Something poked my side, and I jolted awake. Due to moving too quickly, I almost tumbled out of the recliner next to the couch that I’d holed up in for the night. Karen laughed, then groaned.

As I righted myself I smirked at her. Karen held her head between her hands and her skin color now resembled a blanched pea. “Have a good night?”

“Ugh! How terrible was I last night?”

“Eh...not too bad for your first time being drunk.”

I wasn’t just being kind, either. Back in high school, one of Maddy’s friends had to be tied to a tree the first time he’d had alcohol because he wouldn’t stop looking for bears to a fistfight. No, we hadn’t restrained him because we believed it would happen, but we’d feared he’d wander into the road and get hit by a truck.

What Karen had done couldn’t compare.

Karen shook her head. A grimace followed. “You’re just saying that.”

“Hey, I’ve been shitfaced more times than I’ll admit. Trust me.”

Karen frowned. “You’re just being nice.”

“No.” I stood and headed for the kitchen. “Me getting you some water and Tylenol is me being nice.”

I also grabbed a sleeve of saltines and a bottle of Dr. Pepper. When I returned to Karen, she almost ripped the Tylenol and glass of water out of my hands. She chugged the water and dry-swallowed the medicine. Finished, Karen shook the empty glass at me.

I held out the Dr. Pepper. “Caffeine might make it better, too.”

“No, just water.”

“Okay.”

I took the glass and turned back for the kitchen, but I left the pop on the coffee table. I wasn’t gone for more than a couple seconds, yet when I got back to the living room, Karen had scarfed down half the saltines. Like before, Karen grabbed the water and gulped down most of it before taking a breath.

“Are you going to be good for a while?” I asked. “I need to take a shower.”

Karen nodded. She promised to sip her water and nibble her crackers when I told her she could make herself ill if she didn’t take it easy.

***

I didn’t take as thorough of a shower as I wanted because I didn’t want to leave Karen for too long. I still managed to feel semi-human as I towel-dried my hair and walked downstairs to the living room, but I contemplated taking another before I went to bed tonight. I know it wasn’t good for the environment, but once wouldn’t hurt.

“Would you like to order some Chinese and watch The Cat—”

My question died as I entered the living room and saw that a visitor had arrived during my absence.

Joseph sat on the other end of the couch and had been talking to a considerably-better-looking Karen. They both turned toward me and smiled, though Joseph’s grin had a happier edge than Karen’s.

I edged my way toward the recliner and did my best to hide my ratty pajama shorts and long-sleeved top without making it seem that I was. “What’s up?”

“So he, uh, got us home?” Karen inclined her head toward Joseph. “In Stripe?”

Joseph’s mouth pursed. “Was that a problem?”

“I only wish...I wasn’t finding out this way.” Karen stared harder at me. “I’d have liked to know first thing.”

“Wasn’t on my list of priorities this morning.”

Karen frowned, then sighed. “At least Stripe’s here and not getting me a ticket or being stripped for spare parts.”

“See? Silver lining,” I said, and Joseph winked at me.

“Yeah, yeah,” Karen replied. She took the blanket and threw it over her head; blocked her face. “The light is killing my eyes. I need to rest.”

Joseph got up. He pointed at me. “We’ll just talk outside.”

Karen snuggled into the couch. “Good. Go.”

We didn’t need to be told twice.

Outside, Joseph leaned against Stripe. “Will this be okay?”

“Yeah. Karen’s just grumpy because she feels like shit.”

“First bad run-in with alcohol?”

“Yeah.”

Joseph nodded. “Ah. I’ve had my fair share of those. Will no doubt have a ton more.”

I chuckled. “Me too.”

My laughter died a second later, and I bit my lip. Should I have admitted to that? I wasn’t an alcoholic, and I could hold my liquor, but I didn’t want him to think I was reckless and stupid when I drank.

“So, um...” I pulled on my shorts. “It was nice of you to come over and check up on Karen.”

Joseph glanced at Stripe’s hood. “Is it wrong to say I only came partially for her?”

“What, uh, other reason would you have?”

He beamed at me, and my insides melted, like how they had so long ago when I realized that Violet wanted to be more than friends. “I didn’t get to spend enough time with you last night.”

“Oh.”

“I’d like to rectify that if you’re game.”

“So, a date?”

“Yeah.”

I could barely consume enough oxygen to get out my next question. “What would we do?”

“I go bowling every Friday.”

“Oh, I love bowling.”

I wasn’t good at it, but I could hit a few pins when I concentrated.

Joseph’s smile brightened to contend with the sun. “It’s a date, then.”