A few hours later, Emily walked up the front steps of a huge white Victorian on Emerson Road in Old Hollis,

the hip neighborhood next to Hollis College. Itwas t he only house on the block with loud music pulsing from its seams, lights in eve ry window, and cars parked on the grass, so Emily figured it wasCassie s. A couple of kids were making drunken angels in the light dusting of snow. Everyone seeme d to know one another, and she already felt out of place. She d asked Aria to come with her, but Aria had to help her dad get wreaths or logs or something ready f or the Winter Solstice.The front door was shut tight. Emily was deliberating ove r what to do knock? Just go in? when the door burst open and a girl wearing a very s hortdress and thigh-high snow boots and a guy in a Santa beard and a HOLLIS BEER CRAWL T-shirt tumbled out onto the porch, giggling. They held the door open for Emily, and she slipped inside.The scent of stale beer instantly assaulted her. People crammed the rooms, talking loudly. A small Christmas tree decorated with white l ights rotatedslowly on a plastic pedestal. A high-tech-looking stereo pumped out music, and a flat-screen TV was tuned to Comedy Central, not that anyone waswat ching. A gray cat perched on the stairs, licking her paws. When a girl barreled down from the second floor, spilling her cup of beer as she went, the catscreech ed and took off.There was no one at the party Emily even remotely recognized. Sh e passed through the living room into a dining room with a stately old table lad en withbooze, and then into the kitchen, which had a stainless-steel fridge and expensive-looking pots and pans hanging from a rack above the island. Pinned upt o the fridge was a neon-yellow Post-it that said, Cassie is a slutty beast! There were black bananas in a hanging basket over the oven, and a ton of dishes were piled in the sink. Emily wondered if Cassie was holding down the fort while her parents were away on vacation.When her gaze clapped on the view of the Holl is spire out the back window, a pathway connected in her brain. The field hockey party she and Ali hadattended all those years ago was in this very same house. It had been in the dining room behind her that Cassie plied Ali with vodka and R ed Bulls andignored Emily completely. Oops, a voice said behind Emily. She turned j ust as a burly guy, wearing a T-shirt that had a drawing of a penis on it, spill ed half his beer on her arm. Hey! Emily cried, drawing back. Her sleeve was drenche d. Sorry, the guy half-spoke, half-belched. He wandered away.The hip-hop song rose in volume, making Emily s head ache. After toweling off her sleeve, she escaped ba ck into the dining room, which was slightlyless crowded. A guy stood behind the table, pouring vodka into a red plastic cup. He raised his eyes to Emily. What ar e you having? Cassie s makingme be bartender so no one hogs the booze. Oh, uh, I ll jus t have some orange juice. Emily pointed to the first nonalcoholic beverage she sa w, thinking of her mother s advice not to drink. A slow smirk rolled across the gu y s face. It s not like I m going to card you. Really. Orange juice is fine, Emily insiste , feeling like the most prudish girl in the universe.She took the red cup from t he guy at least now she had something to do with her hands and wandered through the crowd, looking for Cassie andthe elves. People stared past her apathetically as though she wasn t even there.Then the crowd parted, and she spotted four figures l ounging on plastic lawn chairs next to the radiator in the front room. It was Ca ssie, dressed in aleather skirt and a tie-dyed baby tee. She d bleached her blue h air to white blond, though it was nothing like the blond hair from her field hoc key days.Heather, Sophie, and Lola, each in similarly skimpy outfits, sat next t o her, whispering and looking smug.Emily pushed through the throng toward them. When only a few people stood between Emily and the elves, a tall boy leaned over Cassie, grinningmysteriously. I heard you guys have been raising hell all over t own. Is it true? Cassie gave him a cryptic smile. That s what elves do, isn t it? That s fo us to know and you to wonder about, Heather added. You guys rock, the guy said, giv ing Lola a fist bump.Then Cassie looked up and stared squarely at Emily. Emily f elt a swoop in her stomach and waved, but Cassie just peered through her. Lola g lanced inEmily s direction too, but she gave Emily the same blank, unwelcoming exp ression.Emily shrank back. A high-pitched giggle lilted through the air. She kne w the laugh was meant for her.She drank the orange juice, pretending it was booz e. So this

