* * * *
“As much as that night was fun,” Jet said, “it is true, you’re not dyke material.”
“I can’t believe you just said that out loud!” Bree shrieked, looking behind them to make sure no one had heard her.
Jet threw her head back and laughed. “Relax, Bree. No one gives a shit about your sexual orientation.”
“But still, I don’t want people to know about, you know…us,” she whispered.
“Girl, your secret will stay with me. Besides, I’ve been sensing something pretty serious coming your way.” Jet’s demeanor changed.
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” Jet shook her head. “I like the new guy. I sense he’s really into you, but there’s a storm coming, and you’ve gotta meet it head on.”
This was Jet down to a tee. One minute, she was lost in sharing their little secret. The next, she got all serious, using whatever sixth sense she’d been born with, scaring the heebie-jeebies out of Bree in the process.
The thing was, Bree knew Jet was right. She could sense a storm coming, and she was well aware that it was going to attack her from all angles.
Chapter Thirteen
Drake sat on my bed as I replied to a few texts from Bree.
It was my final act before I decided on accepting the fact that we were pledging that night. A part of me was still uncertain about the whole process.
Spence, on the other hand, was hyped, eager to get the show on the road.
Drake seemed to be happy just to shuffle along, as though his heart wasn’t really into the whole thing.
“Hurry up already!” Spence said, pacing the floor of the room.
“Almost done,” I replied, shaking my head at him.
“Patience,” Drake said. “Besides, the party can’t really start, not without us!”
Drake and Spence had become good friends, which lessened my own guilt when I wanted to be with Bree. Some called it a bromance, but from where I stood, they both depended on the other for that little something they lacked.
Drake tried to be this confident chick magnet, but whenever a girl came within smelling distance of intimacy, he recoiled.
Spence was on the other end of the spectrum. He was a nerdish guy, possibly decent in many girls’ eyes. He just had a filthy tongue in his head.
I convinced myself it was a coping mechanism because he was awkward most of the time. Granted, these were all of my own assumptions. Perhaps I was wrong, but I called it as I saw it, and I wasn’t normally wrong.
“Okay,” I said, standing up and slipping my phone into my pocket. “Let’s go sign our souls over to the devil.”
Spence rubbed his hands together.
Drake smiled and nodded. They were polar opposites, but their body language said otherwise.
We walked the short distance to the GAP frat house. The atmosphere was already buzzing by the time we reached the open front door. Inside, the front room was packed.
Tommy, Ethan and the rest of the household congregated, chatting quietly among themselves. A few fresh-faced guys, almost like us, stood out like sore thumbs.
“Welcome, gentlemen,” Tommy said, the front door shutting behind us. “Tonight, you have all come here in the hopes of receiving bids to become formal pledges. Twenty-five of you stand before us, but only twenty of you will receive a bid. Do you accept that?”
A few of us looked at each other. Some nodded their heads, and others shrugged. Those like me remained unmoved by his statement.
“Good,” Tommy said. “Now some of you may be aware of the history of Gamma Alpha Pi. Those who aren’t, well…you get to brush up on all that during your six-week pledge process. So what happens after you pledge? You get to attend a multitude of events such as mandated study times, weekly meetings, and other social activities. All of which you’re expected to partake in.”
Ethan stepped up beside Tommy, crossing his arms over his chest. “In our house, we take our values very seriously,” Ethan said, looking every inch the smug prick as he spoke. “Our house rules are there for a reason. The moment someone brings disrepute to the house, their membership is terminated immediately.”
Ethan looked down at me, his eyebrows dipping low. The way he delivered his little speech, I couldn’t help but think it was a direct dig at me. I refused to allow him to have one over on me. I’d rather not be a part of anything than have him thinking he was superior to me.
“Would all potential pledges step forward,” Tommy said.
Like a bunch of desperados ready to be brainwashed, the eager ones stepped forward, Spence along with them. Drake and I were the last to step up for the slaughter. It didn’t take long for the weak to be cut from the herd.
Naturally, Tommy bid for me, which, in turn, seemed to set off a chain reaction for Ethan. Like the prized dick he was, he bid on the one person I didn’t want near him—Drake. Spence was fortunate to receive a bid from one of the house members, a guy named Russell.
Spence was overjoyed and couldn’t stop smiling, giving me the thumbs up when he caught me staring. The evening went as Tommy had planned. Each of us signed our commitment, then the first of the house activities began—a party.
Drinking was the last thing on my mind. The whole booze culture wasn’t my thing. I’d piss all of my hard work and training up against the wall if I were to lose myself to that world. It didn’t seem to bother Tommy, Ethan, and few of my other teammates, however. They drank, chatted, and came across as uncaring, which, in a way, made no sense whatsoever.
Drake, however, seemed to be fine when he was knocking back bottles of beer. Both he and Spence remained in a corner, drinking and making observations, more than likely sussing out the environment.
Spence was, by far, the most outgoing of the three of us.
“This is going to be crazy,” he said between gulps of beer.
