by L. P. Dillon
"So, what did the jerk do this time?" Her tone was filled with annoyance for Chase, and in that instant, it made me feel so much better.
I knew she didn't like Chase much, and she was never much of a Kyle fan, either. I was lucky because Payton always had my back, and always told me the truth, no matter how hard it was. I trusted her opinion more than she would ever know.
"Well, he came out of his room just now and nearly knocked me over," I told her, almost sighing the words.
"Seriously, how does that boy keep injuring you?".
"I don't know. Anyway, so he catches me, right. Then we have this, like, hot moment where we are both breathing hard and about to kiss..."
Payton spun around to face me. "What? Okay, now you have my attention."
Shoving my clothes out of the way, Payton sat on the edge of my bed, eagerly awaiting my next word.
I sniggered at her, then got serious again. "So yeah, I'm about to kiss him, then some tramp strolls out of his room, asking him when they are going for dinner..."
"Whoa really?"
"Yeah, and that's not the best part. Then she says, ‘I didn't get all dressed up for a quick fumble in your room!’" I said, jealousy lacing my every word.
Payton gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head slowly back and forth. "She didn't?"
"She did, then she started pawing at him like she owned him. I was surprised she didn't unzip and take a piss on him just to let me know that he was hers..."
She giggled hysterically. "Oh my God, was she that bad?"
"Yeah. So, then she introduces herself and asks who I am, and how I know Chase. The bitch even had the audacity to look me up and down like I was trash."
"Whoa, no way? If I'd have seen it, I would have slapped the skank!"
"I know, right?" She definitely would have beaten the girl senseless. Payton wasn't known for her restraint.
"So, what did you say?"
"Well, my words were aimed at her, but I looked at Chase the whole time. I told her I was no one to Chase, and that she didn't need to worry, she could have him, and I wouldn't touch him if he was the last man on earth!"
"Wow, how did he take that?"
"He actually looked kind of hurt and upset," I replied in a surprised voice.
"Good! That is the least he deserves. I know you weren't together, but seriously, who goes after someone like he has, then turns around the next day and sleeps with someone else? You're definitely better off well away from that jerk," she said as she walked over to me and hugged me, then moved back to my clothes. "I say we get packed up and move out of this joint. The last thing we need is for you to be trapped next door to that creep."
I got up and walked over to my dressing table, got a box out, and packed away my underwear and toiletries. "Yeah, it will be nice not to see him every day. But then again, now I'll have to see his sister every day instead."
"What? Is she one of the sisters at the Sorority house?" Payton asked without even looking up.
"Yeah, she's the president," I replied.
"Really? Now I understand why she doesn't like me," she said quietly, so quiet in fact that I barely caught it.
"Huh? Why's that?" I asked as I finished packing the last of my things.
She folded the last of my clothes and then zipped up the suitcase, turning to me. "Oh, um, one of the other sisters told me that she used to date Connor a few years back. She said they grew apart, and that she wanted to see other people."
"So, if she wanted to see other people, why would she have a problem with you?" I asked as I sat back on the bed.
"Well, apparently, she was going to ask him out again, but then we arrived."
"Oh damn, so you're her competition?" I asked as I took out my phone to get an Uber.
"Yeah, it seems so," she replied with a sigh.
"Oh great, so now we're both going to be on her hit list. We best start looking around for an apartment to rent, just in case. I can't stay here, and we might not get to stay there for long."
We moved into Zeta Beta Chi and decided it was best not to tell Arabella what had happened back at the dorm. I knew that she said sisters come first no matter what, but I didn't want to risk it. I didn't want to have to move again already, and I didn’t want the most popular Sorority and Fraternity hating me, I'd only been here four days and already it was falling apart like high school.
We were given a huge room to share, and it even had its own bathroom. Payton was in her element. I just liked the fact that the bed was the most comfortable thing I'd ever placed my ass on. It was like sitting on a damn cloud.
We had unpacked all our things, then laid on our beds talking and trying to let the last few days sink in. We eventually fell asleep, and it was the most comfortable night's sleep I'd ever had.
Loud shouting woke me in the morning, and when I looked over at Payton, she was sitting up, too.
"Where the hell is, she?" Chase shouted from somewhere below us.
I turned my head and stared at Payton wide-eyed. She shrugged and returned my confused look. We gradually scooted to the ends of our beds, listening to the commotion coming from downstairs.
"Chase? What the hell are you doing barging in here like that? You know the rules!" Arabella shouted back in a dominant tone.
I raised my eyebrows at Payton, and she flashed me a grin in return. When I eyeballed the door, she nodded. We both crept to the door, and I cracked it open just a little, which made it much easier to hear.
"Screw the rules, you know who she is to me. I can't believe you moved her in here last night without so much as a text," he yelled, and I could hear the anger in his shaky voice.
"Well, it's none of your business what I and my sisters do, you know that. Once, Aubrey agreed to join our Sorority, any claim you had over her became unimportant to us. You know how this works, Chase!" Arabella fought right back, not backing down even a little.
I looked over to Payton with confusion, not quite understanding what they were talking about. Although, I didn't like the way she said, “any claim you had” because it made me sound like a toy, or piece of property that he owned, and just transferred to her. Payton shrugged and pointed towards the door for me to listen.
