Blackout ✓

09 | when we were kids

I MANAGED TO GET RILEY, Sushmita and her quarterback boyfriend Ravi, Jamie and three other floormates of ours to go clubbing with me.

Because neither Sushmita nor Ravi knew the eighth-floor residents, I thought it was going to be an awkward dynamic but it wasn't. Sush and I were very comfortable with each other, and Riley remembered her from a WISA Quiz Night event she and Krista had attended at my request. Jamie and Ravi were teammates, and the latter meshed well enough with my other three floormates. So our group of eight worked out nicely for the night.

Half an hour past midnight, I tapped Jamie on the shoulder and beckoned him to lean down. I said into his ear, "Can I check my phone?"

I used Jamie as a walking purse, precisely because his jeans had abhorrently spacious pockets and women's clothing could be reliably expected to have none. Whenever I visited Topaz or any other nightclub, I tried not to bring a bag. Things could fall out if I danced or jumped around too boisterously, and it was added weight that inconvenienced me.

Jamie fished my phone out and gave it to me. "Are you stepping out?"

"Yeah, just for some fresh air. I feel icky."

"I'll come with," he said, stepping away from the group.

No.

I'd come to notice something over the month or so that the semester had been in session. Whenever I got into drunk mishaps, Jamie was the one I sought out. Subsequently, whenever that happened, he was always ready and willing to help me. I trusted him to look after me and—whether he seemed to know it or not—he never failed me.

But that meant I was dampening his nights, curbing his fun levels, if I couldn't handle the large volume of liquor I drank. Good friends didn't do that.

I held up my hand to stop him. "Not necessary. I'll be back in two minutes."

Jamie arched a sceptical eyebrow at me. "Look at you."

I dutifully did as instructed, looking down. I took in my neon crop top—courtesy of Krista—and black leather skirt. My tan legs below that, and the faded white sneakers I had dubbed my clubbing shoes.

My eyes raised to Jamie's, narrowing in confusion. "Smoking hot, what about it?"

"I meant," he blew a puff of air skyward, "you're hammered. Dressed like that. And you want to step out in the shady part of town. Alone."

"Fine, Dad. Don't get your panties in a twist. But it'll be really boring. Completely uneventful. No falling down. No vomiting. No boys, even." I promised.

As we exited, the cool air of nighttime hit my face and draped over my bare arms and legs. I saw Krista working the line by the door—entertaining those waiting for entry with photo ops and conversation so that they wouldn't leave—and gave her a wave.

"Hey, Viv!" she called back. "Do you need me to call an Uber?"

"No," I assured her confidently. A dense, unsettled feeling settled in my stomach, but I ignored it. "Jamie's got me."

Krista glanced behind me for one second, and then nodded.

I plopped onto the sidewalk with a relieved sigh. It felt so good to get off my feet after dancing for so long. The sweat on my back blissfully chilled my body. Jamie watched me as I breathed heavily, relishing the cold air in my lungs.

After two minutes of silence, he bounced a conversation starter to me. "What are you going to do after you graduate?"

Placing my hands behind me on the concrete, I leaned back to stare at the stars. I'd been to New York before, where it was too bright to see stars. I knew right away, after a decade or so of globetrotting and career-building, I wanted to settle somewhere with pellucid midnights and lots of cicadas after dark. The perfect backdrop for stargazing.