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me?”
    “Scholarship?” the counselor asked, still distracted by his screen. “No, of course not.
    Besides, it’s covered.”
    Shay frowned. “What’s covered?”
    “Your tuition,” he said. “According to this, your tuition is covered in full for the
    remainder of your college studies, with an option for you to get a Master’s if you choose,
    which I strongly recommend,” the counselor added, looking at Shay over the top tip of his
    glasses.
    “But that’s a mistake,” Shay said, confused. “Dr. Graham said I lost my scholarship.
    She said my grades were too low and they took the scholarship from me. That has to be some
    mistake.”
    “This isn’t a scholarship,” the counselor said.
    “Then what are you talking about? I already get the Pell grant, but that’s not nearly
    enough to cover Franklin’s tuition.”
    “You don’t have a scholarship, young lady, nor is this a grant. You have a
    benefactor.” Then he noticed something odd on his computer screen. “Oh. That’s
    interesting,” he said as he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his wide, flat nose and began
    pecking at his keys again.
    “What is it?” Shay wanted to know.
    “The cost of your dorm room and cafeteria fees are included as well,” he said.
    Shay was floored. “I don’t understand.”
    “You’re a very blessed young lady, understand that?”
    “But do you know who it is? And why would anybody want to do something like that
    for me?”
    “I don’t know and I don’t know,” the counselor said and looked, once again, at Shay.
    “But I would advise against too much protestation. You have an anonymous benefactor, that’s
    all. That’s a good thing.”
    “But this is crazy!” Shay was a product of the streets. She was always suspicious of
    gift givers. “Have you heard of anything like this before?”
    “Yes, of course I have. I mean, it’s not the norm, no, but it happens more often than
    you might realize. Here at Franklin we call people like this ‘protectors.’”
    Shay frowned. “Protectors? Why protectors?”
    “Because it’s in your best interest to continue in college and get your degree. People
    like this look out for that interest, they protect your interest.” Then he exhaled, seeing the
    doubt, the concern on Shay’s innocent face. “You’re over-thinking this, young lady. It’s not
    all that serious.”
    “Somebody giving me what amounts to a full scholarship, out of the blue, and you
    expect me to just accept it? What are the strings? What are they expecting in return?”
    “Contrary to what you may believe, there are still good people in this world.”
    But Shay had her doubts. It had been her life’s experience that nobody had ever shown
    her much favor, unless they wanted something significant from her in return.
    The counselor exhaled again. “It’s probably just some rich old lady somewhere who
    asked the school to find a deserving student. Maybe it was even Dr. Graham who
    recommended you when you lost your scholarship. It could be as simple as that. So don’t be
    obsessing over it, just accept it. Because if it was me somebody was willing to protect,” the
    counselor said, finally cracking a smile, “I wouldn’t give a good hot damn who it was.”
    But Shay did give a damn, hot and otherwise. And as she slung her book bag on her
    small shoulder and hurried out of the chaotic confines of the financial aid office, words
    couldn’t describe just how much she gave a damn. Because she knew just as surely as she
    knew her name who this protector was. And he was a far cry from some rich old lady.
    But the implication of it all was what drove her mad. If she accepted such a gift from
    him, it would make her no better than a street corner whore. He was trying to buy her silence,
    because she now knew why he was always coming to town. According to Dr. Graham, he
    was one of the school’s business partners. What if he could lose that partnership if they found
    out he had banged one