“Are you okay?” She was at least six inches shorter than him, and he realized if he was feeling overwhelmed by the crowd, it was probably ten times worse for her. “It’s not the greatest time to be all alone here. Crazy to say that with all of these people around us.”
“I don’t think I will be alone for long,” she answered, her face softening into an almost-smile, “but I appreciate your kindness. Were you a student of Mr. Amaranth?”
Matt nodded. “2009. I had him for Advanced Composition. We were his last bunch. Best bunch. It was a pretty memorable ride. I wish I had paid more attention to what he had to say.”
“I think we are all feeling that right now.” She offered her hand to him, a hand that surprised him as he clasped it: strong and rough. A hand used to manual labour. “My name is Mar
