Free Double Trouble by Tia Mowry Page B

around herself.
    Then Lavender let go of me and flopped back into her seat. I grabbed a napkin and pretended to wipe my mouth, hoping nobody had noticed me spacing out for a second.
    â€œFunny, Cass,” Lav said, rolling her eyes. “Fine, if you want to play zombie like that, maybe I’ll keep myideas to myself from now on.” She popped a carrot stick into her mouth, looking sulky.
    â€œRelax, Lav,” Megan said. “Cassie was just kidding around. Right, Cass?”
    â€œTotally.” I tried to smile and look normal, relieved that Megan had taken my vision space-out for goofing off. “I’m sorry, Lav. Your plans all sound great. I really appreciate the way you’re helping make this party happen.”
    â€œOkay.” Lavender sounded mollified, at least a little. “Then let’s talk about food . . .”
    They were off and running again, blabbing on about party details. I tried to pay attention, but it wasn’t easy. Because now that I’d recovered from the surprise of the vision, I’d realized a couple of things.
    For one, it seemed our theory was right. I wasn’t wearing the necklace that day, and the vision hadn’t been as supercharged as the last two I’d had. It was clear enough to see what was happening, but the background hadn’t glowed with energy like the others, and the colors hadn’t been quite as crazy bright.
    Still, I’d been able to see enough to guess wherethe vision was taking place. Megan’s pool. Which meant one thing.
    Whatever they’re all upset about, it must happen at our party! I thought with a chill of horror. What if it has something to do with our visions about Bianca?
    My gaze wandered across the cafeteria again. Bianca had actually torn her gaze away from her book and was looking at Caitlyn with a small smile. Was something going to happen at the pool party? Something so terrible that it made even Lavender cry?
    But what? Maybe something was going to happen to someone Bianca cared about. Like one of Bianca’s best friends. One of whom happened to be my sister.
    Yikes. What if Cait was the reason Bianca was at the hospital? I tried to banish the thought as soon as it came. Maybe it was Liam who got hurt at the party. Bianca would be upset about that, too, right?
    But no—Lavender wouldn’t cry if Liam got hurt. She might be sort of sad or worried—she was human, after all. But crying as if her heart was breaking, likeI’d just seen her do in my vision? No way. Not for Liam.
    Would she cry like that for Caitlyn? I studied Lav’s face as she talked to the others. She’d been much friendlier to me since this party came along, but did she consider me enough of a friend to cry like that if my sister got hurt?
    I didn’t know, but I wasn’t sure I was willing to take the chance. Maybe Mom had been right all along. Maybe it would be better if we didn’t have a party this year. It was starting to feel like more trouble than it was worth.
    â€œHey, ladies.” Brayden’s voice interrupted my churning thoughts. He’d appeared at our table without me even noticing. Which tells you how distracted I was.
    â€œHi, Brayden,” Lavender cooed. “What’s up?”
    â€œNot much.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and grinned at me. “Just wanted to say thanks for the party invitation, Cassie. I’ll be there for sure.”
    â€œGreat,” I said, feeling my face go hot.
    â€œYeah, the party’s going to be superfab!” Abby burbled. “Lav is picking out the music, and there’s going to be tons of food and stuff.”
    â€œSounds fun,” Brayden said, still smiling at me.
    I smiled back, suddenly not so eager to cancel after all. Besides, my friends were so excited about this. How could I back out now? No, there had to be another way . . .
    â€œ. . . SO YOU’RE SURE it was Megan’s pool in the