Gigi sat on the stoop waiting for her best friend Josepha, who was late. They were going to the movies in Sunset Park. It was two miles, and three subway stops away.

     Her mom didn't like that she hung out on the stoop at night, but as an almost fourteen-year-old in Brooklyn during summer nights, what else was there to do? Gigi's mom let her older brother, James, hang out with his friends at the arcade down on Third Avenue or play handball up the street.

     Even though the theater was going to be cold, she wore shorts to show off her newly shaved legs. At the start of the summer, her mom said she could shave her legs but only to mid-thigh. That didn't matter. With her mom working and weekends being for church and errands, she didn't get to wear her bathing suit to go to the beach.

     Elementary school girls jumped rope in front of her brownstone. Their rope cracked on the sidewalk as they sang, "all in together girls, how you like the weather girls? January, February, March…" When their birthday month came up, they jumped in. The large bright orange sun was behind the expressway and buildings, making the asphalt take on a dark gray cast against the bright cars parked on the street: Datsuns, Dodges, Toyotas, and a couple of Monte Carlos in front of the corner bodega.

     Moms called their kids in for dinner. Their names yelled out from windows, Maria, Teresa, Jonathan, Sarah, and a pissed off mom, "David Sean Miller, get your ass in here! NOW!" Small voices replied, "ah ma, just a few more minutes!"

     She looked at her watch, then across the street. Where the hell was she?

     A distant car's bass rattled the glass windows of the buildings, playing a hip-hop song that was the soundtrack of the summer. The car crept up the street. The driver winked and blew a kiss at her, while a man in the back made a vulgar remark in Spanish. She turned away. Gross.

     She willed Josepha to hurry as she stared at her building door across the street, but Mike came out instead. He lived in the same building. Her heart raced as he crossed the street.

     "Yo, what's up?" Mike asked. Gigi gave one nod. She hadn't talked to him since the last day of school at their homeroom party. "Josepha said to tell you she'll be late. She said you'd be cool with us going." He motioned with his chin up to his friends, Richy and Greg, who were walking towards them from the bodega up the street, eating ice cream cones. It was cool with her, but it wouldn't be cool with her mom, even if she'd known them since elementary school.

     She glanced up at the third-story window, knowing that her mom often took breaks from laundry and cleaning to sit there. She could see her shadow and the ironing board reflected on the curtain inside her room. Good, she was busy.

     As they reached the stoop, Richy and Greg talked about last Saturday's WWF match while they licked their cones. They thought pro wrestling was real!

     She couldn't say anything. It was less than a year since she stopped playing with her Barbie dolls in secret. Mike would torment her forever if he knew.

     Josepha finally came out of her building with a scowl on her face. Her lips were pressed into two thin, pink lines. The bright red zit in the middle of her forehead was swollen into a raised bump.

     "Yo, Unicorn!" Mike laughed his squeaky laugh and curled up, ready for Josepha's punch, which landed in the middle of his back in a hollow boom.

     Josepha didn't give warning. If they said something to piss her off, they braced themselves, otherwise, they'd end up bruised and wondering what happened. "Let's go. We're gonna be late cause a yous." Josepha's accent flicked on and off to impress the guys. That night it was heavier than usual.

     They walked up the block on Gigi's side of the street, which was mostly brownstones until they neared the avenue where there were three warehouse garages. Oil spots dotted the sidewalk from the trucks where they parked to make their daily pickups. The smell from the pizzeria across the avenue wafted towards them. James played handball with the older kids against the graffiti covered garage doors. "Where you going?" he asked Gigi. He furrowed a heavy brow.

     "To the movies. Ma knows," she sneered at him.

     He was being bossy to show off in front of his friends. He tossed the bright blue ball to Mike's sister, Amparo. She smiled at Gigi and winked. She was the only older girl that talked to them. To the others, they didn't exist.

     Gigi's eyes darted from James to Amparo. He always talked about Amparo's beautiful eyes and ass. He did a shift with his eyes and glared at her to warn her to keep her smart mouth shut. Once they walked past, Amparo said, "three up! Our serve!" The bang-plop of the ball hitting the garage wall and sidewalk started again.

     They rounded the corner and descended the stairs to the subway. The stale, metallic tunnel air reminded Gigi of visits to her dad in The Bronx once a month. In summer, the smell was stronger and mixed with the humid air that stuck to their nostrils.

     Josepha and Mike headed to buy tokens. Gigi, Richy, and Greg waited for them by the turnstiles. Gigi's mom gave her two tokens for her trip. She bought ten packs once a week for her ride to work. Before leaving, her mom handed one of them to her, held the other up and said, "remember, even if you lose your money, one of these will take you home." Then she placed it in her hand.

     Gigi placed the token in the thin slot and crossed the turnstile. She peered down the tunnel in the direction of the oncoming train towards Sunset Park. Josepha tapped her shoulder. "Hey Gigi, do you see it?"

