I can't muster up the energy to leave my room, but I'm also not ready to fall asleep yet, so I stretch, reach for my phone in the heap of clothes on the floor, and call Nicole.

She picks up immediately. "Listen, my so-called friend. You have kept me waiting for like 36 hours to hear about your weekend with the Reindeer. This better be good." I can tell Nicole is still at work. If she's at home, her voice echoes off her nearly empty apartment walls.

"You know it's ...