“That’s really amazing.” Harper says.

“Yeah, it was. I don’t know what I wouldn’t done otherwise. After a few days one of the older guys took me out with him for the day. He said he wanted to show me the ropes. I didn’t really know what he meant, I thought maybe he was going to show me how to steal or something. I knew a lot of the kids panhandled to make money. And some of them stole ***** and pawned it. But I had no idea that any of them turned tricks. Mike, the guy who took me out. He was 18 and looked like he should’ve been a model not some runaway. He started telling me that I could make a lot of money if I did what he did. Told me I was handsome and that guys would be really into me.”

“So he thought you were a guy?”

“Yeah, they all did. And I didn’t say anything to change their minds. I was worried that if they knew I was a girl they might not help me.”

“Makes sense.” Harper imagines she would’ve done the same thing.

“Mike started asking me if I was into guys and if I’d ever been with one. I told him the truth, that I was into girls and had never been with a guy. And at that point I’d only kissed one girl but I knew that I wanted to kiss a lot more.” Shane smiles. “He told me that he wasn’t ***** but that women don’t pick up guys off the street like men do. He gave me tips on how to think about other stuff when you are with a guy. Told me how much money he got for all the different things he did. He promised to show me the ropes and was very convincing. He kept telling me I would make lots of money. He knew exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“So you turned tricks?” Harper says when Shane pauses.

Shane looks at her then slowly nods her head. “Yeah.” She says quietly. She’s confessing the secret that only one of her friends knows. Her deepest darkest. “I never let a guy do me and never gave a *****. No kissing either. I started out only giving handjobs. Then once I made some money I bought a strap on. So I would ***** them and jerk them off but that’s it. Not that that makes it any better.”