Could have smoked, could have stayed, with the city calling under their feet and Ty's nervous excitement made slippery with whiskey. "A limo's too big for two people," he says, catching Ty's arm with his own. "And I want to show off my gold sequins."

Well-dressed kids ducking out of limos can't fail to draw attention, but out here, it fades quickly. Too many places to be, and the incomprehensible ire of a cab driver quiets behind them: traffic wasn't moving anyway, when they ducked through his lights to reach the curb.

"If we rode the whole way," he adds, "we'd be too drunk to dance. And Delilah would somehow hold me responsible."