“Here it comes," she said with an expression of pure bliss. "Drug rush ... any moment now ... the surge of warmth ... bye-bye, Mr. Pain...""Vee-""Knock, knock.""This is really important-""Knock, knock.""It's about Elliot-""Knock, knoooock," she said in a singsong voice. I sighed. "Who's there?""Boo.""Boo who?""Boo-hoo, somebody's crying, and it's not me!" She broke into hysterical laughter.”

“It isn't about love," Vee said. "It's about fun.”

“Have you finished your column for tomorrow's headline?" It was Vee. She came up beside me, jotting notes on the notepad she carried everywhere. "I'm thinking of writing mine on the injustice of seating charts. I got paired with a girl who said she just finished lice treatment this morning.”

“I don’t see any police cars.” “They probably had to park a couple blocks over. Anyway, as I was saying, I noticed illegal substances in the hands of a few guests.” “So?” she snapped. “It’s a party.”“Alcohol is illegal under the age of twenty-one.” “Great!” Marcie shouted. “What am I going to do?” She paused, then raised her voice again. “You probably called them!” “Who, me?” Vee said. “And lose the free food? No way.”

“Right now, Vee was the only person I could count on. She could be obnoxious, annoying, and lazy, but she never lied to me.”

“There was no sign of Jules.“Bad news,” said Elliot. “The man is sick. You’re going to have to settle for me.”“Sick?” Vee demanded. “How sick? What kind of excuse is sick?”“Sick as in it’s coming out both ends.”Vee scrunched her nose. “Too much information.”

“Vee scowled at him. She is famous for that scowl. It's a look that does everything but audibly hiss.”