Amy's father comes looking for Ian

As the weeks rolled on, I saw even less of the others. I learned that Elizabeth and Andy had decided to go separate ways as well, while Simon and Stephanie were determined to tough it out for a long-distance relationship - Simon would stay behind while Stephanie was in Seattle. Talia and Rachel didn't have issues since they were both headed to UC Berkeley.

That left me and Amy, and frustrating me to no end was how everyone else was advising me to end things while we were still together. I knew they meant well, but I couldn't stop the negative feelings from welling up inside me. Months ago they all but cheered over the news that I was going out with the girl who hated even the suggestion of romance - now it seemed they were trying even harder to pull us apart.

I ended up having hotter, fiercer sex with Amy, as if the very act reaffirmed the strength of our relationship. "We're happy together," I told myself firmly, "and nothing, nobody is going to change that." And with every ecstatic scream, every passionate whisper of our names, I could believe that this was enough for us - for me.

Then, one August evening, I got the biggest shock of my post-graduation life. Amy's dad showed up on my doorstep, complete in uniform, with his mouth closed in a dangerously thin frown.

"Ian, right?" he greeted me. I couldn't tell if he was angry or simply being professional. "Mind if we take a little ride?"

There was no way I could say no. Even if I resisted, he looked strong enough to beat me into the concrete, and twice as willing. Wordlessly I walked to the car he'd parked outside, and got into the passenger's seat. Soon enough we were off.