He adjusted the brim and imagined her in his mirrored sunglasses, looking for the sporting goods section, the hat wall. Presenting the sleepy cashier with a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill. Maybe even walking out without the change. Jeremy and Chad were the criminals, but Claudia was the one who had to sneak around. Trevor looked in the mirror. He’d set his mind to this, but when he saw himself in that stiff new purple-and-white hat, his mind sputtered. What was he doing here? He should be in class. The lecture this afternoon was scheduled to be about unions; he’d even done some of the reading about factory accidents and child labor when he couldn’t sleep the night before.

“Was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory near here?” he asked.

“The what?”

“A bunch of people died in a fire a long time ago…”

“I know what it is,” she said. Was she talking down to him? “What made you think of that?”

“We’re talking about it in one of my classes.”

“Do you not want to be here?”

“What? No.”

“No? You don’t want to be here?”

“No, I do want to be here.” It was the truth. He wanted to be there with her. He wanted to be the person doing this for her. With her. And he wouldn’t tell her he was nervous. She didn’t need any more burdens. He was going to be brave.

“But you’re thinking about class,” she said.

“I can’t always help what I think of. Can you?”

This gave her pause. She sat down. “I wish I could. All I can think of is what happens when everyone in the world sees that video.”

“Do you really think he’ll send it out like that?”

“He might not, but it’s out there. Ridley’s seen it. Probably the goon who took your phone.”

“Eric.”

“Eric. And maybe Eric’s buddy, and maybe his buddy. It doesn’t have to be on Instagram to make the rounds. I’ll never know when I’m with somebody who saw it. I have to figure out a way to live with that. It pretty much takes up all my brain space.”

“Right.”

“This will help, I think,” she said. She stood up and walked to the window that looked out over the city. “I think it might rain tonight. Nobody’s gonna think it’s weird you’re wearing gloves. Nobody’ll even look twice.”

Soon it was time to go. Claudia had come up with the plan: Sundown was at 7:45, so it would be full dark by 8:30. She sent Jeremy a text from a burner phone that purported to be from an emeritus professor who was a studio musician for Lady Gaga. Hey man, it’s Barry Lawes, sorry for the late notice but I might have a session spot opening for you. Come by the office around 8:45 and meet the gang?