Her Hope Has Tattoos

Kennedy Winters *Edited 4/4/16*

"So here's how the game works." The six of us stand next to Candace's black minivan in the parking lot across from the bar. Candace grabs the first Monster can out of the box and snaps the top open.

"Every person that comes out of that club is most likely wasted, so that's the best time to get their wallets. We have an hour, and we'll be taking turns. At the end we'll count all the money up, and split it evenly for the naughty girls that succeed." Candace winks. Uneasiness fills my stomach. Candace is my new best friend and so were the others, but I didn't want to steal! In a couple weeks, senior year started at my new school and I can't lose my new friends over this.

"What if one of us gets caught?" I ask.

"Kennedy, my brothers do this almost every weekend, they haven't gotten caught, and they're total idiots! It'll be fine. Although, they usually buy booze after, but for us, it's clothes," she says.

We all sit on the curb across the bar's entrance. Loud music fills our ears and echoes down the somewhat empty street. Melanie volunteers to go first and struts across the walk way of the road. We all watch in anticipation as she walks over to the entrance. She pulls out her phone and starts pretending to talk.

"She's good at this, she'll make it," Candace leans over and whispers. I nod my head hoping she will so we all don't get caught. If we got caught, my dad would go ballistic on me.

The door of the bar suddenly flies open, perfect timing and two blonde guys walk out. I knew that they were drunk by the fact they could barely walk without stumbling on the cracked sidewalk.

"Oh sh*t!" Melanie yells loudly, running into their backs. What she did was pretty obvious to us that she didn't mean to run into them considering the sidewalk was empty, but they defiantly didn't notice. One of the guys stumbles forward and starts to laugh uncontrollably. Both turn around to see Melanie tuck her auburn hair behind her ear flirtatiously. The other girls beside me giggle as she bends down slowly, picking her purse up. Both guys glance down at her butt, and smirk at eachother.

"It's okay,'' he slurs out at her.

She gives them a final smile and they walk away. She waves at us and waits for a car to drive by before crossing the street back over to us. All the girls squeal in shock that she had actually pulled it off as she throws Candace the wallet I hadn't even seen her take. I look away from the group and check my phone. As usual, no texts. I slip my phone back into the pocket of my shorts.

"Nice Mel!" Someone says, making the other girls agree. This seemed stupid and dangerous, I would have much rather stayed home with the tv and my couch. It was humid and I could feel my straightened hair frizzing, which made the forty minutes of straightening my hair go to waste.

''What's in it?'' I force myself into the conversation and watch Candace empty the wallet into her lap.

"Paul Garreth, twenty-four, blue eyes, blonde hair, birthday May ninth," she reads off his driver's license.

Stella leans over Candace and picks up a few credit cards out of her lap to observe. Candace shuffles through the wallet a little more, furrowing her perfectly plucked eyebrows as she pulls open more empty pockets, and swipes out a twenty dollar bill.

"Ah sh*t, I showed my a*s for twenty bucks?" Melanie whines. Not like you've showed it for less I chuckle to myself. The other girls laugh and take a picture of them, posting it on Instagram.

''Stella, make sure to tag me!'' Ellie says.

After a few more minutes, we start the game again. After Melanie, Candace goes, then Haley, then Stella, then Ellie, and lastly it was my turn.