Marianne narrowed her eyes as she tapped her foot along with her latest

Billy Joel alb.u.m. She was convinced he was right. Catholic girls did

start much too late.

"Emma, you've had that ice on your ears for twenty minutes. You should

have frostbite by now."

Ice was melting cold down her wrists, but she kept it firmly against her

ears. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I do." Marianne's hips swayed in her prim cotton nightgown as

she walked to the mirror. There, she admired the little gold b.a.l.l.s in

her newly pierced ears. "I watched every move my cousin made when she

did mine." She switched to an exaggerated German accent. "Und ve have

all de instruments. Ice, needle." Gleefully she held it up so it

glinted in the lamplight. "The potato we ripped off from the kitchen.

'lWo quick jabs and your dull, dreary ears become sophisticated."

Emma kept her eye on the needle. She was searching for a way out, ears

and pride intact. "I never asked Dad if it was all right."

"Jesus, Emma, ear piercing's a personal choice. You've got your

period, you've got your b.o.o.bs-such as they are," she added with a grin.

"That makes you a woman."

She wasn't sure she wanted to be a woman if it meant having her best

friend stick a needle in her earlobe. "I don't have any earrings."

"I told you, you can borrow some of mine. I've got scads. Come on,

let's see that British stiff upper lip."

"Right." Having a deep breath, Emma took the ice from one ear. "Don't

screw up."

"Me?" Marianne knelt by the chair to draw a tiny x on Emma's earlobe

with a purple felt-tip pen. "Listen, just in case I miss and drive this

into your brain, can I have your record collection?" Then she giggled,

held the potato behind Emma's ear, and plunged.

It was a toss-up as to who was more queasy.

"G.o.d." Marianne tucked her head between her knees. "At least my parents

don't have to worry about me becoming a drug addict. Shooting up must

be disgusting."

Emma slid bonelessly out of the chair. "You didn't say I'd feel it."

As her stomach roiled, she concentrated on keeping very still and

breathing. "Oh gross. You didn't say I'd hear it."

"I didn't. But then Marcia and I had swiped a bottle of bourbon from

Daddy's bar. I guess we weren't feeling or hearing anything."

She lifted her head, focused. There was blood, just a drop of it on

Emma's earlobe, but it made her think of the slasher movie she and her

cousin had seen over the summer.

"We've got to do the other one."

Emma just closed her eyes. "Oh Christ."

"You can't go around with one ear pierced. We've come this far, Emma."

Her hands were clammy as she clipped the needle free of the thread and

prepared it for round two. "I've got the hard part. Just lie there."

Gritting her teeth, Marianne aimed and fired. Emma only groaned and

slid the rest of the way to the floor.

"It's over. Now you have to clean them with peroxide so they don't get

infected. And keep your hair over them so none of the sisters notice