Ronnie staggered a little bit with the realization that he wouldn’t have to kill Arlene; he could take the Hurting away by killing Mr. Pierce.

He could save her.

He wanted to save her.

He would save her.

And looking into her eyes, he also realized that she’d shared his every thought since the moment they’d touched; his guard had been down, he’d made a connection with her that he’d never made before (or maybe he had and just didn’t know it…it was still confusing), and Arlene wiped her eyes and then actually smiled at him.

“You can’t never tell anybody,” he whispered in her ear.

“I promise, R.J. Cross my heart and hope to die, I promise.”

R.J.

She’d called him R.J., just like he’d always wished someone would.

That was all he needed. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, then, once the song was over (it wasn’t such a bad song, after all, he thought) he escorted her back to her chair just like a gentleman was supposed to, and she was smiling and laughing, and because she was smiling and laughing another boy came over and asked her to dance, and she said yes, and seeing her out there with another boy, laughing and spinning to the music, Ronnie felt something in his heart that he hadn’t felt in years, if ever.

Hope.

Vicki came out of the restroom and he took her hand and they danced for two more songs, then the DJ announced a five-minute break and then he’d be back for the last three dances of the night, all of them ladies’ choice.

Vicki went over to sit next to Arlene while Ronnie made his way over to the punch bowl. He wasn’t thirsty but he needed to be someplace where he could see the whole room. Mr. Pierce was here someplace—had, in fact, driven the van that Ronnie and several other boys had ridden in from the group home—and Ronnie was going to find him.

It took less than thirty seconds. Ronnie spotted Mr. Pierce going out one of the side doors that emptied into the parking lot. He was probably going out for a smoke. Even though people were allowed to smoke inside, the supervisors had made it clear that no one was to smoke in the ballroom because the smell would get into everyone’s clothes and some of the clients had spent most, if not all, of their money on their dance clothes. So it was agreed that anyone who wanted to have a smoke had to go either to the hotel bar or outside.

Ronnie scanned the ballroom to make sure no one was watching him.

He put down his punch cup and began to walk in the same direction as Mr. Pierce, then suddenly turned and headed toward the bathrooms.

Suzanne had told him to do this.

I don’t want you to do this, Ronnie, but if you’re going to anyway, then I don’t want you to get caught. Go to the bathroom and climb out one of the windows. That way, everyone will think you were using the bathroom.