Normally, the conversation would be over, but Caroline thought about what Aria had said, about listening, and paying attention, and how she had been the one doing most of the ignoring.
“Hey,” continued Caroline. “You’re a swimmer, aren’t you?”
Ginny raised a brow. She shot a glance across the cafeteria toward Table 7 — toward Lily — but then nodded and said, “Yeah. Backstroke.” Ginny paused and said, “You like to swim, too, don’t you?”
Caroline brightened. “How did you know?”
Ginny gave her a crooked smile. “I heard you got a Saturday school for cutting class to take a swim. Is that true?”
Caroline groaned. “Yeah. Kind of. I mean, not really.” The line moved forward and so did they. “I did go in the pool, but I didn’t really have a choice.”
“I can’t swim,” said Aria behind her. “I fell in, and Caroline jumped in and pulled me out.”
Ginny’s eyes widened. “Whoa, is that true?”
They hit the checkout, paid, and made their way toward the tables.
“It’s no big deal,” said Caroline.
“She totally saved my life,” said Aria. “You should have seen it!”
Ginny smiled. “That’s pretty cool,” she said as they reached her table. “Hey, Elle,” she said to the dark-haired girl already sitting down. “Did you know Caroline here saved Aria’s life?”
“No way,” said Elle, looking up.
“Yes way,” said Aria. “I almost drowned. Lucky for me Caroline’s a good swimmer.”
Caroline blushed. A few other girls turned toward her, and she realized they were hovering at the edge of Table 2.
“Well?” said Ginny. “You want to sit down?”
Caroline spent the rest of lunch telling the girls at Table 2 about the swimming pool incident. It didn’t help that Aria kept making the story bigger, the diving board higher, the fall more dangerous, the fear of drowning ever-present (even though Caroline was pretty sure the guardian angel could have stayed underwater for days and been perfectly fine).
“Yeah,” said Elle, “but what were you guys doing by the pool in the first place?”
Caroline glanced across the cafeteria at Table 7, and was surprised to find Lily staring at her.
“Someone,” said Aria, “stole our uniforms, and hung them on top of the diving board.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “This school.”
The bell rang, and for the first time in weeks, Caroline didn’t want lunch to end. It had been so nice to have a table to sit at. To have people to talk to. And then, as they all got up to clear their trays, Caroline overheard Elle whisper in Ginny’s ear. “Did you see the way Lily was looking at us?”
Caroline’s chest twisted, but Ginny only shrugged.
“Let her look,” said Ginny. “If she hangs my clothes from the diving board, I’ll go and get them down.”
“Try not to fall in,” said Aria earnestly.
The girls broke into laughter, and Caroline let out a sigh of relief. Aria was right. Apparently not everyone at Westgate worshipped at the altar of Lily Pierce.
“Hey,” said Ginny, turning to Caroline, “want to sit with us tomorrow?”
Aria beamed, and Caroline felt like she was glowing from the inside out. “I’d love to.”
Her heart raced when she said it. Not with fear, but excitement. It felt like the first day of school. Like the first day of life.
It felt, she realized, like a fresh start.
That night, Aria sat in her tree house, trying to decide what to do. She fiddled with her charm bracelet as her mind drifted, like smoke, through the problem. Caroline was on her way, but Lily —
A car door slammed across the street. Aria watched as Lily Pierce got out and went inside her house, tendrils of blue smoke trailing behind her like a cape.
While Caroline’s smoke was thinning, Lily’s was thicker than ever. It coiled around her, the way it had the night before, when she snapped at Erica and Whitney. The way it had at lunch that day, when Caroline smiled and laughed with Ginny and Elle.
Aria knew she was supposed to be helping Lily, too. But how? She’d tried to talk to her in the hallway at school that afternoon, but Lily made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her. She walked right past Aria, as if she were invisible, even though she wasn’t (Aria had checked to make sure).
Aria heard someone padding toward the tree. She got up, expecting Caroline, but as the rope ladder groaned under the person’s weight, Aria could tell it wasn’t her.
