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The mostly masculine boys decide to drive towards Austin because Stone says he heard it's a hip town from one of his many girlfriends, a chick who actually used to live there.
"Who was that babe who told you about Austin?" SA asks Stone who is half asleep.
"Oh yeah, sweet Michelle O'Connor. Brilliant girl, choice! I met her in 3-D Calculus at Fresno State. Pacific didn't have anyone to teach it. I think she's half Mexican. She was born in Brownsville and moved to Austin as a kid. She had pretty red hair from her Irish dad and glowing olive skin with dark eyes from her mom. She used a lot of Spanish mixed with English. She was mellow but proud of her background."
"What'd she say about Austin, anyway?" asks Johnny U.
"Her dad was a musician. He played a lot of instruments and did a lot of studio recording. Mostly, he played with Mexican groups. She said he loved the mix of Mexican and Country which they call Tejano.
"Did he play with any popular groups?" asks SA.
"She played me an album by someone called Little Joe and the Family. Her dad did some of the trumpet stuff. Austin, to her, was very friendly. She kind of wished she had gone to school there."
"What was she doing in Fresno?" asked Johnny U.
"Her dad died when she was in high school so her mom moved to California to be with some relatives in Merced. She went to Fresno State and had an apartment in Fresno with a couple other girls."
"Did you go out with her?" asked SA.
"Nah, she was pretty intense academically. We studied together three or four times, getting ready for tests. The last time it was late and we had a beer. She said she had chorizo in her pantalones. I didn't catch her drift so I ignored her and soon left."
"What does that mean?" asks SA.
"Well, I asked Gilbert Florez back at the dorm what she meant. He laughed at me and said she must have been horny because she said there was something hot in her pants."
"Too funny, laughs Johnny U. "Was she around Austin during that mass shooting a couple years ago?"
"I don't know, she was probably still in high school. But we should go by the University and see if we can climb that tower."
"Let's do it," says SA. "Boy, that kind of shooting is hard to understand."
Stone takes over the driving as they enter Austin. They haven't eaten yet so the search is on for a restaurant even though it's only about 11 am. Austin looks kind of like Bakersfield with a busy four lane road with stop lights running all the way through from the north to the center of town and the university area.
