Her friends from the soccer crowd, girls like Pam were sensible. They did sports and ran for student government and cared about their future. Elle told herself she would rather hang with them than the six-pack anyway. The six-pack had rich dads who would pay for them even if they didn’t get good jobs or didn’t go to college. She pretended to forget about the bad dreams she’d had of Sophia stuck in a well and calling for help even though Elle could do nothing to help.

On Monday, Elle cut AP Bio to find her cousin. She knew Sophia would be in front of the 7-11 around the corner. The six-pack hung out there because they could bum cigarettes off of people and ask older men to buy them beers. Elle was relieved when Sophia called out to her. “Hey! What’s up cuz?” and pulled her in with a hug.

Elle whispered in her ear, “If you can’t beat’em, join’em right?”

The other girls were scheming about how to get alcohol. Elle decided they weren’t so bad. They were no different than she and Sophia had been when they used to work it for free ice cream or a free latte. The stakes were just higher now.

Ashley said, “Here, want a drag?” Elle knew it was a sort of test. She watched the glow of the orange tip as it passed through the air toward her. She brought the lipstick-rimmed filter to her mouth and sucked. The inhale caught in her chest and she choked. Everyone laughed andSophia patted her back. Right when the head rush hit a big gray Buick sedan pulled into the lot. The girls hushed up. They assessed the man with thinning hair behind the wheel. He had on mirrored rimmed aviator glasses like the kind that cops wear. He sat and watched them and the girls said, “Yep, he’s the one. He has that horny look.” They were deciding whose turn it was to flirt with him to ask for the beer buy.

Jessica said, “I feel bloated today. Not me.”

Ginger said, “Not for a guy who drives a Buick.”

Ashley said, “I’m always the one.”

Sophia said, “My cousin can.”

Elle knew what she was getting into today and had prepared. Last night she had laid out her outfit: a blue jean mini skirt, a clingy pink cotton shirt, a push-up bra, and the whitest sneakers she owned. The girls coached her, “Smile and don’t say much.” They also unbuttoned the top three buttons of her top.