by Dexx Peay
Finally!
I walked over to greet her.
“Nice little mingle-thingy you guys got here.”
“Glad you guys could make it,” I said.
“This is my roommate Bethany,” Mayson said as she leaned in closer to talk over the music.
Bethany was a typical blonde hair, blue-eyed girl, but she looked really intelligent. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I bet she could give Marcus a run for his money.
“Nice to meet you Bethany, Dylan” I said.
“You can just call me Beth,” Bethany snubbed as she walked off to mingle.
“We can’t stay long, we have another party to attend,” Mayson said.
“Well aren’t you just a little social butterfly.”
Mayson turned around and admired the crowd. “You guys didn’t do too bad for yourselves.”
“So where are you from M&M?”
“West Virginia. You?”
“I’m from Upstate New York, a town called Poughkeepsie. Ever heard of it?”
“No, I don’t think I have. What are you studying?”
“Chemical engineering and you?”
“Whoaa…chemical engineering, look at you.” Mayson said seeming impressed. “I'm a double major, psychology and genetics.”
“Whoaa…look at you. How does one study psychology and genetics? What kind of field do you plan on getting into?”
“You don’t wanna hear about my crazy dreams and aspirations.”
In the midst of our conversation, Marcus came by and said hi to Mayson. He had to make sure he spoke to everyone.
“What about him?” she asked.
“Marc? What about ‘em?”
“What’s his major?”
“Pre-med.”
“Never-would’ve-guessed-that.”
“Scored the highest in our school on the SAT and was Salutatorian, don’t underestimate the Marc-man.”
We sat around talking, getting to know each other. She said she could tell I was a sophomore. Not sure what that really meant, but I guess it was the same way I could tell she was an upperclassman. A junior. That double major had her on the five-year plan for graduation.
I was truly enjoying my time with her. I got up to grab some drinks out the fridge. Right as a I began to open it, I heard a knock on the door. I started to turn around but the mystery person was already letting themselves in. It was like time had slowed as the door open. I walked over and once I saw who it was, my eyes almost popped out of the sockets.
“This...is about to get interesting...” I heard Marcus say as I walked past him.
“Imani what are you doing here!” I yelled.
What the hell was she thinking!
I couldn’t believe it.
I was fuming.
Almost punched a hole in the wall.
Of course, I knew I would run into her eventually, we go to the same school; but by no means was I expecting to see her here....at my room...tonight...in this setting.
I don’t even know how she even heard about it.
“Hi Dylan,” Imani said softly like we woke up next to each other last night.
This girl is crazy, it’s been like three months. I still remember our last conversation, vividly. She promised she would help us fight Jessica and became a no show. Don’t think I could honestly ever forgive her for that.
“Don’t touch me,” I growled.
I snapped my arm away as she tried to hug me. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out the door. Luckily the music was loud enough and the conversations were so engaging that people couldn’t hear or notice us; although I could still feel a few pair of eyes penetrating the back of neck — Marcus and Mayson included.
“What the hell are you doing here Imani?” I barked.
“Dylan, baby, what’s wrong?” Imani asked.
It was like she was pacifying me and it enraged me more. I couldn’t believe she was acting like nothing happened. She kept trying to reach in to hug me.
I kept dodging her.
“Imani you haven’t talked to me since school let out last semester. I don’t want to play your games; I've declared us broken up when you didn’t show up to help. I almost freaking died and you were nowhere to be found. I'm sorry, but there is nothing you can say that will make me forgive you.”
She reached in and finally got a hold of my hand. Kept forgetting how strong she is, but somehow she seemed stronger than I recall.
“Dylan, it’s not that easy to get rid of me baby.”
She had this menacing tone. It was eerie. Steam started to come out from between our hands. I pulled back and eyed her. Her grip was tremendously tight. She stood there and even though she looked perfect, she petrified me. She gave me this cutting glance, then walked off.
I have to stop dating these girls with superpowers, I thought.
“Wait! Where’ve you been Imani?” I cried.
She spun back around. “Looking for you.”
She smirked at me, turned around and walked off.
I stood there with no emotion...frozen.
I couldn’t say or do anything. The door opened and the escaping music snapped me back to reality.
It was Marcus followed by Beth and Mayson.
“We have to go Dylan. Thanks again for inviting us. I guess we’ll be seeing you around,” Mayson said.
“Later,” Beth chimed in.
They both walked down the hall towards the elevator.
“What the heck man!” Marcus said throwing his hands into the air. “That caught me by surprise. Where has she been? Why was she here?” Marcus said frantically.
“I have no clue.” I started to pace up and down the hallway. “That was freaky man. I told her we were done and she told me that it’s not gonna be that easy to get rid of her. I can’t go through the same mess I went through with Jessica!” I screamed.
“We will take care of her, don’t worry bro.”
“I don’t want her dead.” My voice cracked.
“I'm not talking about killing her, but we will find a way to make sure she doesn’t get in your way. Hopefully she doesn’t have some secret grudge against you with plans on getting revenge.”
