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“Probably in the athletics building somewhere,” Paulina answers more logically.

“We should free him!” I sit bolt upright, making Iz and Paulina groan as I knock them aside in my sudden moment of clarity. “We must free Jim! CJ won’t be mad at us if we rescue Jim and bring him to practice tomorrow.”

Even in my current state, I can tell that plan makes absolutely no sense, but it sounds exciting to my whiskey-soaked brain, and it’s making it much easier not to think about Becca or Ethan.

“Yes, chica!” Iz catches my enthusiasm and sits up too. “Free Jim! Free Jim!”

Jane rolls her eyes as I join in the chant. “Why did I waste my good whiskey on you two?”

“I think it could be fun,” Paulina pipes up. “It can’t be that hard to find him. He’s probably with all the lacrosse stuff.”

“He’s probably lonely,” Iz adds. “He’s been by himself all summer. He needs to come home with us, Jane.”

Jane is not having it. “How would you even get in the building?”

“It’s only nine. I’m sure people are still in there. The gym is open twenty-four seven,” Iz insists. “We could head over there now.”

“Nuh-uh,” Jane shakes her head. “No shenanigans.”

“I mean, we did toast to this being a year to remember,” I cut in. “Triumphantly carrying Jim onto the field for the first day of training camp would be very memorable. Everyone would be cheering and clapping, and Coach would be so busy calming them down he probably wouldn’t even notice we were drinking last night.”

The plan is starting to make more and more sense, which probably says more about my state of intoxication than the plan itself, but whatever.

“Come on!” I jump up off the couch. “Let’s do it!”

Paulina and Iz follow me to the entryway so we can start pulling our shoes on, and once Jane realizes she’s fully outnumbered, she grumbles her way over and agrees to ‘supervise the delinquency.’

Outside, the street has grown completely dark. Patches of sidewalk are lit by the yellow glow of the streetlamps. The temperature has dropped a few degrees, but the cool air feels nice on my arms and face after the heat of the living room.

We’re only a couple blocks away from campus, and Paulina freestyles her way through her modified version of Little Mix’s ‘Wasabi’ the whole way there. I’ve already started to sober up by the time the athletics centre comes into view, and the dopey grin on my face has nothing to do with the whiskey.

This place is home: the grassy lawns, the old heritage buildings covered in vines, the stone pathways winding through it all, and there in front of us, the familiar shape of the glass and red brick athletics centre with a huge lobster mural spray-painted on one of its walls.

I can still remember my first time seeing it on the day of lacrosse tryouts. I’ve been playing since I was eleven, but as I scanned the outside of the building trying to find the spot where we were supposed to meet for tryouts, my brain kept telling me to run. Thoughts I hadn’t had for years bubbled up to the surface like they’d finally reached boiling point again.

You can’t take anything seriously.

This is too much for you.

You should be grateful you even got to university. You can’t handle school and a sport.

You’re stupid, Hope.

Then I spotted another girl carrying a lacrosse stick around at the exact same time she noticed me. She walked over and asked if I was ready to become a lobster.

And that’s how I met Jane.

It only took a few minutes of talking before we realized we’d clearly been best friends in another life. It also only took a few minutes before I realized everything was going to be okay.

When I’m here with my team, everything is always okay.

“Free Jim!” Iz shouts, loping along up ahead of us in their prestigious Jordans. “Free Jim!”

I can smell the freshly cut grass of the lawns around us, and I fill my lungs with a deep breath. They must have been mown today to get ready for the start of term. I always love walking around campus at night when it’s warm out. It’s overcast tonight, but this is my favourite place to see the stars.

We reach the building’s dramatic glass foyer and follow Iz inside after they swipe their student ID. Our footsteps echo on the tile floor.

“So, uh, what do we do now?” Paulina asks in a hushed voice.