“Hmmm.” He examines the crowd in front of us. At the other corner of the bar, two girls lean forward, extending fistfuls of cash toward the bartender as they try to get his attention, half their chests hanging out of their dresses. “I’m gonna go with probably not.”

The bartender looks toward us as he moves one of those silver shaker things. Robbie waves his hand and smiles. The bartender nods and holds up one finger.

“Oh jeez,” I say. “Decision time. What should I get?”

Robbie laughs and the sound makes me smile. It makes me proud that I am the reason for the laugh, even if I am sincerely a bit worried about ordering. “Well, what do you want?”

“That’s the thing.” I feign an exaggerated look of distress. “I don’t know!”

“Do you want shots? Or a G and T, maybe a Long Island Iced Tea?”

“Iced tea?” I am a huge fan of Arizona cranberry iced tea; I would love an alcoholic drink that delicious and refreshing.

“Yeah, there’s like five different kinds of alcohol and—”

“Oh.” My eyes go wide. “Definitely not that.”

Suddenly, the bartender is in front of us. “What can I get you?” And just like that, time is up. My heart starts to race. It’s like walking into a class and realizing there’s a test you haven’t prepared for. Truly a nightmare scenario.

“I—uh—” I stammer.

“I’ll have a beer.” Robbie swoops in to save me. He names some brand.

The bartender reaches for an amber bottle and pops the top off with expert grace before handing it to him.

“And you?”

I keep my voice as low as I can, considering the blaring music. “Do you have anything that has alcohol but doesn’t taste like it does at all?”

He laughs, but not in a mean or mocking way. More like he thinks I’m a lovable idiot. “I got you.” He starts to fill a glass with ice.

A few seconds later, he hands me something pink and sparkly that costs twelve dollars. I take a sip; it tastes like something they might have served at Libby Lu back in the day. Worth every penny.

Robbie and I lean against the bar, sipping our drinks and watching the revelers. Across the room, I spot Braden and Colleen on the balcony, leaning against the railing and looking down at the dance floor. He taps her shoulder and points. I follow his hand to see a waiter walking toward them with a large bottle of alcohol on a silver tray, a sparkler burning from the top, sending glittering embers into the air, floating for a moment before delicately burning out.

Her eyes light up as Braden gestures to the waiter to hand the sparkling bottle to her. She kisses Braden’s cheek before taking it.

“Do you think she’s with him because he got us in?” I ask.

“What?”