Jessica rubbed her hands nervously, not looking forward to leaving the warmth of the fire, to being alone out on the desert. She shivered and realized that although the front half of her was roasting, her back was freezing. Jessica turned around and faced out toward the desert. The fire at her back felt like a fur coat slipping on, and she sighed.

“You’re pretty quiet.”

Jess blinked. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she made out the shape of a boy in front of her.

“I guess I am. I don’t really know that many people here.”

“You’re a friend of Liz and Constanza’s?”

“Yeah. Jessica.”

“Hey, Jessica. My name’s Steve.”

Jessica could see the boy’s face now, lit by the flickering fire. He looked younger than a lot of the guys here.

She smiled. “So, Steve, you’re from Broken Arrow?”

“Yeah. Born here. You’re standing in downtown Broken Arrow, actually. As you can see, it’s a city that never sleeps. Kind of like Bixby but without the skyscrapers.”

Jessica laughed. “A burgeoning metropolis.”

“Yeah, except I don’t know what ‘burgeoning’ means.”

“Oh. It means, um…” She shrugged. “Really flat and windy?”

Steve nodded. “Broken Arrow definitely burgeons, then.”

Now Jessica’s face was getting cold. “I think I’m done on this side,” she said, making a space for him next to her as she turned around. She checked her watch again. Two minutes. She held out her hands, trying to store up the fire’s warmth for her walk.

“So, you don’t sound like you’re from Bixby.”

“I just moved here from Chicago.”

“Chicago? Wow. Real skyscrapers. Oklahoma must seem completely weird to you.”

“It’s different, yeah. Except for the wind, which is pretty much just like Chicago.”

“You’re really cold, aren’t you? You want my coat?”

Steve was wearing a down jacket. It looked incredibly warm.

Jessica shook her head. “No, I couldn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” She checked her watch. “Actually, I’ve got to go.”

Disappointment flashed in Steve’s eyes. “You’re leaving the party already? Something I said?”

“No, not at all. I was just going to take a walk. Over to the snake pit.”

Steve nodded. “For midnight, huh? You know where it is?”

“Sort of. I mean, I have a map.”

“I’ll take you.”

Jessica bit her lip. She’d never thought of bringing a nonmidnighter along. But what would the problem be? Steve would be safe no matter what happened at the snake pit. He’d be frozen for the whole thing. And in the featureless darkness, the idea of walking away from the fire alone wasn’t a pleasant one. At least with Steve along she wouldn’t get lost.

He was half smiling, waiting anxiously for an answer.

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s go.”