"Jeremy, wait!" she called, bending over to catch her breath. When Jeremy saw her, he picked up his pace and hurried toward the crosswalk. Madison threw her head back and moaned, "I can't keep up! Please stop." At the intersection, he had to stop to wait for the traffic light, and she stumbled off the curb and stood in front of him, clutching her side. "Please listen for one minute," she gasped. "I know that the Homecoming disaster wasn't your fault. I know you didn't put up those awful photos. And I am so ashamed for jumping to conclusions about you, and not ever giving you a chance to explain." Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, and she help up her palm. "Just a minute. I'm not finished." She bent over once more and took a couple of deep breaths. "I know you'll never accept my apology because you think I'm heartless and self-centered. But just to prove to you that I'm sincere, I'm withdrawing from the race and throwing all my support behind you." Madison waited for Jeremy to respond. As she looked into his eyes, he continued to say nothing. She felt her throat tighten painfully. Tears pooled in her eyes. Madison turned to leave before she embarrassed herself any further. But as she stepped into the crosswalk, Jeremy caught her by the arm. "Now hold it a minute, will you?" he said, gently pulling her back onto the curb. "You just dropped an awful lot of information in my lap. The least you can do is give me a moment to process it." Madison put a hand over her mouth, trying to hold herself together. Then she looked up into his pale blue eyes. They were no longer ice cold but filled with compassion. "I guess I'll begin by accepting your apology," Jeremy said slowly. "And offer my own apology in return." Madison laughed. "You apologize to me? Whatever for?" "Excuse me," a man interrupted from behind them. He and a woman were walking with their tenspeeds. "This is a crosswalk. If you want to talk, there are plenty of places to do it over there." He pointed back to the park, by the lake. They shared an embarrassed laugh."