A hint of a smile overshadows the slight discomfort I detect as she shifts her weight from one leg to the other. Her lips move in response to Clark and then she lifts her drink and takes a sip.

I can pinpoint the exact moment things go horribly wrong for ole Clark, though I haven’t a clue what he could have said to have the girl in front of him bristle in such a dramatic way I can spot it from twenty yards. Her mouth draws into a tight line as she nods and then takes off. She doesn’t even wait for Clark to move, just pushes past him and hightails it to the far side of the party.

“Crash and burn.” Mario chuckles as Clark turns back to face us wearing a sheepish grin and shrugs.

I laugh along with him, but I can’t shake the horrible day to offer a real one. I need more booze and maybe a lobotomy. “I’m gonna get some air.”

“We’re outside, man.”

I’m already two steps away when I respond, “Air other people aren’t breathing.”

I get stopped no less than five times, get forced into a photo with the team, and spend twenty painful minutes talking to an alumnus who has food stuck in his teeth before I can slip away from the party.

I pull the flask I stashed in my pocket and unscrew the cap. The burn of liquor is fresh on my lips when I spot her. She’s double-fisting it now, champagne in both hands as she leans against the side of Ray Fieldhouse. It’s the side entrance, only accessible with a badge given to staff and student-athletes.

Surfer Princess is hiding, not that I blame her. If the baseball guys knew about her, that means everyone else does too or will shortly.

She stills when she sees me, her haven invaded. Taking a step like she’s going to leave, I stop her. I’m not sure why, except she seems like the only person who might be having a shittier night than I am. “You don’t have to run off. You have dibs, being here first and all. I’ll just kick rocks.”

To my back, she says, “Wait.”

Color me surprised, I turn back to her, and she shifts uncomfortably on her tall heels. “Got something good in that flask?”

I shake my head. “Nah, it’s not good.” I close some of the distance between us and hold it out to her in invitation. “But it’s effective.”