Austin, Texas

10 March 1967

Stepping outside, Sue Ellen immediately knew she'd made a mistake, it couldn't be more than 50°F outside, the March evening far from the hot or pleasantly warm evenings of spring and summer she enjoyed.

Opening the door she stepped back inside noiselessly, trying not to disturb Harry and Eve, growing irritated when she realised she had no idea where her overnight bag had been set down. She'd been paying attention to things other than her own belongings when she'd initially stepped into the house and subsequently on Alex's arm she'd had very little say in where they were heading or what she brought with her.

Walking away from the living room back down the hall, passing a couple of wooden doors separating the hallway from the bedrooms, she knew what to expect but was still surprised when confronted by that reality, a reality she'd missed when making her quick escape, too caught up in her thoughts to notice. The cabin much smaller than a fraternity house and privacy was much harder to come by although it seemed that didn't much bother anyone else.

She didn't really want to go to bed with Alex, or anyone for that matter, but her opinion wasn't shared by everyone. Harry and Eve not quite there yet, leaving the campfire not long before she and Alex did, it seemed that those who had departed first, Tom and Martha, Doug and Mary, and Greg and Joanne had wasted no time getting to know each other as intended.

Reaching the end of the hall she stopped as she reached the bedroom she'd walked out of just minutes earlier, the bedroom she'd been sharing with Alex.

Spotting an overnight bag in the corner of the room, not her own, she made a decision which was full of clarity despite her perspective of the world at present being a little fuzzy. She couldn't stay, that much she knew, so she'd go.

Pulling an orange and white sweater out of the bag, one she had in a different size herself, one almost every girl she knew owned, she threw it on and then much quicker than she'd left the first time, walked out of the room again, retracing her same steps, slipping out into the cool night air for a second time.

"That's just the luck of the draw. Sorry."

Nobody had thought it through apparently, thirteen men and only ten women meant there would be winners and losers, and unfortunately, he was a loser, as were Peter and Mike.

Sam and Nancy the last to pair up, Bobby looked on enviously as they disappeared from view, the flames of the campfire not lighting more than a few yards in each direction.

Turning his head at the sound of feet crunching against the gravel he spotted Alex approaching them, Sue Ellen nowhere in sight.

"Back already?"

Half joking, he was half serious too; he didn't expect everyone to return to the party tonight but for those that would re-join the fun now was a little soon, at least in his experience.

"Just for a couple of drinks."

Chuckling, Alex was quick to reassure him there wasn't a thing wrong, although his presence alone at the campfire rather than behind a closed door with a beautiful girl told a different story.

"Plenty here."

Pouring a beer and ladling a cup of punch Alex didn't stay long, saying only a quick hello and goodbye before wandering back up the gravel path towards the porch light of the cabin.

She couldn't stay inside, unwelcome anywhere but Alex's room, but she didn't really wish to stay outside either, the darkness intimidating and the temperature uninviting.

Standing still in the dark, waiting for her eyes to adjust, Sue Ellen felt lost and alone.

There were more than twenty people present on the property but that fact felt far from true when all she could barely see her hand in front of her face and could hear only the sound of rustling trees around her.

Attempting to make out shapes, the cabin behind her, the trees leading down to the lakefront and a few cars parked in the distance, she gained a little bit of perspective back, but she still didn't really know what to do or where to go.

Walking aimlessly for a little bit, hoping to encounter a friendly face, she didn't make a conscious choice to head for the orange glow, but that's where she found herself after it appeared when she confusedly walked around the perimeter of the cabin, attempting to get her bearings.

No plan really, she'd definitely been hoping to avoid Alex if she could, but following the path from the cabin down to the waterfront where the campfire was and a small group appeared to be still gathered, she jumped, when she almost collided with him on gravel path.

"You scared me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know to announce myself."

Unable to see his face clearly, from the casual, joking tone of his voice alone she assumed he was smiling.

"I brought you a drink."

Handing her a cup, he didn't move in one direction or the other, prompting her to take the opportunity to suggest a change of plan.

"Do you think maybe we could sit by the fire again? I'm a little cold."

"Whatever you want."

Shocking her with his easy acceptance of her suggestion, she didn't even mind when he wrapped his arm around her and led them down the path towards the flames.

He'd been right, whatever he'd taken had relaxed him, and she was grateful for that because it made him a whole lot easier to negotiate with.

Shocked by their return, Bobby's earlier smugness began to dissipate rapidly as he watched Sue Ellen and Alex from a log on the opposite side of the fire.

She'd seemed so uninterested earlier, he'd been sure of that, but now, the sound of her laugh, the wideness of her smile and the relaxed manner in which she accepted every bit of physical affection Alex sent her way told a different story.

She wasn't sober, that much was obvious, not a single person present sober anymore, the expected outcome after hours of sitting around refilling their cups and dinner not nearly big enough to soak up the alcohol that came before and after. However she hadn't been sober when she'd been paired with Alex to begin with and her behaviour then and now was like night and day. That left him to wonder and conclude that either Alex had given her the night of her life in the mere minutes he'd had alone with her, changing her mind about him, or something else was going on.