There was a lot of activity in the high school parking lot for a Monday morning. Usually it was quiet, with kids yawning as they threw their backpacks over their shoulders and hurried in, trying to make it before the first bell. But this morning everyone had gotten there early. Will saw a group of girls, with Maddie at the center, as if the others had formed a wall around her. She was wearing jeans and a black sweatshirt, even though it was warm out. Her pale hair hung down over her face, and her eyes were puffy, as if she’d been crying. The image of her, passed out while that dude pawed at her, flashed across Will’s mind, and he flushed with both anger and embarrassment. Rosie whispered something in Maddie’s ear, and Maddie looked right at him, her expression unreadable. He quickly looked down and pretended to be busy examining his shoes, then headed inside.

He’d thought about nothing else all weekend. He could still hardly believe that he’d broken that window. It had shattered just like they did in the movies. But he hadn’t had a choice. He couldn’t have just left her in there. And what were they going to do—call the cops? He tried to imagine that call: Hi, there’s a bunch of drunk teenagers in a house that doesn’t belong to us, and we’d like some help with the situation, please.

From the moment he’d thrown the hammer through the window, nothing had felt real. It was as if they’d unleashed a monster: kids who’d been dancing moments before kicking holes through the drywall; a girl falling from the counter where she’d been dancing, taking the cabinet door with her; and the heady fumes of spray paint as the vast white walls were transformed into a psychedelic mural. And then he and Trip slipping out of the party and cutting through the dark woods toward his truck.

They were walking along River Road when the flashing lights slowed and pulled up behind them. Will’s heart was beating so hard it felt like a drug, making him dizzy. He heard Trip whisper in his ear, his voice thick: “Stay calm. Don’t say anything.” It wasn’t reassuring. At the last second, he tossed a beer can he was holding into the trees.