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Thank you, gods of New Year’s

We ski till alht By 1 o’clock, Alana is drinking hot cocoa underneath a blanket beside him When I walk by, on my way to the john, I wink, and they both turn red

Get it, Nate!

My night ends in the hall to the girls’ rooed up toAlf’s jacket

Not a bad start to the new year Not too bad at all

I’m in bed with a pocket bottle of bourbon underfire in the fireplace besideto get up for some dumb shit in the hall

The knock cohts, striped between the ceiling’s rafters It’s still dark

Again, the knock It’s ht be Nate We share a bathrooue, but here we each have our own

“Who is it?” I call as I jerk on boxers

The knock coo pants and hurry over to it

“Nate?”

I open the door, and there is…Mr Laurent? He’s holding a glass of what smells like liquor He smiles when he sees me, but the smile is like the first clip of a film reel of an accident I can alht before it does

“What’s wrong?” The words are barely whispered

“I apologize for the odd hour” He looks over my shoulder “Let’s have a seat”

I shake et a deep breath, but I can’t