was just a big joke. The elves wanted to make it clear how big of a loser she was. S heducked into the empty hall bathroom, feeling tears rush to her eyes. After fid dling with the old-timey glass knob so that the door actually shut, she ploppedd own on the side of the tub and placed her head in her hands. Talk about dj vu she d lo cked herself in this very same bathroom at the party in seventhgrade, shortly af ter Ali had headed upstairs with Cassie. The pain she d felt back then was still s o palpable. It felt like Ali had been breaking up with her and, in a way, she had been.Emily stood up, padded over to the mirror, and stared hard at her reflectio n. Get over it, she told the mirror. You re not that seventh grader anymore.You re stro nger than you used to be. She splashed cold water on her face and walked into the front room again. The crowd was just as thick, but she used her elbows to maneuv er betweenkids until she was face-to-face with the elves. Emily tapped Cassie on the shoulder. Cassie squinted at Emily, her mouth pinched into a sneer. Thanks fo r inviting me, Emily said sarcastically. I ve had a blast. Cassie peered at her from u nder her white-blond bangs. Who the hell are you? Emily wanted to groan. You know who I am. Emily. Emily? Cassie looked at Heather, Sophie, and Lola, who were now pee ring curiously at her, too. Ring any bells, girls? I didn t invite anyone named Emily, Lola said, slightly slurring her words. Me neither, Sophie and Heather piped up.Cassie rolled her eyes. Did my brother invite you? I told him we were way over capacity. You invited me! Emily exclaimed. It s Emily Fields! Santa! It was as if a light went on over Cassie s head. She smiled. Santa? I didn t recognize you without your beard! Guys, it s Santa ! Santa! Heather whooped. Wassup? Hey, Santa, Sophie said. You should have worn your hat la looked annoyed. How were we supposed to know it s you? Hang on a sec. Cassie shot up and disappeared into a back room. Moments later, she appeared with another lawn chair and plunked it down next toher. Here you go, Santa. Hang out with us. What can I get you to drink? Emily blinked at the empty chair, then stared at the two inches of orange juice left in her cup. Um, how about a vodka and Red Bull? Excellen t choice. Cassie winked. Those used to be my favorite. I know , Emily wanted to say. She sat in the lawn chair, suddenly feeling kind of amazi ng. Just like that, the party had gotten much, much moreinteresting.

Chapter 7The Cool Crowd More vodka, anyone? Cassie raised a bottle of Absolut in the air and shook it. A bit of liquid sloshed in the bottom. Me, me! Lola raised her hand. So did Heather a nd Sophie. Instead of topping them off, Cassie made a beeline for Emily, gluggin g a good threeshots worth into her cup. I ve barely seen you take a sip, Santa! It was about an hour later, and although the party was still raging inside Cassie s hous e, the elves and Emily had formed a little VIP section in Cassie sbackyard, which had a big deck and a couple of heat lamps to fend off the cold. It was peaceful out there, though, with the stars in the dark sky making achandelier over their heads and the heat lamps providing a soothing warmth on their skin.The elves tal ked about the best college ragers they d ever been to, how lame the Devon Crest Ma ll was, and tales about the previous Santa at SantaLand, whose name was Fletcher , and who d apparently tried to make out with all four of the elves on the same da y. That dude was dying to get some, Cassie moaned, hand over her eyes. He didn t even care who it was. Remember that prissy-looking brunette girl who actually fell for h im? Lola snickered. I m convinced those two snuck off somewhere. Yeah, right. Cassie sni ffed. She wouldn t have gone for him. Even she wasn t that stupid. Nasty, huh, Santa? Lol a giggled, tapping Emily with her foot. Emily nodded. Speaking of gross guys. Cassi