"That's horse shit. This is my future that we're talking about here. Why the hell would you want to stand in the way of that? You're my twin sister for Christ's sake. Does that mean nothing to you anymore?" Chase said, his tone defeated and full of pain.
"Of course, it does. I love you, but if she wanted to be with you, she would be already. This is your mess. Mom and Dad told you not to sleep around. That's why they introduced you to, Cassidy, remember? You didn't have to live your life the way you did, but you made your choice Maybe if you'd grown up a bit and kept it in your pants, Aubrey wouldn't have been scared off," she said calmly to her brother.
I didn't understand much of it. The family stuff sounded a little suspicious, but maybe they were a part of a different culture? I knew some cultures had arranged marriages and such, so maybe it was something like that. I did get what she was saying, though, because if he didn't have the reputation that he did, I would have given him more of a chance.
I liked him a lot, but I couldn't be scared that he would run off with someone else my whole life, and last night’s antics with the tramp showed me that would be exactly what I'd be doing. I’d be in constant panic mode anytime some sexy woman showed interest in him, and I’d always have it in the back of my mind that I wasn’t good enough. I never realized how deeply Kyle’s treatment, and verbal abuse affected my way of thinking, and my confidence. He really did a number on me.
"I know Brie, don't you think I know that? It's killing me right now, I know she's the one, and the thought that I fucked it up long before I even laid eyes on her is killing me," he said in a defeated tone.
To be honest, if I wasn't the girl that he'd hurt, then I think I would have been saying, “Aww, poor guy.” But as it was me, I felt a little for him, the wound
was too raw and all I could really hold onto was the anger and hurt. Glancing at Payton and seeing the sympathetic look on her face had me glaring at her in disappointment. She just shrugged at me in reply.
Clearly, his speech had worked on her a little more than it had on me.
"Look, Chase, I hear what you're saying, but you know how this works. Aubrey's happiness and safety is my main priority now. I can't fix this for you. You'll have to win her on your own."
"Well, I'm not sure I can. I think I've really blown it for good."
"Why, what have you done now?" she asked in a frustrated voice.
"Mom set up a meeting with Cass. We were about to go to dinner, and I was going to tell her that I couldn't see her anymore. But she kissed me in my dorm, and I tried to push her away, I really did, but she got so upset, and I couldn't handle it," he explained.
Payton looked over at me and held her hands to her chest. I rolled my eyes at her and then continued to listen.
"Oh God Chase. You know that girl uses your soft side to get what she wants. Why do you let her control you like that?" Arabella snapped.
"I know, Bell, but I can't handle when girls get upset. Sue me! So, anyway, we were about to leave, and I literally bumped right into, Aubrey. In fact, I nearly knocked the girl on her ass. We had this intense moment, and I completely forgot that Cass was there..."
"I bet she made herself known, though," she interrupted.
"Yeah, spectacularly. She insinuated that we'd just had sex in my room," he replied.
"Oh Chase, you didn't?"
"No! Of course not, but the whole situation caught me off guard. I froze and didn't correct her, and definitely didn’t offer any explanation. So, Cass asked who, Aubrey was, and who she was to me. That's when Brie said that she was nothing to me, and then something about not touching me if I was the last man on earth..." he said sadly, but he didn't get a chance to finish because Arabella laughed hysterically.
"Hey! I'm glad that my heartbreak is amusing to you," he snapped at her.
"I'm sorry Chase, it's just she is so sassy, and I love it. And to be honest, you deserved it. You've not exactly treated her well, now have you? Look, just work on showing her how much you can change and leave all that bad-boy shit behind you. Also, grow the fuck up!" she replied, and honestly, I appreciated the support.
It surprised me that she actually was doing what she said she would. I guessed I never really expected she would put me first. Truthfully, if I was in the same situation, I wasn’t sure I could do the same thing. No matter what, I would always take my brother’s side. Her actions did give me a newfound respect for the girl, though. Apart from Payton, she was the only person who really had my back here.
"I know I have a lot to do to show her how I feel about her. I’m willing to do anything for her, Bell. And I took the first step. I told Cass that we’re over and that I didn't want to see her anymore. She freaked out, demanding I choose her over my future position, and it took all the strength I had not to laugh in her face. She knew from the beginning that we were never going to be a real couple, but I guess she had other ideas."
Payton looked at me and raised her eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I knew what she was trying to say with her expression. She was telling me he was really trying, but that didn’t matter to me. I’ve had just about enough of all the drama and going back to my original plan had never sounded better. I’d give him a wide berth, and just enjoy myself—especially now that I knew I had Arabella fighting in my corner.
Having fun for a while didn’t sound bad at all.
"Oh, geez, Mom and Dad are going to have their hands full. I have no doubt that she will throw a hissy fit and demand that her parents fix it all. I don't envy you when the parents find out. Have you told them about, Aubrey yet?" she asked him.
"No, I didn't want to get their hopes up until I knew exactly where our relationship was going. But I guess I'll have to tell them now," he said in a low voice.
