Page 73 (1/1)

"Don’t worry about Liz, if that’s what you’re thinking This was totally her idea"

"It was?"

Jonas shrugged "Well, maybe not that you’d actually bone her cousin on the couch But she wanted you to feel…I don’t know Included"

This madeher cousin a favor, when it was the other way around

"Listen, Tiet it," I said, and waved my roommate away "I’atheredJonas hadn’t said where he and Liz were going; back to her place, probably, but I couldn’t chance it I an to walk I had no destination in h for what, precisely, I could not say I had, after all, done exactly as expected of me by the standards of that tiure in his tuxedo, fivethe Charles River Basin The first roere out, carving the waters with their long, elegant oars It is at such moments that revelations are said to come, but none did I had wanted tooover; blisters had forht occurred totih I kneould not call hiot back to Winthrop, it was nearly nine o’clock I keyed the lock and found Jonas freshly shaved and sitting on his bed, shoving his legs into a pair of jeans

"Jesus, look at you," he said "Did you getabout hi on?"

"We’re leaving, is what’s going on" He got to his feet, shoving his shirt into the waistband of his jeans "You better change"

"I’ anywhere"

"Better rethink that Alcott just phoned We’re driving down to Newport"

I had no idea what to make of this ridiculous claim Newport was at least two hours away All I wanted to do was cli about?"

Jonas snapped on his watch and stepped to the mirror to brush his hair, still damp from the shower "The after-party Just members and punchees this time The ones who, you know, passed Which would include you, "

"Why would I joke about a thing like that?"

"Gee, I don’t know Maybe because I hed "Don’t be so hard on yourself You got a little wasted, so what? Everybody really liked you, especially Alcott Apparently, your escapade in the library made quite an impression"

My stomach dropped "He knows?"

"Are you serious? Everybody knows It’s Alcott’s house we’re going to, by the way You should see this place It’s like soazine" He turned fro to et dressed"

17

The fall was a hts at restaurants I could never afford, strip clubs, a harbor cruise on a sixty-foot boat owned by an alumnus who never came out of his cabin Bit by bit, the candidates dropped away, until only a dozen re holiday, an envelope appeared under ht Alcott met me in the entryway, instructed me not to speak, and handed me a pewter cup of powerful ru seehts were out He led me to the library, blindfoldedquite drunk and having troublesound--a low, ani, and whipped off the blindfold as the bear reared up before round, and pounced on top ofthe wind froreat black bulk and glea teeth, poised above my neck I screamed, utterly convinced that I was about to die--a prank, intended to be har--until I realized that the bear, rather than tearing un to hump me