the
      bedroom,
      told
      me
      he
      wasn’t
      home.
     
     
      Daryl
      and
      I
      left
      the
      campus
      centre
      and
      started
      the
      long
     
    
   
   
    
     
      journey
      down
      to
      parking
      lot
      E,
      way
      on
      the
      other
      side
      of
      the
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      campus.
      As
      we
      walked,
      I
      asked
      him
      how
      he
      thought
      he
      did
      on
     
     
      his
      other
      exams.
      As
      he
      talked
      about
      how
      cramped
      his
      arm
      was
     
     
      after
      he
      was
      done
      writing
      one
      of
      his
      exams,
      I
      started
      to
      realize
     
     
      that
      all
      he
      ever
      did
      was
      talk
      about
      himself.
      It
      had
      never
      really
     
     
      occurred
      to
      me
      before
      but
      he
      never
      asked
      me
      how
      I
      was,
      how
     
     
      my
      exams
      were,
      what
      my
      plans
      were
      after
      undergrad.
      He
      was
     
     
      just
      so
      totally
      self-consumed.
      I
      began
      to
      get
      sick
      of
      him
      as
      we
     
     
      crossed
      the
      campus,
      and
      wished
      we’d
      run
      into
      someone
      I
     
     
      knew.
     
    

    
     
      After
      a
      bit,
      he
      started
      to
      complain.
      Still
      jokingly,
     
     
      though
      I
      could
      tell
      he
      wasn’t
      feeling
      great.
      He
      leaned
      up
     
     
      against
      the
      wall.
     
    

    
     
      “Fuck,
      I
      think
      those
      pills
      are
      starting
      to
      kick
      in,”
      he
     
     
      laughed.
     
    

    
     
      “Come
      on,”
      I
      tugged
      at
      him.
      I’d
      had
      enough
      of
      him
      for
     
     
      one
      day,
      and
      I
      was
      anxious
      to
      sprawl
      out
      on
      my
      chesterfield
     
     
      and
      watch
      TV.
     
    

    
     
      We
      walked
      a
      distance
      more
      before,
      out
      of
      the
      blue,
      he
     
     
      said
      he
      had
      to
      sit
      down.
      Right
      there
      in
      the
      green
      space,
     
     
      between
      the
      Engineering
      building
      and
      Memorial
      Hall,
      he
      sat
     
     
      down
      cross-
      legged.
      There
      was
      a
      light
      dusting
      of
      snow
      on
      the
     
     
      ground,
      and
      for
      half
      a
      minute
      I
      thought
      he
      was
      going
      to
      lie
     
     
      down
      and
      make
      snow
      angels.
      But
      he
      was
      really
      in
      discomfort.
     
    

    
     
      I
      crouched
      down
      and
      peered
      into
      his
      face.
      His
      pupils
     
     
      were
      all
      dilated
      and
      he
      was
      as
      pale
      as
      a
      ghost.
      Even
      though
      it
     
     
      looked
      ridiculous,
      I
      sat
      down
      with
      him
      on
      the
      snow
      as
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      walked
      by,
      gawking
      at
      us,
      wondering
      what
      we
      were
     
     
      doing
      sitting
      on
      the
      snow-covered
      grass.
     
    

    
     
      I
      soon
      realized
      that
      he
      probably
      was
      only
      going
      to
      feel
     
     
      worse,
      so
      I
      suggested
      we
      duck
      into
      the
      Engineering
      building
     
     
      and
      I’d
      get
      him
      a
      bottle
      of
      Evian
      or
      something.
      He
      agreed,
     
     
      and
      he
      got
      up
      slowly
      and
      walked
      slowly
      towards
      the
      door,
      all
     
     
      the
      while
      staring
      at
      the
      ground
      and
      taking
      deep
      breaths.
     
    

    
     
      I
      can’t
      say
      that
      I
      wasn’t
      half
      glad
      that
      he
      was
      being
     
     
      punished
      for
      his
      stupid
      antics,
      but
      I
      didn’t
      let
      on.
      Certainly
      I
     
     
      knew
      it
      was
      like
      to
      suffer
      the
      adverse
      effects
      of
      one’s
      excess
      —
     
     
      last
      year’s
      pub
      crawl,
      I
      recall,
      ended
      with
      me
      in
      a
      similar
      con-
     
     
      dition.
      I
      just
      crossed
      my
      fingers
      that
      I
      wouldn’t
      have
      to
      follow
     
     
      Daryl
      into
      the
      washroom.
     
    

    
     
      No
      sooner
      had
      I
      thought
      it,
      and
      no
      sooner
      were
      we
      in
     
     
      the
      doors
      of
      the
      Engineering
      building
      than
      Daryl
      made
      a
      dash
     
     
      for
      the
      men’s
      washroom.
     
