Crank

Kristina exchanges flirtatious glances with a good-looking lifeguard at the waterpark. She realizes Bree is not just a part of her, but who she really is.

Trent and Sarah join Kristina. Kristina as Bree is annoyed at them for interrupting her flirtation with the lifeguard.

Kristina’s friends understand she needs space and leave. Kristina goes up to the guard and asks him if he is free during his lunch break.

Before she allowed herself to be Bree, Kristina would never have approached a stranger flirtatiously. Kristina knows girls are judging her for her behavior, but as Bree, she does not care. Brendan, the lifeguard, gives Kristina his phone number.

Kristina runs into Chase Wagner, “Reno High’s storied bad boy” (250). The linebacker is not conventionally handsome, but Kristina still finds him attractive. She flirts with him, introducing herself as Bree.

Her mom, Leigh, and Sarah simultaneously call for Kristina. She leaves Chase and joins Sarah and Trent first. Sarah and Trent are her best friends, but Kristina is hesitant to confide in them.

Kristina goes for a walk with Brendan, the lifeguard. Once again, Kristina introduces herself as Bree. Brendan is about to kiss Kristina when he gets called by his boss.

Back home, Marie finally notices Kristina’s infected tattoo. Kristina as Bree does not care. She feels like the only thing that can make the great day better is some meth.

Marie grounds Kristina indefinitely for getting the tattoo. Kristina thinks that Marie only loves her when she is getting straight As. Otherwise, Marie is very punishing. Kristina’s driver’s training is postponed.

Being grounded means Kristina has more time to crave meth and plot how to get the drug.

A couple of weeks before school, Marie lifts the ban and drops Kristina off at the mall so she can shop for new clothes. Kristina runs into Trent’s sister, Robyn, a cheerleader. Kristina recalls her hunch that cheerleaders may have access to meth.

Chase, the high school linebacker, is at the mall as well. Chase flirts with Kristina. Kristina ignores him until he mentions he may have “a little toot” (265), slang for some meth. Kristina agrees to go for a drive with Chase.

Kristina is surprised that Chase offers the meth to entice her. She wonders if her craving is obvious, even though it has been over a month since she used drugs.

Chase drives Kristina to the riverside. Kristina is shaking with desire, not for him, but for the meth. Chase takes out a bottle with a tiny spoon attached to the cap and advises Kristina to go slow.

Kristina inhales a spoonful of the meth. She and Chase exchange the details of their lives as the drug hits her. Kristina tells him about Bree.

Chase asks Kristina for a kiss. The kiss is not as spectacular as her experiences with Adam, but Kristina appreciates the fact that Chase asked for her consent.

As a park ranger’s car draws close to them, Kristina thinks she and Chase should return to the mall. Chase quotes Shakespeare to Kristina, and Kristina realizes Chase is nicer and smarter than she thought.

Shopping on crank is disorienting. Kristina ends up buying identical pairs of jeans and t-shirts like those she already owns.

To Kristina’s great surprise, Brendan materializes in front of her, asking why she did not call.

Kristina can’t believe the coincidence of running into Chase and Brendan on the same day. She lets Brendan walk her out of the mall since his clean-cut good looks will inspire trust in her mother, who has returned to pick her up.

Marie tells Kristina that Brendan seems like a nice boy, but Kristina inwardly notes that not everyone who seems nice is actually a good person. When she sees Kristina’s shopping, Marie jokes that her choices are consistent. Kristina notes the irony of Marie’s statement.

The meth subdues Kristina’s appetite, so she skips dinner. Marie worries that skipping meals will affect Kristina’s brain.

Kristina gets a letter from Adam saying that Lynx is learning how to walk and talk from scratch in physiotherapy. Adam apologizes for the call in which he suggested they see other people. He assures Kristina that she will always be special to him.

Kristina rereads the letter several times, missing Adam.

A call from Chase interrupts Kristina’s crying. Talking to Chase makes her feel better.

Kristina doesn’t sleep well the next three nights, an effect of the meth. Sarah calls her to meet up, but Kristina makes an excuse.

Kristina asks Chase to come with her to collect her student ID. She lies to Marie and says that she is going with Sarah. Kristina briefly feels guilty about lying to her mother. When Chase drops her back at home, they run into Scott. Kristina is grounded under further notice—GUFN—again.

Kristina feels that she cannot explain to her mother that she is not the same person she was before the summer.

Kristina feigns cramps so she can stay home when her mother drives Leigh to the airport. Kristina invites Chase over. They snort meth.

Chase does not want to leave drugs behind with Kristina, but she persuades him. After Chase leaves, Kristina calls Brendan.

Kristina plans to sneak out to meet Brendan later that night. She asks him to bring beer, while she will bring crank.

Kristina knows that continuing to use drugs is dangerous, but part of their allure is the thrill of doing something “so basically not right” without feeling fear or guilt (301). She pretends to tuck in early and waits in her room until everyone else falls asleep.

Kristina silently climbs down from her second-floor window, hoping no one wakes up. In the clear, she runs down the empty road.

Kristina joins Brendan, waiting for her down the street in his car. Brendan suggests they go to Chamberlain Flat, a notorious party spot five miles from town.