Once they were signed in, Jim led Catherine over to the bar to meet the others. Corky made the reintroductions. Jim, you remember Mike Ferris, Bill Wiggins, Dan McMillian, and Jerry Kingery…"

Jim smiled as each name was called, recognizing his high school friends. "Hey guys, this is Catherine. She…well, she was curious about my checkered past so I brought her along for the trip down memory lane." He smiled as he watched each man react to Catherine, their eyes giving away their admiration.

Catherine was amused by the group of men as they all shuffled places to make room for her at the bar. "Thanks fellas," she smiled her best coquettish smile. Jim was shaking his head as he watched her captivate the whole group. Catherine listened as the men began talking, catching up on the years that had passed since they'd seen one another. There were plenty of laughs and back slaps being exchanged until another man joined the group. Catherine's instincts told her that he was trouble and her radar went up even more when Jim subtly inched closer to her, putting himself between her and the newcomer.

"Hey guys," he said.

Corky nodded. "Jack Whitlock. I'm surprised to see you here." The other men nodded an acknowledgement of his presence but none seemed friendly.

"Aw, don't be that way guys. High School was a long time ago. I'm sure we've all grown up a little since then."

"Yeah," growled Jim. "But most of us didn't do it in the state pen."

"Come on now, Jimmy…that is you isn't it, Jimmy Brass? I did my time and I've been a good boy since I got out. Besides, if it wasn't for Judge Simms, you'd have been there with me." His smile was sinister.

"Yeah, but what about Susan Myers? What did her life turn out to be? She's still in a prison of your making."

"Look, I tried to make it up to her, you know. I still try. I send a check every month to help with her expenses and make sure that stuff gets taken care of around the house. I can't change what happened, but I've tried to make amends…"

Catherine could feel the tension in Jim as he continued to stand between Jack and her. "Come on fellas, let me buy you a round…" Jack offered.

The group broke up and moved away, Jim putting his arm around Catherine as they walked past Jack Whitlock. Corky caught up with them a few minutes later at a table. "I can't believe he came," Corky commented.

"Yeah, well…he'd just better stay the hell away from me," stated Jim.

Catherine looked at Jim concerned. "What's his story, Jim? Why all the concern?"

Jim brushed his hand across his mouth and sighed, sadness radiating from his eyes. "He um…raped a classmate of ours the night before Prom. It was brutal and once she was released from the hospital, she was taken to a mental institution where she spent several years. She hasn't been right since it happened."

"Oh," said Catherine sadly.

Corky looked from Jim to Catherine and back to Jim. His expression told Catherine that there was more to the story. She glanced at Jim and then back at Corky, her eyes questioning.

"What Jim's not telling you is that he and Susie were dating…seriously dating. When Susie was found, she was incoherent and the assumption was that he had done it. He spent Prom night in jail until I heard what had happened. I was his alibi, you see. We'd been out partying the night before and he was with me the whole time. It took the police awhile to piece it all together and then Susie finally came out of it enough to identify Jack. Jim got to him before the cops did. The judge was a friend of my father's and once Dad explained the circumstances, the judge looked on Jim with leniency. He was given the choice of jail or The Marines; he chose the Marines."

Catherine turned to Jim. "You…got to him first?"

Jim's lip had curled slightly on his left side, a look she recognized. He was seething. "I um…well, I…"

"Jim beat the shit out of him," Corky shared. "He deserved it."

Jim was looking down at the table, using his finger to trace circles in the water left by his beer glass. Catherine was staring at him, tears forming in her eyes. Corky saw that they needed a few minutes for Jim to explain so he excused himself and headed to rejoin the group at that reformed at another table. "Jim?"

"I'm sorry Catherine; I didn't want you to hear that story…"

"You were serious about her?"

He flinched, his head twitching. "Yeah." He still wouldn't look at her.

"You were in love with her, then?"

"As much as an eighteen year old guy can be, I suppose. She was… well, she knew me, you know? I had this wild streak in high school and did some crazy stuff but she saw through all of that; saw who I wanted to be…So when I heard what had happened, I went all to pieces. We were supposed to go to the Prom together but instead she spent the night in the hospital and I spent it in jail. When they let me out, I went straight to her; it was pretty bad. He um…I can't tell you what he did to her, but…" He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "He fixed it so she wouldn't ever be able to have kids. And her face…it was all messed up. I still have nightmares about that night. So when I heard her say it was him, I went after him and when I got to him all I could think was to mess him up like he'd done her. But I didn't have a knife, so he wasn't left scarred like she was."

Catherine gently rubbed his shoulder and then took his cheek in her hand, turning his face towards hers. Jim didn't want to meet her eyes. Something deep within him was ashamed of what he had done, although as Corky had said, the guy deserved it. Even more, Catherine had found out one more sorry detail of his messed up life. But he felt her eyes boring into him and like metal drawn to a magnet, his eyes lifted to hers. He expected to see pity in her eyes and an element of judgment, but it wasn't there. Instead he found honest sympathy and even more, acceptance. Her eyes held his for a long time, the two of them locked in silent communication and a new understanding. He felt her fingers travel to the hair behind his ear and she gently began to caress him there. "Catherine…I um…" he whispered, "I…" he wanted desperately to hold her, be held by her but he didn't know how to give voice to his feelings. "Me too Jim," she whispered back. "Me too."

He looked around, wondering how obvious it would be if they left and then his eye caught a new couple entering the room. Catherine sensed immediately that something was terribly wrong as Jim froze. She looked in the general direction of his stare but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. At first she wondered if Jack Whitlock was approaching but she didn't see him anywhere. Then she spotted the couple that had caught his attention. "Jim, who are they? She asked turning to see him clenching his jaw.

"Damn," was all he said.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Now what? Hmmm, reviews make the postings go faster, lol.