Free Sold Out by Melody Carlson Page A

sort of club or gang? Was this some sort of an initiation or a dare or something?”
    I stood up now. “You want to know the truth?”
    “You’ve had your rights read to you?”
    I nodded. “The other girl—the one who was released, well, I don’t mean to be a snitch or anything, but we happen to know she shoplifts—”
    “What?!?” said Laura.
    “Yeah, I’m so sorry, Laura.” I turned back to the policewoman. “Anyway, Allie and I were with her once before when she stole thongs, and we tried to get her to take them back, but she wouldn’t. Then we talked to her about it at school, and finally shetold us she wasn’t going to do it again.”
    The officer was writing something down.
    Allie stood up now. “It’s true. It was about a month ago. She went into Madelyne’s and stole a whole handful of thongs—”
    “You mean like flip-flops?” the officer looked at Allie skeptically.
    “No, I mean like underwear.” Allie shook her head hopelessly. “Oh, I’m sure you don’t believe us.”
    “Excuse me,” the store clerk stuck her head in the doorway and motioned to the policewoman. “I need to talk to you.”
    “You girls stay put,” said the officer, heading out the door.
    “You knew Marissa shoplifts?” said Laura in a horrified tone. “And you came to the mall with her again?”
    “It’s like I said…” I couldn’t make myself look at Laura. “She’d told us she wasn’t going to do it anymore.”
    “And don’t forget, Jesus forgave the thief on the cross.” Allie spoke in a weak voice, as if even she didn’t quite believe it anymore.
    Laura just slumped over in her chair, placing her head in her hands. “God help us.”
    Suddenly Allie started to giggle, and the next thing I knew she was humming one of our songs—the one called “God help us.” So, feeling generallylame about everything, I started singing along quietly with her, and before long Laura joined in too. And, well, it was actually pretty cool—the three of us sitting there in our little backroom dungeon, just singing away in three-part harmony. And before long, as strange and goofy as it sounds, we were actually smiling too.
    That’s when the policewoman and security guard walked back in. “What’s going on here?” asked the guard. “You girls turn the radio on?”
    I smiled. “Sorry, we were just singing.”
    He frowned. “That sounded pretty good.”
    “That’s because we’re in a band.”
    “A band?” the policewoman asked.
    “Yeah, we’re called Redemption. It’s a Christian band actually,” offered Laura, shaking her head. “Which must sound a little weird in light of all this.”
    I had to giggle now. “Look, as God is our witness, we did NOT take those scarves. Honestly, we didn’t. But we totally understand how we must look pretty guilty—getting caught with them right in our bags. Maybe you should just let us call our parents.” Yet even as I said this the prospect of explaining this whole thing to my parents sounded grim. And poor Allie. She’d been through this already. Laura looked horrified, and to be honest, I suppose I was more worried about how her parents would react to me than myown. I’d barely won their respect. And now this.
    “Well,” the policewoman began slowly. “It seems the clerk is backing your story now. She said it was the girl with the long dark hair that she’d actually witnessed lifting the scarves, but she just figured you were all involved. But the security camera will tell us the whole story.” She looked at me now. “What’s this girl’s name?”
    I swallowed hard. I’ve never liked being a snitch, but at the same time, I knew we must cooperate. “Marissa.”
    “Marissa what?”
    I scratched my head and turned to Allie. “You know, I don’t even know her last name. She just moved here about month or so ago. Allie, do you know?”
    Allie shook her head. “Just Marissa.”
    “Do you know where she lives?”
    “I don’t. Do you, Al?”
    She shook