She had just enough time to make herself invisible before a small blond head popped up through the space in the floor. It was a boy. His eyes went wide. Aria may have made herself vanish, but she hadn’t vanished anything else, not the pillows or the schoolbag or the phone or the pretty twinkling lights.
The boy looked around and took a deep breath. “Mooooom!” he called out at the top of his lungs, before disappearing back through the hole in the floor. “Mom!” Aria heard him shouting as he ran across the lawn. “Someone is living in my tree house! A girl is living in my tree house!”
As soon as he was gone, Aria snapped her fingers, and the pillows and the schoolbag and the phone and the pretty twinkling lights disappeared one by one, like candle flames. By the time the boy managed to drag his mother out of the house, across the lawn, and up the ladder, the tree house was as empty — only a beanbag and a shelf — as she’d found it. Aria perched on the windowsill and crossed her arms, invisible.
“Jamie,” said his mom, exasperated, “what on earth has gotten into you?”
“There was someone’s stuff here!” exclaimed the boy. “I swear —”
“You and your imagination.”
“But I swear —”
“Enough. This is why you can’t have candy before bed.” And with that, she dragged him away.
Aria sighed and became visible again. One by one, her things flickered back into sight. The last twinkling light reappeared just as she heard Caroline call from the base of the ladder and start climbing up.
“You’re getting better at that!” said Aria as Caroline hoisted herself up into the tree house.
“I am,” said Caroline, only a little shaky. “As long as I don’t look down …”
Aria smiled. And then she saw the plastic box under Caroline’s arm. “What’s that?”
Caroline held up the container. “Cookies,” she said. “Mom made them. I hope you like chocolate chip.”
Aria had yet to find a kind of cookie she didn’t like. The two girls sat on the tree house floor and ate. But Aria could feel her attention tugging now and then toward Lily’s house. She fiddled with her charm bracelet again.
“How come it only has one charm?” asked Caroline.
“I have to earn the rest,” said Aria.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you see these three rings?” asked Aria, pointing to the small metal circles on her bracelet. “Every time I help someone, I get a feather on one of them.”
“Ah, so you’re, like, literally earning your wings.”
Aria nodded. “I earned my first feather,” she said, touching the small silver pendant, “for helping a girl named Gabby. And once I help you, I’ll earn another feather. But see how this ring is different?” She held it up so Caroline could see the way the middle ring was actually two rings, intertwined. “That’s because you’re not the only one I’m supposed to be helping here.”
“Who else …” started Caroline. And then her eyes went to the photo on the wall, the one with threads of blue smoke wrapping not just around Caroline, but around Lily, too. “No,” Caroline said quietly. “No way.”
“I don’t pick who I’m here to help.”
Caroline jumped to her feet, her face red. “But why would Lily Pierce need a guardian angel?”
“I don’t know.” Aria sighed. “And I don’t know how to help her.”
“You told me this was about me,” said Caroline. “But it’s about us, isn’
t it? Both of us. Maybe if you help one of us, the other will get better.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Aria. “That’s what I hoped. But your smoke is getting better, and Lily’s smoke is getting worse. And she doesn’t seem to want my help.”
And then Aria froze, a cookie halfway to her mouth. She repeated the line in her head, only this time she changed the emphasis. She doesn’t seem to want my help.
But what about Caroline’s? Maybe Aria wasn’t supposed to help Lily, not directly. Maybe she was supposed to help Caroline so she could help Lily.
“Lily’s always been stubborn,” Caroline was saying, shaking her head. “I still care about her, I guess. Even after all she’s done. Even though we can’t be friends. It’s weird, isn’t it? I like her, even though she obviously hates me.”
“I don’t think she hates you,” said Aria. “I think she’s lost.”
“Part of me never wants to see her again,” said Caroline, “but the rest of me wishes we could just talk. One on one. Without Erica and Whitney and everyone else watching.”
A light went off inside Aria’s head. She smiled and took another cookie. “Maybe you can.”
