“Wawa coffee run?” Riley said, knowing Pike’s struggle with insomnia.
Pike nodded, confirming what they both already knew. “Wawa coffee run.”
“Wait,” Lin said, “new game. If you had to choose one female celebrity to sleep with, who would you choose?”
Relief flooded Pike. Lin wanting to play meant they had believed her, that the topic would not come up again unless Pike wanted it to.
“I’ll go first,” Lin said. “I would pick, hmm . . . Okay, I know. I would pick Natalie Portman. Riley?”
Riley clucked her tongue. “God, I don’t know. Um . . . Zoe Saldana? Yeah, Zoe Saldana. How about you, Pike? Who would you pick?”
Pike was about to respond (better to play than to pretend like you didn't have an answer—the latter was always more suspicious) when a crack resounded through the air, making all three of them jump. Couples and families, kids and teenagers alike, were scattering back to the boardwalk, packing up their towels and coolers and brightly colored beach pails. The weather hadn’t said anything about rain, but now it was pouring, pouring down on them, the lightning like whips through the sky—CRACK!—harsh and fast and electric yellow.
“Fuck,” Lin said, untying her hoodie from around her waist. Pike watched as Riley and Lin pulled up their