     "Nuh-uh," she said.

     Gigi was the pet name she got in fifth grade. It was short for Giraffe Girl. Mike came up with it because she was tall and lanky, with a long neck while the rest of her body hadn't caught up yet. Mike had names for everyone. Josepha was Ernie, the character from Sesame Street. She could live with the shortened version of Gigi.

     They tried to figure out which movie to see while they waited for the train. The theater in Sunset Park was always weeks behind the rest regarding new releases.

     "How about going to Manhattan?" Mike asked. Gigi had never been to Manhattan without her mom or dad. If her mom found out, she'd have a fit.

     "Yeah, right! We'll get back by midnight," Josepha said.

     "No, we won't. Look, it's what… six-thirty? We take the F train to Manhattan, that takes fifteen minutes, watch a movie around seven, we'll be back by ten—easy." It sounded simple.

     "That's if the trains run back-to-back, if we don't miss 'em and they aren't late," Josepha wasn't easy to convince. Gigi glanced at Mike then back at Josepha. She wanted to go, but without Josepha, she didn't dare go. Couldn't go. Despite the uneasy feeling in her stomach, she longed for a night in Manhattan without her mom or dad hovering nearby.

     "They run well at this hour. It's a weekday, come on! Are you a pussy? You're going to high school in a month. Come on, it'll be dope!" Mike raised his brows and looked at her with his big, green eyes. His rosy cheeks were brighter than usual.

     "I don't know." Josepha was close to being convinced. "Manhattan at night is pretty dangerous."

     "Hundreds of people will be out on the street." Mike gave her his wide smile with perfectly straight teeth, his braces came off a month before. She looked at Gigi. Gigi gave a couple of small nods and a slight plead with her eyes.

     "Oh, okay! Geesh!" Josepha relented.

     They got into Manhattan by seven, just as Mike said. They came out of the subway on forty-second street and walked up to Broadway. Gigi absorbed the surrounding energy. Taxis and cars moved as packs down the avenue, honking as the lights changed. The tall skyscrapers blocked the light from the setting sun, casting long shadows on the avenue. The noise and bright lights were a contrast to their quiet Brooklyn neighborhood. Tourists crowded the streets and small shops.

     Gigi and Josepha browsed in one while the guys bought the newspaper in a newsstand outside. By the cash register, there was a section of dirty postcards. One of them had a line of nude butts and on the bottom in a neon pink script said, "I Love New York." The Asian man behind the counter scowled at them and in one breath said, "hey, you. You no buy, you go! This no store for hanging." Gigi grabbed a red pen with the New York skyline from a clear container on the counter. She had more than enough money for the movie. She handed him two dollars. He put the change on the counter so she could pick it up herself. He glared at her while she collected her change.

     Josepha mumbled something to him, her face reddening as it did when she was getting ready for a fight. Gigi tugged her arm, and they left the store to join the guys at the newsstand. Mike held the newspaper while Richy and Greg looked over him.

     "Well?" Josepha asked.

     "There's a few choices," Richy said. "We can go see The Fly, Friday the Thirteenth, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Back to the Future. But for some, we have to walk kind of far." They looked around to see which theater was the closest and which was showing one of the movies. They decided on Nightmare on Elm Street, which played across the street. The movie started at eight and ran an hour and a half. If everything went as planned, they'd be home by ten-thirty.

     They gave Josepha the money to buy the tickets. Paying five bucks to see a movie was expensive. The only thing that sucked about being thirteen was not getting things for half price anymore. They sat near the back of the theater. Josepha next to Richy at the aisle, Gigi sat between Josepha and Mike, with Greg at the end.

     A cola commercial was on the screen as they settled in. "I have to start school orientation next week," Josepha whispered to Gigi.

     "What? Why so soon?" This was going to shorten their summer plans, even if it was only watching Brady Bunch and Monkees re-runs and eating Pizza at Lenny's on the avenue.

     "All the specialized schools start early. I wish you were coming with me."

     Gigi missed the cut-off on the admissions test for Tech by ten points. If she took summer school to catch up, they would have admitted her, but her mom said no. "Me, too."

     As the movie played, Mike couldn't resist startling Gigi. She gripped her seat as the guy walked through a dark hallway in Freddie's decrepit house. Every muscle in Gigi's body tensed like tightly coiled springs, ready to release at any moment. She grimaced, barely able to watch. Mike slyly grabbed her shoulder, eliciting a blood-curdling scream from Gigi that drew angry glances. She slapped him on the arm, trying to make him stop. But he continued, causing more shrieks and squeals from Gigi that filled the theater.

     They got up to leave as soon as the credits started. Gigi pressed the light button on her digital watch. The green back-lit numbers showed it was fifteen minutes past ten. "Guys, it's ten fifteen! We'll never make it in time. My mom'll be shittin' bricks!"

