“Gabriella had what’s called a grand mal seizure,” the doctor says. “It’s when the electrical activity over the surface of the brain is altered. She’s a little shaken up, but she’s resting now and is doing just fine.”
Lili’s eyes are round. “She’s fine? But why did she have a seizure?”
On and off goes the pen with nonstop clicks. “A seizure can be caused by an infection, but we tested her blood, and she showed no signs of infection. It can also be caused by a brain tumor, but we’ve done an MRI to rule out that possibility. More than likely—”
“What about fear?” Lili cuts him off.
The doctor’s eyebrows shoot up questioningly.
“Can a seizure happen out of fear?” Lili asks. “Like if someone really, really scared her?” She turns and looks pointedly at me. I shrink down a little in my shoes.
“That’s very unlikely,” the doctor says. “We think Gabriella has epilepsy. She’s probably had it since birth, but the disease can lay dormant in people for a long time before manifesting itself. Why it chose tonight to rear its ugly head, we’ll never know.”
“Epilepsy?” Lili repeats, looking like she doesn’t believe him. “But . . . that’s, like, a serious disease! Only freaks have epilepsy!”
“Lilianna.” Mrs. Fiorello shoots Lili an irritated look.
“That’s not true,” the doctor says gently. “Epilepsy is very manageable. Many patients who have it don’t ever suffer a grand mal seizure again. But to make sure, Gabriella will have to be on medication for the rest of her life. We’re lucky she didn’t have a seizure when she was driving a car, or when she was somewhere alone. It’s great that all five of you were with her and knew to call an ambulance.”
I sneak a peek at the others, wondering if they’re going to speak up. The ambulance wasn’t called because of Gabby, after all, but because I’d stalled the car on the tracks. But no one says a word.
The Fiorello parents nod, taking this in, and thank the doctor. He gestures to the swinging white doors. “You can go see her now if you want. She’s a little sleepy, but she’s been asking for you.”
We shove through the ER doors, pass a nurses’ station and a couple of empty beds, and find Gabby on a small cot in a curtained-off cubicle. She’s dressed in a faded, polka-dotted hospital gown, and her face is pale and drawn.
Lili runs to Gabby and throws her arms around her, making the bedsprings squeak. “I’m so glad you’re okay,”
she whispers, her voice choked with tears.
“I’m totally fine,” Gabby says, looking exhausted but okay.
After she hugs her parents, she gives us a small smile.
“Hey, guys.”
We each hug Gabby. Her body feels so tiny under the thin hospital gown. Then we hug each other, all of us filled with relief and gratitude and nervous energy. Lili even hugs me, squeezing me tight. “Mark my words,” she murmurs into my ear. “The prank might have ended okay, but Gabby and I are going to get you. You aren’t going to know when, you aren’t going to know where, but we’ll get you back one way or another.”
I wave my hand dismissively. The Twitter Twins, pranking me? Right. I’m no longer that scared, needy girl from the waiting room. I’m Sutton Mercer again, the girl everyone looks up to. The girl everyone fears. The girl who gets away with everything.
“I’d like to see you try,” I challenge.
Lili doesn’t blink. “Game on, Sutton.”
“Game on,” I answer back.
Chapter 31
Clever Little Bitches
“Please,” Emma whispered as Lili loomed close, her body weak from Lili’s choke hold and the lack of oxygen. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Say goodbye,” Lili growled.
Emma closed her eyes and pictured al the people she would say goodbye to. Ethan—she’d never even gotten to kiss him. She never realized exactly how much she wanted to kiss him until right now. Madeline, Laurel, and Charlotte
—no more laughing with them, no more gossiping. It struck her, suddenly, that these were people she knew in Sutton’s life, not hers. Was there anyone who would miss her from when she was Emma? Who did she have who would mourn her? Even Ethan couldn’t grieve for Emma in public. He would have to know her as Sutton Mercer, not Sutton’s secret twin. And Alex didn’t know she was pretending to be Sutton, wouldn’t realize that it was Alex’s friend who was now dead.
Sutton’s face, a face so identical to hers, flared in her mind. She’d wanted to know Sutton more than anything else in the entire world. And she’d wanted to solve this for her sister, to put this horrible crime to rest. Who knew what would happen now. I’m sorry, Sutton, she thought. I tried my best.
I know, Emma. I tried to place my hand over my sister’s to comfort her, to let her know I was right there. The cave was tomb-silent. Lili leaned down so her lips were next to Emma’s ear. And then, quietly, joyful y, she whispered, “Gotcha.”
Her hands went slack from Emma’s neck. When Emma opened her eyes, Lili was giggling hysterical y. “Gotcha!”
she cried again, louder this time, as though she were cal ing to someone.
Rocks began to shift, and suddenly, the big boulder that had wal ed Emma in disappeared. A bright flashlight shone into their faces. “Gotcha!” another voice cried from outside the cave. Emma shielded her forehead and stared at the wil owy blond. Was that . . . Gabby?