Sophia screamed, “Watch it!” She was sitting on Elle’s bed painting her nails a color called Dragon Lady Red. She said, “Sneak out.” Sophia pointed her chin toward the direction of the kitchen. “Sliding door,” she said, “Tell him you’ll be late. Your parents go to bed at like 10, right? So tell him you’ll be there around 10:30 or 11. No biggie.”

Sophia suggested it as if it was the most natural response in the world though for Elle it was revolution. Elle was certain it was the perfect plan when Sophia was there. But after her cousin left, Elle second-guessed every little detail. What if someone broke into the house that night because she had to leave the sliding door unlocked? What if her parents called the cops because they thought she had been abducted? What if her parents caught her? But when she asked herself, what if this was her only chance with Speed and she blew it? Elle knew she had to go.

Despite the risk she took, her date with Speed only meant hanging out at the same track he ran circles around everyday. They were able to sneak in because Speed was team captain and the coach entrusted him with the gate key. They sat beneath the stadium lights and sipped from a forty of Mickey’s he’d stolen from his dad. They passed it back and forth until the third time around he leaned in and licked her neck while she was still sipping from the bottle. She pulled away but he pulled her in and said, “You want to be my partner tomorrow?” They were dissecting frogs for AP Bio.

They kissed on the bleachers, and she thought about all those Saturdays when she had sat in these very seats and watched him from afar. Now she was so close in the nook of his neck, she learned that he smelled overwhelmingly of molasses and milk. He purred and stuck his tongue in her ear. “This is what you do to me,” he said, and placed her hand over his pants.

It was the first time she had ever touched one. She pulled back when Speed tried to guide her hand beneath his jeans. He flinched at her reaction, but quickly shrugged it off. He continued to sip from the beer and then started kissing her again, and finally reached for her hand to guide it back down a second time. When she resisted again, he said, “What’s up?” and cocked his chin back.

“Nothing. What’s up with you?”