Caroline half expected it all to be a dream. Or worse, another prank. She thought she’d get to lunch on Friday, and sit down at Table 2, and Ginny and Elle and Renée and Amanda would look at her like she was crazy. But they didn’t. When she brought her tray over, Ginny looked up and grinned at her.
Relief poured over Caroline and she sat down.
“There you are,” said Ginny. “We were just talking about you.”
Caroline’s smile faltered. “You were?”
“Yeah,” chimed in Elle. “We’re having a sleepover on Friday. Do you want to come?”
Caroline brightened. “Really?” she asked, a little too excited.
“Relax,” said Elle. “It’s just a sleepover.”
“Yeah,” said Renée. “It’ll be fun. Movies. Popcorn. Pillow forts.”
Caroline’s spirits lifted. “Can I bring Aria?” she asked, pointing back toward the lunch line, where the guardian angel was holding Jell-O cups up to the light.
The girls at Table 2 looked Aria’s way, and for a moment, it was like they’d forgotten who she was. Like she’d slipped out of their minds (which was weird, because Aria was the brightest, boldest thing in Caroline’s life). It wasn’t the first time it had happened. Caroline had asked Aria about it, and Aria had only shrugged and said, “People notice me when they need to.”
But after a second of staring, Ginny shrugged and said, “Sure.”
“Give me your phone,” said Elle. “I’ll put in the address.”
Caroline pulled her phone out and passed it to Elle as Aria finally came over and sat down.
“You want to come to a sleepover tonight?” Caroline asked Aria, eyes pleading. Nothing would go wrong if Aria was with her.
“Sure,” said Aria with a smile, and then a second later, “What’s a sleepover?”
The girls at the table looked at her like she was an alien. Which wasn’t too far off. “You know,” said Caroline, nudging Aria with her elbow. “Where everyone gets together at someone’s house and plays games and sleeps over.”
“Oh …” said Aria. “Oh, yeah, of course. Obviously.”
“Great,” said Ginny. “Oh, and bring a swimsuit,” she added.
Caroline stiffened. “Why?”
“I have a pool and the weather is supposed to be warm,” she said. She looked over at Aria. “You going to be okay? There’s a shallow end. We can teach you how to swim.”
Aria beamed. “That would be great,” she said. “I know how to float, but only underwater.”
The girls laughed, but Caroline felt a ripple of panic roll through her. She saw herself standing in front of Lily’s house in her blue and green and white bikini. Heard herself knocking on the door, and the muffled giggle on the other side, and —
Then Aria squeezed her arm. Caroline blinked, and the memory dissolved.
“We’ll be there,” Aria was saying. “We can’t wait.”
“You’ve never been to a sleepover?” asked Caroline as they walked to class.
Aria shook her head. “There are a lot of things I haven’t done.”
“Like what?”
Aria shrugged. “How do I know if I haven’t done them?”
“Well,” said Caroline. “Have you been to the ocean?” Aria shook her head. “Eaten pizza? Been to a dance? Had a crush on a boy?”
Aria blushed. “No.”
“We’re going to have to work on that,” said Caroline. They passed Ms. Opeline’s office. She was standing in the doorway, and smiled at Caroline as they went past. Caroline smiled back, but kept walking.
“Are you excited about tonight?” asked Aria.
“I’m nervous,” admitted Caroline. “It’s just … what if …” What if it’s all a trap? What if they don’t like me? What if …
“You have to give people a chance,” said Aria. “They’re giving you a chance, aren’t they?” It was true. Ginny and Elle didn’t have to invite her along. “Besides,” said Aria, “they might surprise you.”
But that’s what Caroline was afraid of. She felt like she was walking through a booby-trapped world, waiting for the mines to go off.
Friday after school, Aria sat cross-legged on Caroline’s bed while Caroline packed an overnight bag, stressing over every single hair clip and sock.
“Sleepovers are supposed to be fun, right?” asked Aria, fiddling with her laces, which she’d turned bright blue.
