat and ripping off the tags.
Johnny nodded and gave me a smile. “You’re on the right track, then.”
I had started to head off, stuffing my hair into the cap as I went, but this made me pause. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re on the right track,” he said, pointing. “Cars Land is that way.”
“Oh, right,” I said, nodding, starting to run again. “Thanks!”
I ran as fast as I could to Cars Land, but even so, by the time that I got there, Tabitha and her friends were already walking away from Mater, all of them clustered around Tabitha’s phone, looking at the pictures.
I sighed and turned to go back to the entrance and start this over again.
But I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to be able to run any faster—it felt like I was hitting the upper edge of my capacity.
“Cass?”
I turned around, to see all the Emmas walking toward me. “I thought it was you,” Emma R. said, smiling wide at me. “Cute hat! We were just going to go get some merch, want to come?”
“Yeah,” I said, realizing too late that I probably could have bought the Mickey graduation ears since running full-out was the one way, it seemed, that I could make it to Johnny’s kiosk before the Emmas. I filed this away as useful information and took a step closer. “Sure. That sounds—”
Just then, like before, Emma Z.’s phone beeped.
But this time I was close enough to see her screen.
I saw Emma’s eyes get wide as she looked at her phone.
She tapped her screen, then turned it to Emma J.
so she could see it. Emma J. reacted the same way Emma Z.
had—with silent surprise. I shook my head, trying to figure this out.
I knew what I’d seen—but I didn’t understand what it meant. It just didn’t make sense—
But then, all at once, like puzzle pieces fitting together, I saw the answer.
It had been right in front of me this whole time.
Tabitha had told me her friends’ names, after all.
It was just an accident—the same thing had happened to me, in fact.
But it was an accident that would have real consequences and would lead to Tabitha sobbing in a bathroom ninety minutes from now.
“Cass?” I turned to see Emma R. looking at me with concern. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, shaking myself out of this reverie, and giving her a smile I didn’t feel at all.
The other Emmas didn’t notice—they were preoccupied with Emma Z.
’s phone, both of them clustered around it, whispering in low voices.
At least I had solved this mystery. But there was nothing to be done about it now—that would have to wait for another loop. “I should go find Bryony.”
“Okay,” Emma R. said. She looked over with concern at her friends, then back to me. “But I’m sure we’ll see you later, right?”
“Oh, you can count on it.” This was mostly for the other Emmas’ benefit, but they didn’t seem to have heard me—they were still having an intense, whispered conversation.
At least I finally knew what they were talking about.
I waved at Emma R., then headed back the way I came, feeling like I had made a little progress.
I hadn’t fixed anything—yet. But I had an idea of how I might.
“Cass!” Bryony was sitting on the bench with Amy and Carlos, Ms. Mulaney hovering nearby. She jumped up when she saw me. “What the heck!”
“Sorry,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I…”
“Is everything okay?” She paused and looked at me, her head tilted to the side. “Did you buy a hat?”
“Oh,” I said, pulling it off my head and looking at it. I’d forgotten I was wearing it. “Right. I…saw it and thought—who doesn’t love Baby Yoda, right?”
“It’s actually Grogu,” Carlos pointed out. I saw Amy roll her eyes at that, and Carlos clocked it. “What?”
“Nothing,” Amy said, though I could hear the irritation in her voice. “Did I say anything?”
“You didn’t have to say anything—”
“Okay, then,” Ms. Mulaney said, interrupting Amy and Carlos’s bickering.
“Well, glad you’re back, Cass. And now I hope you kids can have fun tonight.
If you need me, I’ll just be in the chaperone area…
.” She pointed toward it. And just like I’d known it would, her canvas bag tumbled off her shoulder, and its contents spilled out onto the ground.
Amy and Carlos were still arguing, but Bryony and I bent down to help gather things up. The second I saw the manuscript, I drew in a breath.
I wasn’t sure I’d be able to help Ms. Mulaney—but I knew I had to try.