Frat House Confessions--Ridge

by Bethany Lopez

  Uh-oh, I thought, but replied, “Looks like.”

  “Oh goody.”

  “So,” Millie began, “we learned about your family, school, and softball. Now, how about you tell us about you and Ridge.”

  “Yeah, how’d you meet?” Tasha asked.

  “Well, we met at his frat house. My roommate, Mina, and I went there for a party and he was holding up a wall.”

  “Holding up a wall?” Dru asked, still looking sleepy.

  “Leaning against it,” I explained. “He’s a professional wall leaner … All kidding aside, we started talking that night and hit it off.”

  “And then?” Tasha prodded.

  I wasn’t sure what more I could say without telling a lie, and I found I really didn’t want to lie to his sisters. After everything, I really liked them, and since my feelings for Ridge were true, I didn’t see the point in keeping up the ruse.

  “Can I be honest with you?” I asked.

  Millie nodded seriously and said, “Always.”

  So, I told them the truth.

  I told them about Drake, Ridge’s plan for Thanksgiving, the makeover … All of it.

  “So, your whole relationship is fake?” Dru asked.

  “We agreed to help each other out. To pretend to be dating and participate in the makeover to get back at Drake and get Ridge’s mom off his back about getting married to some debutante he has no interest in.”

  I took a sip of my coffee, and after a few seconds of them watching me closely, I decided I’d come this far, might as well tell them all of it.

  “But, somewhere along the way, it stopped being fake and became very, very real. Ridge is amazing,” I said, unable to hold back my smile. “He’s sweet and funny, and knows his own worth. And, he’s really helped me do the same. I have fun with him and he makes me feel like the only girl in the world when I’m with him.”

  “You love him,” Millie stated.

  “I really do,” I agreed with a disbelieving laugh. “I thought I was in love with Drake, but after being with Ridge, I know it must have been a crush or infatuation, because what I feel for Ridge is … everything.”

  Millie sighed and rested her face on her hand, her expression dreamy.

  “I love that,” she said. “I can tell he loves you, too. I’m so happy for you both.”

  “Yeah, I mean, we don’t know him that well,” Tasha admitted. “But, I’ve never seen him act the way he does with you. He’s obviously very happy.”

  My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much, but I felt relief. Telling them the truth was the right thing. Now that I’d admitted to myself and his sisters I was in love with him, it was time to tell Ridge the truth, too.

  I just prayed they were right and he felt the same way about me.

  Thirty-Five

  Ridge

  “So, your whole relationship is fake?” I heard Dru ask as I was coming down the hall.

  I paused, shocked.

  Did Karrie tell my sisters about our pact?

  I waited in the hallway, holding my breath as I waited to hear Karrie’s response.

  “We agreed to help each other out,” she replied, and I felt a vice squeeze my heart. “To pretend to be dating and participate in the makeover to get back at Drake and get Ridge’s mom off his back about getting married to some debutante he has no interest in.”

  Anger and hurt filled me and I couldn’t stand there and listen anymore. I didn’t want to hear my sisters’ disappointment over our lies, and I couldn’t stand to hear Karrie admitting what we had was nothing more than a game.

  I spun on my heels and went back to the room I was sharing with Wes.

  Luckily, the room was empty, so I shut the door quietly behind me and leaned against it. I felt an unnatural prick behind my eyes and a pain in my gut I’d never felt before.

  “What did you expect?” I muttered to myself, too upset to care that I was speaking out loud. “You learned a long time ago not to let people in … They always fucking let you down.”

  I think that’s what hurt the most … I didn’t expect Karrie to be like everyone else. I’d trusted her, thought she was a straight shooter, and let her get too close. When, in reality, she was just like everyone else.

  I sat on the bed, letting the emotion seep out of my, before closing it off and saying, “That’s enough.”

