Nicole dropped the cell phone onto the couch and kicked off her shoes. “Okay,” she muttered, “so what if they mean well, and they’re just reacting to some underlying fear that I’ll follow my parents to an early grave? What am I supposed to do with a cell phone?” Her parents were gone, so she didn’t have anyone to keep track of her comings and goings. No one noticed if she didn’t text when she arrived at school or came home for the night. Hers was a small town, and she knew it well, so GPS was unnecessary. She had her own professional camera, so she never saw the need to get an expensive phone to take pictures. She and Meg preferred hanging out in person to talking on a phone. Being on the phone for too long always gave Nicole a headache. Her ears were sensitive to loud sounds, and no matte
