The Dream Where the Losers Go by Beth Goobie Page A

murmured.
    “When are you gonna get out of there?” he sighed.
    “I’m working on it,” she said. “You wouldn’t believe the very good girl I’m being.”
    They got dressed and he let her out a block from the lockup, then drove toward it, checking out Trevor’s suggestion. As she approached the gate, he passed her coming from the opposite direction, leaned out his window and gave a long wolf whistle. After that, it was difficult to pull her face into its usual lifeless expression as she neared the lockup’s side entrance, but she managed. And as soon as she got into the unit, she took a long bath, trying to wash out every baby-making chance, though she knew if one of them was going to get her, it was already swimming around with its radar going, looking for whatever it needed to destroy her life.
    H AVING SWEATED THROUGH Viv’s supper-hour glare, Skey went into Ann’s room and passed her the weed. “Just tell her staff are watching,” she said. “I can’t pass it to you the minute I walk in the door.”
    “Yeah sure,” said Ann. Lying on her bed, she was surrounded by Archie comics and scratching idly at the scab on her wrist. “Want to see something interesting?” she asked.
    “What?” Skey turned to go. Even if she and Ann connected during their nightly tapping game, daylight seemed to take the conversation out of things. They were so different . Reluctantly she took the piece of paper Ann passed her.
    “It’s a list we came up with while we were supposed to be working in social studies,” said Ann. “Everything we could think of.”
    Skey scanned the list of sex terms. Crotchless panties, RU2BC4SEX, 69 rrr, big wanger . Why did everyone think the girls in here were experts?
    “Pretty good, huh?” snorted Ann.
    “Yeah,” said Skey.
    “You got any to add?” asked Ann.
    “No,” said Skey. “I think you got them all.”
    “You never done it or what?” demanded Ann.
    Skey was rescued by staff. “Skey,” Janey called from the office. “Phone.”
    The girls’ phone was in the entrance hall, but before she could pick it up, Janey called her into the office. “There’sa guy on the phone,” she said. “Says his name is...” She paused, frowning slightly. “Lick.”
    “Oh yeah.” Eagerly Skey moved toward the phone.
    “He’s not on your approved phone list,” said Janey.
    “We’re working on an assignment for English,” said Skey. “It’s about Shakespeare. Just a sec.” She ran to her room and brought back one of the thick books. “You think I’m lugging this around for fun?” she demanded.
    “I’ll take his name and phone number and pass them on to Larry,” said Janey. “I’m sure he’ll check it out tomorrow. Then you can talk with him on the phone.”
    “I talk to him all day at school!” said Skey.
    “I’m sorry,” said Janey. “Those are the rules.”
    Skey stood staring at Janey, her thoughts in a whirl. This was just about Lick, so why was she freaking? Jigger wasn’t on her approved list either—they had decided it would be better if staff didn’t know about him—but still, Skey couldn’t seem to stop herself from yelling.
    “You can’t!” she shouted, her voice so loud it burned her throat. “You can’t stop me from talking to him!”
    “It’s just until tomorrow,” said Janey, stepping closer. “Skey, are you all right?”
    “Of course I’m all right,” Skey shouted. Picking up the heavy book, she backed out of the office and fled to her room.
    S HE CRAWLED INTO bed holding the rock and whispering to it, but it was the tunnel of light that moved in on her that night, invading her brain with its sped-up, ugly scream waves. Here, there was no one. In the grim harsh light, there was no one near. The boy had run from her into the safety of the dark and she had been banished—banished fortouching his hand, his fear. Now she was being punished with light—light without mercy, beginning or end.
    In the extreme unending brilliance, she