4

There was little in Emma’s life that had ever made her feel particularly special. A petite blonde with a naturally shy personality, she just wasn’t the kind of girl who stood out in a crowd. Not like Devon or Bryn could do. They were the flashy DG members—the “headturners.” Even Cassidy, with her practical, no-nonsense style, was better at attracting attention than Emma. Abby, with her brains, athleticism, and confidence, always seemed to outshine Emma too. And to be honest, Emma liked it that way. For the most part.

“Don’t you want to look glamorous for this?” Felicia asked Emma as they stood together in the hotel bathroom. Felicia was sporting the sparkly red cocktail dress that she’d worn to the Christmas ball last December, and there was no denying that she looked hot.

“It’s not like we’re going to actually be on the red carpet,” Emma reminded her. “We’ll be sitting in the bleachers, remember.”

“I know, but this is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.” Felicia paused from styling her sleek black hair. “I want to feel like a star too.”

Emma studied her image. The blue sundress had been okay for sightseeing today. The weather had been unseasonably warm, plus the dress was just plain comfortable. But compared to Felicia she looked pretty boring.

“You sort of look like a tourist,” Emma’s mom said from the open bathroom doorway. “Why don’t you put on your pretty green dress from the winter ball? It looks so festive and fun on you.”

“Yeah,” Felicia urged her. “When will we ever have another evening like this?”

Emma frowned at the slightly wrinkled sundress, then giggled. “Okay, you guys talked me into it. Why not?”

Before long, she and Felicia were downstairs in the hotel lobby, snagging a couple of selfies as they waited for their ride. Emma felt like a million bucks as she observed various bystanders curiously watching them then whispering among themselves.

“It’s like they think we’re celebs,” Emma whispered to Felicia.

“Yeah, I’m glad you changed into that dress.” Felicia grinned.

“I can’t believe we’re really doing this,” Emma told Felicia as they went out to get into the hired limo that was part of the prize package.

“It seems kinda surreal—like it’s all going to fall apart before we get there.” Felicia got a worried look. “You’ve got the tickets, right?”

“In here.” Emma patted her sparkly little purse, then, following her mom’s direction, questioned the driver to be sure he knew their destination—which was only about a mile away, but too far to walk in fancy heels.

“It might take longer than usual,” he explained. “But there’s some Evian water back there if you girls need a drink.”

“This is so cool.” Felicia giggled nervously as she reached for a bottle.

“I do feel like a star,” Emma confessed. “And we need more selfies to send to our friends.” They took a few moments to get some shots in the back of the limo, holding up their drinks like a toast.

“Here’s to a big night,” Felicia told Emma as she texted the words to go with their pics. “Hey, here’s a message from my little sister. Sofia must’ve gotten ahold of my mom’s phone.” She laughed as she read the words. But then, just like that, her smile vanished. “Oh, no.”

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked with concern.

“It’s—uh—I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean? What did it say?”

Felicia stared down at her phone. “First Sofia said to have fun. Then she said not to worry about . . .” Felicia held the phone up for Emma to see, pointing to two words that said looky mia.

“Looky mia?” Emma tipped her head to one side. “Is that Spanish?”

“Mija is.” Felicia’s brow creased. “But Sofia knows how to spell that.” She repeated the message. “Don’t worry about my looky mia . . . looky mia.” Felicia looked at Emma with a stricken expression. “Do you think she means leukemia?”

Emma knew that this had been troubling Felicia. “Well, you knew that Sofia had that test. Maybe she’s just concerned that you’re still worried.”

Felicia slipped her phone back into her little handbag. “Yeah, that’s probably it.”

As they rode through the increasingly busy traffic, the two girls stopped talking and laughing. Finally, Emma knew she needed to say something. “Let’s pray for Sofia,” she said urgently. “Let’s pray right now, Felicia. That’s better than worrying about her.”

Sitting there in their sparkly, fancy dresses, the two girls bowed their heads and prayed that Sofia would be well and fine. They had just said “amen” when their driver announced that they’d reached their destination.

“Thanks,” Felicia said quietly to Emma as they climbed out.

“And now we are going to have fun,” Emma told her. “No more worrying about things we don’t really know about. Okay?”

Felicia nodded with a slightly uneasy expression. “Okay.”

