I sighed and repeated my argument, even though it was going to get me nowhere. “If you had anything to worry about, would I invite Liv somewhere I might be going with you? Don’t you think I’d make some kind of secret plans?”

“What kind of secret plans?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Because I don’t have any.”

“But let’s say that you did.”

“But I don’t.” This was going downhill fast.

“Ethan, this is hypothetical.”

“This is a trap.” I knew better than to engage in hypothetical questions with a girl.

We reached the counter, and I pulled out my wallet. “Well?”

Lena looked at me like I was crazy. “The usual.”

The usual? What was the usual? My mind was totally blank.

“The usual,” I repeated dumbly.

She gave me a look and then turned to the cashier. “Popcorn and Milk Duds, please.”

Are you okay?

Yeah, I just blanked. I don’t know.

The cashier slid Lena’s popcorn over the counter and looked at me. I scanned the list on the wall. “And how about… popcorn and Hot Tamales?”

Hot Tamales?

They don’t have Red Hots, L.

You thinking about someone I know?

I shrugged. Of course I was. Amma wasn’t making egg rolls with her cleaver, or pie filling with the One-Eyed Menace. Her sharp #2 pencils were in the drawer, and I hadn’t seen a crossword puzzle on the kitchen table in weeks.

Ethan, don’t worry about Amma. She’ll come out of it.

Amma’s never gone dark for this long before. We have a bottle tree in our front yard.

Since Abraham showed up at your house?

More like since school started.

Lena dumped her Milk Duds into the popcorn tub.

If you’re this worried about it, why don’t you ask her?

You ever try to ask Amma something?

Yeah. No. Maybe we need to go see this bokor for ourselves.

No offense, L, but he’s not the kind of guy you want to take your girlfriend to see. And I’m not sure an actual Caster would be safe there.

The whole cheer squad passed by us. Ridley was walking with some guy I didn’t know, who had his hand in the back pocket of her stretchy skirt. He wasn’t from Jackson; Summerville was my guess. Savannah was hanging on Link, who was staring at Ridley while she pretended not to notice him. Emily walked behind them with Charlotte and Eden, and you could see the rage on Savannah’s face. She wasn’t the one holding up the pyramid anymore.

“You sittin’ with us?” Link called out as he passed.

Savannah smiled and waved. Lena looked at the two of them as if they were walking down the street in their underwear.

“I’m never going to get used to that,” she said.

“Me neither.”

“Did you explain to Rid about the last four rows of the Cineplex?”

“Oh, no—”

So we ended up wedged between Link and Savannah and Ridley and the guy from Summerville, in the last four rows. The credits had barely started before Savannah was whispering and giggling into Link’s neck, which as far as I could tell was just an excuse to get her mouth up near his. I elbowed him as hard as I could.

“Ow!”

“Ridley’s sitting right there, man.”

“Yeah. With that tool.”

“You want her crawling all over him like that?” Ridley wasn’t the kind of girl who got mad. She got even.

Link leaned forward, looking past Lena and me to where Ridley was sitting. The Summerville Tool already had his hand on her leg. When she saw Link watching, she snaked her arm through the guy’s and tossed her pink and blond hair. Then she pulled out a lollipop and began unwrapping it.

Link shifted in his seat. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m gonna have to kick his—”

Lena grabbed the sleeve of his shirt before Link got up. “You’re not doing anything. Just behave, and she will, and then maybe you can actually start dating like normal people and stop this stupid game.”

“Shh!” The Summerville Tool shot us a look. “Shut up. Some of us are tryin’ to watch the movie.”

“Yeah, right,” Link yelled back at him. “I know what you’re tryin’ to watch.”

Link gave me a pleading look. “Please let me go outside and beat the crap outta him, before I miss any a the good parts. You know I’m gonna end up doin’ it anyway.”

He had a point. But he was a Linkubus, and the rules were different now.

“You ready to let Ridley beat the crap out of Savannah? Because you know she’ll do it.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know how much more a this I can take. Rid’s drivin’ me nuts.” For a second, the old Link was back, hung up on the girl who would always be out of his league. Maybe that was it. Maybe he would always think Ridley was out of his league, even though his league had changed.

“You have to ask her to Savannah’s party, as your date.” It was the only way to defuse this particular bomb.

“You kiddin’ me? That’s like askin’ for an open war with the whole squad. Savannah already has me doin’ all this extra stuff—comin’ over early to set up an’ everythin’.”

“I’m just calling it like I see it.” I dug into my Hot Tamales popcorn. My mouth was burning, which seemed like a sign. Time to keep it shut.