answers. She points at the book. “But since it’s there, it’s gospel.”
It seems like they’re trying to hold in a giggle. My stomach lurches. There’s no way the Sudden Death Clause is legit. My friends wrote it here when I wasn’t looking—or maybe wasn’t around. Perhaps they were in the house with Laurel earlier tonight while I was out, and they hatched this plan then. I can just picture them sitting around Laurel’s room, giggling about their brand-new Sudden Death Rule, Charlotte running in here and writing it into the book as quickly as she could. Who knew how they got my lockbox open, but Laurel probably had a solution for that; I’ve caught her snooping around my room hundreds of times.
I clench my hands into tight fists. I’ve never felt so betrayed. Mads and Char are supposed to be my best friends, not Laurel’s. Do they now prefer her, too, just like everyone else does?
Suddenly, tears rush to my eyes, and I have to blink to hold them back. Madeline glances at Charlotte, giving her a worried look, almost like she realizes they’ve gone too far. But the last thing I want is for my friends to see me crying—or to know they’ve hurt me. It’s kind of like how I handled Thayer: be strong, carry on, move on. Thayer can’t bring me down, and they can’t, either.
I straighten up. I’ll honor this stupid Sudden Death Clause—if I don’t, I’ll look like a wuss and a coward. And I’ll win. There’s no way I’m going to let my baby sister beat me.
“Get Laurel,” I growl.
Madeline scampers from the bed, knocking Scooby to the floor in the process. I hear a knock at Laurel’s bedroom door, and then a split second later, my sister appears in my doorway, her honey-blonde hair perfectly straightened and her eyes bright with expertly applied makeup. It’s like she did herself up knowing this moment was coming. Once again, I feel a bolt of betrayal, as sharp and acidic as lemon juice in a wound.
She looks at me cautiously for a moment. I give her a steely stare. “I’ve decided to indulge your silly little whim,” I say primly. “We’ll go head-to-head on some challenges, even though it’s a really stupid idea. You’re going to lose.”
“Yes!” Laurel chirps. She turns to Mads and Char. “So what’s our first challenge? Something in town? Something at school?”
Charlotte laughs. “Oh, we’re not doing this in Tucson,” she says, waving a hand dismissively. “As Sutton always says, the Lying Game has standards. Sudden Death is not just an ordinary prank war.”
“So what are you saying?” I ask impatiently. Personally, I would like Sudden Death to be ordinary. The sooner we get this ridiculousness over with—and the sooner Laurel is ousted from the Lying Game, once and for all—the better.
Charlotte grins knowingly. “I think we all need a change of scenery.”
I consider this. “Road trip?”
There’s a wicked twinkle in her brown eyes. “We’re going to Vegas!”
Vegas. An image of the glittering lights of the Strip pops up in my mind involuntarily and I feel a ping of excitement in spite of myself. “That has . . . potential.”
“Right?” Charlotte jiggles up and down excitedly. “It’s the best timing ever, with school ending. Mads and I told our parents that we were going to cheer on the science team at their meet, which just happens to be taking place there this weekend.”
I raise an eyebrow. “We don’t have any friends on the science team.”
“Uh, we know,” Charlotte says. “That’s the point.”
I glance at Madeline. “What about Thayer? Don’t you want to stay here and look for him?”
Madeline shrugs and stares at the carpet. “It’s not going to do any good—it’s not like he’s hanging around Tucson. I know my brother, and he won’t come back until he’s good and ready. Besides, my dad . . .” She trails off, scrunching up her face. It’s obvious what she isn’t saying. Her dad’s temper is getting out of control. Mads probably needs the time away.
A bolt of sympathy cuts through all my frustration and betrayal. A small smile creeps across my face as I warm to the idea. “All right. I’m game.”
“Nice,” Charlotte whispers.
Madeline looks at Laurel. “I told you she’d be into it.”
I’m not thrilled about Mads and Laurel’s private little talks about me, but I try not to think about it. Instead, I see myself escaping Tucson for a while. Wearing a gorgeous gown, playing the slots, drinking martinis on a