I ran a lot that semester. Sometimes I would pass her by the lake, throwing my arms wide in a 'why not?' gesture that she would shake her head at and then ignore. One of her professors was part of a poker club I belonged to, so from time to time I'd stop by the class to chat and, if she didn't immediately disappear, strike up a conversation with her as she walked to her next class. It infuriated her to a degree, but there was also something in her - that deep, dark, demented part - that was drawn to my stupidity and my tenacity. I know this because...