“There are three types of bullies. Bullies who learn the behavior from their parents, those who use it to get attention, and those who bully out of fear. The kids who bullied Adrian did it out of fear. My being there took the negative interest off him and replaced it with curiosity, which opened the door for conversations. Kids are afraid of what they don’t understand. Hell, so are adults. Two of the kids had known him before the trampoline accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, and the other had just moved into town. They see a smart kid who looks and talks like them, and they worry that if he ended up in a wheelchair, they could, too. They didn’t hate Adrian. How could they? He’s a great kid. They hated the wheelchair.”

She picked a mushroom off the pizza and ate it. “How’d you get past that?”

“We talked to the class about bullying and how it makes the other kids feel, and as they got used to seeing me and Adrian together, they asked questions about why I was there, that kind of thing. It’s all about communication, making people see how their actions affect others. Once they got past their fears, they realized how cool Adrian is and backed off.”

“How long ago was that?”

He picked up another slice of pizza. “Six months, maybe.”

“And you still come to see him? That’s nice.”

“I don’t take friendships lightly. Who could be there for a kid and then disappear?”

She was quiet as they ate, and he took a moment to really look at her, as he’d done while she’d slept last night. He was intrigued by far more than her looks. Tracey didn’t do the fake shit most women did around him. She dove into the pizza without hesitation, while most women pretended they existed on air, and while she never wore much makeup, even with those damn scrapes and bruises she was gorgeous without it. She hadn’t worn makeup when she’d first started working at the bar, and he’d never forget when he’d first seen her all dolled up. She’d always turned heads, but makeup gave her a classy look, like an old-school actress who stood out among all the rest. It was impossible to look away from her, like at the wedding, when he’d been riveted by her.

“When do you think we’ll know if the guys who attacked me will be let out on bail?”

He stuffed his thoughts down deep and took a drink. “They won’t be. Court found out that they had outstanding arrests in West Virginia for assaulting two other women. They’ll be behind bars for a long time. I tracked down the third guy, and he won’t be coming over the bridge again in this lifetime.”