She returned to the locker room, embarrassed and angry, her arms crossed in front of her to hold in that familiar surplus of emotion that made her want to scream, punch the air, cry, have a fit. She changed back into her T-shirt and red terry cloth short-shorts, her curls stiff as steel springs from the shellac of Aqua Net. The hair spray alone could have weighed a pound! She had to get out of there. She couldn’t face the other girls, who were probably already talking about her disciplinary. Bunny Council met later that day, and word would spread. The Bunnies were her friends, sure, but deep down each of them believed that she was the only Bunny who mattered.

She went to her dorm room and quietly threw her clothes and makeup into her duffel. Fortunately, Val was still asleep—and alone.

“Where are you going?” Val asked, her voice groggy.

Sherri couldn’t lie to Val. Nothing got past her. “Gloria is sending me home.”

Val shot up in bed. “Are you kidding? She fired you?”

“No.” Sherri began to cry. “She’s sending me home for a week because I tipped the scale.”

Carmen poked her face in the door. She could always be counted on to show up whenever there was drama—she lurked in the hallway, popping into everyone’s room at the slightest sound of trouble. “Oh my God,” Carmen said. “I overheard. Fuck Gloria.”

Val threw a box of tissues at Carmen’s head. “Get out of here, you nosy bitch.”

Carmen, who was never fazed by Val, winked at Sherri, blew a kiss to Val, and disappeared.

“She’s like a Mrs. Potato Head with that big nose,” Val said.

“And her big mouth. Now everyone’ll know,” Sherri said.

“So what. They’d find out anyway. It’s just because you went on the pill. Everyone gains weight at first.” Sherri hated the pill. Ever since she started on it, her face broke out in pimples, her breasts ached, and she gained weight.

“I wish I could tie my tubes or rip my ovaries out. I don’t even want a baby, not ever.” It was so unfair. Women had to deal with everything.

“Look, just enjoy the break,” Val said. “Do something crazy while you’re back home. Crash a Knights of Columbus meeting or something. It’ll be nice to have the room all to myself for a week.”

Carmen was at the door again, listening to everything. “You’ll be miserable without Sherri to kick around.”

“I said get out, stripper.”