Josh’s shoulders deflate. “I want to bang her so fucking bad, dude.”
I smack him hard across the back of his head and he curses, spilling some of his beer. “The fuck, man?”
“You know better than to talk about her like that around me. Show some fucking respect, douchebag, before I make you.”
“Whatever,” he mumbles, still rubbing his head as he stumbles off toward the beer pong tables. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out to yet another call from my older brother. Great.
He’s been calling me all day, but until now I hadn’t been drunk enough to answer. I almost always have to be intoxicated to deal with his shit. Who knows what kind of state he’ll be in tonight.
“Hey,” I answer simply, maneuvering through the house to find a semi-quiet spot. I settle on the back hallway that leads to the bathrooms.
“’Bout fucking time you answered your phone. What the hell are you doing?” His voice is high-pitched and springy and I know without even asking that he’s high off pills.
Doubly great.
“I’m partying. Sounds like that makes two of us tonight.”
There’s a grunt on the other end. “You implying that I’m high, little bro?”
“Depends. Are you?”
He pauses, then sighs. “Listen, I didn’t call to fight with you. I need your help.”
Here we go.
“Let me guess, you need money?”
Another pause.
“The fuel pump went out on the car and I had to use the last of my check to pay for it to get fixed. I found a guy to do it for less than the shop was asking, but it still wasn’t cheap. And now the boys don’t have food.” His voice trembles just a little when he says that last part, but I’m not sure if it’s because of his high or the content he’s spewing. “I just need a little bit, Clinton. A hundred bucks for gas and food. Please.”
I curse under my breath and glance across the room where Skyler is watching me intently, her brows furrowed. “You can’t keep doing this shit, Carleton.”
“What shit? It’s not my fault the fucking car went to shit.” I wait for him to just admit the truth, but instead he grows more frustrated. “You know what? Whatever. My bad for thinking you would want to help your fucking nephews.”
“Stop.” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. It’s not even worth arguing with him over where his money really went. Regardless, his sons don’t deserve to starve because of their father’s piss poor decisions. “Give me twenty minutes to get to the store. I’ll wire you what I can.”
“Thank you, little brother. I love you. I’m so proud of you, you know.”
I roll my eyes as he continues, his words falling on deaf ears. When I’m sending money, I’m a great little brother chasing my dreams in college. When I’m not sending money, I’m a stuck up brat who thinks I’m better than everyone else.
I startle a bit when Skyler’s hand touches my arm. I lift my eyes to hers and when I see the worry in them, my face hardens. The last thing I need is anyone at Palm South knowing about my fucking family drama.
“Yeah. I’ll call you with the confirmation number.” I hang up before he has the chance to respond. Skyler is still staring at me, her hand gentle on my forearm. I think I’m shaking, but I can’t tell.
“Bear, what’s going on?”
For a moment I just stare at her. I blink. I breathe. Then I shrug her off and turn for my room. “Nothing. I have to run an errand. Don’t stay out too late, you know Siomara will throw a fit.”
She chases after me. “Wait. What happened? Where are you going?”
I whip around too quickly to face her and her eyes grow wide. Sighing, I run a hand over my short, coarse hair and calm myself. “I just have to handle something, Sky. I’m fine, I promise. Just go back to Matt and have a good time tonight. I’ll see you at the Bid Day Bash tomorrow. Cool?”
Skyler hesitates, chewing the inside of her cheek, but finally nods with a small smile. I try to return it, but it dies halfway and I turn back toward my room instead.
She doesn’t follow this time.
THE NIGHT AIR is still hot and sticky as I sit on one of the benches facing the campus fountain. I stare at the blank card in my hand with three lines that I’ve yet to fill. I’m supposed to pick my top three choices for the sorority I’ll be in for the next four years of my life and hope that one of them chooses me back. Most of the girls in my small group filled theirs out right away.
Paris was one of them.
