Page 141 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

More knocking. “Amelia?”

“You can come in,” I call. “I didn’t lock it.”

I’m not prepared for how the sisters look as they walk into the room. They stop at the end of the bed while I stare.

The three of them are decked out in Appies gear or colors head to toe. Which is a lot, but it would be fine.

The turquoise, white, and gray paint covering every inch of their faces, however, is startling. Callie is almost all turquoise, with what I guess is Van’s number on her forehead in white. Lex has half her face painted turquoise and half white, and Grey has painstakingly done white, gray, and turquoise camo from her forehead all the way down to her chin.

They look like a mini troupe of Appies clowns.

“What are you doing?” Callie asks with a frown.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I say.

“We’re about to go to Robbie’s game,” Lex says.

“Okay.” I nod, my fingers twisting in the blanket. “I mean, I guessed that much. Um, have fun?”

There’s a beat of silence, then Grey says, “Unacceptable.”

“What?”

“Unacceptable,” she repeats. “We’re not letting you do this.”

“Do what?”

“Sit here and wallow in my brother’s bed,” Lex says, but it’s Callie who walks over and tugs on the comforter. I tug right back.

“What are you doing?”

Grey leans over the end of the bed, grabbing another part of the comforter and giving it a good yank. I’m now playing a full-on game of tug-of-war with Van’s sisters. I’m not sure what the stakes are, exactly, but I know I don’t want to lose.

“Hey—let go!” I tighten my grip.

“It’s not yours,” Callie cheerfully points out.

“Actually,” Grey says, “depending on state law, technically, it might be fifty percent hers.”

Callie groans. “Watching Judge Judy does not make you an expert on legal matters.”

“I learned it from celebrity gossip sites,” Grey says loftily. “Look, Amelia. Just let go of the comforter. We’re not going to hurt you.” She pauses. “You are wearing pants, right?”

“Yes. But what are you doing?”

“Helping,” Grey says simply.

Doesn’t feel like helping to me. I curl my fists tighter around the comforter.

“We didn’t have to do this the hard way,” says Alex, grabbing another side of the comforter.

I havenochance when it’s three versus one. Honestly, probably any of the three could take me. Van’s sisters arescary. I’m holding on by sheer force of will right now but I start to get fabric burns on my hands as the comforter slides more and more quickly through my fingers.

And then—it’s gone.

Grey stumbles back into Van’s dresser with the force of it, and the television rocks precariously before Lex steadies it.

“Now,” Callie says, crossing her arms. “Was that so hard?”

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