You started your period. So what? It's no big deal.

She put her face in her hands and wanted to stay hidden there forever, but Riley peeled her fingers away.

No biggie, Scout. Seriously.

No /biggie/? I want to die, I'm so embarrassed! I just came over here because I had to be with you and there is nobody else I could tell and I didn't even check and It's your first one, right? Here. Let me clean you up. Riley grabbed a towel that was draped over a chair and squatted in front of her.

Gingerly he used the towel to dab at her thighs, frowning in concentration as he worked.

Kat looked down at his curly dark head, realizing there was something wonderful and scary about what Riley was doing. He was more comfortable with her body functions than she was. Taking care of her came naturally to him. The fact that someone loved her that much stunned her, and hot tears began to roll down her face.

OK. Riley stood up, throwing the towel on the floor, avoiding her eyes.

Maybe there's still some of my mom's stuff around here. I can go check.

Riley? she whispered.

He turned back toward her. He swallowed hard. God, Kat.

There was a need in Riley's eyes that she'd never seen before. The space between them suddenly felt charged, alive. Riley had been everything to her through all the thirteen years of her lifeplayground enemy, teasing dweeb, friend, brother, lab partner, protector, confidant, and boyfriend. By fourth grade it was understood that they were destined to be together always. There had never been any question. But in an instant, all that had changed. Suddenly, this wasn't a game anymore. It was dead serious.

Riley leaned down and kissed her. He'd been kissing her since the sixth-grade carnival, so she was familiar with all his different kinds of kissesthe soft ones, the ones where he tried to put some of his tongue in her mouth, the ones where he made little noises. This kiss was different from all the others. His lips met hers with such purpose that she felt nailed to the floor. His mouth moved on her like he wanted to gobble her up. Her mind was jumbled with images and thoughtsthe shame of the blood on her thighs, the shock of his lips, the heat she felt deep inside her body, the outline of Riley's… well, his /penis/, all big and hard and looking like it was ready to bust through his red nylon shorts.

The kiss continued. Riley's hands found their way to her bottom, and though they'd never been there before, it felt perfectly natural to have his hands clamped tight, one on each cheek. Oh, she tried! She really did! But Kat couldn't stop herself. As the kiss intensified, she put her shaking hands down inside the elastic waistband of Riley's shorts, encountering prickly hair and the strangest flesh. It was like velvet and metal at the same time. She wrapped her fingers around its fullness, stroked it once, and noticed that it jumped all by itself. She then pulled it completely free of the fabric and cupped it in her palm, stopping the kiss so she could look down at the amazing thing in her hand.

Without warning, Riley's body shook and a stream of white stuff came shooting out of his penis, landing belly level on her T-shirt.

That's the exact moment Big Daddy knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response. Kat and Riley jumped apart and stood at attention like they were facing a firing squad, which was exactly the case. Kat's mind began to race through everything that Big Daddy must have seen in front of himhis son shoving his private parts back down in his shorts, a girl standing next to a bloody towel, and, worst of all, the evidence of what they'd been up to all over the front of the girl's shirt.

Big Daddy's form seemed to take up every inch of the doorway. He leaned against the frame and crossed his arms over his chest.

Riley took a step forward, partially blocking Kat. Daddy, it's not what you think.

Son, I'm a fifty-two-year-old man. I ain't fallin' for the okey-doke here. I know what I see and I know what it is.

Big Daddy's gaze fell on Kat. She wished she were dead as the mayor of Persuasion quickly surveyed her state, then sucked on his teeth. He cleared his voice, and it came out in its usual gruff way, but tinged with sweetness. Scoot on in the washroom and fix yourself up, Kat.

Yes, sir. She scootedgladlyand closed the bathroom door behind her with relief. She could hear the conversation just fine from behind the closed door.

Daddy, you don't understand

Sure I do.

Kat pressed her ear up against the thick wood. Her knees were knocking, she was so scared. What would Big Daddy do? If he told her parents that she was here, her life would be over. Just the thought of her father knowing anything about this made her dizzy. She always knew that if he ever got the right excuse, her father's fists would find her face just as easily as they found her mother's. This would be all it took.

Kat heard the creak of the floorboards as Big Daddy moved all the way into Riley's room.

Are you out of your mind, Son?

She needed somebody to talk to, Daddy.

Didn't know talkin' could get so messy.

I didn't touch her.

You expect me to believe she just up and started bleeding like that?

That's exactly what happened, sir. She started her period.

What the?

Kat could feel the laser beam of Big Daddy's stare cutting a hole right through the bathroom door. She took a step back.

Virgil's been puttin' a beating on BettyAnn this morning. Kat was scared and she ran over here.

There was an instant of silence; then Big Daddy moved again. He's doin' /what/?

Hitting her. Beating her up. He gets drunk out in his studio, stays there all night fussin' over his stupid sculptures, then comes in and beats the shit out of BettyAnnlike everything's her fault.

Another silent pause. Kat had to put her ear back against the door to hear Big Daddy clearly. Do you mean to tell me that you've known about this and never came to me?

Riley's response was just as faint. Kat begged me not to say anything to anybody, because she thinks she's gonna be next if she tells.

Big Daddy blew air out of his nose and groaned. Boy, she's damn right she's gonna be next, but only if something's not done to stop him. You better listen and listen goodif you ever hear about anything like this again in the future, you tell me. You understand?

Yes, sir.

I will never be angry if you come to me with the truthabout anything, no matter how bad it is, and that's a promise. Now, answer me, Son. Did you, or did you not, take that girl's virginity?

No!

All right, then. Big Daddy shifted his weight and the floor crackled beneath him. But something happened. I'm not blind.

Kat couldn't hear Riley's answer, but the words had the rhythm of a confession.

Big Daddy's response was angry: No son of mine is gonna ruin his life by getting a girl pregnant before he's even out of junior high school. It happens, but it's not going to happen to a Bohland. Do you understand?

Yes, sir.

Now go get some of them female pads out of the hallway storage closet and take them to Kat. I'm gonna have myself a nice little man-to-man with Virgil Cavanaugh.

In the two days she'd been back from Persuasion, memories like that one had come hard at Kat, full of detail and out of nowhere. In fact, she was remembering events and conversations she hadn't thought of a single time since the night she'd hopped in Cliff Turner's truck and ended up right here, in Phyllis' Baltimore row house. It was as if Kat's disastrous visit had opened a can of past and pain, and now she couldn't get the lid back on.

The knock at the door forced Kat to remember why she was there. After months of procrastinating, she'd finally called a real estate agent to look at Phyllis' place, and she'd arrived right on time. It didn't take Kat long to show her aroundthere wasn't a lot to seeand she waited to hear her opinion.