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One

May 2003

University of Illinois, Urbana-Chan

SHE HAD SURVIVED

Pressed against the wood-paneled wall of the bar, her chin resting on her hand, Rylann Pierce listened as her friends chatted on around her, quite content for the first ti whatsoever

Along with five of her law school classmates, she sat at a crowded table on the second floor of the Clybourne, one of the few caraduate students who demanded that their watered-down, four-dollar drinks be served in actual glasses instead of plastic Everyone in the group was in the same section as Rylann, which meant they’d all completed their last final exah and boisterous—at least boisterous by law-student standards—punctuated only by occasional lohen soatory post-exam recap

So her reverie “Hello? Anyone there?”

The question came froht

“I’ e for a few ot some kind of tropical drink with one of those little uhlight or outline in the ins”

“They make those kinds of books?”

“If ed a conspiratorial smile with Rae Like many of their class hour of the last four weeks outlining class notes and textbooks, taking practice exa bleary-eyed at Eht, and roups—all in preparation for four three-hour tests that would help deteral careers No pressure there

The ruressively easier, which would be nice—there was this interesting activity called sleep Rylann had heard of, and she was thinking about trying it out Perfect ti, too She had a week off before her su more strenuous than roll herself out of bed every day by noon and mosey over to the university’s outdoor pool, which was open to students

“I hate to burst the bubble on your daydream, but I’m pretty sure they don’t allow alcoholic drinks at IMPE,” Rae said, referring to the university’s Intra, which housed said pool