Page 48 of Best Man on Campus

It takes me less than three minutes to find out from the time I enter the front door that she’s not at Wildbeast Pizza. I text her in spite of my previous lack of success in getting a response, but I’m a perennially hopeful guy. Must be the reason Majik has faith in me being with Jazzy. After a hundred slaps on the back and high fives and only one beer that goes warm before I finish it, my enthusiasm for the celebration dissipates and I need to leave before I bring my team down. The only graceful exit is to let one of my friends know and then slip out the back.

But before I go, I head to the back corner of the bar where I find Leon.

“Let me guess,” he says to me without a hello, “you’re looking for Jazzy.”

My smile is genuine, though I’m disappointed because he doesn’t look like he has a clue. He in fact looks annoyed as hell.

“Good guess. Don’t suppose you know where she is?”

“Naw. When you find her…” He gives me a thoughtful look. “Give her a hug for me. I think she needs it.”

I’m afraid to ask, but I do. “What makes you think that?”

“She’s off the rails. Totally unreliable now like I haven’t seen her in the past couple of years. I don’t know what to tell you.”

He doesn’t have to tell me she’s suffering, that whatever demon she has is getting close and the confrontation could save her or… I don’t know what. But I know I want to be there to catch her at the bottom of that cliff.

Kace and Voz find me in the corner with Leon and I tell them I’m leaving to find Jazzy.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know. I’ll start with checking her apartment.”

“She went to the game with Dooley, didn’t she?” Voz says.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Some of the girls are talking about it, how she’s Dooley’s new protégé. He says if he can get her from the basement to the tower it’ll be the most impressive social climb ever. The little fucker is a mad man, a social Dr. Frankenstein.”

Shaking my head because I don’t know what the fuck Voz is talking about, he does have a point. I need to call Dooley.

“Who has Dooley’s number?” I look from Kace to Voz and even to Leon and they all shake their heads, but Voz is on his phone thumbing in a message.

“I’ll get it for you.”

“Look who’s a fucking socialite,” Kace says. Voz pauses long enough to lift his middle finger at Kace, but the half smile on his face looks pleased. After a couple of beats he stops.

“Got you Dooley’s number.” I take out my phone and he rattles it off while I tap it in.

“Thank you.” We fist bump and I turn to Leon and Kace and nod my goodbye.

As I let myself out the back door, trotting to my Jeep, I press the call button and hold the phone to my ear, praying that Dooley picks up a call from a stranger, wherever he is. And then I pray he’s with Jazzy.

Dooley doesn’t answer his fucking phone and I yank open my car door. Strapping on my seatbelt, prepared to start with her apartment and go from there, my phone buzzes. It’s Dooley, thank fuck.

“Dooley,” I say knowing my anxiety is showing and not giving a crap.

“Ben? Ben Weaver?” He sounds skeptical and excited, his high-pitched voice piercing.

“Yeah, sorry to call you like this. I got your number—”

“No problem at all. You have my ear.”

“Is Jazzy with you?”

“I knew you were going to ask, and I’m glad. She’s here and out of control. I’m a little worried—”

“Where’s here, Dooley?”