"Stick this on." I pulled a tiny round adhesive bandage out of my purse and handed it to my best friend Leonie Hendricks.

She rolled up the wide sleeve of her funky velvet dress, the motion setting her mass of silver bangles jingling as she slapped it onto the inside of her elbow. "Affixed."

I stuck mine onto the top of my hand. "Juice box?" I asked, pulling an apple juice from my purse.

"I'm good."

Ripping out the straw with my teeth, I spat out the ...