“Not funny, she sounds neurotic.”
“Let’s just go back inside and enjoy the rest of our night, we can talk more about her in the morning.”
We walked back inside. I lost my urge to converse, so I sat in my room for the next hour until the guest all started to leave. Everyone left except Hudson, Hachi, and Sam. They all began to interrogate me. I didn’t have an answer...for anything. It was a mystery as to where she’s been and what she wants now. The best thing was for all of us to leave her alone, and wait to see where it all goes.
“I don’t think we should do anything guys,” I said. “Let’s just go on with our normal lives and we will adjust and react to any situation that comes up.”
“I think we should start our training sooner than planned,” Hudson urged.
“Not sure if Hachi told you, but I don’t plan on training, at least not right now,” I said.
“Don’t leave me hanging bro,” Marcus cried.
“I'm sorry Marc, but I can’t do this again. I gotta have a life; I'm not as balanced as you.”
“We’ve already talked about it. Don’t worry Dylan. You just do what you need to do,” Hachi said.
The three of them left the room and Marcus and I began to clean. We put everything back and threw away all the trash. The place was back to looking good, and we both went to sleep.
The next morning I woke up before Marcus. Had something important that needed to be done. I fixed a bowl of cereal and finished it in a few bites. I showered then began getting my gear together. Must have tried on ten different sets, before I found the right one. Went with the blue shirt, khakis, brown belt, loafers and a light blazer to conceal my identity. I looked in the mirror to make sure I didn’t have any crust in my eyes or that my hair wasn’t wild.
I looked good.
Duh.
Stepped outside and a few blocks later I was there. I was nervous while I walked, but I wanted this. I got there fast. I almost ran, but a smooth power walk worked. Made it to fraternity row and the street was packed. Everyone was dressed well and in bright colors like it was Easter Sunday. I already knew the one that had my interest, but still wanted to check out some others.
The first house was Beta Chi Zeta, also known as “The Zetas.” I’ve always admired their house. It was red brick with a blinding white door. Well maintained with the yard full of luscious green trimmed grass. The bushes were trimmed and flowers lined the walkway. When I got to the front, there was another guy already at the door. He’d already knocked by time I got there.
Once the door opened, I immediately noticed the house was already full and could easily pick out the members from the potential members. All the members of Beta Chi Zeta had on maroon polos with their letters and crest in the corner.
“Welcome to the Zeta Zone,” one gentleman spoke out. “I'm brother Matt. Come inside, take a look around and get to know us. If we like you, we will put a bid in for you.”
The guy and I walked right into the living room together. Matt came behind us and began talking about the history of the organization and the house. The fraternity itself was founded in 1920 on the campus of New York Central University; while the NYU chapter was founded in 1947, and the house was built in 1986. It’s been remodeled twice since then, and only the upperclassmen Zeta members are allowed to live in the house.
“Rushes welcome!” A voice called out.
We all looked to the stairwell and saw Matt at the top. He started to walk down.
“I'm Big Brother Matt, President of the Delta Chi chapter of Beta Chi Zeta. I just want to thank you all again for checking us out. Please continue to get to know our members and more about our organization. We do have food, snacks, and drinks so please, make yourselves comfortable and don’t forget to sign our roster before you leave.”
I continued to walk and admire the place. All the guys were pretty friendly.
I could really see myself fitting in here. I headed over to the kitchen and grabbed a soda out the cooler.
“Hi and welcome to the Zeta Zone, I'm Brother Zack,” one of the members greeted.
“Hi. I'm Dylan.”
“Tell me a little bit about yourself.”
As we shook hands, looking down and saw the minor chill shoot up his arm. Clearly I was a bit nervous.
“I'm a sophomore here majoring in Chemical Engineering. Once I finish my prerequisites, I’ll be transferring to Stevens and graduating with a degree in Computer Science and Chemical Engineering.”
“I hear that’s a good field to go into and Stevens is an excellent school.”
“I really like it here at NYU but in order for me to complete my major, I have to finish at Stevens.”
“Hey, I totally understand. We sometimes have to make sacrifices in order to accomplish our goals. So tell me Dylan, are you rushing alone?”
“Yeah, I'm rushing alone. I don’t know if my roommate would be interested in the whole fraternity lifestyle.”
It wasn’t a lie, I'm not sure if Marcus would be a fit or even want to be a fraternity guy. I could be wrong; he is like this new and improved person. More outgoing now than ever before. Maybe I should’ve asked him to come with me. I thought about it for a sec, then realized I was better off coming alone. I need to find myself away from Marcus and away from my powers.
This could be the start.
“It’s all good man. When I rushed, I was alone too,” Zack said.
“So can I ask you a question Zack?”
“Yes, please, ask all the questions you have.”
“What do you feel you get the most out of being a member of this fraternity?”
