Melissa reached the makeshift bedroom in the finished basement. Her grandparents had assembled three cots that surrounded her grandfather’s pool table, which sat dead center in the room. She flung herself on her cot and grabbed for her Walkman. After placing the foam headphones over her ears, she pressed Play. She closed her eyes and let the room disappear underneath the magical sounds of Wham! singing about never dancing again after a night of infidelity.
Melissa rocked her head back and forth on her pillow to the beat. Just as the world had finally disappeared and she had forgotten that she was spending another lame weekend with her grandparents instead of playing tonsil hockey with Graham, someone ripped her headphones from her ears. She opened her eyes, ready to shove whichever of her
