Chapter one:

A chill November breeze blew John Soeder's hair into his face, Mother's Nature's reminder to get a haircut in the absence of his actual mother being around to nag him about it. She was back in Ohio where it was safe, and also ten degrees colder than it was here in the Bronx. Emily Soeder could see her son's shaggy brown hair, she'd made that clicking noise she always made and offer to call to make the hair cutting appointment herself. John loved attending Fordham university for about a thousand reasons, but it's considerable distance from his mother numbered high on that list.

He and his roommate, Kevin Beyer, were heading to their off- campus apartment after a long day in the print shop in the basement of the McKinley Center. They were the coeditors of Fordham's alternative paper and had spent most of the day putting the latest biweekly issue to bed. The files had been e- mailed to the printer, and they would have the issues by Tuesday morning. That was critical, as they had to get out before The Ram, Fordham's stodgy official student newspaper, especially because of the exclusive they got from the dean.

They were walking through the campus, heading toward the exit at Belmont Avenue by Faculty Memorial Hall. From there it was only a few blocks to their battered, cluttered, tiny- but blissfully cheap- apartment on Cambereleng Avenue.

Once they hit the exit, John brushed his hair out of his face and said, C'mon, let's motor. I wanna get home and change for the party.

What party?

Amy's party, remember?

Kevin winced. I got an eight- thirty class tomorrow morning, dude. I can't.

Shrugging, John said, Blow it off.

No way. Dr. Mendez'll have my ass. Seriously, she takes attendance. I already missed three classes cause production weekend's, I can't miss another one.