301: "My old stomping ground"

Sophie waits and waits for Drew. Then ...

... the phone rings. I jump but then let it ring several more times, not wanting to seem interested or desperate or even home.
   “Hello,” I say casually.
   “Sophie?” Drew’s voice sounds thick, as though he’s been drinking. Great! A boozer.
   “Hi. Is this Drew?” I try to sound as though I forgot that we even had a date.

   “I’m so sorry,” he slurs.
   “No problem.” I obsessed over mascara, you jerk*. Fifteen minutes in the aisle at the drugstore debating between clump-free or luxury lash.
   Crystal hovers beside me, cracking her knuckles and mouthing, Is it him? I swat her away.
   “I’m at the hospital,” Drew moans. “I got hit.”
   “Hit? By who?” I’m thinking bar brawl. DUI, maybe.
   “A truck. I was crossing the street. That’s all I saw. The grill of a very big pickup truck.” He giggles. “Sorry,” he says apologetically. “They gave me a pain pill.” He pauses, then perks up. “Hey, you want to come down here? I’ll buy you some peanut-butter crackers from the vending machines.”
   The Ashland emergency room. My old stomping ground.

* apologies to Lolly Winston; slight change!

Homework: Choose twelve of these words and phrases and use them in the same sense they're used in the text. You can write a sentence for each word or phrase, or you can use several at once. You can write disconnected sentences or compose a story. Surprise us!

casually
slurs
boozer
mascara
hover
bar brawl
DUI
perks up
emergency room
my old stomping ground
could use
a lift
and besides,
two for the price of one
stingy
giving smb a ride
pick up
grungy
“I’m Drew Ellis’s…ride”
Ethan’s face always lit up.
foibles
no breaks
stitches