Page 53 of I Want to Know What Love Is

“Shit,” he says, accepting a half-filled glass from me, but he only watches me as I down the smooth gold liquid, thanking grandpa and praying for redemption. Or at least blessed oblivion.

I tell Shelby I’m done with tutoring and he doesn’t ask questions because he gets the message, knows that was my connection with Amanda, knows it means the end of whatever I have going on with her. He takes out his phone and calls Dooley to come over as if he’s a priest and I’m a dying man. I laugh, but hell, the more the merrier to drink this bourbon with me.

“Invite everyone,” I say and bang on the wall behind my bed to the adjoining room where Trey lives. “Come on over for a drink,” I shout at the wall.

“Fuck, calm down, Dyl. We can handle this. It’s not over until it’s over.” My best friend knows me and knew that was the exact thing I needed him to say. Because he knows I’m more stubborn than an old goat and giving up isn’t in my DNA.

I snort a laugh. “This is a tricky situation, Shel.” Because I don’t want to get arrested for being a stalker.

Trey taps on the door before opening it because he’s a class guy, but he stops short when he sees me pouring my second shot of bourbon. I hand him the glass instead and get another one from the top of my dresser. Normally these glasses don’t get used until spring semester, making this a damn special occasion.

“What’s the occasion?” He takes the glass and I fill mine and clink it against his.

“Rejection,” I say. “By as fine a lady as I’ve ever met.” I drink up and relish the burn because it’s helping that stabbing through my shoulder blades to calm down. He nods and takes a gulp, emptying half his glass. Never let it be said that Trey Eagleton isn’t a sensitive guy when it counts.

“Amen to that. Been there.”

I turn to Shelby. “What are we going to do about it?”

“Dooley has a plan, doesn’t he?” I laugh.

“I don’t know, but I’m not counting on him for a miracle play. This situation calls for something like The Annexation of Puerto Rico and I don’t have one like that in my play book.”

“Hey, isn’t that the John Madden play from the movie Little Giants?” Trey says.

“Pretty good for a non-football geek,” Shelby says. “Don’t worry, Dylan. Time’s on your side. Something will break before the end of the semester. Then there’s still next semester.”

I nod and the door flies open and Dooley rushes in.

“I got here as fast as I could.” Randy Bane sneaks in behind him, always loathe to miss out on anything that might be going on in the house, still trying to fit in. He hasn’t given me more than a dirty look since the scene at the Kapa Kapa Gamma party.

“Sounds like a party in here,” Bane says. I nod at him.

“Help yourself to some Baton Rouge Louisiana Bourbon.” I point to the bottle and gesture for Dooley to join in a drink too.

“You’re drinking fucking Bourbon in the middle of football season? On a Monday night?” Bane smirks, part incredulous, part excited. Then it dawns on him that the slide might signal something bad and he drops the smirk. “What’s going on? Someone—”

“No one died. Only my short-lived, non-existent romance with the woman who shall not be named.” I must be getting drunk to admit this much to the room at large. Everyone else but Bane is trustworthy, but he’s a damn big exception.

“Fuck. You have it bad.” He’s not gloating or even happy and that’s a good sign. “Sorry man.” I believe him. He pours two glasses and give me one and I toast him.

“Before you get yourself all out of your mind and bourbonized,” Dooley says, “we need to talk.”

“What? About your plan?” He nods. “I don’t want to hear it. Just do whatever you need to do.”

“I will because it looks like you need it even more than I thought.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Bane says.

“Never mind,” Shelby says. “It’s not important.” He looks around and before Bane or anyone can ask more questions, he says to Bane, “You going to the Homecoming Ball?”

“It’s mandatory according to coach, right?”

“Who are you taking?” Shelby asks.

“I’m going stag.”

“Me too. How about you Trey?”