“Check this out.” Lindy tore the end of the paper wrapper off one of the extra straws she’d taken from the smoothie counter. She put the straw in her mouth and blew the paper at a little girl a few tables over. The girl touched the side of her head and looked around, not sure what hit her. Lindy laughed out loud.

What if the needle wasn’t clean? What if she got a staph infection? What if she got AIDS? If her parents didn’t kill her, a disease would.

“I got my ears pierced when I was four. I wouldn’t leave the mall till my mom got it done for me. Then I ran all over the place showing everyone,” Lindy said. She aimed a straw wrapper at a boy about their age. “I’m glad you did it. It’s like we’re sisters now.”

“They’re never going to trust me again,” Jillian said.

“Trust is for losers.” Lindy sent another wrapper straight into the air. “Here, I got you something. A present for being so brave.” Lindy took a little vial of perfume out of her purse.

“That’s so nice.” Jillian uncapped it and sniffed.

“Crap!” Lindy cried. “It’s him!”

She grabbed Jillian’s cheeks and turned her head to the right, to show her Mark, sitting alone between Cinnabon and the Panda Café. His binder was open on his table and he was tapping his phone like crazy, obviously playing a game. Jillian’s ears began to ache.

“Go say hello to him,” Lindy said.

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Let’s just go find your mom, Lin. It’s getting late.”

“But he’s your friend.”

“I know . . .”

Lindy narrowed her eyes. “He is, isn’t he?”

She nodded.

“So, you don’t want to say hello to a friend?”

“Not right now . . .”

“Why?”

“I just . . . He looks busy.”

“You made out like you and he were best friends and now you won’t even go talk to him?”

“Not best friends.”

“You’re such a liar.” Lindy looked disproportionately disappointed.

“What?” Jillian said, realization raining down on her.

That was it. She ought to have guessed. How stupid was she? It wasn’t her Lindy was interested in: it was Mark. Lindy had become friends with her to get to Mark.

“Come on.” Lindy grabbed Jillian’s wrist. Jillian didn’t dare say no. Lindy might freak out, abandon her at the mall. What would she do if that happened? Call an Uber? Her mom had gotten her the app in case of an emergency. What kind of emergency? Was this an emergency?

“Hey,” Mark said when they were standing next to him. He looked up from his game for an instant before looking back down again.

“So what’re you up to, Mark?” Lindy said, smiling to show her professionally whitened teeth.

“Homework. While my mom gets Christmas stuff,” he said, and Lindy laughed.