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“You had a little too much to drink at the Delta Xi party.”
“I did?”
“Do you remember?”
A little groan. That’s a yes.
“You’ll be all right,” I say, recognizing the grimace. I didn’t do much better myself the first time the twins and I snuck some booze ourselves. Homecoming. Sophomore year. “Almost home.”
Dana sits still. She says nothing more, her little eyes studying me in the dark.
Eyes on the fucking road.
We approach the Kirby house, so I flick the headlights off and park on the street to avoid the driveway. Moving slowly, I get out of the car, closing the door as softly as possible. Dana slips out of the car by herself, but not as graceful as I did, her shoes thumping the pavement. I rush around the car, taking hold of the door before she can slam it.
“You good?” I ask her.
“Uh-huh.” She swallows a gulp of… something. “I’m gonna go upschars now.”
One step, two steps, and she stops, slapping her palm on the hood of the car to steady herself.
“Dana.” I reach out, gripping her elbow. “You good?” I ask again.
“I’m good,” she says, her voice breathy. “Just stood up too fast.” She looks at me and giggles. “You have three eyes.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Make that four.”
“Okay.” I wrap an arm around her shoulders as I keep the other braced on her arm. “Let’s get you inside.”
“Am I in trouble?” she asks.
“No, you’re not in trouble.”
A laugh. “Are you in trouble?”
“No, but I might be if you don’t keep quiet,” I say, lowering my voice with each word.
“Shh,” she says.
“Exactly.”
We reach the front door.
“Keys?” I ask.
Dana fights with the small handbag dangling off her shoulder before finally zipping it open and retrieving her house key from inside. I take the key from her and unlock the door.
Poking my head inside, I listen for any sounds to show if her parents are still awake.
Silence.
“All good,” I say, retrieving Dana by the door. “Come on. We have to be quiet.”
“Quiet,” she repeats, her voice above a whisper.
I lead her inside, easily navigating us through the darkness. Other than my home, there’s no place in this world I’ve spent more time in than the Kirby house. So many hours spent in front of the television playing video games with Alex and Ben. So many lunches spent at the kitchen counter. Holiday dinners and sleepovers.