“So you keep saying,” I remarked, raising an eyebrow.
“Why did that prick get to bid on me?” Drake asked.
“I don’t know, man. Just keep your cool, ‘kay?” I rested my hand on his shoulder.
Drake sipped at his beer and looked at me, his face unreadable. “I’m beginning to regret this whole thing.”
“Why?” Spence asked. Confusion swept across his face.
Drake shook his head and didn’t respond. Instead, his attention was drawn to something else. A group of girls came in, dressed in what left very little to the imagination.
“Whoa!” Spence whispered, his eyes almost popping from their sockets.
“Wind the tongue in,” I said, sniggering at the way Spence’s jaw dropped.
“I need to get laid,” he said, not once looking at me. “So fucking badly.”
Spence was the kind of guy who said whatever came into his head. I’d experienced that on our first meeting and I suspected he was unpredictable. That made me like him more.
Drake was quiet, a big difference from the guy I’d initially met on our first training day. I assumed he was still finding his feet.
Then there was me, the one who never wanted to become a part of anything that had to do with campus life. I had already bagged myself a hot girlfriend and pledged at a frat house. Who would have ever guessed that?
Tommy came to stand beside us. “Enjoying things?”
“Sure,” I replied, holding a bottle of water.
“How about you, Drake? Are you happy?” Tommy looked at Drake.
“I guess,” Drake replied. “It’s pretty cool, so far.”
“And what about you, Spence? Are you looking forward to the next six weeks?”
Spence looked from the girls to Tommy and grinned. “I can’t wait!”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Tommy replied. “If you have any problems at all, just come and see me. I have an open door policy. I like to make sure all our pledges are happy.”
“Thanks, man,” Spence said before disappearing and mingling with the other pledges.
Tommy nodded at us and wen
t over to Ethan. The two spoke, making sure no one else heard them.
I switched my attention to Drake. Something seemed off about him. I’d sensed it that morning at training. Now that everyone else was getting into the party mood, he seemed a tad withdrawn and a shadow of the mouthy guy I’d come to know.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Don’t say there isn’t a problem because you have a face on you that says otherwise.”
“Wanna take a walk?” he asked.
“I think we can disappear from here.”
“What about the lady magnet?” Drake’s reference made me laugh.
“I’m sure he can make his own way home,” I replied, shaking my head, watching Spence grind himself against a pretty redhead.
“True,” Drake said.
The two of us escaped the ensuing mayhem, down a path that led away from the house.
Drake shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced up at the clear night sky. He looked like a man with a lot on his mind.
“What’s been going on?”
Drake stared at me, then at his feet as we took our time. “I was with a girl, just a hook-up after a party last week,” he said. “We were getting pretty heavy. You know the drill.”
“And?”
“I couldn’t get hard,” he admitted. “No matter what she did, it wouldn’t happen. She ended up leaving my room pretty pissed. Ever since, I’ve been getting weird looks from her and those sociopaths she lives with.”
“Wow,” I said, speechless.
“I know.” He sounded hurt. “The fucktard who couldn’t get a boner.”
“Maybe the girl just wasn’t doing it for you,” I replied. “You know, not every girl you touch will inspire the need to fuck.”
“I’ve never had this problem before.” He seemed ashamed.
“Dude, it was one time,” I said. “I’m sure the booze didn’t help.”
“Who knows,” he whispered. “It’s just… I’m confused lately.”
“About what?”
“Everything,” he said, as we crossed the quad.
“I see,” I replied, not truly understanding what he meant. “Has it ever occurred to you that you might need to talk to a counselor? It would give you the chance to offload on someone who can give you some guidance.”
“No way! I’m not telling anyone my personal shit. The only reason I’m telling you is because I trust you.”
“Man, I won’t be telling anyone what you’ve just entrusted me with. But I do think you need to stop being so hard on yourself. Not every girl you’re going to get busy with is going to be the one to arouse you,” I said, trying to lessen his embarrassment. “My advice, go out, meet someone you really like, and let nature take its course. Don’t force it.”
Drake let out a long sigh, which I took as relief. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
“I’m not saying I know it all, but hey, I’m a guy. I’ve had my fair share of crap.”
“Anyway, enough about my woes, how’s things with you and Bree?” he asked.
When he mentioned her name, I couldn’t hide the smile. It seemed to creep onto my face whenever I thought of her.
“She’s amazing,” I gushed.
“You two seem pretty tight.”
“Yeah, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m happy.”
“I’m glad for you. I really am,” Drake said with a smile.
“What do you think about Ethan bidding for you?” I asked. “Honestly.”
Drake’s posture changed. “I don’t like him,” he admitted. “He’s a sneaky prick, and I don’t trust people like that.”
“Yeah, I feel that same way.”
“He’s got some serious issues with you and Bree. I don’t think he’ll let that lie,” Drake said. “I suspect he’s going to try to get to you through me.”
Hearing Drake say that instantly hit a nerve. All the alarm bells went off inside my head. He was right. I just didn’t want to believe that Ethan would try to harm me by hurting my friend.
