Chapter One

Driving Under the Influence

Allison's head swam as she looked around the crowded bar. The place was packed, her own table surrounded by her teammates as they celebrated the day's victory. And what a victory it had been! Her body ached, every muscle seeming to cry out in protest from the long exertion of the game.

"Panthers!" Maria cried out. Like Allison and the others, Maria was still dressed in her uniform, black shorts with black and gold jersey. The snarling face of their wildcat mascot was proudly emblazoned across her chest.

"Panthers!” the other girls at the table echoed the exultant cry.

They had all come directly from the game to the bar, a local favorite of the college students because its servers did not pay as much attention to the birth dates of prospective patrons as other establishments. For the seniors and most of the juniors, it didn't matter. For sophomores like Allison, it was an important distinction.

She looked down at her watch and was surprised to see that it was almost midnight. Had she really been here that long? Where had the night gone? Picking up her glass, she shook the ice around a little before finishing the last of the rum and coke that it contained. She placed it back down on the coaster and then pushed her chair back a little. Slipping down from the chair to the floor, Allison felt twinges of pain rush through her tired muscles.

"Where do you think you're going, Allie?” Maria asked as Allison moved to pluck her purse from where it hung on the back of the chair.

"It's late" Allison answered with a shrug."I have to get going."

"Awwww, but we're just getting started,” Maria responded quickly."One more round. Come on."

Allison shook her head at the offer, and could feel the room spin slightly with the motion. She definitely did not want one more round. She already wondered if she was going to be okay to drive as it was.

"No, really, I can't," Allison replied."You know I've got a long drive tomorrow. We'll celebrate when I get back."

With a shrug, Maria turned back to the party as Allison made her way through the crowd toward the door to the outside. She heard another cry of"Panthers!" from the table behind her and she smiled as it was echoed across the room once more. On any other night, she would have stayed, but she had a long drive ahead of her tomorrow. Her family home was an eight hour drive from campus, and she was going to have to leave early if she wanted to be there in time for her cousin's bachelorette party.

Stepping through the door to the parking lot was like a shock to the system for Allison. Gone were the blaring sounds of the music and the voices struggling to be heard above them. Gone were the smells of spilled beer and fried food. The relative silence of the parking lot was almost deafening. The night air was chilly against the bare flesh of her arms and legs, so much cooler now than it had been after