The band started to play “Blue Sky.” Everyone stood and cheered, singing along: “You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day.” Roberta loved that song. On their way to the stage they passed Tony McKenna, who had nine brothers and sisters whose first names all started with the letter T. It had been a game to memorize them: Tony, Tracy, Tia, Travis … The whole concert venue seemed to be run by her high school. If her former classmates didn’t work parking cars or selling tickets, they printed tickets and volunteered as ushers, just as Roberta had for the Jackson Browne concert the previous summer. She told Sherri that the fans played volleyball naked, and that the flatlanders from Illinois drank Michelob while the locals drank Bud. She was taught to hold the flashlights to check tickets, but that also the flashlights were weapons to push drunk and unruly concertgoers out of her way. It was important, she said, to keep fans out of the fire lanes.

There, standing at the stage with a clipboard, was Paula Kipp, who used to call her “Sherri Taylor Trash.”

“Hey Paula,” Sherri said. “I’m on the list.”

“Right. Everyone says they’re on the list.”

Sherri was once again queen shit. She had no patience for Paula. “I am! Just look.” Sherri aggressively flicked the back of the clipboard with her painted fingernails. “You’ll see.”

Paula offered an indulgent sigh, shined her flashlight on the page, and scanned it. There it was, Sherri’s name, with a “+1” next to it.

“I told you.”

“But you can’t go back there until after the show.” Paula looked at Mitch, who stood with his hands on his slim hips, gazing off in the distance. “Is this your boyfriend?”

“He sure is.” The word “boyfriend” conjured Arthur, although Sherri had a feeling that Paula wouldn’t be as impressed if it were Arthur by her side, because he wasn’t cool the way Mitch was.

“Wow.”

Fortunately, Gary, the band manager, recognized Sherri. He smiled and gestured for her to join him. “The Bunny is here!”

“See ya, Paula,” Sherri said. She threw her cigarette butt on the grass and ground it down with the toe of her wooden Dr. Scholl’s.