Oh. My. Gods.

PrincessCesca: you still there?

LostPhoebe: yes

LostPhoebe: zap my ankle

NaughtyNic: what’s the harm?

NaughtyNic: it didn’t hurt

LostPhoebe: no, but

PrincessCesca: you’re talking to someone else, aren’t you?

LostPhoebe: of course not

LostPhoebe: you’re not talking either

LostPhoebe: I could have hurt myself falling

NaughtyNic: but you didn’t

NaughtyNic: it all worked out in the end

LostPhoebe: how would you know?

NaughtyNic: I saw him carry you home

PrincessCesca: if you’re going to ignore me I’m leaving

LostPhoebe: don’t go

PrincessCesca: then tell me who you’re talking to

LostPhoebe: a friend from school

LostPhoebe: she has a question about homework

I feel horrible lying to Cesca, but it’s easier than answering questions. Most of them aren’t even questions I’m allowed to answer.

LostPhoebe: him carrying me home doesn’t mean anything

NaughtyNic: what happened?

LostPhoebe: he almost kissed me

NaughtyNic: oh my gods!

NaughtyNic: why didn’t he?

LostPhoebe: Stella interrupted

PrincessCesca: Phoebe?

NaughtyNic: did she freak out?

LostPhoebe: hold on a sec

PrincessCesca: fine

NaughtyNic: see!!! it all worked out in the end

NaughtyNic: I zapped you for a good cause

LostPhoebe: I don’t care if he wound up groveling at my feet

LostPhoebe: that’s no excuse to use your supernatural powers on me!

Blink, blink, blink.

NaughtyNic: are you there?

Blink, blink, blink.

NaughtyNic: Phoebe?

I glance back and forth at the two IM windows. Back and forth.

Cesca and Nicole. L.A. and Serfopoula.

My heart starts racing.

PrincessCesca: supernatural powers?

Crap!

LostPhoebe: have to go

NaughtyNic: something wrong

LostPhoebe: no, of course not

LostPhoebe: just have to go

LostPhoebe: now

LostPhoebe: bye

I quickly close the conversation with Nicole without waiting for her to reply. I am in so much crap it’s not even funny.

PrincessCesca: Phoebe, what’s going on?

Quick, think of a plausible explanation.

LostPhoebe: we’re doing this fantasy role-playing game

LostPhoebe: every character has special powers

LostPhoebe: they can use them against other characters

LostPhoebe: she used hers against me

LostPhoebe: in the game

Great, now I’m babbling in IM.

Cesca’s going to know something’s up. In her wildest dreams she wouldn’t guess exactly what, but Cesca’s like a bulldog-she doesn’t let go of something until she’s ready.

PrincessCesca: you hate computer games

LostPhoebe: um, not anymore

PrincessCesca: stop lying to me

LostPhoebe: I’m not

PrincessCesca: what’s really going on

PrincessCesca: what aren’t you telling me?

LostPhoebe: Cesca, I

Tears fill my eyes as I tell my best friend since kindergarten-the girl I’ve shared every deep, dark secret I’ve ever had with-that I can’t tell her this.

LostPhoebe: I can’t

LostPhoebe: I’m sorry

PrincessCesca: fine

I wait for her to say something more, to ask why or to make me tell her. But the stupid cursor just blinks at me. After staring at the unmoving conversation for fifteen minutes I accept the fact that she’s gone.

Add one more thing to the list of stuff moving to this stupid island has ruined for me.

“To build a stronger team dynamic,” Coach Z says to everyone gathered in the weight room, “we are going to