She laughs with a mouth full of fries. Chris asks for ketchup and I hand him some. He grabs for my finger and I let him catch it.
Just as Desiree starts to ask about Ty, a sudden bright light in her window almost blinds us.
“What the hell?” Desiree says. I hear the fear in her voice and freeze.
The light moves to the front of the car and I see a woman police officer peering into the window. Desiree jumps back and drops the chicken in her hand.
“Out of the car, girls, NOW!” the officer commands.
Desiree screams at something over my shoulder. My heart is hammering in my chest as I turn to see what’s behind me. Another police officer, this one pointing a gun.
“Stop moving!” he yells as he walks around the car.
A light shines in my face and I move to avoid it. Desiree screams louder.
“Hands on the fucking dashboard!” the woman officer yells at Chris. Chris slaps the dashboard with both hands, dropping ketchup-covered fries. He tries to turn his head slightly.
“Don’t move, please, Chris,” I beg.
His arms are shaking and I hear sniffles. My stomach sinks.
“Girls, get out of the car now.”
Desiree hesitates, then opens the door slowly and steps out. Her purse hits the ground and I close my eyes tightly, afraid of what might happen next. When nothing does, I open my door and do the same. The officer grabs my arm and pulls me to the side by Desiree. She grabs my pinky.
“No touching. Back over there!” He points to the other side of the car.
Unsure of exactly who he was talking to and too afraid to be wrong, neither of us move.
“Are you deaf, girl?” he says, moving so close to my face that the heat of his breath makes my hairs stand up.
I shake my head and walk back to my door.
Ty is standing at the hood of the car, already in handcuffs and tears. We make eye contact for a moment before he drops his head.
The woman officer is on the phone a few feet away. “So, he does or doesn’t know the owner?” she asks.
The woman hangs up and walks over to Ty. “Smart guys usually don’t steal red cars—or cars that belong to family. Quickest way to get caught, kid.”
My stomach hits the floor and I choke back the urge to scream. A stolen car?! I look at Desiree to see if she is just as shocked as I am. She doesn’t turn, but I want to believe she didn’t know. That she didn’t lie.
Another officer pulls up and speaks to the woman before walking over to the passenger door. He yells at Chris to put his hands on the window, then opens the door for him to get out. “Did you know this car was stolen?”
Chris nods his head slowly, ashamed.
“I didn’t!” I finally yell.
“Quiet!”
I lean against the car and notice a small crowd gathering at the far end of the parking lot.
The woman walks Ty past me to the police car behind us. He makes eye contact again. He looks scared.
“It’s my cousin’s car,” he says to me. “It was just a joke.”
I don’t respond. The woman pushes Ty’s head down and he disappears into the back of the car. I turn my attention back to Desiree, who is trying to get some words out between sobs. The third officer is impatiently tapping on an iPad.
“What’s her name?”
