Summary

When Lucy returned to the apartment that evening, John was away at a party, so Alice made drinks for them both. When Lucy told Alice about her encounter with Joseph, Alice told her that he sounded like a man she knew by the name of Youssef, a notorious conman who often took advantage of unsuspecting tourists. When John stopped by unexpectedly, Alice told him Lucy’s story, hoping that he would respond with an amusing anecdote. He behaved condescendingly and mocked Lucy for falling for “the grift” (90).

Things had started to change their junior year at Bennington. After Christmas in a hotel with her aunt, Alice had found herself locked outside a rural bus station late at night as she waited for her connection. A young man had approached her out of the darkness and asked if she needed a lift. Nervous, she...