Without Merit

While skipping school, high school senior Merit Voss shops at an antique store for a trophy to add to her unmerited, substantial collection. Merit witnesses a young boy accidentally break a glass pig, and she lies to take the blame while helping to clean the shards. She pays for the broken pig and a smaller trophy than she wants. Merit realizes an unconventionally attractive young man is watching her while she shops.

The young man, Sagan Kattan, is Honor Voss’s friend, though Merit is unaware of this. Honor is Merit’s twin sister. Sagan approaches Merit outside the antique store, and Merit realizes she is even more attracted to him up close. He treats Merit with a comfortable intimacy that confuses and delights Merit. Sagan kisses her, and Merit finds the kiss perfect and ridiculous. Coincidentally, Honor calls Sagan as he is kissing Merit, and Sagan and Merit both immediately realize their error. Merit assumes Sagan is Honor’s boyfriend. Embarrassed, Merit makes Sagan promise never to tell anyone about their kiss, and then she runs away.