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water and onto her forearms, twisting her body to sit on the pool shelf. She scrambled to get her legs underneath and her body up so she could be declared the winner. PJ did likewise, just a fraction of a second behind Paulette. Paulette danced on the side of the pool as she declared to the room, "The Winner!" PJ bowed to Paulette as they laughed at their competitive spirits.
    The rest of Exam Week passed in a blur of packing and studying, with a swim and an AA meeting every night. Paulette was holding her own, but she still had not been honest with PJ or her AA group about her drinking habits. Because of her dishonesty with everyone, she was ripe for a fall into relapse.
    On Friday, the Art Exam was Paulette's worst nightmare come true. She looked at the collection of slides on display and oscillated between Manet and Monet, Degas, Hopper, and Homer. She couldn't recall the term pointillism, instead substituting pixels. She knew she was doomed.
    PJ finished his art exam and waiting for Paulette to leave the building. He saw her sad face and prepared himself for another meltdown into tears. To his surprise, Paulie just shrugged and asked quietly to be taken to the dorms. When PJ dropped her at the dorms, he said goodbye for the week and kissed her gently on the lips. She waltzed into Richardson Towers reveling in her first kiss with PJ.
    As the day drew to a close, Pauline was exhausted from the tension of the week, and the time she spent in the library worrying about her grades. Taylor came by to announce the last mixer of the first half of the semester, and this time, Pauline was ready to party her troubles away. She didn't have any alcohol to contribute, but she had brownies from her mom, and several bottles of 7-Up soda. She added a big bag of Tostitos and some cheese dip that she had made in a crockpot for her supper. Down she tripped to the second floor with Taylor, knowing PJ wouldn't see her as he had already left for Fall Break. Paulette had to wait until Sunday for her ride as she was still scheduled to work Saturday at the Library.
    When Taylor and Paulette entered the room, the party was in full swing. Many of the students had started drinking afternoon. The Resident Mother was nowhere to be found; the rumor was she left campus at nine a.m. for the week. Officially, the campus was now closed, and residents were supposed to be evacuating their rooms.
    This group was nowhere near ready to leave campus. The music was flowing, and so was the juice. Paulette quickly poured a 7/7 over ice and gulped it down, then put her glass down for more. She forgot about exams, grades, papers and reports. She also forgets she never ate breakfast or any other meal that day. She was thoroughly trashed in minutes. Within the hour, Paulette had passed out on the couch. The other students left her on the sofa, covered her with a blanket, and partied throughout the night. Early in the morning hours, Paulette awoke with a hangover and the desire to throw up. Whether the desire was triggered by her binge drinking or her self-loathing, she was unsure. She toddled up the stairs to her dorm room and set the alarm for 8:30, leaving just enough time to shower and run to the library to work.
    On Sunday afternoon, Paulette was packed and dressed for her transport back to St. Ives. Paulette was both chagrined and ashamed of her now total relapse back into her addiction. She wished she had PJ to talk with, but she figured he would break up with her when she announced her lost sobriety. She intentionally avoided his phone calls, even though his special phone ring was often and loud. She finally turned her phone completely off and just waited on the curb for her parents.
    When her parents arrived at the dorm, Paulette was ready to go home. She helped her Dad place her bags in the trunk, then climbed into the back seat for the two and a half hour drive. As soon as they left Memphis, she immediately fell asleep. Her parents exchanged amused looks at