Keisha stood up and began collecting Diet Coke cans. “Our decision’s not final until tomorrow.” She glanced briefly at me. Almost as if she were apologizing, she said, “We had to meet with you one last time. You understand.”

“Sure,” I said. “Okay.”

“So we’ll let you know.”

“Great. Sounds good.”

I hesitated, then got to my feet and helped clean up. As I was collecting Diet Coke cans, Mary Bryan approached me.

“I’m not that girl anymore,” she said.

“I know,” I said, because I got it. Mary Bryan had changed, and I wanted to, too.

Bitsy took me home, with Mary Bryan and Keisha in tow. We stopped at Steak and Shake for dinner, which surprised me, but I didn’t complain. A few other kids from school were there, too. Sukie Karing. Josh Barnett. I tried to act nonchalant, but I was puffed with pride that I was the one entering with Keisha, Mary Bryan, and Bitsy. Sitting at their table. Sharing their conversation.

“Double cheeseburger, fries, and a Sprite,” Bitsy said when our waitress approached. “No, strike that. Chocolate shake.”

“Whipped cream?” the waitress asked.

“Hell yeah,” Bitsy said. She looked at the rest of us. “What? A girl’s got to eat.”

“Right, which is why your fridge is stocked with pita bread and Diet Coke,” Mary Bryan said. I could have been wrong, but it seemed like a bit of a payback.

“Hey, that’s my mum’s food,” Bitsy said.

Mary Bryan made a face. “Hate pita bread.”

“So shove it up your ass,” Bitsy suggested.

“The rest of you know what you want?” the waitress asked.

We ordered. As soon as the waitress left, Sukie Karing slid out of her booth and came over to ours. Her eyes lit briefly on me—curious, I could tell—but it was Keisha she directed her comments toward.

“Oh my god. Did you hear? About Mr. Cohen?”

Keisha lifted her head.

“What happened?” Mary Bryan asked.

Sukie gripped the edge of the table. “He might have rabies.”

“What in bloody hell are you talking about?” Bitsy said.

Now Sukie focused on Bitsy, almost as if she’d been waiting for permission. “He got scratched by one of those cats. You know, at school? It was curled up under his jacket on a sofa in the teacher’s lounge. He reached for his jacket to put it on, and the cat went nuts and attacked him. I’m not kidding.”

“You were there, were you?” Bitsy said. “You saw it with your own two eyes?”

“No, but everyone’s talking about it. He got scratched all down one arm. He had to go to the hospital.”

“I don’t think you can get rabies from a cat scratch,” Mary Bryan said.

“Well, maybe not rabies,” Sukie said. “But it’s like, those cats are a total menace. What if it had been a student who got scratched?” She leaned forward and spaced out her words. “Total. Law. Suit. City.”

“Lawsuit city,” Bitsy repeated. She shared a glance with Keisha. “Hmm.”

“One chocolate shake, two Sprites, one water,” our waitress said. “Now, who had the water?”

Sukie stepped to the side, edged out by the tray. “Anyway, it’s just really terrible, that’s all. Poor Mr. Cohen.”

Bitsy accepted her shake and took a sip. She smiled up at the waitress and said, “Do you think I could have an extra cherry? If it’s not too much trouble.”

“I’ll bring you a whole cupful,” the waitress said. “How’s that sound?”

“Marvelous,” Bitsy said.

Sukie nibbled at her fingernail. “Well. I guess I better go back. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Right, then,” Bitsy said. “Thanks for the chat.”

“Oh, sure. No problem. All right, well …” She raised her hand. “Bye!”

“Ta!” Bitsy called. She waited until Sukie was gone, then shook her head. “Ah, Sukie.”

Mary Bryan giggled.

I fiddled with my straw. “I’ve gotten scratched by a cat millions of times,” I said, “and I’ve never gone to the hospital.”

“Bingo,” Bitsy said. “And that, luv, is one of the many reasons we picked you and not her.”

“Huh?” I said.

Bitsy winked, and I did the ha-ha, very funny thing. A tingling warmth rose inside me.

The waitress returned with a plastic condiment cup filled with cherries. Bitsy selected the shiniest one and popped it in her mouth.

Three messages waited for me at home, all from Alicia. “Jane, pick up,” came the first one. “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes.” Then came, “Jane! Where are you! Karaoke, remember?” And finally, “You better not have blown me off. I mean it. We’ll swing by your house just in case—you better be there!”

I leaned against the counter. Crap. Guilt knuckled down inside me, along with frustration at the unfairness of it. I hadn’t blown her off. I’d honestly forgotten we had plans. But I knew she’d be pissed regardless.

Ah, shit.

I picked up the phone, knowing it would only be worse if I left it until tomorrow. Plus, if I called her now, she wouldn’t be there. She’d still be at the karaoke bar, nursing a Coke and her indignation.

“Hey, Alicia, it’s me,” I said after the beep. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I swear. I fell asleep in the library, can you believe it? I’m a total loser, I know. So anyway, hope you had a great time. See you tomorrow!”

I still had the taste of french fries in my mouth. It was making me thirsty.

The next day I made a point of getting to my locker way early so that I wouldn’t run into Alicia, and I managed to dodge her between classes as well. After French, I met up with the Bitches. Me and Mary Bryan and Keisha and Bitsy. They didn’t say anything to me, just, “Right, let’s go.” When we got to Bitsy’s, it was like total déjà-vu. Same empty house, same white sofas. Although this time we had Perrier and soy nuts, so it wasn’t completely the same after all.

I sat down on one sofa, and the three of them sat across from me on the other. I twisted my fingers in my lap.

“You know why you’re here,” Keisha said.

I did, but I wasn’t so dumb as to say it out loud.

“We’re very careful whom we pick to join us,” she said, “and we’re impressed with your qualifications.” She ticked off points. “You’re a freshman. That’s essential, of course. You’re not in any remedial classes. Your looks meet the minimum requirements.”

“Which is to say you’re not a dog,” Bitsy said. She winked.

“But mainly, we like your attitude,” Keisha said. “You appreciate what we represent, and we know you’ll make us proud. Am I right?”

“Um, yeah,” I said.

“Because we’ll be investing an enormous amount of energy in you, Jane. You’ll have to work hard to be worth it.”

I felt silly, but I nodded anyway. “I will. I promise.”

Bitsy leaned forward. “And everything we tell you remains secret. Do you understand?”

“Of course.”

She arched her eyebrows. “Once you’re in, you’re in. It’s a forever kind of thing, luv. So think about it before you give your answer, because you better be one-hundred-percent sure.”

I gazed at their faces. They all looked so serious. Mary Bryan smiled encouragingly, but she was gripping her Perrier harder than she needed to. For no good reason I thought of cats. Of black magic and girls who were dead. Fear twanged in my stomach, and I had an out-of-body sensation of standing over a pit, about to fall in.

Don’t you dare, I told myself. Don’t you dare wimp out now.

“I want in,” I said. “I want to be a Bitch.”

Time stopped. And when nothing happened, I had a moment of panic. Is that it? I thought. What happens next?

Keisha picked up her backpack from the floor and withdrew a small box. She walked to my sofa and stood in front of me. I stood, too.