I let out a breath and tried to get my thoughts in order. I could still do this. I just had to focus. The line moved forward quicker than I expected, and I realized, my stomach clenching, that there was only one other person in front of me, an older lady who was having trouble deciding between the Sno-Caps and the Junior Mints. I looked at the sign, then down into my huge, waiting bag.

“Next!” I looked ahead and saw that behind the counter was a concession worker I hadn’t seen before, a guy who looked college-aged and bored—which was pretty much perfect.

“Hi,” I said, stepping forward, hearing that my voice sounded about twice as high as normal. I didn’t make eye contact with the guy as I said, “Small popcorn with butter and a Diet Coke.”

“Eight even,” the guy said, and I handed the cash I had ready over to him as the register drawer slid open with a ding! “Pickup’s to your left. Next!”

I stepped to the side, letting my bag fall open slightly as I tried to look nonchalant. I pretended to yawn and stretched my arm out for the sign, my fingers just brushing the edge of it. I stretched farther out, almost off-balance, heart pounding, nearly grabbing it—

“Small popcorn and a Diet Coke.” A girl had stepped up with my snacks, and I was so startled by this that I felt myself pitching forward, just barely catching myself before face-planting onto the counter. The sign wobbled and tipped forward, and the girl grabbed it, looking from the sign and then back to me with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing?”

“I . . . ,” I started. I could feel the sweat beading on my upper lip and my heart wasn’t pounding hard any longer, it now seemed to be pumping a lot slower than usual, which struck me as a bad sign. “I just . . .”

“Did you get that arm cramp again?” Suddenly, there was Frank, stepping up next to me. He slid his arm around my shoulders, and this was so startling that any excuse I might have been forming left my head entirely. “She gets those sometimes. Don’t you?”

“I do,” I said, nodding, trying to look as innocent as I could manage. “Yeah. Sometimes.”

“Don’t forget your snacks,” Frank said, giving my shoulder a squeeze, keeping a trustworthy, class-president smile on his face. I picked them up and we both smiled brightly at the girl, who was watching us with a suspicious expression. She went to put the sign back, but then hesitated and moved it to the highest shelf of the concession counter, right behind the popcorn popper, meaning that it was basically now impossible to get.

Frank and I walked away, and when we’d gone almost back to the cars and it appeared the concessions police weren’t going to give chase, I felt myself start to breathe again. I took a long drink of my soda, and it wasn’t until I’d finished that I realized Frank still had his arm around me. He must have noticed this at the same time, because he dropped his arm and took a step away.

“So,” I said, still a little surprised that he had been able to see just when I needed him. “Um, how did you—”

“I have never seen anyone look so suspicious,” Frank said, shaking his head. “Ever. I figured I should probably stay close, just in case.”

“Oh,” I said, looking down at the ground. Even though rationally I knew that not being good at stealing was actually a positive thing, and not something to be ashamed of, it didn’t currently change how I was feeling—like I’d just failed.

“So . . . uh, why were you trying to rob the concession stand?” Frank asked, sounding baffled.

“It’s for the list,” I said, raising one shoulder in a shrug. “Number three.”

Frank glanced back at the sign, and I saw him reading Sloane’s name, putting it together. He nodded and started to say something just as the loudspeakers crackled to life, announcing the movie’s start in sixty seconds and the closing of the concession stand.

“I should go,” I said. I knew that I should probably thank him for helping me, and that if he hadn’t, I might be in serious trouble. But it really is humiliating to fail at something and then need to be rescued, even if that thing is committing a crime. I gave him a small smile and then headed to my own car, glancing over my shoulder to see Frank walking away as well.

I’d intended to make a getaway after grabbing the sign and not stay for the second movie. But it was clear as I got into my car that I wasn’t going anywhere—the people in the rows behind me had pretty much boxed me in, and everyone was watching the movie, and I had a feeling that nobody was going to be happy to move if I tried to get out. So I put my drink into the cupholder and pushed my seat back, settling in. As I did so, I wondered if I was the only person at the whole drive-in who was watching the movie alone.

APRIL

Two months earlier

“How much did you offer this time?” I asked, as Sloane came back to the car, without the sign but holding an armful of our snacks.

“A hundred,” she said with a sigh. “And they still wouldn’t take it. I swear, at this rate, I’m going to need to bribe one of the employees.”

“Or you could start working there,” I suggested, as I took the popcorn from her and grabbed a handful off the top. “And get hired under a fake name. And it could be an inside job.”

Sloane grinned at me. “I like the way you’re thinking,” she said. “What name?”

I thought about it, just enjoying the game. We were there to see a double feature of Clueless and Troop Beverly Hills, which meant that there were almost no guys in attendance at all. It seemed to be moms and daughters and groups of friends, like us. Since Sam had arrived on the scene, it felt like it had been a long time since just Sloane and I had hung out, and I’d been looking forward to this for weeks. “Alicia,” I said, after thinking it over. “Alicia Paramount.”

Sloane threw her head back and laughed. “I love it,” she said. “I’ll apply next week.”

I started to walk around to the back of the Volvo. Once I’d gotten my license and we didn’t have to watch on the grass any longer, we’d figured out the ideal movie-watching routine—my car turned around backward, the hatchback open, and both of us in the back, lying on pillows and blankets that would inevitably smell like popcorn for days afterward. “Coming?” I asked, when I realized that she was still standing outside the car, looking around.