"Strike!"

Camryn Barnes yelped for joy and slapped palms with her bowling partner, Beth Fish. "We rock! We are the dream team!" Grinning triumphantly, Cam swiped a lock of chestnut hair off her face.

In the next lane, two cute guys form school — Jason, already crushed on Cam, and his bond-tipped friend Rick — checked her out. Cam returned their smiles. It felt excellent to be out with her buds, bowling, bragging, basking in the boy light.

"We are the alpha alley babes." Beth's freckeled face was flushed with delight as she totaled up the score. To Kristen Hsu, their friend and, tonight, a member of the opposing team, she singsonged teasingly, "you'll never catch us!"

"Don't bet on it, " came Kris's right-back-atcha response. With a toss of her gleaming black hair, she sent her own ball gliding down the alley. Perfect form, perfect release, perfect strike. "Deal," Kristen crowed. "We are so gonna pass you."

Good-naturedly, Cam pointed out, "One problem with your reasoning, Hsu-fly, the word 'we.' Your so-called teammate is AWOL."

Brianna Waxman, petite, blond, and one of their best friends had wandered away again to take yet another call on her cell phone.

Brianna didn't seem right. It was as simple as that.