Daily puzzle

Put Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? back in order

Seven beats from our edition of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates, shuffled. Drag them, or use the arrows, until the story runs straight. No account, no streak to lose.

  1. Two faces Connie lives a double life, sweetly obedient at home and flirtatiously alive in town, constantly measuring herself against an idea of beauty.
  2. The drive-in At a burger spot across the highway she trades a parking lot for a boy's car and notices a stranger in gold who warns he will find her.
  3. Sunday alone Her family leaves for a barbecue and Connie stays home washing her hair, drifting in music and half-formed longing.
  4. The convertible Arnold Friend and his silent companion pull into the driveway, and his charm quickly curdles into something off and rehearsed.
  5. The screen door He refuses to leave, recites private details about her life, and replaces invitation with veiled threats against her and her family.
  6. Loss of will Connie's panic burns out into numbness as the familiar house stops feeling safe and she feels cut off from herself.
  7. Walking out Emptied of resistance, she opens the door and goes out to him, toward a future she cannot picture.