"We need to make a pit stop first," Hartley says as we settle into the pleated gray fabric of Sully's black SUV. She's riding shotgun while I'm stuck in the back seat.

"Where to?" Sully asks as I watch him in the mirror.

The way his mouth moves when he talks, his flawlessly sculpted jawline... How his sun-lightened waves somehow hold their windswept appearance, even in the throes of this eternal humidity.

Hartley pushes her hands through her unruly blonde curls. "I need to go to Thrift Mart. I'm out of smokes."

I'm suddenly reminded she's underage. "Don't they card you?"

My friend smiles over her shoulder. "Don't worry, it won't be a problem. I know a guy."

Sully runs a hand through his hair and pulls onto the street. "Are you sure John's working today?"

"It's Monday, so he should be."

For several minutes, we drive past ancient oak trees and narrow, rectangular homes that remind me of rows of teeth before Sully slides into a parking spot at the back of the Thrifty Mart Party Store.

"Shit," Hartley announces. "His car's not here. I think that grumpy old lady's working instead."

"We can try again tomorrow," Sully suggests, pulling down the visor to block the setting sun.

"I can't wait until tomorrow! I need a cigarette now." Hartley opens the passenger door and steps out into the parking lot. "I'm gonna need a disguise. Do you have anything?"

"What? You mean a costume? Oh, sure," he adds, sarcastically. "There's a Santa Claus suit in my back seat."

"Not a costume, silly. Maybe a hat? One for Gwen too, if you have it."

I poke my head over the front seat. "What do I need a hat for?"

"Because you're my distraction." With her hands grasping the hood of the SUV, Hartley leans forward, peering inside the vehicle. The wispy cardigan she's wearing over her sundress droops forward like a cape. "So what do you have, Sully?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. My duffel bag's in the way back. I might have a couple of hats in there."

"Perfect." She smiles. "Pop the rear so we can look."

When we get out to peek in the trunk, it's tidier than I expect for someone of Sully's age and gender. A soccer ball is tucked beside an unzipped sports bag, and a baseball bat and a pair of cleats are half-hidden underneath. Hartley grabs the bag and begins to rummage through its contents. "Here's one." She pulls out an old cap then hands me a navy-blue bandana, the edges gathered together in one long tie. "You take this."

"What am I supposed to do with it?" I ask, turning it over in my hands.

"Duh. Put it on your head." She twists her hair up in the back and slides the hat over top. "Sully can wait here with the car running."

"Wait a minute ..." I can't believe I'm about to say this. "You're not going to steal the cigarettes, are you?"

"Don't worry about what I'm going to do, just worry about what you're gonna do."

Sully shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the next. "Hart, you can't ask Gwen to help you with this. It's not right."

"Oh no!" I hiss, despite the very empty parking lot. "There's no way you're involving me in your little crime spree! What if we get caught?"

"You're not going to do anything other than talk to the nice lady," she says. "Let me take care of the rest."

"I thought you said she was grumpy." My chin juts forward in a feeble attempt to assert my defiance, while my heart pounds like a drum. "And if you end up in jail, I'll have to go back to Ohio!"

"No one's going to jail. I promise." Hartley grasps my shoulders and looks me square in the eye. "Sometimes, to get what we want, we have to take the bull by the horns. The biggest risk in life is never taking one at all. Consider that a Hartley Life Lesson."

"But it's illegal!"

"All right, whatever." She lets go of a breath. "Just wait in the car then. This'll only take a few minutes." And with those final words, Hartley disappears into the abyss that is the Thrifty Mart Party Store while Sully and I obediently slink back into our seats.

"What if she gets caught?" I say again, more to myself than to him.

"She won't." He turns around in his seat and stares at me. I stare right back. "This isn't the first time she's had a nicotine fit while John's been off."

I can't hide my surprise. "She's stolen cigarettes before?"

"Well, you know Hartley ..."

Do I? I'm beginning to wonder. Last I was aware, her antics were just pranks, like borrowing outdoor Christmas decorations from one house and using them to decorate another. She never did anything like this.

"So," Sully says, a smile tugging up one corner of his mouth. "Did she pass on my message?"

