Katie lay on her back and stared at her friend Amy's black ceiling and walls. Against her better judgment, she'd confided in Jack McCallister. And that kiss, she thought as she turned on her side and buried her head in Amy's brother's pine green military issue sleeping bag, oh god. The mere thought of it made her cringe.

How is it that some stupid jock can make me feel this way, she silently asked the Gwen Stefani poster on Amy's wall. Granted McCallister was hot, and he had the softest lips of any guy she'd ever kissed, but the real reason she was so into him was that unlike the general population at Truman High, he'd taken an interest in her, he really seemed to care.

That said, she hadn't wanted to tell him about Ray, but she'd been so afraid of losing him. Why? Because she liked having Jack McCallister around. What a prissy-ass, girly reason, she chided herself as she punched her pillow. The thing was, he probably wouldn't be around for long.

"Katie," Amy groaned from her bed.

"Yeah."

"Wanna skip school and hang out at the lake."

"Sure."

Neither one made a move to get up, so Katie just laid there staring at the dust, books, and socks under Amy's bed. What now, she wondered.

"I can't believe the audacity of that man," Grace McCallister exclaimed as she stood at the kitchen counter reading the newspaper.

"Who?" Jack asked as he walked into the kitchen and headed toward the refrigerator. After he'd walked Katie to her friend Amy's house, he'd lain awake all night going over what she'd told him. He had to help her, but how?

"Do you even have to ask," Bobby said. He was sitting at the table, a bowl of cereal and a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in front of him.

"God, not Bush again," Jack said as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"The lies this administration tell are unconscionable. This country needs Hillary to run in 2008, no doubt about it. Is that all you're having for breakfast?" Grace asked gesturing toward the orange juice.

"Is that all you're having?" Jack replied pointing at the coffee.

Bobby snickered from behind his book.

"Uhh, I need to talk to you," Jack said suddenly.

Grace froze. She'd just been about to take a sip of her coffee when Jack uttered those fateful words. So her coffee cup lingered in midair as she stared at him dumbstruck.

At the sound of the words 'I need to talk to you' from Jack's mouth, Bobby flipped over his cereal bowl. Raisin Bran and 2 milk now lay in his lap.

"What?" Jack asked defensively. He looked at Grace and then Bobby.

"Nothing," Grace said as she finally laid her cup on the counter. "Bobby grab your things so I can drive you to Warren's house."

As Bobby rose, cereal slid down his lap. His pants wet, he goose-stepped out of the kitchen.

"So you want to talk."

"Yes. You see," Jack began. "I have this friend."

"A friend."

"This girl I know, she has this really creepy stepfather."

"Creepy?"

"He 'accidentally' walks in on her while she's in the bathroom. He watches her while she's sleeping. Stuff like that."

A chill ran down Grace's spine. "Has he touched her?"

Jack rammed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "His hand has brushed up against her."

Grace sighed. "This girl needs help."

"Does her mother know?"

"I don't think so."

"Someone needs to report this; I can go with you to the police or a school counselor if you'd like."

"No, I can handle this on my own."

Jack maneuvered his way through the halls of Truman. He nodded at a few people he knew, but didn't stop to chat. He was a man on a mission.

He had to find Courtney Benedict.

After canvassing the second floor hallway, he finally spotted her standing outside the art classroom. They hadn't really talked since the Nate incident, but thank God Marcus had stepped in to look out for her. When they saw each other though, she was always cordial, and that was what he was counting on.

As he approached her, the other students seemed to just disappear. It was as if they were in some weird parallel universe where only the two of them existed. Though he still found her attractive, it wasn't in the way he had when she'd first arrived in Hart. But more important than that, she was increasingly becoming someone he could trust.

"Hey."

"Hi," she said, smiling shyly as she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She was dressed in jeans and a white tunic blouse, her favorite orange-speckled, brown wool scarf wrapped around her neck.

"So …," Courtney said looking away, breaking their too-long, socially unacceptable gaze.

"I need a favor," Jack said in a rush.

"Oh." She didn't know what she'd expected him to say. Courtney, I want you; Courtney, I need you were out of the question, but 'I need a favor' just sounded so narcissistic and cold.

"I need Katie's address."

"Don't you already have it?"

"No. It's complicated, and I can't really explain, but I know you work in the main office."

"Look Jack, I can't."
"I wouldn't ask you, if I didn't really need it."

Courtney felt her chest tighten. If Jack was putting himself out there, asking for help, then Katie must really be in trouble. She still had feelings for him. How could she not? He was handsome and intense. Just being around Jack you knew he was destined for greatness. But, he was also an enigma wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in a mystery. Complicated. And of course, he would move on with his life. She had, sort of. In her dreams though, she had hoped that he'd move on with her. Needless to say, the fact that Missy was her "friend," ruled that out. Another complication.

"Meet me outside the chem lab after fifth period."

"Thanks Courtney."