“Most people may join to get the girls or to become popular on campus. Here at Beta Chi Zeta our foundation is academics, leadership, brotherhood, and community service. Our motto is together we can accomplish anything, and I do feel like that here. The sense of brotherhood is tremendously overpowering. Let me ask you something Dylan, do you have any brothers of your own?”
Two I thought. “Yes I have a little brother.”
“So you know what it feels like to have that bond. I have three sisters, two older and one younger, and I've always wanted a brother. It wasn’t something you could just go to the store and buy, but I got plenty here. We always come together to tackle adversity. We support each other with weekly study sessions, covering a wide range of majors. There’s always someone here that can help you in any subject. We hold forums and informational meetings as well as blood-drives and collect donations to help the homeless during the holidays. There is so much to offer here at Beta Chi Zeta that just about anyone can fit in. If you’re looking to better yourself and become a member of a fraternity that truly cares for the principles it was founded on, Beta Chi Zeta may really be a good fit you.”
He left me with so much to think about when our conversation ended. I made my way to the door and signed my name on the roster before I left.
I continued my way down the hectic street, stopping at a few more houses along the way. Some were just as cool as Beta Chi Zeta and some not so friendly. The hours seemed to fly right by me. I had some miss phone calls from Marcus and one from Dad. I'm sure Marcus just wanted to know where I ran off to so early in the morning, but I’m not so sure what Dad wanted.
Soon enough, I was down the street from the Kappa house. I never really had a reason to go on fraternity row, but the house really looked different in the daytime than it did at night. I was a little nervous and hesitant to walk up. Not because of rush, but more so the brothers within the organization — one in particular.
I went ahead and forced myself to walk through the door.
The house was perfect.
All white, three stories with the Greek letters on top. The side of the house had a garage with a side entrance to every level. I could see a miniature sandpit with a volleyball net set up. When I walked, I felt like I was in rush hour traffic. There were so many people coming in and out, it was unbelievable. The entire first level was packed. All the guys of Xi Beta Kappa had on khakis and black blazers. It was pretty warm out, so I know they had to be burning up underneath their clothes.
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. Wasn’t sure why, but a cold drink or food always eased my nerves.
The whole house felt like happy hour. It was more of a party vibe, compared to the other houses I visited. I went back into the living room and seen two guys who looked like they needed some company. As I walked towards them, one of the guys I remembered from my Calculus class last year.
“Hey, Levi right?” I asked.
“Hey nice to see a familiar face around here Dylan. This is my roommate Josh.” Levi said.
He remembered who I was.
Big relief.
“So are you thinking about joining Kappa?” I asked.
“Not sure. My older brother who attends school in Georgia is a Kappa. He’s been a member since his freshman year and now he’s a senior. He loves the fraternity.”
Levi continued on and my eyes began to travel behind his head, and trail to the left. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but someone quickly distracted me. A potential pledge. Had to follow him to be sure.
“Looks like a lot of people are gathering outside, you two wanna go check it out?” I asked.
I didn’t care about outside but I had to confirm my sighting. The three of us headed outside to this massive yard. The house was like a vacation home. Large patio and a yard that went on what looked like forever. I thought the inside was a party, but outside was a block party. The grill was going and coolers were everywhere. Levi was still talking and following me. I was walking, not listening trying to get a spot where I could see him so he wouldn’t notice me.
He was like a bug zapper the way all the girls just flo
cked over to him. Once a few of the girls moved out of the way, I could finally see. My sighting was confirmed. It was Airez. I should’ve known he would show up at this house, his even more arrogant big brother is a member of Xi Beta Kappa.
“Uh…Dylan am I boring you with all this math talk?” Levi asked.
I forgot he was talking. Too busy being nosey. Didn’t even realize the conversation had progressed from his brother and the fraternity to freaking math problems.
“I'm sorry, I thought I saw someone I knew.”
My mind was still fixated on Airez until I heard someone start to yell. Swarms of black blazers started to gather on the patio.
OOOOOWEEEEEEE!!!!
That’s the call of this illustrious fraternity
The black is for the bond
My brothers who would kill for me
The Red is for service we provide to our community
Nothing more, nothing less
Cause only the strong can pass the test
Xi Beta Kappa is the one for me
Xi Beta Kappa where brotherhood is family!
Once they finished, they all started to cheer and hug each other. All the rushes started to clap and cheer. I know just about every one of them envisioned themselves up there in that blazer chanting the words of the Kappa call.
“Fellas,” one of the brothers yelled out.
The voice was loud and powerful. It immediately caught my attention.
“My name is Airin Armstrong, and I'm the president of Xi Beta Kappa. Thank you all for coming out and checking out our house. Here at the Kappa Kage we stress brotherhood and academics. We maintain high standards with our campus and community. We cannot stress enough the importance of academics. Quick Kappa fact — Xi Beta Kappa has the highest overall GPA of all the other fraternities and sororities on campus. We host the annual anti-hazing and anti-bullying forums to three different local high schools, not to mention, we have the best looking sisters of the beautiful Xi Beta Theta sorority!”
