“There’s an issue with my transcript,” he replied. It was like he was so distracted he forgot who he was even talking to.
“What kind of problem?” someone beside him asked.
Daniel sat on the bench. “I’m on academic probation.”
I kept my face smooth and didn’t react. He didn’t deserve my surprise. Just because he wasn’t the type of guy to ever get low scores didn’t mean he didn’t actually get them. He was never the type of person to beat anyone up either…
“They’re just now telling you now?” Jack asked.
“Apparently, there was some kind of error and their system never caught it. Anyway, the school realized it today, and I got called in.” He rubbed a hand over his head. “I’m failing two classes.”
It was late in the semester. If he really was failing, there was no way he was going to have time to make that up.
“What about graduation?” I asked.
“They won’t let me.” He sounded hollow, like he was in shock.
“You’re not going to graduate?” Jack said, incredulous.
“No!” he shouted out, frustrated. Everyone who wasn’t paying attention before sure was now. “My school records show I’m failing two classes. All my assignments are turned in, but half of them all got shitty grades. And my midterms? Apparently, I barely passed those.”
“If you were struggling, why didn’t you ask for help?” Jack pressed. “You know the fraternity has access to free tutoring. Any of the brothers would have helped.”
I nodded because Jack was right. One of the requirements of an Omega charter was he perform well in all classes and maintain a passable average.
“I didn’t know!” he exclaimed. “No one said anything to me until today. I thought I was passing. This has to be some mistake.”
“Maybe their computers are malfunctioning,” someone offered.
“They aren’t. The office checked. And rechecked. Then my career counselor called the professors and had them access their online gradebooks. I’m fucking failing.”
“What does that mean?” Jack asked. He was looking at me, not Daniel.
“It means he won’t graduate. He’ll have to retake these two classes and graduate next semester,” I answered.
“I’ll have to reenroll for next fall!” he hollered and punched a locker.
“Summer classes?” someone offered.
“Not the ones I need,” he replied, bitter.
“Can you make up the work? The assignments?” I asked, knowing he couldn’t.
“Don’t you think if I could, I’d be doing the work right now?” He fumed and looked at me. “You’re probably loving this.”
What goes around comes around, fucker. “Of course I’m not.”
“I can’t play in the game. I’m suspended from campus activities. I’m on probation with the school.”
“That seems awful extreme for failing two classes.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest.
“I might have made a scene in the office,” he muttered. “And they had to call campus security.”
“This calls into question your charter at Omega,” I said.
His nostrils flared. “What?”
“This is grounds for being dismissed from the brotherhood.”
Beside me, Jack nodded, grim. The men all standing around averted their gazes and went back to dressing.
“You can’t kick me out of here. If I go, I’ll take you with me.”
I yawned. “Since you aren’t playing, you can leave. Maybe you can convince the teachers to give you extra credit.”
His lips thinned into a straight line.
“We’ll have a house meeting and vote on your status, and I’ll let you know.”
He slammed out of the locker room like the Tasmanian devil.
I wondered if maybe Drew had gone a little further with his hacking skills or if Daniel just really dropped the ball.
Either way, I didn’t really care.
One down, three to go.
After the game…
We got our asses handed to us. On a nicely decorated platter of La-ooser.
Not like I expected anything else, though. I mean, damn, the Wolves and the Knights together on one team?
#Epic.
It was fun to be out on the field again, although I missed being alongside the Wolves. The game ran a little longer than expected, but no one complained. The fans there seemed happy to stay.
We raised a lot of money, so I counted the day as a success.
Not only that, but the three guys who needed a little extra tackling all got what was coming to them, and by the end of the game, they knew damn sure why they seemed to be so accident prone on the field today.
One guy was already gone, off to the campus clinic because he popped his knee out of socket and had to have it popped back in. Conner’s best friend was probably going to be black and blue with bruises tomorrow, and Conner…
Well, he had a busted nose, a busted ass, and a bunch of grass stains all over his clothes. If he’d actually hit Drew like he’d intended, he wouldn’t have gotten off so lucky. The fight wasn’t totally a surprise, but I’d hoped Drew would keep his cool.
He only did what I would have done, which was taken out the threat he saw to me.
Conner was pissed, though. He was sitting in the corner of the locker room, drilling holes in the back of my skull with his stare.
After I gave a short, “We lost, but we won because of all the good we did for the charity,” speech, the guys all hit the showers and began changing.
I just left on my sweaty, stained clothes. I’d wait and shower at home. There was no way in hell I was getting naked in here in front of Con and his last remaining co-conspirator.
Even though I wasn’t showering, I hung in the locker room a bit, talking shit and laughing with the other guys. At one point, most everyone was hitting the showers, and a few had already left when Jack approached.
“Today was planned for a reason, wasn’t it?” He spoke very low.
I glanced up from my phone. “Duh.”
“It was them, wasn’t it? Con and some friends.”