For the next couple of hours, they sat among the others who were there to watch the actors and actresses as they strode along the red carpet. They laughed and took photos. By the time it was over, and all of the celebs had disappeared into the theater, both Emma and Felicia were ready to call it a night.

“Aren’t you girls going to the Oscar party?” a young woman who’d been sitting next to them asked.

“What party?” Emma asked.

The woman explained how a bunch of them were getting together at a bar and grill to watch the Oscars. “You guys can come too.”

Emma thanked her, explaining that they planned to watch the Oscars from their hotel. “My mom is waiting for us.”

The young woman looked disappointed, but Emma and Felicia were both relieved to get back into the limo that was waiting to take them back. It had been a long few days and, although seeing all those stars on the red carpet had been exciting, Emma was suddenly eager for it all to be over.

“I don’t think I’d be cut out for the lifestyle of a celebrity,” she confessed as they were driven back to the hotel.

“Me neither.” Felicia had her phone out again.

“Who are you texting?” Emma asked.

“Mama.” Felicia kept her head down as she typed furiously. “I want to know what’s up with Sofia.”

By the time they reached the hotel, Felicia’s mother had responded with a phone call. Emma could hear the conversation between them—and she could hear the pain in Felicia’s mother’s voice.

“I told Sofia I didn’t want you to know about this,” she said sadly. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

“So it’s true?” Felicia demanded. “Sofia really has leukemia?”

“It’s true.”

Tears began to stream down Felicia’s cheeks, but she kept her voice calm, and Emma placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What are they going to do, Mama?” she asked quietly. “Can they help her to get well?”

“She’ll start treatments this week. The good news is that we know what’s wrong now. And the doctor promises to do everything possible.”

Felicia talked to her mom for several minutes. Emma was impressed with how brave she sounded, but when she hung up she crumbled into sobs. Emma hugged her, trying to assure her friend that it would be okay—although Emma had no idea if that was even possible. What did it mean when an eight-year-old got something as serious as leukemia?

By Monday afternoon, Emma was more than ready to say good-bye to LA. Oh, it had been interesting and fun—but it was also exhausting and noisy and slightly stressful. She could tell that Felicia was anxious to get home too. In fact, her mom seemed the only one reluctant to leave. “Would you want to live in a place like this?” Emma asked as they were riding to the airport.

“I used to think I would,” her mom admitted. “Before I married your dad, I had dreams of moving to a big city and living a completely different kind of life.”

“Really?” Emma was slightly intrigued. She couldn’t imagine her mom living in a place this big and busy.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “But then Edward came along, and then you, and I was so busy being a mom and a wife . . . and then having to make a living . . . Well, naturally my girlish dreams had to be set aside.” She made a wistful-sounding sigh. “Time to get back to reality, huh?”

Emma felt guilty. She knew that her mom had been totally blindsided when Emma’s dad stepped out of the marriage. And she knew that Mom worked hard just to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. And, despite some scholarship help, Edward’s college tuition was not cheap either. Not to mention that Dad’s child-support payments had been less than regular. No wonder her mom was feeling blue.

“I’ll be out of high school next year,” Emma said halfheartedly. “You could always move to a big city after I leave for college.”

Her mom just laughed. “Tempting . . . but I think that ship has sailed.”

Emma glanced at Felicia. She seemed pretty absorbed with her phone. “Any news from home?” Emma asked.

Felicia’s mouth twisted to one side. “Mom and Sofia are getting ready to go to the cancer center right now. It’s about a three-hour drive and Sofia has appointments tomorrow.” She looked close to tears. “They have to leave before I get home.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Emma’s mom reached over to grasp Felicia’s hand. “That’s too bad. But you must be relieved that your sister is getting into treatment so quickly. I’ve heard that early treatment like this can make a big difference in the recovery.”

“How long will your mom and sister be gone?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know. It sounds like it’s going to take a while.”

“Maybe you can go up there to see your sister on the weekend,” Emma’s mom suggested.

“Yeah . . . I hope so.”

The car got quiet as they rode to the airport. Emma could tell that Felicia was really worried about Sofia, but she didn’t know what more she could say to help. She remembered how devastated she’d been when Grandpa died last year. But at least he’d enjoyed a long, full life. Sofia was only eight. What if she died?