“Yeah,” murmured Caroline, dumping out her bag for the fifth time and starting over.
“So why do you look so miserable?”
Caroline sighed. “I’m not. I just … I want to get this right.” After spending the whole week in a uniform, picking out regular clothes seemed impossible. What should she wear? What would they wear?
“Just be you,” said Aria, hopping down off the bed. “Here, close your eyes.”
Caroline sighed and did as Aria said.
“If no one was going to see you, what would you wear?”
Caroline started to say that it was a stupid question, since people were going to see her, but she stopped herself and tried to think of an answer. On weekends, around the house, she usually wore jeans and a T-shirt. Her favorite was this shirt with a galaxy on the front. It was soft from wear, but the colors were still bright. And she had these pink flats that Lily had told her were out of style, so Caroline had stopped wearing them.
Caroline kept her eyes closed as she told Aria about the outfit. She felt a breeze around her, a flutter of fabric, and when she blinked and looked down, she was wearing the clothes, just as she’d described them, which was amazing because she’d lost that galaxy shirt three months ago.
“How …” started Caroline, but she realized it was a silly thing to ask a girl who could make things out of nothing. Instead she smiled and said, “Thanks, Aria. I feel …” She looked down at her shoes. “Like me.”
Aria beamed, and the lights in the room brightened. Then Aria summoned up a new outfit for herself, too — pink jeans and a bright blue top.
Caroline checked her watch and groaned. “We’re going to be late.” Her parents were really happy that Caroline was going to a sleepover, but they weren’t home yet to drive the girls over. And walking would take a while.
Aria’s smile widened. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I know a shortcut.”
She snapped her fingers, and her shadow turned on like a light.
Aria’s shadow put them out in front of a pretty yellow house with a green door. Aria reattached her shadow while Caroline stared up at the house as if it might eat her.
Don’t think of Lily’s. Don’t think of Lily’s. Don’t think of Lily’s, she willed herself, even though she couldn’t not think of Lily’s place.
“After you,” said Aria. Caroline took the lead, and Aria followed her up the front steps. When they reached the do
or, she took a deep breath, and willed herself to ring the bell.
At first, no one answered.
Oh no, thought Caroline. No. No. It was going to be like Lily’s place all over again.
“This was a mistake,” said Caroline, taking a step back. “Maybe we should —”
And then the door swung open, and Ginny stood there, breathless.
“Sorry,” she said. “We were out back, didn’t hear the bell.”
“It’s okay,” said Aria, even though Caroline felt woozy.
“Come on in,” said Ginny. When Caroline hesitated, she laughed. “We don’t bite.”
Aria put her hand on Caroline’s shoulder and nudged the girl over the threshold.
“Oh hey,” Ginny added. “Cool shirt.”
Aria quickly decided sleepovers were her new favorite thing. Better than cupcakes, or fresh apples, or fall leaves. Sleepovers were made of snacks and laughter, swimming pools and music. And everyone seemed so relaxed.
She was used to being around sad girls, girls twined in smoke and trouble, girls who needed her help. But it was nice, for once, to be surrounded by happy ones. And it helped that those girls seemed to make Caroline happy, too. The more Caroline was around them, the more her smoke seemed to thin.
Aria sat on the lip of the pool, her legs sloshing back and forth in the water. She was wearing a sunshine-yellow bathing suit, and these strange floaties on her arms like little plastic wings (Aria didn’t think she needed them, but Ginny’s mom had insisted, and they made Caroline smile, so Aria didn’t mind, even if she looked a little silly).
Sitting there, Aria felt like a normal girl. Like she belonged. It wasn’t something she’d ever wanted before, ever thought of, but she liked it. She made herself stop and remember that it wouldn’t last, that she wasn’t like the other girls. But that made her sad, and since she didn’t want that sadness or worry to rub off on Caroline, she decided to just enjoy the feeling while she could.
Aria stared down at her reflection in the water, squinting at the empty space over the shoulders of her yellow bathing suit. If she made the world blur, she could almost see the start of wings.