Free Bitter Demons by Sarra Cannon

long table. Several guys were standing around her. Her
legs were crossed and her palms rested firmly on the table. It
reminded me of a modern-day version of that scene from Gone With
The Wind when Scarlet O'Hara goes to the barbecue at Twelve Oaks.
The boys around here were transfixed.
    I walked over to say hello. In truth, I was
curious to see whether Meredith would know it was a trick. Would
she recognize the fact that the person in front of her wasn't
really her sister?
    "Hey," I said. "Having fun?"
    Meredith shot me a look of hatred, as if I
had interrupted the most important moment of her life. "Why are you
talking to me? Can't you see that I am having a serious
conversation with these gentleman?"
    "I just wanted to hang out," I said. "See
what you were up to."
    "Oh god," she said, dramatically rolling her
eyes. "Boys, will you excuse us for a moment?"
    I expected her to hop down off the table to
come talk to me in private, but instead it was the guys who walked
away. They scattered at her command, leaving us alone together,
Meredith still high on her mock-throne.
    "What have I told you about always trying to
hang out with me in public?" she said, shaking her head. "At
parties in particular?"
    I shrugged. "I don't remember?"
    She sighed, making an aggravated scratchy
noise in the back of her throat. "Seriously Caroline, don't be such
a brat. You know I can't stand it when you act like this. Just
leave me alone, okay? Go play with your own maggot friends and stop
trying to embarrass me in front of everyone."
    Her words stung. Is this the way she really
talked to her sister? There was no sign of recognition on her face.
Not even the slightest bit of indication that she realized
something was different about her sister.
    I could think of a million different things I
wanted to say to Princess Meredith right about now, but I didn't
want to get Caroline in any kind of trouble. I didn't completely
understand the dynamics at play here, so it wouldn't be fair to
risk getting her sister or her mother angry with her over something
I said.
    Instead, I bit my tongue and walked away.
Within seconds, Meredith's horde of boys was back and the sound of
her tinkling laughter could be heard above the pounding bass of the
music.
    I stepped into the dining room and grabbed a
plate of snack food. Strawberries. Chocolate chip cookies. Chips
and salsa. I'd barely eaten a bite at dinner, and my stomach was
rumbling. I stood in the doorway of the dining room, looking out
toward the expansive living room, and ate.
    It was fun to watch people, but while crowds
thronged around Meredith, hardly anyone at all spoke to Caroline. I
caught people looking my way, but except for the perky cheerleader
who brought me another drink - this time vodka free - no one really
said more than two words to me most of the night. I wondered if
Caroline really had any friends.
    Across the room, a familiar face came into
view. My face. Caroline in Harper's clothing, so to speak. It was
so weird to watch myself talking and laughing all the way on the
other side of the room. Lark and Allison stood next to her and the
three of them would all look in the same direction, then burst out
laughing. I knew that game. It was Lark's favorite party game. Hot
or not. She liked to point out people's clothes or whatever and ask
the group if they thought the person was hot or not. Most of the
time, Lark's comments were crazy funny.
    For a moment, I envied her for having so much
fun and for having friends. Then, I realized it was me over there.
I was the one with the friends, while Caroline was the one with all
the responsibility and none of the perks or prestige associated
with being a future. I kind of felt sorry for her.
    A hand touched fake Harper's shoulder. She
turned. I followed her eyes and my breath caught in my chest.
Jackson. Oh god, what if he tries to kiss her or
something?
    I nearly shot across the room to tell him it
wasn't me, but something about the way he cocked his head