Thinking about all of this, Whitley straightened her clothes with one hand, then fixed her ponytail before weaving through the crowd to stand in front of the married couple. With a gaze full of affection, she said softly, “Jackson, have some soda,” and held the bottle out to him.

Jackson, one hand in his pocket, the other arm linked with his wife, glanced at Whitley with indifference and said, “You drink it, I’m not thirsty.”

At that moment, someone in the ...