John came by around seven p.m. with a pizza he'd driven all the way into Jackson to pick up. He knocked on Susan's apartment door and surveyed the surrounding buildings and plants. Susan deserved better than this.

When Susan opened the door, John was dazed. She sure was pretty with her hair going every which way. The dark circles underneath her eyes stood out on her pale, almost luminescent skin. She wore blue jogging pants with a matching top in a pretty blue-green matching her ...