Elle and Sophia watched the girls from the P.E. class they had just cut running in circles below. The girls with bad BO panted behind the pack. Every now and then, one would knock over a hurdle and someone would fall. Everyone wore blue short shorts with a serial number on the right leg. A soft breeze tickled the oak leaves and they shimmered in the sunlight. In that moment, standing on the elevated ridge, Elle felt young and invincible. She took a swig from her beer and clicked cans with Sophia. Their bracelets jangled. She said to Sophia, “Isn’t it cool to be a girl?”

But now, from the bleachers looking down on to the field, it bothered her the way the Narc stood over her cousin and talked to her breasts the entire time. He reminded her of a vulture, specifically, the white-headed vulture that she learned about in AP Bio. The white-headed ones arrived first and cautiously approached the carcass before tearing open the hide and allowing other types of vultures to feed. Elle wondered how old he was.

A group of boys from the other school walked by and eyed Sophia up and down with blunt lust. Elle shouted through the funnel of her cupped hands, “Sophia!” Her cousin turned to her, nodded, and then returned her attention to the Narc. She flipped her long black hair, put one hand on her hip, and jutted a knee toward him. Elle recognized Sophia’s signature moves and thought it was wasted not only because he was old but because he was the Narc and he looked like a rodent.

In response, Elle pulled a book from her backpack. She knew Sophia hated it when she read in public. Sure enough, Sophia instantly marched up the stands to say, “You’re tripping. Put that thing away.” She insisted that, as one of the few “cool” Asians at their school, it was their responsibility to “fight the stereotype.” Then she added, “Jeremy’s pretty cool.”

“Jeremy?”

“The Narc.”

“You’re calling the Narc by his name now?”

“Anyway, he offered to take us to Baker Beach if we want to cut Monday. He said it’s supposed to be hot enough for us to wear our bathing suits and tan.” Sophia shrugged to affect indifference although her eyes told a different story because they shined with glee. “I told him we’re moving to LA after graduation because we love the beach. So he offered.”

Looking at the other girls with their fresh faces and sporty clothes, Elle felt like a cheap offering in her tight spandex dress. But the hot orange dress worked. Before the meet was over, Speed raced by, tapped her shoulder, and as he jogged backward said, “Want to do something later?”