    

    
     
      “Oh,
      shit,”
      I
      said
      out
      loud,
      as
      I
      scrambled
      to
      follow
     
     
      him.
      The
      building
      and
      the
      washroom
      was,
      thankfully,
      empty.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Daryl
      crashed
      through
      the
      door,
      and
      then
      crashed
      into
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      stalls
      and
      collapsed
      in
      front
      of
      it.
      I
      figured
      after
      darting
     
     
      madly
      into
      the
      washroom
      like
      that,
      he
      would
      have
      thrown
      up
     
     
      right
      away,
      but
      no.
      He
      just
      positioned
      himself
      in
      front
      of
      the
     
     
      toilet,
      expecting
      to
      vomit
      at
      any
      second.
     
    

    
     
      I’m
      no
      good
      in
      these
      situations.
      I
      never
      seni
      what
      to
     
     
      say.
      I
      try
      to
      think
      back
      to
      when
      I’m
      the
      one
      who’s
      sick
      and
     
     
      wonder
      what
      would
      have
      comforted
      me.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      can
      go
      get
      you
      a
      bottle
      of
      water,
      or
      if
      you’d
      rather
      I
     
     
      stay
      here
      with
      you,
      I’ll
      stay,”
      I
      offered.
      Nothing.
      He
      didn’t
     
     
      answer.
      Then
      I
      started
      to
      worry.
      This
      really
      isn’t
      the
      same
     
     
      thing
      as
      when
      someone
      drinks
      too
      much.
      Swallowing
      that
     
     
      many
      pills
      when
      there
      are
      all
      those
      warnings
      on
      the
      bottle
      ...
     
     
      I
      began
      to
      think
      it
      would
      be
      really
      good
      if
      he
      would
      vomit,
     
     
      but
      I
      didn’t
      want
      to
      say
      anything.
     
    

    
     
      We
      must
      have
      stayed
      like
      that
      for
      about
      ten
      minutes:
     
     
      Daryl
      frozen
      in
      front
      of
      the
      porcelain
      toilet
      bowl,
      and
      me
     
     
      standing
      guard
      outside
      the
      stall.
      The
      door
      to
      the
      stall
      was
     
     
      open
      so
      I
      could
      watch
      him,
      but
      I’d
      close
      it
      if
      anyone
      came
      in.
     
    

    
     
      Finally
      he
      threw
      up.
      Violently.
      I
      don’t
      like
      to
      think
     
     
      upon
      it,
      and
      certainly
      wouldn’t
      relay
      the
      details
      of
      it,
      but
      as
     
     
      unnatural
      as
      vomiting
      seems
      to
      begin
      with,
      his
      was
      that
      much
     
     
      more
      unnatural
      and
      it
      scared
      the
      hell
      out
      of
      me.
      When
      it
      final-
     
     
      ly
      ceased,
      he
      hovered
      over
      the
      toilet
      trembling.
     
    

    
     
      “You’ll
      probably
      feel
      a
      lot
      better
      now,”
      I
      said,
      but
      just
     
     
      then
      he
      heaved
      again.
      This
      time,
      nothing
      came.
      Now
      I
      was
     
     
      really
      scared.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      strangest
      way
      he
      slunk
      to
      the
      ground,
      so
      that
      he
     
     
      was
      outstretched
      on
      his
      stomach,
      his
      head
      buried
      behind
      the
     
     
      toilet.
      Even
      in
      the
      midst
      of
      all
      this,
      I
      couldn’t
      help
      but
      think
     
     
      how
      unsanitary
      it
      was
      for
      his
      face
      to
      be
      back
      there.
      I
     
     
      approached
      him,
      when
      I
      noticed
      that
      his
      whole
      body
      was
      con-
     
     
      vulsing.
     
    

    
     
      “Oh
      fuck,”
      I
      yelled.
      “Shit,
      Daryl,
      are
      you
      okay.”
     
    

    
     
      He
      tried
      to
      say
      something,
      but
      the
      noise
      he
      made
      was
     
     
      just
      garble.
      It
      scared
      the
      hell
      out
      ofme,
      and
      I
      ran
      from
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      washroom,
      partially
      to
      get
      to
      a
      phone
      and
      call
      an
      ambulance,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      but
      mostly
      because
      what
      was
      happening
      in
      that
      washroom
     
     
      was
      too
      scary
      to
      deal
      with.
     
    

    
     
      I
      can’t
      quite
      remember
      what
      the
      911
      operator
      said,
      but
     
     
      I
      know
      that
      she
      was
      trying
      to
      keep
      me
      on
      the
      line,
      trying
      to
     
     
      get
      more
      information
      out
      of
      me.
      I
      made
      it
      clear
      that
      I
      had
      to
     
     
      get
      back
      in
      there,
      and
      I
      left
      the
      phone
      off
      the
      hook,
      swaying
     
     
      from
      its
      cord,
      the
      voice
      of
      the
      operator
      still
      audible
      as
      I
      ran
     
     
      back
      to
      the
      washroom:
      “Sir...sir?”
     
    

    
     
      I
      crashed
      back
      through
      the
      door
      and
      found
      Daryl
      in
     
     
      the
      same
      position,
      but
      now
      there
      was
      a
      frothy
      foam
      all
      around