“Whoops, sorry man,” I say as the lamp tumbles to the ground and shatters. The sound is nearly drowned by the pumping music, the shouted conversations. The girl on my arm—oh hold on—Audrey, giggles drunkenly.

Nate just laughs and waves his Bud at me. “No worries, bro. I hated that lamp. Party on!”

“Woo!” I throw up the horns. There’s a roar from the next room as a circle of guys cheer a guy doing a kegstand. I pull Audrey to me and kiss her.It’s slobbery and tastes like beer. “Man, I’m gonna live forever!”

Nate is suddenly looking at me with the sober seriousness of the truly drunk. “Don’t say that, man. Nobody wants to live forever.”

My brain is buzzing and I feel the blood pumping through my body. “I do!” I shout out to the whole house, “You hear that? I’m gonna live forever!”

A voice from the next room: “Sounds like someone wants to do a kegstand!”

“Hell, yes, I do!” I start toward the door. Something crunches underfoot, but I hardly notice that I stepped on the fallen lamp on my way out.