Rick called me specifically to request that I not hook up with Craig on his bed

Freshman year, I had to live in the dorms. Because Butte is such a crazy party town for St. Patrick’s Day, the dorms are closed over Spring Break, which is scheduled around the prestigious holiday. So, I had to go home, which was four hours away. Like us fun loving Montana Tech students wouldn’t want to enjoy ourselves with some green beer and the like.

Unfortunately, my car had exploded over Christmas, so my mom was going to have to drive me back to school after the break, meaning I would miss all the parties on Paddy’s. However, my best friend from high school had recently started dating one of my friends from college, so she volunteered to drive me back. We planned on staying at Bryce’s (her boyfriend) house for the rest of the week.

Wednesday night, we left my hometown and headed for Missoula, which is halfway to Butte. We wanted to get to Butte early enough for the parade and to start drinking with everyone, so we planned on staying the night at my grandmother’s house. Twenty miles down the road, we had to stop and hit a gas station for some beer, so by the time we reached Missoula, we were doing pretty good. Incidentally, while driving, I received a phone call from a guy that is roommates with a guy I hook up with often. He was spending his Break in Arizona and wanted to make sure I would not be hooking up with Craig on his bed. I laughed and hung up.

When we reached Missoula, we went straight to the university dorms to visit some friends. We just hung out in their apartment for the night, but by the time we left, I was visiting John Barleycorn, if you know what I mean. We stopped by a gas station for some munchies before heading back to my Grandma’s in an attempt to sober up. It just seemed wrong to walk into my grandmother’s house completely blitzed.

Shannon had only an overnight bag for the next four days but I had two weeks worth of clothes in a big suitcase, so it was a bit trickier to maneuver quietly into the house and down the stairs. Actually, it proved to be impossible for me at the time. My feet slipped out from under me and my suitcase pushed me down the stairs on my belly. Shannon was laughing so hard I thought she was going pee, but she wasn’t making any noise. All of a sudden, my grandma came out of her room and just stood there, looking at me. After an uncomfortable few moments of silence, granny started laughing at me right along with Shannon.

The next morning, we left town at about 9:30. By the end of the two-hour drive, we were both in fine shape again. We reached Butte and went straight to Bryce’s house. When we walked in the door, we almost died. He and his roommates had just gotten back from Vegas the night before and they had proceeded to set up their house like a luau. We immediately started getting blitzed on margaritas and daiquiris.

The rest of St. Paddy’s day is kind of blurry, but I know my purse got stolen, I was wearing gloves I found on the street and I was very muddy. I also didn’t make it home with Shannon and Bryce. No, I ran into Craig and we hooked up—but not on Rick’s bed. I’m now making that my goal, though. Thanks for the inspiration, Rick!