The 22nd Secret (47 page)

“
I
ca
n
’t.”
P
a
t
t
y
c
ont
i
nu
e
d
to
sl
i
de
down the
a
is
l
e
,
a
voi
d
ing
e
y
e
c
onta
c
t.

“
H
e
y
, look.
W
h
e
re
y
ou
goin
g
?
”

B
e
n follo
w
e
d h
e
r to the
f
ront of
the l
ec
tu
r
e
h
a
l
l
.

P
a
t
t
y
stopp
e
d
a
nd
t
u
rn
e
d
a
round.
“
M
y
ca
r
.
”

B
e
n
c
a
u
g
ht
t
he
sl
i
g
htest
g
l
i
mpse of
a
s
m
i
le.
“
W
e
l
l
,
ca
n
I
w
a
lk wi
t
h
y
ou a
m
i
nute
?
”

“
Ok
a
y
,”
P
a
t
t
y
said
a
s t
h
e
y
w
a
lked in
t
o the h
a
l
l
w
a
y
.

“
G
r
e
a
t
. H
e
y
, l
i
sten.
Y
ou
kno
w
, the
re
’s
g
oi
n
g
to be
some
g
roup
p
roj
ec
t
s
. M
a
y
b
e
we
c
a
n wo
r
k togeth
e
r
.
”

B
e
n didn
’
t s
t
op talking
u
nt
i
l
t
h
e
y
r
e
ac
h
e
d
h
e
r c
a
r.
S
he
turn
e
d
a
round
a
nd looked
in
t
o
B
e
n
’
s
e
y
e
s f
o
r the
f
irst
t
i
m
e
.

“
W
ow, this
y
our c
a
r
?
”
B
e
n said.
“
An
S
L
600. N
e
w isn’t
i
t
?
Man,
I
’d love
to drive it.”

P
a
t
t
y
shot h
e
r b
e
st
s
h
y
s
m
i
le
r
i
g
ht
t
h
r
o
u
g
h Be
n
,
a
s she h
e
ld out
h
e
r h
a
nd to
sha
k
e
his.
S
he low
e
r
e
d h
e
r
e
y
e
s
.

“
V
e
r
y
ni
c
e
to
m
ee
t
y
o
u
,
B
e
n.”
A blush r
a
ce
d ov
e
r
h
e
r
f
a
c
e
.

B
e
n
w
a
tch
e
d
a
s
P
a
t
t
y
dr
o
ve
of
f
.
H
e
c
onsid
e
r
e
d h
i
mself
to be w
e
ll
a
bove
a
v
e
ra
g
e
a
round wom
e
n. No
r
mal
l
y
, he
w
o
uld
h
a
ve
pr
e
s
s
e
d for
a
p
h
one
number. M
a
y
b
e
e
v
e
n
a
d
a
te. Most women,
e
spe
c
ial
l
y
one
th
i
s attr
a
c
t
ive,
w
ould have
p
r
e
ssed
b
ac
k or
b
lown him
of
f
.
I
t
w
a
s obvious she h
a
d v
e
r
y
l
i
t
t
le
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
wi
t
h men.
H
e
would h
a
v
e
to app
r
o
ac
h
h
e
r slow
l
y
,
g
i
v
e
h
e
r
t
i
me to
w
a
rm up to hi
m
. App
a
r
e
nt
l
y
,
H
e
n
r
y
w
a
s r
i
g
ht. H
e
r
g
rea
t
l
o
o
ks a
n
d
e
x
ce
pt
i
on
a
l
i
ntelle
c
t
,
a
nd the
f
a
c
t she w
a
s al
w
a
y
s
y
e
a
rs
y
ou
n
g
e
r th
a
n the p
e
ople
a
round
h
e
r
, h
a
d p
r
e
v
e
nted most
men
f
rom hitt
i
ng
on h
e
r.
A
t
l
ea
st he
c
ould
t
e
ll
his n
e
w p
a
r
t
n
e
rs he
h
a
d
suc
c
e
ssful
l
y
made
c
onta
c
t.

I b
e
t she
’
s a virgin.
B
e
n
t
hou
g
ht about h
e
r vi
r
g
in
i
ty
the
r
e
st of the d
a
y
.
He
t
hou
g
ht about fi
x
ing
that
f
or
h
e
r.

P
a
t
t
y
’s s
e
c
u
r
i
t
y
a
t
B
e
rk
e
l
e
y
w
a
s much l
e
ss
t
h
a
n
a
t
L
os Alamo
s
, or
e
v
e
n
a
t her
p
a
r
e
n
t
s’ f
a
rm.
Ke
nt
B
r
a
dl
e
y
w
a
s
r
ec
ruit
e
d
b
y
H
e
n
r
y
to sh
a
dow Pat
t
y
.
He
w
a
sn’t s
u
ppos
e
d to get
too
c
lose.
J
ust
m
a
ke
a
n o
cca
s
ional obs
e
rv
a
t
i
on wh
e
n
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s in publ
i
c
.

S
i
t
t
i
ng
a
t h
i
s desk
a
t
L
os
Al
a
mo
s
, H
e
n
r
y
r
e
a
d
K
e
n
t’s
e-
mail. K
e
nt w
a
s qui
t
e
c
on
c
e
rn
e
d. Du
r
ing
t
h
e
f
irst d
a
y
of
c
lass
e
s
,
P
a
t
t
y
h
a
d b
ee
n
s
e
e
n talking
with a Chin
e
se
student.
R
a
ther
than s
a
ving
it
in
P
a
t
t
y
’s
L
os
A
lamos fil
e
, he
f
o
r
w
a
rd
e
d
the m
e
ss
a
g
e
to
B
e
t
t
y
a
nd
d
e
let
e
d i
t
. He
t
y
p
e
d
a h
a
s
t
y
e
m
a
il
a
nd s
e
nt
i
t
t
o K
e
nt.

T
h
e
re
may
be
fu
t
ure
c
ontacts b
e
t
w
ee
n the two. Do
not
i
nterf
e
r
e
. R
e
port all
c
ontacts dire
c
t
l
y
to m
e
, no one
e
lse
.