"Bigmistake," Kiran said, lifting a hand near her shoulder. "Don't you know that whatever you're wearing when you ring in the New Year sets the tone for the entire year?"
"What is that, some kind of supermodel Zen? " Noelle asked, lifting her thick hair over her shoulder and leaning back on her elbows. She tipped her face toward the sun and let her hair dangle to the ground.
"No! It's a proven fact," Kiran replied, dead serious. "When I was twelve I wore Marchesa on New Year's Eve, and that's the year I signed my first modeling contract. But remember what I was wearing junior year?"
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Taylor narrowed her eyes behind her frameless Michael Kors sunglasses. "Wasn't that the year you were in the hospital getting your tonsils out?"
"Yes! Exactly! Poly-blend hospital nightgown and paper slippers. And, as we all know, that year sucked like no year has ever sucked before," Kiran said, taking a long, cheek-hollowing sip from her straw. Then she set her glass down and sat up, her posture model]
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perfect. "Make sure you dress appropriately, Reed. If anyone needs a good year, it's you."
"Thanks," I replied, looking down at my feet as I circled them in the water. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Who had the banana mango?" Amberly asked as she and Tiffany returned from the house.
"That would be me," I said, lookingup at them. From the corner of my eye, I saw Poppy and Paige whispering again and my heart dropped like a stone. "You guys . . . can I ask you something? It's about Casino Night."
An uncomfortable silence descended. Guess they thought that was a night I wouldn't want to talk about anytime soon.
"What's up?" Tiffany asked finally, settling in next to Kiran.
"It's just ... I heard that Paige and Daniel mysteriously disappeared from the casino right around the time I was . . . you know." I paused, letting the wave of dread and fear crash over me and pass. "Do you guys remember that at all?"
"Why? I thought they already arrested Marquis," Amberly said. "I thought he confessed and everything."
"He did," Noelle replied. "You've gotta let this go, Reed."
"I know, I know. It's just, those three have been talking about me behind my back and it's starting to drive me crazy," I said, glancing over my shoulder at the evil triad. They saw me and quickly turned away from each other. "I was just wondering. . ."
"Actually, they did leave," Taylor said, putting her glass down.
"What?" Noelle said.
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"They did?" My heart began to race.
"I remember it because Daniel was right in the middle of a winning streak at craps and Paige totally pulled him away. Remember?" Taylor said to Kiran. "You had to finish his roll."
"I remember crapping out," Kiran said bitterly.
"They were gone for a while," Taylor said, looking at the others. "I don't even remember seeing them again until we were all going out to search for Reed."
Once again, my friends fell silent. I felt sick to my stomach and set my untouched smoothie aside. Where had Paige and Daniel gone? Had the police arrested the wrong man? But they had found the necklace. Then again, how hard would it have been to plant it there?
Suddenly I heard a shout from inside the house and everyone on the patio except the cavorting boys in the pool turned to look. Someone was yelling. Two someones. And I realized with a start that one of them was Upton. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but a sudden crash startled everyone to their feet.
"What the hell?" Paige blurted, jumping up from her chair.
She raced across the patio area to the wall of glass doors that fronted her living room. The rest of us were right on her heels. As we walked inside, the frigid, air- conditioned air hit me like a slap to the face. On the floor was a hammered-metal vase, the big yellow flowers it used to hold strewn in an arcing pattern across the tile. Upton and Daniel were facing off in the middle of the living room, and Daniel was red with rage.
"Just give it to me and I might not kick your ass!" Daniel said, holding out his hand.
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