  If Karrie wanted to continue with the pact we’d made, and end it when we got back, I’d oblige, just like we’d planned. In fact, I’d make sure everyone knew we were over, and maybe things could go back the way they used to be.

  Before I’d met Karrie.

  I’d go back to the Delta life I’d cultivated over the last few years, and she could go back to sweatpants and crying over Drake.

  “Hey, you good?” Wes asked as he walked in rubbing a towel over his wet hair.

  “Yeah, just ready to go,” I replied, standing to put all my shit in my bag and make the bed for Tasha.

  “Okay,” he said, watching me warily. My brothers were no strangers to my temper, and knew to give me space to calm down. I wasn’t the type to want to talk about my feelings, or what was going in my head. I preferred to work shit out on my own. Knowing this, Wes added, “I’ll let Brody and Karrie know we’re heading out.”

  “Thanks.”

  Ten minutes later, we’d said goodbye to my sisters, who were disappointed we weren’t staying for breakfast, and were loading up my car. Millie wouldn’t let us go empty-handed, so we also had to-go cups of coffee, muffins, and breakfast burritos to nosh on the way.

  “Bro, will you sit up front and keep a good playlist going? I need something to keep me awake,” I asked my brother, not looking at Karrie.

  “You bet,” Brody replied.

  I was relieved when Karrie climbed in the back with Wes and Brody took his spot next to me up front.

  I brushed off any attempts the three of them made to engage me in conversation, so they eventually gave up and talked amongst themselves, which was good. I was too busy stewing in disappointment to care.

  I just wanted to get home and work on forgetting the last few weeks of my life ever happened.

  We dropped off Brody, and after a few attempts at talking, Karrie settled back against the seat and dozed off. Wes, of course, slept almost the entire trip. Once we made it back to town, I dropped off a confused Karrie with nothing more than a have a good night, before heading to Delta.

  “You pissed at Karrie?” Wes asked once he’d moved to the front seat.

  I shrugged and figured the cat was about to be out of the bag anyway, so may as well let him in on it.

  Karrie obviously didn’t care about keeping our secret any longer.

  “It was all bullshit,” I told him as I pulled onto my street. “We hooked up for the makeover, like you and Trixie, only I wanted her to come home and get Mom off my back and she wanted to use me to make Drake jealous. Now that we’ve done that, it’s over. We’ll stage a fake breakup and shit will go back to normal.”

  “Huh, really? Well, you sure had me fooled. I thought you two were really into each other.”

  “Nope, it was all totally fake.”

  Wes seemed like he wanted to say more, but I quickly parked and hopped out of the car.

  “Guess I’ll walk back to the dorms,” he said sarcastically.

  “Later,” I replied, because honestly, I was having a hard time giving a fuck about anything.

  “Yo, Ridge, didn’t expect you back already.”

  I walked in to see some of my brothers, including Papi and Javi, sitting around the table playing poker. There were empty beer cans on the floor, cigars being smoked, and a few Delta groupies hanging around wearing barely any clothes.

  “What are y’all up to?” I asked, heading to the bar to pour myself a shot.

  “Kind of a makeshift strip poker,” Javi replied. “We are on teams with the girls, only we’re playing cards and they’re taking off an article of clothing if their team member loses. Wanna join?”
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  “Yeah, sounds good to me,” I said, pulling up a chair and fitting it in while they scooted over to make room.

  “Yo, Carla!” Javi shouted toward the kitchen. “Get out here and be Ridge’s teammate.”

  “Coming,” I heard a female voice reply.

  I slammed back my shot and said, “Deal me in.”

  Thirty-Six

  Karrie

  Ridge was acting really strange.

  He’d barely spoken on the entire trip home and he hadn’t answered my texts or calls.

  I knew he was upset over what happened with his mother, but he’d seemed to be okay once we were with his sisters.

  Brody had told me not to stress too much. He said Ridge had always internalized things, and that’s how he coped with the issues he had growing up with his parents. Brody figured after all that shit went down with Susan, Ridge probably had a lot to work out.

