THEY ARE SLOW-DANCING TOO FAST, he knows. In fact, they are completely out of beat. He supposes he should take the lead and slow things down, but he doesn’t want to, not today. Tilly’s mother has had to take a second job because of the recession, and will not be home until 7:30 P.M.; so they have made plans to walk together to her place after the dance—where, because Tilly’s little sister is staying with her grandmother, they will have the apartment to themselves. If, by some chance, her mother comes home early, they have an alibi. They will tell her he was there to help her find the dollar ring; which Tilly has searched for—in vain—for over a month.
Because they are in middle school the dance is occurring in the afternoon rather than the evening, and is strictly casual. It is being held
