Joseph pulled into the parking lot of the Mobil gas station outside town. "Follow my lead," he said. Samantha wanted to ask about what, but he'd already gotten out of the car and she figured it best not to ask where anyone could hear them.
He walked through an aisle of candy bars and other colorful snacks in shiny wrappers. Samantha picked up a package with two pink circles called Sno-Balls that matched her jacket. She turned over the package and read the nutritional information. She tossed the Sno-Balls away as if they'd come to life. If she ate those she'd end up as big as whatshername-Pamela? Penny?-in no time at all.
She found Joseph standing in front of a refrigerated cabinet of beer. He looked one way and then the other before snatching a case out of the refrigerator. "What's that for?" she asked.
"It'll make everything more fun," he said. "When I get up to the counter, look cool. Don't look nervous, all right?"
"Why would I look nervous?"
"Because people our age aren't supposed to have this."
"Oh. All right then." She followed Joseph up to the counter, where he set the beer down in front of a woman whose skin reminded Samantha of how hers had once looked, back when it was brown and pimply. Too bad she'd left Joseph's medicine back in her bedroom or else she could have given this woman a squirt. The woman looked at Joseph and Samantha for a moment and then took the money Joseph held out.
They left the store without a word. "It worked," he said once they reached the safety of the car.
"What worked?"
"She didn't even ask if we were twenty-one." Joseph stared down at his hairy, mitts and said, "We could make a fortune off this stuff. Think about it, overnight everyone could become like us. No one would ever have to be weak or ugly again. I'd get a Nobel Prize for sure."
"But if everyone looked this good then we'd be normal."
"Good point. We'd have to charge enough to make sure not everyone could have some." Joseph pulled away from the store and to Samantha's surprise, turned back towards Seabrooke.
"Why are we going back into town?" she asked.
"I have an idea." He parked the car around the corner from the pet shop and then reached into the case for one of the beers. He handed another to Samantha, but she refused.
"I shouldn't. It's not good for you."
"One isn't going to hurt. Come on. Let's drink a toast to our new life together and all the money we're going to make." Samantha took the can of beer and popped open the top. She touched her can to Joseph's and then took a pull. As the beer burned its way down her throat she felt a soothing lightheadedness. She reached into the case for another beer and downed it. Before she could grab another, Joseph stopped her. "You might want to go easy on that stuff."