I heard it in his voice, the surety. I lowered my phone and slid it into my pocket and leaned one shoulder against the lockers. “What do you mean?”
“Our own frat brothers jumped you.”
How the hell did he figure that out? I hadn’t told anyone.
A pinched look came over his face. “I’m assuming your silence is an agreement.”
“You might be on to something.” I hedged. He was the almost president. He had a right to the information.
“It’s because you’re gay, isn’t it?”
I jerked upright and reared back slightly.
Some laughter filtered in from the direction of the showers, and I grabbed Jack by the arm and led him even farther away, over near the entrance.
“Why would you say that?” I asked when we were totally alone.
“That night a while ago when you left brothers’ night to go with Drew. You asked me if I cared you were leaving with him. It got me to thinking. Then the rumors started whispering through the house, and Drew hasn’t come around since. Not to mention your family sure was rough on a few particular players today.”
“Was it that obvious?” My tone was sheepish.
“No, but I watch and observe, just like you.”
I blew out a breath. “Fine. I’m in a relationship with Drew. I never confirmed it to Conner, but he suspected, and he turned those other three against me. He thought if he could beat me up and scare me bad enough, I’d leave the house and he could swoop in and take control.”
“Push me right out.” Jack mulled that over.
“Pretty much. And we both know if that happens, Omega is screwed.”
Jack nodded. “We should tell the house, let them take care of it.”
I nodded. “That’s the plan. I was just letting them squirm a while.”
“Devious.” Jack nodded. �
��I approve.”
“So you’re okay with it?” I whispered.
“With having you as president? Of course.”
“You know what I mean.” I levelled my eyes on his.
“Yeah, I know. I’ll tell you what I said back then, when you left to go with Drew on brothers’ night. I don’t have a problem with it. Love is love.”
I held out my hand, and we shook on it.
“You’re going to make an awesome prez. How would you feel about taking the reins a little earlier than planned?”
“You know I’m up for it.”
I nodded. “Good. I’ll keep you posted.”
Not long after everyone started filing out of the locker room, everyone was pumped for the giant party we were having at the house tonight to celebrate the game.
On his way past, Conner stopped to stare at me.
“How’s the nose?” I asked with a smirk.
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” he asked. “Enjoy it now, because when everyone finds out you like dick, they’ll be singing a whole new tune.”
“Maybe.” I conceded. “But if they do, you probably won’t still be around to see it.”
He made a rude sound, then stepped back. “Tell your boyfriend I owe him one.”
I leapt forward to grab him by the shirt, but a damn bench was in the way, and the little pecker turned and ran.
Done.
That was it.
No more head games. No more hacking.
No more playing with my food.
He threatened Drew. I’d do anything, and I do mean anything, to keep something like what happened to me from happening to him.
It was time to eat.
Drew
I was getting old.
Like I might as well put in an order for a cane and a rocking chair.
Well, maybe not that old.
But old enough that a party didn’t sound like fun. ‘Course, maybe it was because of the tension I felt at this particular party.
This was the first time I’d been in the Omega house at a party since before Trent was beaten up. It was the first time I’d been here at all since that night as far as everyone else was concerned.
It would be odd if I didn’t show. My absence would be more notable than my presence. I knew people in the Omega house whispered about Trent’s sexual orientation, and I knew it was me they all suspected him being with.
It didn’t bother me. Not like that. Not anymore. It seemed like after facing my father, facing a room full of douche bag frat guys was the equivalent of having gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe.
Let me make it clear, though. Just because I didn’t care they suspected or whispered and just because I didn’t care what their opinion was on who I loved… it still made me nervous.
I’d already witnessed what some of the guys in this house would do. After the game and the way Conner and I went after one another, I was afraid of making it worse. Trent still lived here.
Plus, we’d yet to come out to the press and to T’s mom.
Something I was very curious about. I didn’t know much about that side of Trent’s life. He never talked much about his mom, his dad… anyone. The only thing I knew for sure was he was an only child and his dad wasn’t around.
At least I wasn’t alone tonight. Romeo and Braeden were here; a lot of the Wolves players were here. It wasn’t just the frat and me. This was a post-game party and a huge one at that. The house was packed, so much so that people spilled out into the backyard where there was a small bonfire burning and lights strung around the old trees.
There was a keg in the yard and one in the kitchen. Coolers with liquor and beer sat like every two feet, and the music was so loud I had no doubt campus security would get a noise complaint.
Of course, maybe not. Everyone on the entire street was here, so there weren’t many people left to actually call and complain.
We were out in the yard, the massive crowd around Romeo, Braeden, and a couple other Knights players. Rimmel and Ivy went home with Nova, and I was thankful. This was no place for them.
The bonfire was against my back, which I was glad for, not because the darkness brought some cold air, but because if I had flames at my back, I couldn’t have frat assholes sneaking up behind me.
Trent was inside, still making his rounds and doing his job as president. I knew he was trying to make his way out here, so every few moments, I would scan the crowd for his familiar face.