e propped her feet on the deck rail. I can t believe what an asshole Colin s being to night. He hasn t said one word tome, not even thanks for inviting me to your party . Do you think I should try and talk to him, or should I just let it go? Forget him . Heather waved her hand as if to sweep him away. We re in the same boat. Lola slumped down in her chair. I saw Brian disappear up the stairs with Chelsea. I guess tha t was his way of telling me it sover between us. At least he didn t break up with you i n a Facebook post. Sophie lit a cigarette. I ll never forgive James for doing that t o me. That s a Yale boy for you. Cassie clucked her tongue. And you should never go out with someone from your dorm. Emily peered at Sophie. You go to Yale? Sophie shrugged . Yeah, but probably not for much longer. Cassie snickered. Oh, please. Sophie was v aledictorian at Prichard. She probably still does her homework the night it s assi gned. And the extra-credit. Nuh-uh. Sophie s braids bounced as she shook her head. I ve totally sli pped. Okay, Daddy does your homework, Cassie corrected. Are you still going to be a doctor, just like Daddy wants? Heather teased.Sophie blew a smoke ring. My grades this semester ble w. I probably won t be able to get into the premed program if I keep this up. My p arents aregoing to murder me when they find out. She said this toughly, but when she turned her head away there was a petrified look on her face.Heather must hav e sensed her fear, because she snickered and said, Poor little Sophie, under all that pressure. You were bound to crack sometime. Sophie whirled back around and sl apped the arm of her chair. At least my parents notice when I m a fuckup. Who s your dad spending all his time withthese days? One of The P ussycat Dolls? Cassie let out a loud guffaw. Heather raked her fingers angrily thr ough her pixie-short hair. Ha frickin ha, she said in a small voice, suddenly sound ingsober. Your dad knows The Pussycat Dolls? Emily asked, mostly to cut the tension .The elves turned their attention to Emily, almost like they d forgotten she was t here. Actually, no, Heather snapped. But he s a music producer andknows a lot of othe r artists. Knows them intimately , Lola said meaningfully. He brought one of the runners-up on American Idol to Heather s graduation party and was all over her. You should have seen Heather s f ace! Heather kicked her chair. Tell the whole world, why don t you? Like your life is so perfect? How s your brother? What rehab facility is he in these days? Lola s face paled. She didn t elaborate, but Emily remembered the name Rocco from the conversa tion Lola had had on her cell phone behind thegingerbread house earlier today. A silence fell over the group. Sophie puffed on her Marlboro Light, staring into the middle distance. Heather tapped her foot against the porch rail. Emilyshifte d her butt in the uncomfortable lawn chair, wishing she could find the right wor ds to say to make everything better. This reminded her of the dynamicbetween Ali , Emily, and her old friends at the end of seventh grade, especially when Ali hi nted at a secret she knew about one of them but the othersdidn t. Maybe there was some deep-seated animosity within this group, too.But in a strange way, hearing the elves secrets was also kind of reassuring. Like Emily, the girls were human. Fallible. Vulnerable. They had secrets Amight glom on to, if A were still around . It made her feel less alone.Cassie stretched in her chair. So what do you think , Santa? Do all guys suck? Emily pulled her hands inside her down coat. Pretty much . That s why I m into girls. All four heads whipped up. There was a long tip of ash a t the end of Sophie s cigarette, but she didn t flick it away. Yeah, right, Cassie sai d. It s true. Emily tried to sound nonchalant. I dated this girl named Maya in the fal l. It felt weird saying it out loud bragging about it, almost. But if therewas a gr oup she could tell this to without judgment, it was probably the elves.Cassie s ey es were wide. Are you out ? You could say that. Emily didn t bother adding that A had outed her against her wish

es. What did your parents say? Sophie gasped. They freaked, Emily admitted. But they ve c ome around, I guess. Whoa. Heather crossed her arms over her chest. Maybe I should tr y saying that to my parents. That would probably get them in the same room at thesame time. Cass ie leaned forward and blinked curiously at Emily. What would you do in my situati on with Colin? If Colin was a girl, and she wasn t speaking to youand acting all w eird, would you confront her or would you just blow her off? Emily sat back, amaze d Cassie was asking her for advice. I would talk to him, she decided. But I wouldn t be too clingy about it. Act like you don treally need him, like he needs you. If only she had done that wit h Ali when she d had the chance.Cassie nodded thoughtfully. Yeah, that s what I was t hinking, too. She cuffed Emily on the shoulder. A loud screech of feedback sudden ly sounded through two invisible speakers on the back porch. Then a song by JayZ blared out, and Lola got up andstarted twisting her hips. Oh my God, I almost f orgot, she said, pausing mid-twirl. I brought something for us. She disappeared into the house, returning a few seconds later with a crumpled paper bag that she upe nded on the ground. Cone-shaped fireworksspilled out. We had these left over from the summer. I thought it would be fun to set them off tonight. Sweet. Cassie grabbe d a rocket-shaped one from the bag without hesitation, placed it on the concrete , and lit the wick. Sparks flew off the longstriped tube, and everyone stepped b ack. Emily s heart thudded hard. She would always associate fireworks with The Jen na Thing