  So, I was trying to be understanding and give him space.

  Still, I couldn’t help but feel like he was shutting me out … maybe even pushing me away.

  The fact was, this was the first serious problem we’d encountered together, so I didn’t know what was the right, or wrong, thing to do. I’d decided to check in and let him know I was thinking about him, without being too overbearing about it.

  I gave him two days, and then I figured it was time for me to go over to his place and try and see if he’d talk to me.

  I missed him, and wanted to be there for him.

  Mina said Delta was having a small party after their board meeting, so she and I were going to go together. She was planning to meet up with Trap, so it all worked out. But, when we arrived, Delta house was bursting at the seams with co-eds.

  “Wait, it’s Sunday, right?” I asked, wondering why everyone was out partying when school started back up tomorrow.

  “Yup,” Mina replied. “Looks like everyone needed to blow off some steam after spending the long weekend with their family. I know I do.”

  “Makes sense,” I muttered, even though it really didn’t to me.

  I looked down at my jeans, T-shirt and cardigan with a sigh. I hadn’t really been expecting to be on display in front of a lot of people. Hopefully Ridge and I could hide in his room, rather than be with the crowd.

  We walked inside and I was about to head right upstairs, when Ridge’s laugh had me turning toward the living room.

  He was in the middle of the crowd shot gunning a beer while they cheered him on.

  “What in the world?” I asked, stopping a few feet away and waiting while he finished, before calling, “Ridge!”

  His head swung toward me and he looked momentarily sad, before his expression morphed into a scowl. Pushing the empty can into a pledge’s hand, he stumbled a little bit before finding his footing and crossing to me.

  “We doing this now?” he asked oddly.

  “Doing what?” I asked, my hands going out to steady him and hopefully get him to come with me.

  Suddenly he yelled, “You know what,” startling me and my hands fell to my sides.

  “Ridge, why are you shouting?” I asked, looking around to see everyone starting to look our way.

  “You got what you wanted, now get the fuck out and leave me alone,” he continued, and it was suddenly silent in the house, the only sounds Ridge’s heavy breathing and my pounding heart.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, utterly confused.

  I felt someone grasp my hand and looked down to see Mina had come up beside me and was watching Ridge with a hardened expression.

  “You were only using me to get back at that asshole, Drake. What did you think, I’d be too pussy-whipped to figure it out? I saw the way you were looking at him…”

  My eyes widened and filled, and although it dawned on me that he was fake breaking up with me in the terms of our pact, I didn’t understand why.

  Hadn’t things changed between us? Does he not feel the same way I do?

  My throat closed tightly as I tried to figure out what to do.

  “Come on, Ridge, don’t do this, let’s go upstairs,” I said, reaching out and grabbing his hand.

  He whipped his hand away and stumbled back.

  “No, I’m done listening to you. It’s over. You’re free to get back together with that shithead, just leave me alone and never come back.”

  Ridge turned around and I was already stepping forward to go after him, when he grabbed onto a beautiful scantily clad girl and pulled her close. It was Caitlyn, the girl from the dressing room.

  She was tall, gorgeous, and everything I wasn’t. She was beautiful, well-dressed, and exactly the kind of girl Ridge’s mom would probably love. High class with just a hint of sex, Caitlyn was the opposite of the cute, softball-playing tomboy I was.

  I knew it was all for show, that we’d agreed this was always the way things were going to end. Even as I watched Caitlyn look over her shoulder and smile smugly at me as Ridge pulled her out of sight, I didn’t believe it was actually happening.

  “Let’s go,” Mina said, pulling me backwards.

  I let her take me out of the room numbly, but when she would have kept pulling me outside, I dug in my heels.

  “No, I need to talk to him, I’m going to go wait up in his room,” I told her.

  “Karrie, no, fuck him. You don’t need to hear anything else he has to say.”

