"My hero," Alanna said with a sloppy grin, leaning up and kissing me on the cheek before rolling from my arms onto the couch. She stood and shouted to the party, "Let's go to the club!"

People cheered and everyone moved. Soon I was one of two people left in the room, everyone swarming to walk downtown, or call a cab, or find their shoes. I sighed, examining the brace and bar, then got up on the couch and started trying to fix it back to the wall as best I could. Nothing had actually snapped so it wasn't difficult, just another frustration.

Yvette walked by me with an armful...