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that I could use your phone?"
    "No."
    "Please?"
    He shook his head. "No."
    "You know I said please, and I helped you clean this
mess up even though it wasn't my fault."
    He eyed me up and down. "You look like trouble."
    I sighed. "I know, I get that a lot. But I'm really
not. I'm a nice girl who just happens to like looking like a
freak."
    After glaring at me for a few moments, he dug into
his front pants pocket and came away with a coin. He handed me a
quarter. He motioned toward the street. "There is payphone around
the corner."
    I took the money and thanking him, ran out of the
alley toward the pay phone. I recognized the store on the corner
and knew exactly where I was. Plunking the coin in the slot I
started to dial my home number, then stopped. I pressed the
receiver and the coin clunked down into the plastic tray. I
couldn't phone my mom. She would freak out. And I couldn't explain
to her what happened, because I had no clue.
    I slid out the quarter, popped it back into the slot
and dialed Chloe's number. Chewing my thumb nail, I waited, feeling
sick to my stomach. Thankfully she picked up on the third ring.
    "Hello?"
    "It's Salem."
    "Hey, how was it? Was it as good as you thought it
would be?"
    "Um, can you come get me?"
    There was silence on her end. She must've heard the
rising panic in my voice, and then her words came out in a garbled
rush. "Are you all right? What happened? Where are you?"
    "I'm at a payphone on Third Avenue, you know by that
HMV we sometimes go to."
    "What are you doing there?"
    I fidgeted with my bangs, pulling on them. "I don't
know."
    I heard her intake of air. She did that when
something really bothered her. Or when she was about to cry.
    Tears welled in my eyes. Now that I was talking about
it, the seriousness of the situation slapped me in the face. Except
it didn't hurt like it had before, the pain was on the inside. And
that hurt a hell of lot more. It was one of those pains that
couldn't be healed by a band aid and some quick first aid.
    Something terrible had happened to me. I was sure of
it now. A girl didn't end up in a dumpster by accident. Something
awful had occurred at the party, something I probably didn't want
to remember. Ever.
    "I'm coming right now. Hang tight girl."
    "Thanks." I hung up as the tears started to roll down
my cheeks. I wiped at them as I moved away from the payphone. There
was a bus stop bench near by and I sat down on the edge of it away
from the old lady sitting on the other side reading a paperback
book.
    I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them
close. More tears streamed down my face. Now that they were
uncorked I couldn't stop them up again.
    I tried not to think as I waited for Chloe, which of
course was an impossible feat. It was like asking yourself not to
breathe. Random thoughts filled my mind. Those of meeting Thane and
how cool that had been and how uncool I had been, and then how I
couldn't remember one thing after that. My mind went blank when I
tried to picture anything after his lips brushed up against
mine.
    Then I remembered drinking the beer Thane had given
me. It had been open when he handed it to me. Had I been drugged? I
shook my head, not believing that the lead singer of a popular band
like Malice would even bother dropping a roofie into my drink. The
guy probably got laid all the time; it wasn't like he had to beg
for it. He certainly wouldn't have to drug a girl to sleep with
her. And he certainly didn't have to drug me.
    But something had happened. It wasn't like I left the
party, somehow got downtown and threw myself into the garbage bin.
The club had been on the other side of the city.
    "Are you okay, honey?"
    The old lady was talking to me. I turned my head to
look at her and nodded.
    "Do you need some money?" She started digging into
her purse.
    "No," I blurted. "I'm fine, really. My friend is
coming to get me."
    She smiled. It was a kind smile and made me think of
my granny who lived in Canada. I hadn't seen her in three