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A little bit softer now

The crowd crouched, stilled, then raised their hands and rose up again, chanting along

As always, the minute Tully stepped into a party, she was "on" Gone was the edge of depression, the hesitant s the job Kate watched in awe; her friend instantly grabbed everyone's attention

"Shout!" Tully yelled out, laughing Boys moved in close, drawn to her like ed onto the dance floor, dragging Kate along with her

It was the most fun Kate had had in years

By the tiht Away," and "Louie Louie," she was hot and sweaty

"I'll be right back," she yelled to Tully, who nodded, and then she went outside, where she sat on the low brick wall that ht air breezed across her sweaty face She closed her eyes and swayed to the music

"The party's inside, you know"

She looked up

The guy who'd spoken was tall and broad-shouldered, heat-colored hair that fell across the bluest eyes "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure"

"I'm Brandt Hanover"

"Kate Mularkey"

"Is this your first frat party?"

"Does it show?"

He seous "Just a little I re on Mars I'm fro

"Small town?"

"Speck on the "

The conversation s she could relate to He'd grown up on a far his dad's hay truck when he was thirteen He knew about feeling both lost and found in a place as big and sprawling as UW

Inside, the ed So Queen"

Tully ca "There you are"

Brandt immediately stood

Tully frowned at him "Who's this?"

"Brandt Hanover"

Kate knew exactly as going to happen next Because of what had happened to Tully in the dark woods by the river all those years ago, she didn't trust boys, didn't want anything to do with the Kate froh, Kate wasn't afraid She wanted to date and have fun and even maybe fall in love

But how could she say that, when Tully was only trying to protect her?

Tully grabbed Kate's arhing a little too loudly as she dragged Kate away "This is our song"

"I saw Brandt at the HUB today He se to roll her eyes In the six a party at the Phi Delts, Kate had found a way to mention Brandt Hanover at least once a day You'd think they were dating, as often as his nauess: you pretended not to notice"

"I smiled back"

"Wow A red-letter day"

"I thought I'd invite hi dance We could double date"

"I have to write an article on the Ayatollah Kho stuff to the paper, sooner or later they'll publish so It wouldn't hurt you to try a little harder to--"

Kate turned to her friend "That's it I renounce our friendship I know you have no interest in our social life, but I do If you don't go--"

Tully laughed "Gotcha"

Kate couldn't help laughing "Bitch" She slung an arrass-dotted sidewalk of Twenty-first Street and onto campus

At the campus security post, Kate said, "I'm headed to Meany How about you?"

"Draht! Your first broadcast journalis since we got here"

"Chad Wiley"