“Boys started talking to me at school. They were usually older than me and had cars. They’d ask me if I wanted to go for a ride or to meet them somewhere so we could be alone to talk. Only they didn’t want to just talk. When I did go with them, they’d call me their girlfriend. But we never went anywhere but parking or making out behind the bleachers, and the next day in school they wouldn’t speak to me.”

Ketch didn’t ask more. He didn’t want to know what a kid alone did to be liked.

He pulled her closer. “You’re a long way from that little girl, Tuesday.”

“I know, but now and then a man comes up and asks if I’d like to be his girlfriend for a night. He’ll even point out that I’ve done it before so it’s nothing new.” She added after a long silence, “Even when I started saying no, they still told stories about me. Some even gave details about what we did, and no one believed me when I said it wasn’t true.”

Ketch lay beside her trying to think of what to say. He could put all he knew about women in a walnut. Maybe all she wanted from him was friendship, but he wanted more.

She pointed out a few constellations in the night sky.

He thought of asking her for a list of the guys. Ketch could beat up two or three a week until he got down the list.

He’d rather ask nothing of her than frighten her.

When they finally went downstairs to eat the last of the pies she’d made, he asked, “How about going out to eat with me tomorrow and we can rehash all that happens, if anything does?”

“If you’re still alive, I want steak.”

Ketch smiled. “It’s a date, then.”

Chapter 40 - Benjamin

Chapter 40

Benjamin

Monday

Benjamin and Jenny stood on the top floor of the science building looking down. They’d both brought binoculars but all seemed calm below. But the “what could happen” made his heart pound.

People were walking past the stage erected for the governor’s speech. One more hour and there would be dozens of students and faculty below, listening to a ten-minute presentation, then all would be over. If nothing happened in that ten-minutes Ben swore he’d stop worrying.

As he watched the groundskeepers were placing flowers on either side of the podium.

Ben and Jenny saw Ketch stationed just behind the trees the governor would be traveling through from his car to the platform. Three sheriff’s deputies were on the other side of the open area. Two campus cops were already on the steps making sure some stranger didn’t get close to the stage from behind.