He’s lighting up under a streetlight. Keira’s never smoked before, but she read about this trick in a magazine. “Oh, man,” she says as she approaches, “I just ran out and I’m gonna have a fit in a minute. Can I buy one off you for a quarter?”

“You read about that in a magazine?” he chuckles, but he gives her a cigarette, and doesn’t take the quarter.

Keira surprises herself by not coughing. “So what’s your name?” she manages; he just smiles.

“Come on,” she says. The ember tips of their cigarettes touch, and they jerk away as if burnt.