They had been her playmates until Celia explained that Monique and Cree were no longer welcome in the Marino house. Monique ran into them from time to time on the street and, as she got older, she learned how to cut them dead. She didn’t have time for those babies and their make-believe. Val and June had stopped by the park carrying a big pink raft. Monique was holding court with a crew of older boys. She didn’t bother to break away. That raft looked fun, Monique thought—different than riding the park benches every night. Monique wished the girls would ask her to come with. But June only seemed interested in getting an invite to hop the fence. Monique had been harsh. But when they walked off, she watched the raft bumping between them and tried to imagine where they were headed. When the news trickled into the projects that June was missing, Monique felt chilled. She didn’t have to consult Gloria to know that nothing good would come from blowing off a doomed girl. She should have invited June over the fence.
