finished, Jenny. I should have graduated you in January, but when Mrs. Duckworth got injured and went on disability, I was stuck. I had no money to hire a replacement teacher."
"It's okay, Mr. Stone. Teaching functions and geometry to the noobs was -- well, not fun, but unique. The only awkward part was having Jimmy in the class."
"Because of the incident?"
"He fell," she stated flatly, as she always did about the incident almost 3 years earlier with Jimmy Rogers. "He was on The Rock, and he fell."
"No one believes that Jenny. Crushed right hand, and a spiral fracture of his upper arm. I got a copy of the report from the EMTs, and I passed it on to your dad."
"Dad knows?!” she exclaimed, panicked. “Oh crap!" She buried her face in her hands. She struggled to get her emotions under control, then slowly raised her head and pushed her hair back. "We were down by the creek. It was my first-ever date -- I was 13 and it was my first date! And he put his hand down where he shouldn't. I reached in with both hands. I pulled back his fingers, pulled his hand out then squeezed it as hard as I could." Her eyes were far away again. "He yelped like a little dog that had been accidentally stepped on--." She gulped. "I just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be able to try again. I locked his elbow, pulled and twisted --. I thought maybe I could dislocate his shoulder. Instead, I heard two loud cracks and a muffled one, and his eyes rolled back in his head. I thought he was being a wuss, fainting due to a shoulder sep. I remember popping my arm out once when I thoroughly blew a dismount off the beam --. Then I realized. I grabbed his cell and called 9-1-1. When he came to, he made me promise that I would say he fell off The Rock."
The subsequent pause was broken by Stone. "Everyone in the school knew within a couple of weeks. Kids kept asking me why you were lying--. Why did you try and help him save face?"
She swallowed hard again. "I was afraid that his dad would have me arrested and thrown in jail. It seemed like the smart thing to do--. Everybody knew?" Stone merely nodded. "That explains why the jocks were afraid of me. And my fellow nerds. Hell, everyone shunned me."
Stone waited a moment, then drew the conversation back to where he had intended it to go. "So, you've graduated high school."
Jennifer's shoulders sagged. "What am I going to do now? There are no jobs here. And Mom and Dad can't put me through college --."
"That's the good news I have for you. I called around. Networked. I found a small college in Minnesota that will take you. Tuition, books, housing, food, allowance. All paid for. They only offer a two-year nursing diploma, but I figured it would be enough to get you started."
Her eyes went wide. "That would be so cool!" The smile disappeared. "What's the catch? There's got to be a catch somewhere."
"They want you on their gymnastics team. I sent them some video from this winter's state regionals."
"They want me on their gymnastics team? Mr. Stone, I'm almost 5 foot 11! These legs of mine are a real hazard on the uneven bars."
"They liked what they saw. Make the team, get the school year paid. They actually sounded quite eager to get you--."
A smile reappeared on her face, then just as quickly disappeared yet again. "But I don't turn 16 until late September. I'll need parental permission."
This time it was Stone's turn to produce a Cheshire cat smile. "Your dad already signed."
"He did?! Awesome!" Suddenly, a shriek was heard from next door. The two of them looked conspiratorially at each other. "Oh crap!" she hissed. "I think he just told her!"
Chapter 1
July 17, 2018 The day everything changed.
4:55am #19 Thorn Road, Jewel Nebraska
The alarm buzzed just before her imaginary Adonis had joined her in bed. "Damn you, Marco!" she mumbled angrily. "I had told you to hurry." Unbidden, her left hand slapped the clock and the buzzing stopped. "Why is it I can never get him into my arms before the alarm goes off?"
She grunted, and rolled herself upright in a long-practiced move. "If it's Tuesday, this must be Jewel." She opened one eye then closed it again. "Yep, it's Tuesday."
Jennifer slept-walked her way through her morning ministrations, until