“We’ll all be praying for Sofia,” Emma finally said as their driver exited for the LAX terminal. “I texted Cass and the others last night . . . I mean, the ones who pray. I asked them all to remember to pray for Sofia.” Emma hadn’t told Devon the sad news yet. Not because she meant to keep it from her, but because she had specifically targeted the friends who believed in prayer. Devon didn’t exactly fall into that category.

“Yeah . . . thanks.” Felicia nodded sadly. “Prayers are important.”

Before long, the three of them were in the security line. As they waited, Felicia quietly coached Emma, reminding her to have her boarding pass and ID ready. “And make sure you know which bag has your Ziploc of toiletries.”

When the time came, Emma wasn’t nearly as nervous and, to her delight, she passed through all the checkpoints without any serious mess-ups.

“You’re an old pro now,” Felicia told her as they headed for their gate.

Emma laughed. “Well, thanks to your help.”

While Emma’s mom went to the restroom, Felicia and Emma took some last selfies to send to their friends. They both tried to smile big and look like they were still having the time of their lives, but when Emma checked the photos, she could tell that neither of their smiles looked completely genuine.

“On our way home.” Felicia said the words aloud as she typed. “Can’t wait.”

Everyone was quiet as Mom drove them home from the airport. The streets were wet from a recent rain shower and the sun was just going down.

“It’s been a real pleasure getting to know you better,” Mom was telling Felicia as she slowed down for the Ruezes’ house.

“Thank you, Mrs.—I mean, Susan.” Felicia smiled. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you too.”

“I’ll be praying for Sofia,” Mom assured her as she pulled into the driveway. “For your whole family.”

“Thank you,” Felicia said again.

“See you in school tomorrow,” Emma said as she helped Felicia get her things out of the trunk. She paused to give her friend a quick hug. “It’s going to be okay for Sofia. I just know it is.”

Felicia just nodded. “Yeah. I think so too.”

“Felicia!” Mr. Ruez emerged from the house, eagerly running toward his daughter and scooping her up. “You’re home, mija!”

Emma waved, then got back into the car.

“I’m glad her dad was there to meet her,” Mom said as she backed up. “Their family is going through a difficult trial.”

“At least they’re a family.” Emma instantly regretted her words and how they sounded. “I mean, it’s good that they have each other, you know?”

Mom nodded somberly. “Yeah. I know.”

“We’re a family too,” Emma said quickly. “You and me and Edward.”

“We definitely are. Just not the same as Felicia’s family.”

“But I’m happy for the Ruez family,” Emma added. “I mean, it’s actually kind of nice that some of my friends come from happy homes. Well, I know they’re not all happy—just because their parents are still married. That would be assuming a lot. But I guess it’s reassuring that some of my friends’ parents seem happy . . . and are still married.”

Her mom smiled at her. “It’s actually reassuring to me too, honey. Gives me hope.”

Emma sighed. “And as weird as it sounds, it’s kind of reassuring to have Devon around too.”

“You mean because her home situation is similar to ours?” Mom’s brow creased with concern.

“To be honest, I did feel like that at first. And there definitely are some similarities. But the stuff she and her mom have gone through—although it’s sad and I feel sorry for Devon—it’s actually made me really thankful that you’re not like that, Mom. I mean, like Lisa.”

Her mom smiled. “I’m thankful too. And although I still try to be friends with Lisa, it’s not easy. I don’t like some of the decisions she’s been making. And I keep thinking she’ll wake up one of these days and that she’ll get back to her old self. But something happens to a woman, Emma, when the husband she loved and trusted dumps her for another woman. It really takes a toll on your self-esteem.”

“Yeah . . .” Emma nodded. “I know.”

“But it is possible to recover.”

“You have, Mom.”

Her mom laughed as she pulled into their driveway. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I think it’s an ongoing process. Maybe I should just say I’m in a recovery program.”

Emma laughed. “Hey, that works.” As she gathered her bags and stuff, she felt so glad to be home. The trip to LA had been amazing and it actually had some incredible moments. Plus they’d gotten some awesome photos on the red carpet last night. And she would have some great stories to tell her friends at school tomorrow. Even so, it wasn’t the kind of thing Emma would ever want to do on a regular basis. Leave Beverly Hills and red carpets to girls like Bryn and Devon. As she followed Mom into their humble little house, Emma decided that she was—at heart—just a small-town girl. And that was just how she liked it.