JUST WHEN BRIDGET WAS SURE her day couldn't get any worse, she found Sammy and Matt Quinn sitting on the front steps of her house after school.

"Really?" Bridget made no attempt to hide her exasperation. "Are you following me everywhere I go now?"

"Calm down," Matt said, pushing himself to his feet. "Just bringing Sammy home."

Bridget eyed her brother, who was working on a word puzzle at the top of the stairs. "Is everything okay?"

"He's fine. He didn't want to practice today. Kept going on about coming home to see the cat."

"Perfect."

"Yeah, your mom seemed to have the same reaction. What's wrong with the cat?"

Other than that he's dead and apparently haunting my bedroom closet? "Nothing," Bridget said, starting up the stairs. "We don't have a cat."

"Bridge!" Sammy squealed, clambering to his feet. "Is it time to see Mr. Moppet now? Is it?"

Matt laughed. "You sure about that?"

"Er . . ." Bridget changed the subject. "Thanks for bringing Sammy home."

"No problem." Matt followed her up the steps.

"Don't you have practice to go to or something?"

"Not till four."

Kill me. He was expecting her to invite him in, wasn't he? She fumbled with her latchkey. "Um, I'd invite you in, but-"

"Your mom said it was fine if I hung out for a little while."

Gee, thanks, Mom. "Oh. Great."

Sammy pushed passed her as soon as she opened the door and sprinted down the hallway to his room. "Mr. Moppet! Time to play."

"You know, you could look a little more excited to see me," Matt said.

"What are we, best friends?"

Matt shrugged. "We used to be."

Low blow.

"Don't you remember, we used to play hide-and-seek downstairs? But I'd only have, like, a minute to find you because you were so scared of the spiders in the garage you'd pop out of your hiding place and give up."

"I was six. I don't give up as easily now."

Matt grinned at her. "I know. That's one of the things I like about you."

"One of the things?"

He smiled, pushed open the kitchen door, and sauntered to the refrigerator. "What does a guy have to do to get a glass of water around here?"

Bridget sighed and pulled a glass out of the cupboard. "Promise you'll be out of here in five minutes?"

"Deal." He grabbed the Brita pitcher and poured himself a glass. "If you still want me to."

"Four minutes, fifty-three seconds."

Sammy ran back down the hall. "Mr. Moppet? Bridge, I can't find him. Can I go downstairs and look?"

Bridget shook her head. Yes, Sammy. Please keep bringing up the dead cat in front of Matt. "Sure, Sammy. Just be careful of the spiders."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Matt smiling. "Shut it," she said, before he could remind her of her phobia.

"I didn't say a thing."

Bridget sat down, rested an elbow on the table, and cradled her head in her hand. Matt sipped his glass of water, watching her carefully.

"You look tired," he said.

"Thanks."

"Bad day?"

Let's see, she'd gotten assaulted by both a priest and one of her oldest friends, and then found out she was going to have to perform another exorcism. "You could say that."

"Anything I can do to help?"

The question should have annoyed her, but it didn't. "No. Thanks, though."

"Is it about the dance?"

"The what?"

"The Winter Formal. Are you upset because we're going?"

It was so far from what was actually worrying her, Bridget laughed out loud.

Matt set his glass down on the counter. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Sorry." With some effort, Bridget got herself under control. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that."

Matt sat down next to her. "But something is bothering you, right?"

Sammy's muted voice drifted up from the garage. "Mr. Moppet, where are you?"

Bridget sighed. She wished it was just "something" bothering her rather than the nightmare she was up to her neck in. "I'm okay."

"You can talk to me, you know. If you want."

Bridget closed her eyes. Not about this, Matt. Sorry.

"I know it's important for you to be tough. I totally respect that. But you used to trust me, you know."

"It's not that," she said, opening her eyes. "It's just-"

"I mean, I know we didn't see each other for a long time, but I'm still the same seven-year-old who used to protect you from spiders."

Bridget laughed softly. "This isn't as easy as killing spiders."

Matt bent his head close to hers. "So there is something? I knew it."

Bridget opened her mouth. For a moment, she was tempted. Tempted to spill everything that had happened to her that day, that week, everything since the night at the Fergusons'. It would have been so easy.

"I want to help. I want to be there if you need someone." He smiled slightly, just enough to make her breath catch in her throat. "I want you to let me in."

Bridget looked into those soft hazel eyes. "Matt, I-"

"Bridge!" Sammy burst into the kitchen. "Bridge, I can't find him."

Bridget straightened up. "What?"

"Mr. Moppet. Help me, Bridget. Help me find him."

Matt got to his feet. The moment was gone. "I should go."

"Right." Bridget stood mechanically and followed him to the door. "Um, thanks. You know, for bringing Sammy home and everything."

Matt opened the door, turned around, and smiled. "My offer still stands. If you want to talk, I'm here."

"I'll remember." Don't hold your breath.

Matt stood there for a moment. He made a move like he was about to hug her. But then he thought better of it and stepped outside. "Bye."

"Bye."

"So how is school?" Her mom's voice sounded far away.

"Fine."

"Classes are okay?" The words were muted and fleeting.

"Yeah."

Bridget hardly noticed the dripping dishes she took from the dish rack, hardly remembered swiping her towel over them before stacking them on the counter.

"Bridget?"

Bridget blinked. "What?"

"I said, I heard you're going to the Winter Formal."

Her mom smiled; less of an "oh, isn't it sweet my baby girl's going to a school dance" smile and more of an "it's about friggin' time, I was beginning to think she was antisocial" kind of smile.

"How did you know?" It was a stupid question. There could be only one answer.

"Well, Matt was so excited. When he said you'd invited him, he could hardly-"

"Wait, Matt said I invited him?"

Her mom tilted her head. "Didn't you?"

"Hell no!"

"Watch your mouth, Bridget Liu."

"Sorry." Bridget was thankful her mom didn't hear half the colorful pirate talk that came out of her mouth on a daily basis.

Her mom lifted the slow cooker into the sink, added a squirt of liquid soap, and filled it with water. "It's your school dance. If you didn't invite him, then how are you two going together?"

That was the million dollar question, now wasn't it? "Um, it's a long story."

"It's this Saturday, right?"

"I guess." Bridget wasn't even sure.

"Did you want to ask me something? About being grounded?"

Bridget smiled as a wonderful realization dawned on her: She couldn't possibly go the Winter Formal because she was still grounded.

Her mom winked. "It's okay. You can go to the dance."

Bridget's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Well, of course you can, Bridget." Her mom was clearly confused by Bridget's lack of enthusiasm. "As long as you're going with Matt Quinn."

"Oh." Great, perfect. Typical that Bridget got the mom who actually wanted her daughter to go to the dance even though she was grounded, not the hardass who kept Bridget home to "make a point."

Bridget would have preferred the hardass.

Her mom shut the water off with unnecessary force. "Bridget, what is going on with you?"

Uh-oh. "Nothing."

"Nothing? Please, do you think I'm completely stupid?"