Pat knew they’d never get it out unless she helped. “You said it wasn’t the way I think,” said Pat. “So whatever you think I think, what is it really?”

“He came on to us,” said Laurette.

“Not us like a group,” said Xena.

“That would be perverted,” said Sin.

“Why don’t you each tell me what happened one at a time?” said Pat.

They all looked miserable and nodded and then just sat there, saying nothing.

“‘One at a time,’” said Pat. “Not ‘nobody at once.’”

“I can’t,” said Xena.

“I can,” said Laurette. “He showed up at my door. I was upstairs studying—yes, I do that sometimes, I like getting good grades—and the doorbell rings and then my mom calls from downstairs, ‘Laurette, honey, Pat’s boyfriend is here to study with you,’ which was bizarre because a, Danny doesn’t study, and b, the only way my mom would know he was your boyfriend is if that’s how he introduced himself and I thought you two were being all stealthy about it.”

“I didn’t know that’s what we were,” said Pat. “But how nice. Go on.”

“So he comes upstairs and closes my bedroom door behind him and I say, ‘Why did you come to the front door?’ and he just reaches down and pulls me up from my chair and kisses me.”

Pat kept her face from showing anything. She knew it wasn’t Danny, and she wasn’t surprised that the Belmage would try something like that. But she also knew that Laurette would not have put up much of a fight.

“So when he came up for air I said, ‘I’m not sure that’s something Pat’s boyfriend ought to be doing.’”

“How loyal of you,” said Pat.

“I was loyal. Trying to be. But he says, ‘It’s not like that, and if she doesn’t know, do you care?’ or something like that, and then—I swear this is true—it was almost like magic, he gets his hands at my waist and in like two moves he has me”—and now she whispered—“naked.”

“Two moves,” said Pat.

“He’s strong,” said Laurette. “And he didn’t tear anything or pop any buttons and I couldn’t believe it. And I was cold. For about a second. Because then he’s got me on the bed and he’s all over me and—”

“Are you going to say you were raped?” asked Pat. She almost added, Like Nicki Lieder, but decided not to say her name out loud. Nicki had been possessed by the Belmage and then she was protecting herself from her father’s wrath and she didn’t accuse Danny so Pat couldn’t blame her for anything. Laurette, on the other hand …

“No,” said Laurette.

“That’s just it,” said Xena.

“Oh, were you there?” Pat asked her.