  “I do … It’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “Yeah, and what if he takes that chick up to his room and you’re in there? What are you gonna do? Watch?”

  “I’ll handle it,” I assured her, even though I wasn’t sure I could.

  Mina sighed, but I knew she was giving in.

  “Text or call if you need me. I’m not leaving Delta until I hear from you.”

  “Got it,” I said, giving her a quick hug and adding, “Thank you,” before running up the stairs.

  I put the code in and unlocked Ridge’s door, then stepped inside without bothering to turn the light on.

  Not even five minutes later, Ridge pushed the door open and came barreling inside.

  Alone.

  He flipped the light on and swiveled, his eyes narrowing when he saw me sitting in the chair.

  “What was that?” I asked him.

  “Break up,” Ridge replied with a shrug.

  “Was that really necessary?” I asked, flinging my hand out to indicate what had happened downstairs. “I mean, I know this whole thing started with the stipulation that we’d break up after Thanksgiving, but you never said you were going to make a scene.”

  “Got the job done, didn’t it?”

  “But why, Ridge?” I asked, my voice quivering. “Why be such a dick about it, and then … go off with Caitlyn?”

  “Who cares? It’s done,” he answered, moving to flop on the bed.

  “Why did it have to be done at all?” I asked, needing to know even if it hurt. “I thought we really had something. That we’d moved on from the pact.”

  Ridge looked at me through bleary eyes. “Yeah, me too. Guess we were both wrong.”

  I let out a strangled laugh.

  “So, was it all just bullshit? You got me in bed, used me to piss off your mother, and that’s it? It’s over?”

  “Look, I’ve been nothing but honest with you from the beginning. This was always gonna end … At least I didn’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

  “And, what, you’re saying I did?”

  I stood and crossed the floor to stare down at him, my hands on my hips.

  “You sure as shit acted like you were into something more serious there at the end, but I heard what you told my sisters. It was all part of the game. Fuck, you couldn’t even hold up your end of the bargain and keep your mouth shut, even though you knew I didn’t want anyone to know about the pact … especially my family.”

  “Is that why you’re so mad? Because I told them?”

  “I’m mad because you played me. Because I believed for a minute that you actually l
iked me for me … not for my money, or my family, or what I could do for you … but, in the end, you’re just like everyone else.”

  “You heard my conversation with your sisters, and that’s what you got out of it? That I was using you?”

  “Mmmhmmm.”

  “And, that’s why you’re acting like a total jerk … drinking too much and grabbing other girls? Humiliating me in front of everyone?”

  “I always told you I was a dick,” Ridge said reasonably, as if it made up for everything.

  I scoffed. “How long have you been drinking?”

  “Dunno, since Friday? What day is it?” he asked, and I felt my anger die off.

  “You’re right, you are a dick. You’re also a fucking idiot.”

  “Thanks,” Ridge said with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

  I could tell he was about to pass out, so I leaned over him and said calmly, “If you’d stayed and listened to the whole conversation, you would have heard me say things had stopped being fake a while back, and I was falling in love with you.”

  The only response was a soft snore, so I left without a backwards glance.

  Thirty-Seven

  Ridge

  Jesus!

  It felt like someone bashed in my head with a sledgehammer.

  I groaned audibly as I rolled over in bed. I was still fully dressed, on top of the covers, and there was drool on my duvet.

  This is what rock bottom looks like.

  My stomach revolted as I moved my feet to the floor and attempted to sit up. It ended up being more of a slide slash fall off the bed onto the floor kind of move. Not at all coordinated. And, the movement had bile rising in my throat as my skull pounded.

  “Fuck,” I muttered, no longer attempting to move. “I’ll just sit here until it passes.”

  I’m not sure how long I sat on the floor, but it didn’t pass. If anything, I felt worse. I wasn’t sure what I drank, how much, or for how long, but even the thought of a drop of any alcohol crossing my lips was enough to have me heaving all over the floor.