The 22nd Secret (121 page)

“
I
’m so
r
r
y
,
P
a
m
.
”
J
im
t
o
ok
P
a
m’s h
a
nd in h
i
s.

“
I
t
g
ot
w
o
r
se
b
e
fo
r
e
it
g
o
t bette
r
.
B
ut w
h
e
n it
g
ot
b
e
t
t
e
r
, it
g
ot
r
ea
l
l
y
g
oo
d
,
”
P
a
m said with a d
e
vi
l
ish
s
mil
e
.
“
The
sch
o
ol
s
y
s
t
e
m d
i
dn’t know
wh
a
t
t
o do with
m
e
. Th
e
y
t
e
sted me
a
nd r
e
c
om
m
e
nd
e
d
p
riv
a
te s
c
hoo
l
, but
m
y
p
a
r
e
nts
c
ouldn’t
a
f
f
o
r
d it
a
nd
I
w
a
s t
o
o
y
ou
n
g
to
g
o
a
w
a
y to school
a
n
y
w
a
y
.
S
o
I
j
u
st
s
t
a
y
e
d out of
s
c
hool un
t
il
I
w
a
s ten
y
e
a
rs old
a
n
d w
a
s men
t
a
l
l
y
stro
n
g
e
nou
g
h to
d
ea
l wi
t
h wh
a
t
I
w
a
s and
how
p
e
ople
w
ould r
eac
t
t
o m
e
. T
h
e
y
t
e
sted me
a
g
a
in and r
e
c
om
m
e
nd
e
d
c
ol
le
g
e,
b
ut
m
y
mo
t
h
e
r insisted
th
a
t
h
e
r litt
l
e
g
irl
h
a
d to e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
some
kind of
c
hi
l
dhood.
S
o
I
w
a
s pl
a
c
e
d
i
n nin
t
h
g
r
a
d
e
.
W
hi
l
e
most
of
m
y
c
lassmat
e
s tr
i
e
d to ke
e
p p
a
c
e
with the
c
u
r
ri
c
ulum
a
nd str
u
g
g
led to d
e
v
e
lop
t
he
soci
a
l
skil
l
s ne
c
e
ssa
r
y
to de
a
l
with
pub
e
r
t
y
,
I
le
a
r
n
e
d to de
a
l wi
t
h
m
y
sp
e
c
ial
a
bi
l
i
t
ies
a
mong
other
p
e
o
p
le in pub
l
ic situ
a
t
i
ons.
I
g
ra
du
a
ted h
i
g
h sc
h
ool
a
t
t
he
top of
m
y
c
lass.
I
w
a
s
fou
r
t
e
e
n
a
nd
h
a
d le
a
rn
e
d to use
m
y
m
i
nd to cont
r
ol almost a
n
y si
t
u
a
t
i
on.
I
w
e
nt
t
o the
U
nive
r
si
t
y
of
I
d
a
ho with a
s
c
hola
r
shi
p
.
I
h
a
d
t
he
m
o
st adv
a
n
ce
d m
i
nd on the pl
a
n
e
t
a
nd the
a
wk
w
a
rd, skin
n
y
, boobless bo
d
y
of
a
f
ourt
e
e
n
-
y
e
a
r
-
old
g
irl.
B
ut
b
y
m
y six
t
ee
nth b
i
rthd
a
y
a
m
i
ra
c
le h
a
d tr
a
n
s
fo
r
med
m
y
l
ife
f
o
re
v
e
r.
A
l
m
ost ov
e
r
n
i
g
h
t
,
I
turn
e
d in
t
o the wom
a
n whose
shirt
y
ou
’
ve
b
ee
n t
r
y
i
n
g
to
l
ook in
t
o
for
the l
a
st half hou
r
.
Y
ou w
a
nt
m
e
to
t
a
ke
it o
f
f,
J
i
m
?
”

J
i
m s
t
a
m
m
e
r
e
d
a
s he
r
ea
l
i
z
e
d he
w
a
s sta
r
i
n
g
a
t
Pa
m’s
c
h
e
st
a
g
a
in.

“
Uh, no,
I
m
e
a
n,
y
e
s, uh,
lat
e
r.
Te
ll
me the
r
e
st.”
He
looked h
e
r
in
t
he
e
y
e
s
a
nd s
a
id wi
t
h
c
omp
l
e
te sin
ce
ri
t
y
.
“
I
’m
sor
r
y
.
I
w
a
nt
y
ou to
t
e
ll
me the
re
st.
I
’m
r
ea
l
l
y
in
t
e
r
e
sted in w
h
a
t
y
o
u
’
r
e tell
i
ng
me.
I
t’s just
y
ou’
r
e
so d
a
mn
s
e
x
y
.”

P
a
m s
m
i
l
e
d.
“
Th
a
t’s
a
ll
r
i
g
ht,
J
i
m
. I
l
i
ke
y
ou st
a
r
i
ng
a
t
m
e
.
You don
’
t kn
o
w how
much
I
’
ve
m
i
ssed
y
ou. A
n
y
w
a
y
,
f
o
r the
f
irst
t
i
m
e
in
m
y
l
i
fe,
m
y
bo
d
y
c
a
u
g
ht up
to
m
y
m
i
nd.
I
no lon
g
e
r
g
a
ve
a
d
a
mn abo
u
t having
g
irlf
r
i
e
nds.
I
h
a
d
a
ll
the m
a
le
f
ri
e
nds
I
c
o
u
ld handl
e
. Men discov
e
r
e
d me
a
nd
I
dis
c
ov
e
r
e
d the
m
,
a
ll
a
t o
n
c
e.
Th
e
re
w
a
sn’t a
man
a
l
i
ve
I
c
o
u
ldn’t h
a
v
e
.
I w
a
s in
t
otal
c
ontrol of my
l
i
fe
a
nd the lives of
e
v
er
y
o
n
e
who
c
a
me in
c
ont
a
c
t wi
t
h me.
I
c
omp
l
e
te
l
y
dom
i
n
a
ted
e
v
e
r
y
e
nvironme
n
t.
I
n
e
v
er
y
r
e
spe
c
t
,
I w
a
s the most
a
dv
a
n
c
e
d human
on
ea
rth. E
x
ce
pt for
a
fe
w
m
onths tow
a
rd the
e
nd in
Chin
a
,
I
a
m s
t
i
l
l
t
otal
l
y
c
onfid
e
nt and
c
omp
l
e
te
l
y
s
a
t
i
sfi
e
d with who
a
nd wh
a
t
I
a
m.”

“
You
a
r
e
a
v
e
r
y
spe
c
i
a
l pe
r
son,
P
a
m. Tom said
m
y
l
i
fe
would
c
h
a
n
g
e
fo
re
v
e
r if
I
c
hose
to be
with
y
ou
a
nd he
w
a
s
r
i
g
ht. You know
w
h
a
t’s
h
a
rd
f
or
me to un
d
e
rst
a
n
d
.
Wh
y
m
e
?
You
c
ould h
a
ve
a
n
y
man
y
ou
w
a
nt
e
d.
S
u
re
l
y
, th
e
re
w
e
re
s
c
i
e
nt
i
st
s
,
s
omeon
e
?
W
h
a
t do
I
h
a
ve
to of
f
e
r someone
l
i
ke
y
ou
?
”