“Geez, Gentry,” Sophie drawls. “Are you trying to scare us to death?”
“I’m sorry, Ariel,” I say. “But Emily’s not here. Do either of you know where she might have gone?”
“Nope,” Sophie says. “But if she’s not here, she’s probably at that stupid party you wouldn’t let her go to.”
“Dawson’s party?” Ariel asks. “She’s way too young for that.”
“Which I told her when she was crying to me about Gentry not letting her go. But she’s a brat, and she thinks Dawson’s a nice guy.”
“Who’s Dawson?” My heart is hammering in my ears and my body is fired up, ready to run a marathon to find my sister.
“The guy who invited her to the party,” Sophie says. “He’s a junior.”
“A junior,” I screech. “She told me one of her friends was throwing the party, one of her ninth-grade friends.”
Sophie, lit by the TV screen, shrugs. “She lied. I would have told you if you were going to let her go, but for once you weren’t a total idiot.”
I wrap my arms tight around my middle, desperate to calm my panic. “I wouldn’t have gone out tonight if I’d known she could be picked up by a junior. None of her friends can drive, so I thought I was safe. I thought she’d listen when I told her she can’t go.”
“Right,” Sophie says. “Because she’s so great about doing what you say.”
“Sophie,” Ariel says. “Be nice to your sister. She’s scared for Emily.”
“She’ll be fine,” Sophie says.
“Damn right she’ll be fine,” I say. “Because you’re coming with me to get her. Ariel, you’re welcome to stay here until we get back.”
Sophie leaps to her feet and squares off against me. “I’m not going to that stupid party.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ariel says. “If Bennett says anything to you, I’ll kick him in the shin.”
“Who’s Bennett?” I ask, getting more and more nervous about the kind of people Emily’s at a party with.
“He’s—” Ariel starts.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sophie says. “We aren’t going.”
“Sophie,” I say, as calmly as I can through clenched teeth. “Do you understand that if CPS finds out about this, you and Emily will be taken from me and sent to live with your great aunt?”
Sophie’s eyes go wide for only a moment, before she blanks her expression. “How are they going to find out about it?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Because a neighbor calls in a complaint and the police show up or this Dawson idiot leaves Emily with no way home and some adult calls the police to get her home or she does something stupid like drinking too much and gets alcohol poisoning and ends up in the hospital or—”
“Oh, my God. Fine. Let’s go.” She stomps past me and up the stairs.
“She’s having a bad week,” Ariel says. “Bennett Grady dumped her and started dating the most popular girl in school.”
“I didn’t even know she was dating anyone.”
Ariel pats my shoulder. “Sophie’s very private. Don’t worry, I’m sure Emily’s fine.”
“You sure your mom will be okay with you going to this party?”
“I already texted her. It’s fine.” She starts past me, but stops. “Don’t worry. Mom would never call CPS on you. She says all the time how lucky Sophie is to have you.”
My throat goes tight. Right now, I doubt Sophie or Emily feels lucky at all. “Thanks, Ariel.”
I hurry up the stairs behind her. It’s only once we’re all in my car that Sophie breaks the bad news that she has no idea where the party is.
