The place was crowded with people milling around. I saw Judith across the room with Willy. He looked as proud as punch being with her. She was dressed... sexy but had her hair done to look in our age group. Jennifer headed over to where Crystal was standing. Crystal introduced me to her date, a non-descript freshman who seemed tongue-tied. He looked somewhat like I felt three months ago.We had a chance to settle in at a table for the four of us near the dance floor."Jennifer, would you like to. Just as I reached down, I heard a loud crash as the window behind me blew in, and my peripheral vision saw Jackie’s feet jerked up off the floor. Then I heard the shot. For a few seconds, all I felt was confusion. Then I looked up and saw Jackie lying on her back with her head resting against the brass foot rail of the bar, her chin on her chest. Blood was dripping off the rail and making a puddle on the floor.Oh my god!I dropped to my hands and knees and scrambled to her side. It didn’t take. My legs toughened up because I'd wear a hat and the riding bra, and that was it. Bare skin against a saddle, or just the horse's skin, will do that.There was also a lot of companionship. I saw Tom about once a week. He'd come out to the Ranch for the night, and we'd spend time getting acquainted all over again. I didn't lack for male attention, though. Under the rules I had to confine myself to my age group, but there were enough boys that that wasn't a problem. A couple of weeks after school. Peter had left notes too, but there was never any reference to what he'd written or asked in the next note. Except once. The first note had appeared on a Thursday in April, and its message had gotten his attention. So he left a note of his own: Who are you? Boy? Girl? The second note had been there the following Tuesday. It didn't answer his question directly, but at the bottom was the dark red lip gloss impression of a pair of puckered lips. Peter, solidly straight and now reassured, could.