"What was going on?" she angrily said. "The police acted like I was a criminal! As if I was the one holding the girl hostage! They kept asking me ques...ions about you but all I could say was I knew you did something but I don't know how or what." Everything is okay," I tried to soothe. "The police are okay now. We're not in trouble." So what did you say?"I didn't answer."You told them didn't you?"I nodded."You told strangers but you won't tell your girlfriend." I have to keep it a secret. I'm. By the end of this, you’ll be quite clear who owns this ass of yours now.” “Crack”, he brought the ruler paddle full force down on my left butt check. I barely had time to gasp from the sting and shock of it, before he laid down the paddle with another resounding “crack” on my right cheek. Quickly he sped up his tempo, until a flurry of stinging blows was raining on both side of my tender ass. Every so often, for variety and his own amusement I’d guess, he’d lay the ruler paddle square across. I need you to listen to everything before you interrupt, or I might not be able to finish, okay?” My mom nodded mutely. I sighed and started from the beginning. I told them about June setting me up on a blind date, then going to the lake afterwards. I flushed crimson and stared at the floor as I recalled what happened in the woods, noting that Ben’s grip on my hand got tighter. I wasn’t able to look up once I’d finished the first part, but my pause must have indicated to my mother that I. Was he getting too old? Was there too much on his plate? Had he lost his joie de vivre?He certainly hoped not, because a new project would start in a matter of days and he needed to be ready.As he gathered the will to get out of the rig, he looked at the house and smiled.Little fairy lights surrounded every window, twinkling in the late-night darkness, and a soft glow came from the window closest to the door. He knew the old lamp was on a table there, waiting to welcome him home. The ground was.