"Oh, Chase. Man, they're going to be so pissed. They're gonna kill you when you tell them that you've fucked it all up before the girl even arrived," she said with a slight giggle.
"I know Brie, I'm not looking forward to it at all," he replied, almost in a whisper.
"Well good luck with that. Now, you really have to leave; I have a welcome party to organize. Are you coming tonight?" she asked him.
"Yeah, of course, I am. I need to do everything I can to show her that I can be the man that she deserves."
They said their goodbyes and then we heard the front door click. I closed the bedroom door and went back to my bed. With a heavy sigh, I fell back onto it with my arms spread out.
Payton made her way over to her bed and took a seat, breaking the silence. "So, that was intense, huh?"
"Yeah," I replied with another sigh.
"So, what are you going to do?" she asked me as she laid across her bed.
I turned onto my side and cradled my head in my hand. "What do you mean?"
"Well, are you going to give him another chance?" she asked with hopeful curiosity.
"No!"
"What? Why not? He sounded so genuine. Look, I know I'm not his biggest fan, but the guy really sounded sincere," she said, angling her head.
I sat up on my bed. "I don't care Payton. I'm clearly not healed from the whole Kyle mess yet, so with everything Chase has done over the last few days, it's just shown me that I am nowhere near ready for a relationship."
She nodded, but I could’ve sworn all her features sagged as if she was disappointed. But I didn't care that her attitude towards him had changed. Yes, he sounded sweet, and like he really cared, but regardless of that, I knew deep down I wasn't ready for anything serious. Even if he did change. I needed to sort my own head out and have fun, let loose like the old days. Over the last year, I had lost my confidence and also lost who I was. I needed to find myself again and build my confidence back up. Until I managed that, insecurities and paranoia were going to dominate any relationship that I got involved in.
She nodded and smiled at me. "Okay, I'll stand by whatever you decide. We will have fun and get you back to the old confident Aubrey. He can just keep working on himself, and if you mean as much to him as he says, then he won't mind waiting for you to be ready, will he?"
"Precisely, if he wants me that much, he will wait for me."
Tap, tap, tap.
We turned our heads towards the bedroom door.
Arabella called through the door, "Hey, do you mind if I come in?"
"Of course not, come in," I answered.
She opened the door and came in, then walked over to Payton’s bed and took a seat. I’d expected dirty looks towards Payton, but there were none, which made me think perhaps she was a woman of her word after all. Even though Payton was her love rival, the house mantra “sisters before misters” must be important to her.
"We are having a party tonight to welcome you two into the Sorority. I have the girls organizing and setting it up now. I was wondering if you both would like to go out for lunch and dress shopping with me? My treat," she asked, her eyes going from Payton to me and back again.
Payton and her elated face said it all.
"Yeah, that sounds great, thank you, Arabella," I told her, smiling from ear to ear.
"Fantastic! Okay, go get showered and dressed, then meet me downstairs in an hour. I have a few things to sort through first. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, an hour is fine."
"Cool, see you girls in a bit," she said as she stood up and squeezed Payton's shoulder.
Arabella walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind her. Payton jumped up and clapped her hands with excitement. I giggled at her because she loved all that girlie stuff, and clothes shopping was heaven to Payton.
Running into the bathroom, Payton turned on the shower. I didn't even have a chance to pee before she had stripped and jumped into the water. Shaking my head, I decided to pick out some clothes to wear, and deci
ded on a pink off-the-shoulder top that came down to just below my belly button. I paired it with a pair of black low-riding skinny jeans and a pair of matching pink pumps. Laying them out on the bed, I waited for Payton to finish her shower.
It wasn’t long before I bounced up and down on my bed, trying to hold the fact that I had to pee so bad. She was taking forever, so I stood up and burst into the bathroom. I sprinted over to the toilet and pulled my pajama bottoms down, before practically falling onto the toilet.
The shower had a glass door, and Payton had turned to stare at me with a disgusted look on her face. Choosing to ignore her, I moaned when I finally let it out. It felt incredible, but the moment was ruined by Payton’s screams.
"You are so disgusting, Brie. You couldn't have waited a few minutes?"
"What? It's not like you haven't seen me pee before. What's the issue?" I said with a giggle.
I knew this sort of stuff really made her cringe, mainly because her OCD went into overdrive.
"Yes, but that's different. That's when we're drunk, and you know I can let loose when I drink. Right now, all I'm thinking of is all those poop particles that are going to fly into the air once you flush, and I'm naked," she whined.
"Well, are you nearly finished?" I asked her.
"Yeah, why?"
"How about I sit here with my legs closed, trapping all those deadly poop particles while you finish your shower, then I can flush once you've left?" I suggested.
She tapped her chin for a second, looking up in thought.
Glancing back at me, she replied, "You're a genius, that will totally work!"
She quickly washed out her hair while I sat there holding my knees together and silently giggling at her. She had some odd quirks, but I loved that girl so much. I couldn't wait to start having a blast with her and our new Sorority sisters.
Maybe this year would be even greater than I ever imagined.
After my shower, I got ready, then Payton and I walked downstairs to find Arabella. Once we descended, we found her already waiting for us by the door.