The walls went up in an instant. I wanted nothing more than to march right back to the house and tell Tommy to shove the whole Greek system up his ass, but that would have been a mistake on my behalf.
Instead, I planned on meeting Ethan and his cunning plans head-on. Whatever he had in store for me, I’d make sure I was two feet ahead of him. If not, I’d be more than willing to be his match.
“Wanna know something?” I said as we headed toward our block. “I think I may like watching Ethan squirm when he realizes I’m not some average Joe he assumes he can bully. He tries to hurt my friends, and I’ll make his life hell.”
Drake looked at me. He’d never seen the fire I liked to keep hidden from everyone before.
“I don’t need anyone to babysit me, Logan.”
“Of course you don’t. But I can tell you now, he tries any shit, I’ll break his neck,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“How about we both work on making sure Ethan doesn’t think he has the power to manipulate either of us?”
“That’s true.”
“Right now, I think we both need to figure out how we’re going to survive the pledging process.”
“Why?” I asked.
Drake laughed and touched my shoulder, shaking his head. “You really have no clue what you’ve just signed up for, have you?”
“I’m suspecting you may be right,” I replied, and grimaced.
“How about I fill you in on some of the shit that could go down?”
The two of us talked. For the first time since accepting Tommy’s bid, it dawned on me that I was a little too green for my own good. I knew nothing about the Greek system.
Just what I needed—another challenge!
* * * *
The next day, after a long and restless night, I found myself doing laps at the pool. Sundays were meant to be a rest day, but something inside me refused so I did what I did best—I swam.
The flow of the water relaxed the build-up of tension that always seemed to present itself whenever something bothered me. As I glided through the water, I took a quick breath, swooped down, and turned to begin another length. I tried to remember a time when I never felt as if someone was always trying to control my life.
Even though my mother protected me from everything my father represented, she’d never truly admitted to the kind of influence he had. Not until I was old enough to question why he was in the papers or on the radio, not to mention his campaigns.
My mother said she was trying to protect me from the judgment of the outside world. Although I respected their decision to shield me from such things, a part of me resented never having a voice.
I sank into my own little bubble. A place full of unnecessary pressure to prove I was worthy of my father and his respect.
I was now a part of a system where I would have to listen to others, and live up to the expectations of how they desired me to behave. It sent a wave of anxiety I’d never believed to be possible coursing through every inch of my body. I convinced myself I was over trying to prove who I was. Yet, I’d signed myself to something I had no knowledge of or even cared for. My friendship with Drake and Spence made sure I wouldn’t leave them in the lurch. It was why I had to be the cement that held everything together, which bugged the crap out of me.
I came up for air and held on to the side of the pool. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan’s approach.
“So this is where you spend your spare time?” Ethan said, smiling and bending toward me.
He was a smug bastard. It took every cell in my body to stop me from pulling him into the water and drowning him.
“I like to be top of the game, always.”
“Is that why you like shying away from the party scene? Pretending you’re some goody two shoes?” he remarked, tilting his head and looking down at me with nothing but contempt.
I pulled myself out of the pool, grabbed my towel, and ignored Ethan.
“That’s right, this is what you do
, isn’t it?” he shouted, his voice echoing behind me. “You walk away because you lack the balls to face up to the challenge.”
I smirked and turned my head, giving him a side-eyed glance. “I see no competition here,” I said, and continued on my way.
That was the truth. As far as Ethan was concerned, he was nothing but a pain in the ass and not a thing more. He, of course, had little knowledge of that, and obviously saw my silence as some sort of cowardice. Little did he know!
“That’s right, Belanger, walk away.”
I wasn’t interested in what he had to say and continued to ignore him.
“The storm’s coming. I hope you’re prepared.”
Ethan’s voice became a discordant note in my head as I washed away the chlorine several minutes later. To give him a moment of my time would have been a waste of energy and valuable oxygen. I preferred to wait, observing him from afar. He’d opened the door to his game, and I certainly wasn’t going to be a pawn in it.
* * * *
Bree was outside waiting for me. “Hey,” she greeted. “Is everything okay? I called by your room, and Spence said you came here.”
I kissed her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “I’m good. I just like to swim. It helps clear my head.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Good, because I want you to myself,” she announced, beaming at me.
“Oh, really?” I winked at her.
“Yes.”
“I’m down with that.” I couldn’t think of a better person to spend my Sunday evening with.
“So how was last night?” she asked.
“It was interesting,” I said. “Tommy bid on me.”
“I knew it!” She shook her head. “What about Drake and Spence?”
“Ethan bid on Drake. Russell bid on Spence.”
A look of incredulity spread across Bree’s face. “I can’t believe he did this to Drake. You do know he’ll be a complete ass to Drake, right? You have no idea the kind of crap Ethan likes to do. He’s twisted and evil.”
“Drake said the same thing, more or less,” I replied, opening the trunk of my car. “I’m not sure who Ethan thinks he is, but I won’t sit back and allow him to screw my friend over.”
A Cross to Bear Page 13
