three girls shoved into a backseat, thigh to thigh, elbows collide. the girl to yr left sips hot coke & whiskey, passes the bottle mouth to mouth. the girls grin. their syllables rise & smear across yr brain. you start talking too, move your mouth so fast. imagine yr words, inreccognizable now, as a pond frozen over. you skate across the syllables—boots laces tight, face flushed white. when the girl to yr left taps yr shoulder want any? it takes you five minutes to shake yr head no thanks then turn to stare out the window. the night has no moon, no light at all except the whites of their eyes.