he bit his lip , gazing into her eyes . she had a golden tan that did n't match up with the pale color of her hair , at all . i asked if you were taking me to your high school reunion . the needle did n't drop , but it did n't rise either . so she fixed her eyes firmly on the distance , where a dense cluster of trees again seemed to rise from the ground , and stepped further , without looking to the right or left . `` how do you manage to think this stuff out ? '' 