His text! After spending the entire day with Hartley and her mom, I'd forgotten all about it. I swallow hard and break into a cold sweat. "Um, no?"

"Of course, she didn't." He shakes his head and lets a puff of air out his nose. "I was wondering if I could take you out sometime?"

My response is sluggish. "You mean ... on a date?"

"Well, yeah," he says, shrugging one shoulder.

"I've, uh, never been on a date before. I wouldn't know what to do."

"For starters, you don't overthink it." Sully gives me an irresistible crooked smile and an unexpected warmth rushes through my entire body. "You just go with the flow and have fun. I thought maybe we could go on one of those haunted history tours. What do you think?"

"Um ..." I glance at the carryout entrance. What is taking Hartley so long?

"We don't have to call it a 'date' if you don't want to," he adds quickly.

"But what would we call it then?"

"How about this ..." His voice is tinged with amusement. "What if I took you on a pre-date first? That way you can sample the company before committing to the real thing."

His proposal snags me. "A pre-date? Is there even such a thing?"

"Sure. Why not?"

I raise my eyebrows. "What do you do on a pre-date?"

"Let's see ..." He thinks for a moment. "We could go for a walk around the neighborhood? We don't even have to hold hands."

As conflicted as I am, I try not to smile. "Is holding hands customary during a pre-date?"

"Sometimes. If the chemistry's right."

I nod my head slowly, trying to buy extra time. "Do you think we'll have chemistry?"

"There's only one way to find out," Sully says. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I could ask Oscar to chaperone."

"Oscar? Your dog?"

"Absolutely. He loves to go on walks. Especially with pretty girls." He pauses, and his eyes are shining so bright it's like all of the secrets in the world are burning behind them. It's almost enough to make me forget about what's going on with Hartley inside the store. "You may not realize it now, but this invitation is actually quite a privilege."

"Oh?"

"You'd have the two most handsome guys in the whole neighborhood offering you their undivided attention."

I laugh out loud and cover my mouth with my hand. "Then how can I say no to that?"

"You really can't, Miss Ohio. It's a pretty sweet deal."

I'm just about to accept when the passenger door swings open and Hartley throws herself into the front seat. "Go go go!" she screams.

Sully steps on the gas and we speed out of the parking lot, the tires of his SUV screeching against the pavement.

"Jesus Christ," he says. "What the hell happened?"

Hartley struggles to catch her breath. "I think she may have seen me."

I turn and look out the back window just in time to see a petite, middle-aged woman sprint out of the carryout, her head darting back and forth down the street. "Oh my God. She's looking for us!"

Hartley lets out a laugh. "It's all right now, we're safe. And I got everything I went in for, including three packs of cigarettes. That'll last me weeks!"

"This is the last time we're stopping when John's not working. Got it?" Sully warns. "What if she recognizes my car? If I get in trouble, I could get kicked off of the soccer team!"

"She's not going to recognize your car, we're too far away. And besides," she adds coyly, "I grabbed something for you. Call it a thank you for taking us out tonight." Hartley reaches her hand inside her cardigan and pulls out a bottle.

A sudden grin spreads across his face. "Patrón Silver? You do love me!"

I sit up straight and clasp my knees, anxious to leave the scene of the crime.

Hartley gives him a sheepish smile, then turns to me. "I have something for you, too." Again, she reaches inside her open sweater and pulls out a bag of gummy worms. "No hard feelings, okay?"

I shoot my best friend a look, but it's impossible to stay mad with the hopeful expression on her face. I roll my eyes and reach for the treat I'm not supposed to have on a vegan diet. It's not that I'm okay with her risking our entire summer, but this isn't a battle I want to fight.

"So, Gwen ..." I glance up to find Sully staring at me through the rear-view mirror. "Pre-date. Yes or no?"

Hartley whips around, her blue eyes wide as saucers.

"Uh ..." I can't believe this is happening! My stomach twists into a knot. "I guess that would be yes?"

"Great!" He grins through the mirror. "You're making a very wise decision, if I do say so myself. How's Friday?"

I nod, trying to ignore Hartley's satisfied smirk, but she's staring so hard I can't. Our eyes lock and hold before she finally turns around in her seat, and I open my bag of gummy worms, too charmed to give her shoplifting another thought.