“Do you think I should be a vet?” the girl asked, out of the blue. “I mean I love animals, but there seems to be a lot of vet finger to pet butt action involved. But maybe I’d get used to that? Do you think I’d be good at it?”

“I don’t know you,” I said.

“Oh. Yeah.”

I wanted to ask if she wanted to get a drink, but we had already established that she didn’t, and even though the outdoor excursion had kind of sobered me up, I didn’t feel like getting drunk anymore. I bit my lip, trying to figure out some way to ask if she wanted to go somewhere alone that wasn’t too keen or embarrassing.

“Do you want to come up to my room?” the girl asked brightly, pointing upstairs. “We should really get you out of that filthy top.”

For a second she had a mischievous twinkle in her eye, the same one I saw on top of the wall. I felt the wobble again even though I was on solid ground this time.

“I’ll lend you a clean one,” she added, as innocent as apple pie.

3.

With her bedroom door closed, the noise of the party was faint and I couldn’t help but marvel at the difference. I could hear my dad cough in his bedroom if I was in the kitchen, but in here, even the end of the world would be muffled by the thick walls and doors. There was a sports bag on the floor with clothes spilling out of it, and the bed was unmade with rumpled sheets. The curtains were drawn and the girl turned on a bedside lamp. Mood lighting. I was onto a winner.

She rummaged around in the bag on the floor, throwing a pair of shoes in the corner and setting a bag of penny bubble gums on the bed. She found a plain T-shirt and tossed it at me.

I hesitated, not confident about unleashing my nakedness at this early stage, but the girl turned around to give me some privacy and I changed as quickly as possible.

“Are you decent?” she asked.

“Just about.”

“What about your cut?” She grabbed the gum before settling cross-legged on the bed.

“It’s fine.” It stung, but I didn’t want to leave the room to clean up.

“Pink or blue?” She peered into the bag.

“What flavor are they?”

“Pink flavor or blue flavor.”

“Of course. Pink, then.”

I perched on the end of the bed beside her and unwrapped my gum. It came with a temporary tattoo of the Road Runner.

“Just what I always wanted. The Road Runner on my butt. The ultimate symbol of good taste.”

The girl laughed. “It’s your lucky day then.”