By the time they reached the Georgetown Arena the place was buzzing with students and fans, most of whom were wearing the signature blue and grey colors. Alicia was grateful for her Georgetown sweatshirt, even though she knew that just wearing the same colors as every else hardly qualified as fitting in. Everywhere she looked there were people carrying stuffed bulldogs, holding grey and blue balloons… the place looked like a complete circus and she wondered exactly what she'd gotten herself into. She tried to cover her ears to block out the noise, but she realized that it was just part of the fun. Besides, there's no way she could fit in without tolerating the chaos around her.

"Come on Cavanaugh, this way." Will shouted. The touch of his hand as it slipped into hers made her shiver. She felt herself being pulled through the sea of people en route to somewhere unknown. But she found that she trusted Will Gardner-and she didn't trust many people.

"Here we are." He led her through a tunnel that entered into the arena, where the noise was even louder than before. Still holding hands, they turned the corner and made their way up a long row of concrete steps that seemed to have no end. Finally he stopped and they waded through the line of fans that were already seated on their row. She was overcome with relief when she spotted the two empty seats.

"We made it!" he said, motioning for her to sit. But she looked down and hesitated. "We-we're sitting all the way up here?"

"I know it's high but these are amazing seats!" He yelled over the screaming crowd. "Look, you can see the whole court!"

"I-I…"

When their eyes locked, his expression changed. "You're not afraid of heights are you? Oh God, I didn't even think about that."

"Um, no…" She half-lied. "I'm just… surprised, that's all."

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall. Have a seat."

Slowly she lowered the bottom of the metal seat and sat down. If she breathed deeply, maybe she wouldn't have to think about how high up they were. Come on Cavanaugh, you can do this… she said to herself. If you're gonna argue cases in Supreme Court one day, you can certainly handle a college basketball game!

"You're right!" She said. "I can do this!"

"Can do what?"

Oh God, she'd spoken out loud! What if he'd heard her talking about the Supreme Court? The date had barely begun and it was already doomed. Well, there was nothing left to do now except pretend to enjoys herself.

"Um, nothing." She said. She noticed he was now standing. "I-is something wrong?"

"No, I… Do you want anything?"

"Oh, um…"

He grinned. "I'll surprise you, okay?"

"Um, okay…"

"I'll be right back!"

He'd left her there alone in the terrifying seats but she told herself that she trusted him. And she did trust him... she did….she did… As long as she kept saying it to herself, she'd be fine.

She watched him make his way down the aisle and down the stairs before he disappeared into the tunnel. No sooner had he gone then the lights began to dim until she could no longer see her hand in front of her face. The noise level increased in ten-fold and she could barely make out what the announcer was saying over the intercom. But whatever it was, the crowd loved it.

Music began- a popular pop song that she recognized immediately. The crowd began to sing and clap with the beat. The Georgetown cheerleaders appeared and began a routine which, she had to admit was quite good. She'd always envied the cheerleaders in high school, for they were the ones who always had the cutest boyfriends but she bet none of them made it to Georgetown Law School.

While everyone stood and continued dancing and singing to the music, Alicia sat perfectly still. She'd never felt more out of place than at that moment.