Kim held his breath again and wished as hard as he had ever wished for anything that the girls would suddenly leave, that the door would become stuck, that he would disappear into another dimension, that nuclear war would be declared, that a tornado would destroy the town, that he would die before the door opened. Unfortunately, it was already too late – Mandy stood silhouetted in the open doorway.

Kim stared at Mandy like a fawn in the headlights of a Mac truck, too stunned to move. He would be the first to admit that Mandy was a total fox, which may have been what bothered Kim the most about her. She was about as tall as Kim, but slender and supple as willow, which created an illusion of height.