     Josepha pushed her way through the crowd, clearing a path for them. A lady tried to block Josepha and yelled, "Get some manners!"

     "Screw you!" Josepha pushed by her. The lady looked at them wide eyed with her mouth open. She put her hand to her chest as Mike and Gigi scuttled past, laughing.

     In the dark of night, more people seemed to emerge onto the streets. The sidewalks were overflowing with people, more so than earlier in the evening. They jogged to Forty-Second Street, weaving through groups of tourists, and ignoring Do Not Walk lights while dodging taxis. "No way we'll make it," Gigi panted. They reached the stairs to the station. Richy slid down the stainless-steel banister on his butt while the others bounded down the stairs.

     "Let's call our parents and say there's a problem with the train," Mike's idea would work. There were always construction problems with the R train.

     They made their way to the six public phones that stood next to each other at the upper level of the station. An older man was using one and, of course, Gigi's didn't work. She waited, hopping from one leg to the other until Josepha got off hers.

     "Where are you?" Gigi's mom asked. She told her they were calling from the phones in the pizzeria a couple blocks up from the theater and there were delays with the train. "Okay, do you know how long you'll be?"

     "I don't know. Maybe around eleven?"

     "I'm so glad you called." Her mom paused and sighed. "Ugh, that James — anyway, I'll let you go. Take care of yourself and if there are any more problems with the train, call me! God bless you, honey."

     "See you in a while." Gigi hung up. The others were done and waited at the top of the stairs.

     Josepha and Gigi sat on one side of the subway car, and the guys sat facing them. Three adult couples dressed up as if going out for the evening sat on the other end, minding their business in typical New Yorker fashion. The sweat that had accumulated on Gigi's back from her jog to the subway and lying to her mom, was cooled by the refreshing breeze from the air conditioner.

     The F train travelled above ground for three stops in Brooklyn. Gigi stood to look out the door's window. After a moment, she realized someone stood next to her. It was Mike. "So you're going to Comm Arts next year?" He asked.

     She nodded.

     "Me too," he said. She knew that. They talked about it during the last week of school. "Maybe we can start hangin' out more. You know, lunch and stuff."

     "We can take the train together," she said.

     "Yeah, that's cool. I don't know anyone else who's going to Comm Arts besides my sister. Maybe we'll be in homeroom together."

     "Or some classes." From up here, downtown Brooklyn looked flat. The highest building was the four-faced clock with its bright green dials. It was ten-thirty.

     Shifting her focus from the city to his reflection on the glass, she noticed him doing the same, gazing back at her.

     The train stopped and the muffled voice of the conductor announced, "Forth-Avenue. Smith-Ninth street. Change here for the R going uptown Brooklyn, and downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan." This was their stop.

     Instead of waiting, they chose to walk the eight blocks home since it was faster than transferring for just one stop. The streets were quiet and relatively empty.

     The occasional sound of a passing car broke the silence. A few couples and families walked past them, with only sporadic canned TV laughter from an open window making its way outside.

     The guys walked ahead of Josepha and Gigi. "What's up with you and Mike?" Josepha asked. "You guys were hanging out a lot together tonight. And I saw how he was with you during the movie."

     "We're going to Comm Arts. It's nothing. So, what's up with you and Richy?" Gigi asked. Richy smelled like onions and cat pee.

     "Eff you!" She punched Gigi's shoulder, but not as hard as she did with Mike. She side hugged her and said, "Gigi's got a boyfriend!"

     "I don't want anyone calling me Gigi anymore," she said as they paused in front of the brightly lit bodega, its light illuminating them and the street.

     "Why not? You never cared before."

     "I'll be fourteen in September. Call me Liz or Lissy. No more Gigi."

     The guys waited on the corner across the street for them. "Gigi, Ernie, hurry up!" Mike called.

     "She doesn't want to be called Gigi anymore!" Josepha yelled back.

     They ran to cross as the light turned from flashing to solid red.

     James was still playing handball with his friends and stopped while they passed. "How was the movie?" He asked.

     "We saw Nightmare on Elm. It was okay."

     "A bit late to be getting back from Sunset Park?"

     "Ma knows," she said.

     Once they passed, Carmine threw the ball against the wall. Amparo received it. She had tied her T-shirt in a knot under her breast showing off her tight, tanned stomach. She looked at Lissy and smiled. "Hey Lissy, did Mike tell you?" Mike turned red and hurried across the street. Richy, Greg and Josepha followed him. Josepha gave Lissy a small wave goodbye and walked into the building ahead of Mike.

     "Hey, Mike you're a pussy!" Amparo hollered over to him without missing her swing at the ball. It bounced against the top half of the garage door and James slapped it back again. "I heard you're going to Comm Arts in September. I can show you around. You wanna play?" Ker-plop, her hand slammed against the ball. "We can get another game in."