She told me last night that she was choosing Zeta Pi Alpha. “Suiciding” them is specifically how she put it, which means she only wrote them down on her sheet – not even allowing for a second or third option. If they don’t choose her back, she won’t have a home to run to tomorrow.
Which is kind of where I am right now. Without a home.
My group leader told me I could walk campus if I wanted to. To “clear my head”. So here I am, staring at the way the light jumps off the water of the fountain each time it spews into the air and wishing it could somehow spout up the answer to what decision I should make.
There are a few houses that I actually like. Delta Beta Gamma has grown on me throughout the week and the Kappa Kappa Beta girls were super nice. But Paris went Zeta. And she expects me to do the same. Meanwhile I can’t help but wonder if I should write down any of them at all.
“I love this pond at night.”
I startle at the interruption of my thoughts just as a slender brunette plops down on the bench next to me. Her long, loosely curled hair falls over her shoulder slightly as she turns to me with wide blue eyes. They’re slightly glazed, like she may be buzzed, but her smile is genuine and warm. “It’s a great place to think.”
I hold up the card in my hand slightly. “Well, I could use all the thinking power this pond can offer.”
She glances at the card. “Ah, rushing a sorority?”
“At this point, I’m not sure.”
“Well what are you thinking? Talk it out to a stranger. Might help.” She smiles again and for reasons unknown to me, I feel like I can trust her. At the very least, I don’t know her, which means she can’t really judge me. And if she does, it doesn’t really matter, I guess.
“I’m thinking that I’m not sure any of these places are for me. My best friend from high school is going Zeta but I know for sure that I don’t fit in there. I’m worried about going somewhere else. We did this together. We were supposed to end up in the same house and have the next four years just like we had the last.”
The girl thinks for a moment, her hair blowing in the breeze slightly. “Just because you don’t rush the same sorority doesn’t mean you can’t still be great friends. You’ll just have her plus your sisters. It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” she offers. “You said before you weren’t sure any of the sororities were for you. You really think that?”
I sigh. “I don’t know. There is one house that I really liked. All the girls seemed nice and actually interested in me as a person. But even still, I’m not sure I want to be Greek. I only did this because of my best friend.”
She smirks, but pauses a second, as if she’s looking for the right words. “You know, I felt the same way you did when I rushed.” My eyes grow wide. I didn’t think she was a sorority girl. “I came from a small town and, well, let’s just say my life there was a lot different than I wanted it to be.” She shrugs. “But here, I knew I could be anyone. On the last night of rush when I had to make my choice, a girl in the last house I visited told me that the best part of being in a sorority is always knowing you have a group of sisters who have your back no matter what. Through the good times and the bad, you’ve got someone there to fight through college with you. To me, that was the best thing someone could promise me.” She nudges me lightly. “What about you? Do you want a group of friends who will be by your side for the next four years?”
I think about Paris and our group of friends back home. They were my sisters then, but
already I can feel that bond breaking. Paris has changed so much just over the summer, I can’t imagine what she’ll be like over the next four years. I lift my head to meet the stranger girl’s eyes and smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I really do.”
“Well,” she says, returning my smile and lifting herself from the bench. “Then think about who you’ve met this week and who you think would be great to have in your corner. I know you will fit in wherever you end up. And they’ll be lucky to have you.”
She turns to leave but I stop her. “Wait!” She’s still smiling. “What sorority are you in?”
She laughs a little. “Well, I can’t tell you, actually. That would be dirty rushing. But, just follow your heart. You’ll end up where you belong.” She adjusts her bag on her shoulder and my eyes fall to the embroidered letters on the side.
KKB.
I grin and look back up at her, but she never looks back as she retreats. And once again, it’s just me, the fountain, and a decision waiting to be made.
But now, finally, I know how to make it.
THEY MAKE US sit on our bids in the gym for ten minutes before we can open them and find out what sorority we’re running home to. Our group leader is trying to talk to us and distract us from the wait, but I feel like this card is burning a hole into my shorts right now.
I suicided Kappa Kappa Beta last night and I have no idea what’s about to happen.
