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“I don't get why you think that Kayla would run off to marry this Colby kid. I mean, how would they even support themselves? Get real! What kind of life could two teenagers possibly have down in San Diego? Slinging hamburgers at McDonald's and living out of their car or maybe on a beach?”

    “Yeah,” says Amelia. “Even if Kayla was that desperate, she's not that stupid.” '
    Emma nods and smiles, and I get this feeling that she's holding something back. Like a poker player who's got a couple of aces, she's waiting for the right moment to lay down her hand.
    “Okay,” I say to Emma. “What is it? What do you know that you're not telling us?”
    “Yeah,” says Brittany. “And don't tell us Kayla got pregnant online either.”
    We kind of laugh again. But I can tell the laughter is getting thinner and weaker. Maybe humor worked for us on Monday, when we all just assumed that Kayla had pulled a fast one. And even on Tuesday when we figured she was holding out to punish her mom over this latest boyfriend. But now that it's Wednesday, well, I think we're all getting pretty worried.
    “Okay, this is the deal,” Emma says as if she's divulging a big secret. “This Colby guy is in his twenties. He's not our age at all.”
    Everyone looks properly shocked, and it's obvious that Emma is pleased. I suspect she's enjoying all this attention. No wonder she keeps dragging it out.
    But now that I think about it, I remember something like this. “Yeah, I kind of recall Kayla saying the guy she met was older, but I assumed it was just like a year or two. Are you sure he's really that old, Emma?”
    “Well, according to the e-mail I read, he's a graduate of UCLA, and he has a good job and a nice apartment and a cool car and everything.”
    “That's just weird,” I say. “Why would a guy like that be interested in someone like Kayla?” Okay, even as I say this, I realize it could be taken all wrong. Still, it doesn't make sense.r>
    “Kayla's a pretty girl,” offers Brittany. “And you gotta o admit she looks great in a bikini. Didn't you say that they met on a beach, Emma?”
    “Yep. That's what she told me.”
    “She said that to me too,” I admit. “Seems like he was a surfer.”
    “Kayla went on and on about what a great time they'd had'at the beach,” says Emma.
    “Even so,” I say, “if this Colby dude really is a college grad with a good job and everything, well, why would he get involved with a minor? There are laws against that, you know.”
    Olivia shakes her head. “It really doesn't make much sense.”
    “Maybe Kayla told him she was older,” suggests Emma. “I mean, she could easily pass for twenty-one. Don't you think? Any of us could.”
    “Yeah.” Brittany points at Emma. “And some of us even have the fake ID to prove it.”
    “Shut up!” Emma shoots back.
    Brittany just laughs. “But it's true; Kayla could pass for being older.”
    “Still, why would she go down there now?” I ask. “It's less than a month until winter break. She could've gone then.”
    “She was obviously desperate to see him,” says Emma. “Remember she said he was hot? Maybe she was worried that some other chick was going to turn his head and steal his affections.” She laughs.
    “Yeah,” Brittany says in a sarcastic tone. “Wonder where she'd ever get an idea like that,
EmmaT
    “Hey, I went out with Parker before Kayla did.”
    “One date does not count as
going out
with a guy, Emma,” says Amelia.
    “But I really liked him.”
    “Whatever!” Olivia shakes her head, and I can tell she's losing patience. “Back to Kayla now.”
    “That's right,” I say. “Back to Kayla. Seriously Emma, do you really think she went down there to
marry
this Colby guy?”
    Emma smiles, perhaps a little too smugly. “I think so. And furthermore, so does Kayla's very own mother.”
    “But on the news last night,” Olivia reminds her, “her mom was so broken up. She was falling apart.”
    “Duh.” Emma nods.