     Sweat trickled down James' forehead into his bushy brows. His dark eyes darted back to Lissy despite Carmine's brutal returns.

     "It's late. I have to go home." She didn't have to go home right away, but she understood the expression on her brother's face.

     "Bummer. We're going to Coney Island tomorrow. Meeting out front at nine. Can you come?" She swung the ball to Carmine. James wasn't listening to their conversation. He was still trying to fend off Carmine's passes. "James is coming with. Your mom'll let you. See you tomorrow, then?" She asked.

     Lissy shrugged. "I'll ask."

     Amparo nodded with a knowing smile.

     When Lissy arrived at the apartment, her mom sat at the dining table in her bathrobe, drinking her nightly cup of coffee with milk. "I'm glad you called, or I would've been worried. Is your brother out there?"

     "Yeah." Lissy plopped on the worn, floral couch and kicked off her sneakers. She nervously studied her mom's face to see if there was any sign of suspicion, but her expression remained the same.

     They watched the news on their ten-year-old nineteen-inch black-and-white TV that flickered every two minutes. The sound was tinny and distant, but her mom refused to replace it while it still worked. Lissy had hoped for the past couple of years that it would blow a fuse, but it seemed determined to stay in their living room.

     Lissy stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes. "Mom, can I go with Amparo to Coney Island tomorrow?"

     "Who's Amparo?" Her mom turned from the TV.

     "She's the older sister of a friend of mine. She's sixteen. She's friends with James." Lissy braced for the interrogation.

     "Who else is going?"

     "James and some friends. Probably my friend, too." She hoped he'd be there, but Amparo didn't mention Mike and she didn't dare mention that her friend was a boy.

     She sipped and nodded. "You can go. You're more responsible than that brother of yours." She took another sip, "and if he complains he doesn't want you going, tell him I told you to. Besides, he has no business telling you no. It was your friend that asked." She drank the last of her coffee and rinsed off the cup in the kitchen. Lissy didn't expect such a quick yes.

     She came back into the living room and kissed her forehead. "I'm headed to bed. Don't stay up too late. Goodnight." She went to her room at the front of the apartment through Lissy and James' bedrooms.

     Lissy watched Johnny Carson while waiting for James. Entering a minute before his midnight curfew, he sat beside her, unlaced, and took off his high-tops, then took off his socks. The room filled with stink.

     "I know you guys went somewhere else," he said. She continued staring at the TV even though commercials were on. "You look guilty. Besides, Elm Street isn't playing at Sunset. I was there for the matinee yesterday. Don't worry, I'm not ratting you out."

     That was a change. His main purpose was to get her constantly in trouble. "I did that at your age, too. We need to be up early. Gonna get ready for bed."

     After James showered, they watched the end of Carson and Letterman together. He fought sleep for half an hour and gave in during the stupid dog tricks. She was too excited thinking about tomorrow to go to bed yet. It took watching Friday night videos and finally the late movie with Godzilla and a gigantic moth to make her decide to turn in, but not before heading to the bathroom and shaving her legs, this time just up to where her bathing suit covered.

     The bright rays of early morning sun came through the living room windows and crept under her bedroom door, waking her earlier than needed. Since she couldn't sleep, she got ready. She put on her bathing suit under her denim shorts and tank top, then sat on the couch and waited for James while their mom slept in. They filled their backpacks with chip bags, water bottles, and towels and headed out.

     Mike sat on the stoop of their building.

     "Hey, what's up?" He smiled back at her as she stepped out.

     She could only let out a "hey." James eagerly ran down the steps to join Amparo and the older kids across the street.

     "We're still waiting for some girls," Mike explained. Two girls came out of the corner bodega, stuffing bags into their backpacks. Amparo called Mike and Lissy over and motioned for them to follow along to the subway.

     As they walked behind Amparo, James, and the rest of the group, Mike and Lissy were quiet, exchanging nervous glances, then looking at the ground. Something changed. It was like they forgot the years that they knew each other from elementary through middle school. The rest of the group, lost in their own conversation, appeared to have forgotten about them as well. Amparo glanced back at Mike and Lissy before they walked down into the station.

     Lissy and Mike stood near the edge of the platform next to a post. One guy played a freestyle song on his boombox, filling the station with music as they waited on the platform.

     An old couple sitting on benches near the turnstiles shot them a look. "Seems like they don't like Lisa Lisa," Mike said. He looked at his feet, then back at her. "So, no more Gigi?"

     The gust of wind signaling the approaching train interrupted them. They both looked down the tunnel.

     She shook her head. "Liz or Lissy." They stepped back from the platform as the train arrived and screeched to a stop. The rest of the group split to enter through two different doors. The blast of cool air from the air-conditioned car hit them as they opened.

     "Ok. Lissy." As they stepped onto the train, Mike took her hand.