Tiffany had thanked him for picking her up on such short notice and so late, but he only gave a weak smile in return. Around his neck he still wore the weekah root out of habit. The weird thing was, there was just a faint hint of something girlish coming from him, like perfume. Maybe he was using new soap, she thought. “Man, I’m glad to be out of there. My dad’s been giving me so much grief over my marks and everything else. Hey, let’s not go home tonight! Let’s drive around and see what this county does at dawn. If I’m in trouble, might as well make it worth my while.” She was excited and pumped for an evening of who knew what. “Maybe,” Tony replied as he turned off the car radio. “Is something wrong?” she asked. Before answering, he looked at her and gave her a sad smile. “What is it?” “Nothing, it’s just . . . I don’t know,” he answered as he got out of the car. Intensely concerned, Tiffany followed suit. They began walking toward the restaurant. After the way her evening had been going, Tiffany was afraid to probe any deeper.
