Free Kids These Days by Drew Perry Page B

thing?”
    â€œDo you buy?” I asked her, because now I was the cops.
    â€œSometimes I smoke with my friends. But I don’t actually buy it.”
    â€œThat’s good,” I said. “Safer, anyway.”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œDoes everybody smoke?” I said.
    â€œNot everybody. But a lot of people. So you won’t tell her?”
    The wind picked up. More fireworks down on the sand. Delton knew about Island Pizza. Mid was in prison and Alice was on the phone. I was who was left to be in charge. I said, “What if we just try to make it through tomorrow, and then see what happens?”
    â€œCan you at least not tell her tonight?”
    â€œOK,” I said. “I won’t tell her tonight.”
    â€œCool.” She relaxed a little, pushed her hair off her face. “I ran over a sign, by the way. But I got out and checked. You can’t see anything.”
    â€œWhat kind of sign?”
    â€œSomething in the middle of the road, up on the grass. I’m not sure.”
    â€œAre you alright?”
    â€œIt was just a sign. I kind of lost it and drove over the curb. I’m fine.”
    She looked out at the water. The shrimp boats were lit up red and white. I wanted a beer. Or a joint, even. Instead, I sat with her, studied her, waited for her to tell me something else I did not know.

    Alice and Carolyn decided Delton staying with us was easier than somebody driving her back home, so we set her up on the sleeper in the living room. We left her watching a comic explaining the difference between going to bed with white girls and going to bed with black girls. “Are you allowed to watch this stuff?” I said.
    â€œI’ve seen it already,” she said. “It’s on all the time. I like him. He’s funny.” She turned around. “Not this part so much, but other parts.”
    The comic said, “Now white girls will go like
this.
”
    I said, “Can we get you anything? Water? Another blanket?”
    â€œI’m good,” she said. “You guys are cool. It’s cool here. I’m all set.” Alice rubbed Delton’s hair. I waved. We went to bed.
    Through the wall, I could hear the rise and fall of laughter on the TV, and I could hear when it changed over to commercial, but I couldn’t make out individual words. I said, “Do you think she’s having sex?”
    Alice said, “That’s what you’re worried about right now?”
    â€œNo,” I said. “But do you?”
    â€œYou were, right?”
    â€œShe seems young.”
    â€œNo, she doesn’t. She seems fifteen.”
    â€œThat’s young,” I said.
    â€œI’d have her on the pill. I’ll tell you that.”
    â€œOh, God,” I said.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œFifteen years feels like a lot of years from now. That’s all.”
    â€œDon’t freak out about that. Freak out about other things.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” I said. “What did Carolyn say?”
    Alice moved her pillows around. “She said the twins handled it OK. She didn’t tell Maggie. I think she thinks he did something. But I don’t know.”
    â€œDoes she know what the charge is yet?”
    â€œIntent to distribute,” she said. “Whatever that means.”
    â€œHoly shit.”
    â€œWell, you don’t go to jail for a parking ticket, right?”
    â€œYeah, but—” My head felt a little loose from my body. “We might be fucked.”
    â€œI thought you said we were fine.”
    â€œWe are. In one way, we are. But still.”
    â€œStill what?”
    â€œWe’ll need that money,” I said. “That money or other money.” I reached underneath the sheet, rested my hand next to her hip. “It’s just—you know we can’t really move back, right?”
    She said, “I don’t want to move back.”
    â€œBut we’re here for this,” I