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words, making sure everyone hears.
"We're giving back to the community, y’all." Someone
snickers.
    "Strip poker!"
A voice from the crowd shouts.
    Ref chuckles, looking
toward us. "We tried that last year, remember? Almost got
arrested. Turns out there's a law against public nudity after all."
He raises his hands in surrender. "Something about 'unsuitable
for children'." He smirks, and the crowd follows suit, booing.
"I don't know why there would be children on a campus for eighteen and older , but a law is a law, and we need to abide
by them. So , push- ups with half naked people it is."
    The crowd cheers. They
sound happy- sloppy, hysterical happy. It's contagious. I smile.
    "In the old days,
men in Rome proved their worth by fighting to the death in a dome for
thousands of spectators. Now we throw a ball around instead of a
sword, but the crowds are still here watching, still cheering for us
to squash our opponents. The UW-Madison Badgers would like to thank
y’all for your continued support, for your bloodthirsty cheers, and
for your mother fucking victory parties !" he shouts and
instantly the chants start.
    "Mad town, Mad
town, Mad town…"
    "Another victory,
another step closer to the goal baby!" Ref continues, pounding
his fist in the air. A series of grunts follows, and I listen to
them, suddenly reminded of a colony of apes taking over the world,
grunting with the same gusto.
    I laugh and Nat elbows
me. "What's so funny?"
    "Planet of the
Apes," I reply. She gives me a blank look. "They sound like
apes." Couldn't she hear it?
    Nat sighs, smiling
dreamily. "Isn't it beautiful?"
    My eyes go round. "If
you like that sort of thing."
    "Oh, I do,"
she breathes. "There's nothing like a man who goes all ape shit
in the sack for you, trust me."
    In the real world, I'd
be shocked. In the real world I might blush, and maybe mutter a
stammered reply. But in this world, where down is up and up is up;
where my mind feels lighter than air; where the night seems as
endless as a star; in this world, I'm not embarrassed.
    I'm intrigued.
    "Do you see that
man right there?" Nat points to the tattooed man with the nipple
piercing next to Ref. "His name is Cade, and he's a wide
receiver. He and Pax are the stars of our football team. They pretty
much defeated Alabama single-handedly last year," she explains.
"They're also number ten and twelve on Sport's Illustrated's One
Hundred Sexiest Men In Sports, College Edition. It's their last year
playing," she continues. "And rumor has it they're not
going pro." Her eyes are wide, dramatically hurt looking. "All
that talent, Jules!" she almost snaps when I look blankly at
her. "And they're going to waste it away on some sort of
nine-to-five job. A shame." She shakes her head, and turns back.
I absorb the information and vaguely wonder if I'll still remember it
tomorrow.
    Ref is calming the
crowd down, making shushing motions with his fingers. The energy is
rumbling. I feel restless, too. "This is all for people who've
fallen on hard times, y'all. Every smile, cent, and dollar given is
meant for them. Let's be generous. Let's be supportive. Let's live
life to the fullest. Let's make this night one to remember! "
I'm clapping, cheering as wildly as the rest of the crowd. I'm riding
a wave, and I'm at the peak right now. I'm on a crest, a pinnacle
with no way to come down.
    That's what the burning
in my stomach gave me: a way to stay on top.
    Ref blows his whistle
and as if on cue, a girl steps up from the crowd. She has on shorts
cut right below her crotch. Her hips sway suggestively as she comes
closer and closer to Cade. All eyes follow her as she makes her way
toward him. Whistles and catcalls come from the crowd and the heat
grows hotter.
    "Ready to test the
bull?" he asks suggestively. It isn't an original line, but her
flirty giggle shows she doesn't care.
    There is silence as we
wait. With a heave, Cade drops to the ground, sweat already rolling
off his shaved head like wet fish slipping