“Can you believe it? We’re going to be sisters!” Paris squeals, squeezing my arm and bouncing a little. I smile back at her nervously and watch the clock on the far wall. Time has never passed so slow.
“Alright, ladies,” our leader says after an eternity. “Open your bids!”
The gym fills with a combination of rustling and envelope tearing followed by screaming, laughing, and crying. I slowly, calmly rip the top of my envelope and stare at the card when I pull it free. And then, I exhale.
Kappa Kappa Beta.
“AH! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I’M FREAKING OUT!” Paris grabs my card and suddenly her smile fades. “Oh no…”
I’m still smiling. “No it’s okay, Paris. It’s what I wanted.”
She screws her face up. “What? What do you mean, it’s what you wanted? We were supposed to both go Zeta, Cass.”
“I know, but I just don’t fit in there, Paris. And that’s okay. You do, and I know they’re going to absolutely love you.”
She shakes her head, but doesn’t press me further. “Well, I’m sure you’ll like KKB, I just really thought we were in this together.” She hands my bid back. “I guess I’ll see you at the dorm tonight?”
“Yeah, for sure.” I pull her in for a hug, though she seems stiff. “I love you. Congratulations. We’re sorority girls!”
That seems to bring back a little of her pep and she squeezes me tight before squealing again. “I know, right?!”
“Just wait a second, why is everyone celebrating?” our group leader interjects. “You’re not home yet, ladies. Now… RUN!”
Everything turns to chaos. There are bags being tossed and girls tripping over their own feet as they clamor toward the doors and out onto the main campus road. I wait a little, but make sure I’m not last as we run toward Greek row.
Paris veers off at the Zeta house, looking back at me one last time with a sad smile. I blow her a kiss and keep running. Kappa Kappa Beta is the last house on the street. When I finally reach it, I’m completely out of breath. There are fraternity boys everywhere handing me flowers and teddy bears and giving me kisses on the cheek. I scour the crowd trying to figure out what to do next and notice all the KKB sisters are holding anchor-shaped signs with names on them. One of them says mine in all capital letters.
Making my way through the crowd, I smile when I see the hand attached to the sign. It’s the girl from last night. Her long hair is pulled up into a high pony with strands falling around her face and her makeup is immaculately done. She looks so different from last night, but her smile is still the same.
“Looks like that pond has a little magic in it, after all,” she says.
“Looks like it.”
“I’m Skyler,” she offers her hand. “Skyler Thorne.”
I reach out to shake her hand but she pulls me in for a gripping hug, instead. When we pull back, I say what I wanted to say last night but forgot. “Thank you.”
She winks. “We’re just getting started.”
Skyler takes me around the yard and inside the house, introducing me to other sisters and new members. We take so many pictures my face feels numb from smiling by the time we finish, but it’s fun. Everyone is so welcoming.
“Okay, it’s time to drink. Let’s hit the back yard!” Jess, one of the girls I met earlier this week, pops up beside Skyler, waggling her eyebrows.
“No arguments here. What do you say, Cassie?” Skyler asks.
And at first, I’m not sure what to say. This week has been all about figuring out where I belong. But now, the decision has been made and school doesn’t start until Monday.
I think it’s time to enjoy myself.
“Hell yeah!”
They both cheer and we make our way through the house and up to the rooms. Apparently they room together, because as soon as we walk into the large, two-bed room, they each cross to a different dresser and begin rummaging through it. Skyler tosses a skimpy bathing suit back to me.
“Here, I think this one should fit you. You can change in the bathroom right here.” She points to an open door leading into a large, white-tiled bathroom and I can see another bedroom on through the opposite door. I duck in, change quickly, and meet them back in their room. They each have sundresses on, Skyler in a cute yellow maxi dress and Jess in a short red number with no straps.
Jess tosses me a cute lavender sundress and I pull it on over my suit. They both appraise me, smile, and then we head back downstairs and out to the back yard. When Jess swings the door open and gallivants off, I have a hard time closing my mouth.