People were interested in the new racing division, which I thought was cool because it meant word was getting out, so I ended up talking cars while I nursed my beer.
“Hey-hey!” Braeden called out a little bit later, and the crowd parted around them as Trent stepped through.
My heart fluttered a little at the sight of him in a pair of beat-up jeans. I liked the worn look on him; it was sexy. With it, he was wearing a plain white T-shirt that molded to his impressive chest and over was an olive-green, army-style jacket.
He grinned, flashing his crooked front tooth, and bumped fists with just about everyone he passed.
“To our host!” Romeo yelled and lifted his beer.
Everyone cheered and did the same. I laughed because I could only imagine what it was like when Romeo actually went here.
Trent grinned and drank to their cheers. His eyes met mine over the rim of his red cup, and the fire at my back reflected off the gold flecks in his gaze. He took up position between me and B, leaning close to my ear. “Daniel is on academic probation. Couldn’t play today. Won’t be graduating.”
I sipped my beer. “I wondered why he wasn’t on the field.”
My little field trip into Daniel’s college record sure paid off a lot better than I thought. Hell, I had no idea the fuck would have to defer graduation. Oh well. He deserved it. It was a shame, though, he wasn’t on the field to take a few hits today.
Trent caught my eye and lifted a brow, silently asking if I was responsible.
I smiled.
“Good game, loser.” Braeden butted into our private conversation. “How’d it feel to take a loss today?”
Trent laughed. “Strange. I’m used to being on the winning team.”
We all settled into a conversation, mostly about football, because you know, the NFL pros were in our presence. There was some smack talk about how bad we smoked the Omegas and, of course, some beer drinking.
I noticed Trent seemed to be drinking the same as I was tonight, as in not really. There was no way in hell I’d let my guard down around all these people. Especially with guys like Conner running around.
I’d yet to see him, but I knew Trent had. He was in the house, and I’d pretty much stayed out in the yard.
In a perfect world, it would have stayed like that.
We all know perfection in life is very rare.
Unless of course you’re a crispy, warm French fry dunked generously in Heinz ketchup.
Jack appeared, breaking into the circle where we all were standing. Trent was on instant alert. Must have been the wary look on Jack’s face.
“Thought you might wanna know,” Jack said, trying to keep his voice down, but it was a party and he wasn’t leaning close. So obviously, people could hear him. “Con’s in the house. He’s talking a lot… Saying some shit. Getting people riled up.”
Trent let out a curse. “He drunk?”
Jack nodded, grim. “Want me to handle it?”
“Nah, man.” Trent clapped him on the back. “It’s time I deal with him once and for all.”
Braeden was already starting for the house, Romeo right beside him. Trent turned to me. “Just stay here.”
I laughed.
Trent’s eyes stared unflinchingly into mine. “I’m not gonna lie in there.”
I stared unflinchingly back. “I don’t want you to.”
Trent measured me a second longer and then nodded. He walked right through the path B and Romeo were cutting, and I followed right behind. T was the first to walk in
the back door of the house.
In here, the music was so loud it actually made my body vibrate. People danced all over, and there was a game of beer pong set up near the kitchen.
Trent went right through toward the main living space. It’s like he had radar for the guy, like he knew exactly where Conner would be.
The vibe the four of us gave off as we moved through the house got a lot of attention. All of us were impressive in height and build. I was the smallest, but I wasn’t so small I’d get lost in the crowd.
It was Romeo who garnered the most attention. He was intimidating when he wanted to be. His quiet power and blue-eyed stare were enough to make even the drunkest person sober enough to get the hell out of the way.
And Braeden… well, he simmered with temper. He was a hothead, had been since the day I’d met him. I knew he’d throw a punch. Hell, we’d exchanged a few ourselves.
Conner was in the center of the living room. His eyes were blackened from the hit I gladly delivered to his nose, and it was puffy and painful looking. Probably explained why he was self-medicating with the excess alcohol tonight. Maybe he was trying to dull away the pain of getting punched in the face.
He was talking animatedly to a group of mainly Omega members, but there were girls hanging on some of the guys, too.
Their gazes all shifted to Trent when he approached. Tension in the room spiked, and some people turned a wary eye.
“I hear you’re in here talking shit again, Conner,” Trent said, his voice icy and hard. He never talked to me like that. To anyone. “How many times have I told you if you got something to say, then say it to my face?”
Conner’s face screwed up into a mean look. His eyes swept toward the family standing at Trent’s back. “I see you brought backup.”
Trent shrugged one shoulder. “I know you like to fight in groups.”
Conner’s face paled.
Jack appeared, stepping around me, B, and Romeo and moving to stand near Trent and all the Omega brothers.
Conner sneered. “Had to run and tell, didn’t you?”
“I think maybe our president has a right to know what you’ve been saying about him. Don’t you?” Jack replied.
“He knows exactly what I’ve been saying about him,” Conner said. “He’s just too chicken shit to admit it.”
#Rev (GearShark #2) Page 23
