“Oh no, it’s fine,” Carmen says faking a smile. “I was living with my girlfriend and that night I was supposed to stay at my moms. I couldn’t sleep so I went home to find her in bed with Stacey, a friend of ours.”

Shane looks down. “That’s really harsh. I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t really want to go into all the details and I knew all my other friends would because they were all friends with Kristi and Stacey too; so I went to Alice.” Shane nods a little uncomfortable. There is a small silence and Shane starts nervously playing with her beer bottle, ripping the label off. “So, Shane, tell me something about yourself.”

“There’s not much to know really,” Shane says, avoiding looking at her.

“Oh come on,” Carmen pushes her. “You’re not that boring are you?”

Shane laughs. “What do you want to know?”

“How about… your best childhood memory.”

“I didn’t have much of a childhood,” Shane sighs. “My dad was never there and my mom put me in foster care when I was 9.” Shane puts on a phony smile and takes a drink. Carmen looks down and plays with her hands. “Actually, the first year I was in foster care, my mom came and got me a couple months after leaving me there… it was my birthday.” She pauses and looks up and out the window in front of her. “She took me up to the highest point of the city and we looked down at all the lights. We didn’t really talk. She laid a blanket down for us to sit on. We must have been there for hours, just sitting. Out of no where she brought out these sparklers and we wrote our names in the night. I don’t even remember what we talked about be we laughed so hard I cried. After a while she brought me back to the shelter, gave me a hug and sent me off with my present.” She paused and briefly glanced at Carmen and then down at her hands. “That was the last time I saw her.”

“That’s a good memory,” Carmen says reaching over and putting her hand on Shane’s knee. Shane looks up at Carmen who smiles at her sweetly. Carmen’s eyes drift down to look at Shane’s lips. Slowly she starts to lean towards her. Shane rests her forehead against Carmen’s, preventing her from closing the distance. Carmen’s hand finds its way to Shane’s face, gently stroking it.