The yard is covered with people – guys, girls – all in letters. There’s a blow up slip-n-slide on one side of the yard and a pit full of bubbles in the other. A few people are already in their swim suits, either laying out in the yard or wandering around. More and more people join them as I stare.
“We kind of have to sneak the drinks,” Skyler says, sliding me a flask and watching over my back for someone. Who, I’m not sure. “Technically we’re not supposed to drink on KKB property.”
“Really?” I take a swig from the flask and my face twists, but I stomach it. Rum.
She nods. “Yeah. The guys can drink all they want at the frat houses, but our council is pretty strict about not allowing sororities to drink in or around their houses. I guess it’s unladylike or something.” She shrugs, taking the flask from me and throwing it back. “Whatever. We have our ways.” She grins just as someone bumps me from behind.
“Whoa!” I feel strong hands grip me around my middle and steady me. “Sorry about that.” I turn to tell whoever it is that it’s fine but when I come face to face with a lean, dark-haired guy with a heart-stopping smile, I forget how to speak. Or breathe. “You okay?”
I nod, which I’m surprised I can even remember how to do. He smiles wider, revealing perfect, blazing white teeth and one dimple on the left side of his beautiful face. His eyes are dark – almost as dark as his jet-black hair – and in nothing but floral-print board shorts and a white fraternity tank top, his lean muscles are on full display.
I swallow.
The guy’s eyes move from me to Skyler and back again as he removes his hands. I feel a slight sting on my skin where he was touching me when he does. “I’m Adam Brooks, Alpha Sigma.” He reaches his hand out to me first and I shake it numbly before he moves to Skyler. He eyes us both carefully, grin still intact.
“Skyler Thorne. And this is one of our new members, Cassie McBee.”
“Nice to meet you both. Although we have a problem.”
Skyler cocks a brow. “Oh?”
�
��Yeah. You see, you’ve got a flask. I’ve been here at least two minutes now and you have yet to offer me a drink.”
Skyler giggles. “Why, whatever were we thinking, Cassie?”
I find my voice and try to keep up with the banter. “We’re not being very ladylike, at all!” Taking the flask from Skyler, I hand it to Adam, shaking slightly and hoping he won’t notice.
His grin intensifies and his eyes assess me, falling down my body slowly before meeting my eyes again. “I knew you two would be good hostesses.” He tips the flask to us before downing back a shot. Then, he reaches behind him and grips his shirt just behind his neck, pulling it up and over his head. My eyes immediately fall to his chiseled abdomen and toned chest and my throat is dry again.
Holy hell.
“Are you a freshman, Cassie McBee?” he asks and again I can only nod in response. He chuckles, tossing me his shirt and tipping back the flask once more before handing it back to me. “Welcome to Palm South!”
He takes off running and dives headfirst down the inflatable slip-n-slide, leaving me holding fast to the cool metal of the flask and staring like an idiot. Slowly, I look over at Skyler, my mouth still wide. She laughs, shrugs, then pulls her sundress up and over her head, too.
“What he said.” She grins and then takes off running in the same direction.
And I realize this is it. This is the first day of the next four years of my life. I’m here to get a degree, and that’s more important to me than anything else. But at the same time, I’m here to have fun. And right now, standing in a yard full of shirtless fraternity boys and sisters who will be by my side through all the shit college will throw at me, I know without a doubt there will be no shortage of fun in my life.
This is Palm South. This is Kappa Kappa Beta.
And I am so excited for both.
THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS is my favorite. It’s syllabus week, which means we only go over the hell we’re about to endure instead of actually getting any of it assigned to us just yet. As I take a seat near the back of my last Wednesday class, Scope and Methods of Political Science, I chug down the rest of the iced coffee I picked up on the way over and sink down into the chair. I’m still hungover from post-rush weekend and I can’t wait to get back to the sorority house. I need a freaking nap.
Palm South University: Season 1 Box Set (Palm South University #1) Page 3
