Claudia raises a finger to her lips as we get closer to the store, passing a group of white people with dreads, big colorful row houses, and a Chinese food place. The Pleasure Chest doesn’t have a lingerie display in the window, which is mildly disappointing, but I can see workers lingering around the front door. I always figured that there would only be women at sex stores, but it looks like there are guys, too. I guess they also need toys.

The thought makes me snicker. Lydia glares at me like she can read my mind. Claudia opens the door.

“Hi!” A perky blonde materializes in front of us. “Would you mind showing me some ID?”

Okay, that’s kind of sudden. I thought Claudia was just being dramatic when she insisted on bringing the fake driver’s licenses. I don’t know how she got them and I didn’t ask. Claudia always gets shit done. I don’t need to know how she does it.

Lydia glances at me, panic in her eyes. I pat her pocket, reminding her of the ID there, before whipping out my own.

There’s an awkward silence as the blond woman looks at our IDs, handing them back one by one. If she can tell they’re fake, she doesn’t say anything. Maybe she understands that girls under eighteen have needs, too.

“You’re all set!” She smiles. “If you need any help, you can come find me—I’m Ashley—or anyone with a name tag.”

Lydia promptly grabs our arms and steers us toward the back of the store.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” I ask, a laugh in my throat. I don’t know why she’s so freaked out. It’s not like this is the sex dungeon from Fifty Shades or anything. It actually looks like a regular store, like it could pass for a CVS, until you notice the gigantic dildos lining the walls. They come in all different colors—yellow, green, purple, blue—and they’re lined up like a rainbow.

“I’m never doing this again,” Lydia hisses. “So don’t ever ask me to come back.”

“Fine.” Claudia shrugs, glancing down at a metal shelf full of sexy soaps. “Simone and I will just have all the fun. How big do you think a vibrator should be, Simone? And should it be chargeable or run on batteries?”

“I think being able to charge it would be very convenient,” I say, glancing at the posters above my head. They list times for different sex education classes held here. “Hey, maybe we should come back for one of their upcoming workshops and learn the ‘beginner booty basics.’ I’ve always had questions about booties.”

“Guys,” Lydia whines. “Why can’t we just google this stuff in my room?”