They both got coffee from the high silver urns, then Hutch walked back to the group he had been standing with and introduced Ben to Evan, his shorter, dark-haired roommate, who had gone to school with him in Locust Valley on Long Island. Their parents had called and arranged for them to room together. Soon there was a group of six—Todd, Mark, and Kyle were all in Woodruff with Hutch and Evan. They had all heard about Ahmed’s servants, and that was all they wanted to talk about.

“Who fucking does that?” Hutch seemed to be asking Ben directly, asking Ben to join in his outrage. Ahmed had violated something important to Hutch, and it was important to him that everyone agree.

Evan provided the necessary idea. “Does he think this is his fucking fiefdom?”

Ben wanted to tell them about the clearness of Ahmed’s face, how little guile…But instead he opened his mouth to start describing the couch and the pictures and the stereo. Before he could start speaking he felt a sharp hand at his elbow.

Ben turned, alarmed that it could be Ahmed, but even from the firmness of the touch he knew it wasn’t him. He found instead a boy just shorter than him with dense red freckles all across his face and hair the color of his freckles. The boy wore a blinking smile. It was Rory, from Juniors, a year older but not a great player and not cool.

“Ben!”

Ben smiled and raised his eyebrows, feeling behind him the other group of guys waiting to see if this new conversation was worth their time.

“Hey, Rory.”

“I was so worried that SJS was going to suck this year because we’re switching to softball! And Cole Quinlan got in a car accident at grad parties. But I saw you at Nationals. Dude, we can still keep the Tide rolling.”

Ben began to cherish the idea of the other guys being impressed by his squash reputation before Hutch had a chance to laugh at it.

But he couldn’t turn around to explain, and Rory made no overture to the rest of them, and then Ben heard Hutch start talking confidingly to the others, and that group closed up behind him and it was just this kid and Ben now.

“Is Price here?” Ben asked. “I haven’t seen him yet.”

Rory half laughed. “Price only comes to Seated Meal when he wants to come to Seated Meal. He’ll find you, don’t worry.” Ben gave a small smile. “Dude, we’re starting captain’s practices tomorrow. I can’t wait to see you play. I can’t fucking wait.”

*  *  *

After Aston turned his Vespers address to the first-year students—“Being new can be difficult, but being new also allows one to see things more clearly than at any other time…”—Ben receded into his thoughts like an animal into its own fur.