The Fraternity Files

by Stephanie Joeline Kerfoot

  The Selection (Prologue)

  “Of all human powers operating on the affairs of mankind, none is greater than that of competition.”

  -Henry Clay

  The blistering August sun burned down as the Saber Bend University Bulldogs took the field for the first practice of the season, and a ripple of excitement passed through the rookies as the older players surveyed them condescendingly. To the returning students, many of whom had arrived earlier that day, this practice was a joke. They were not wearing pads and most of them would see very little playing time. Today was mostly a chance for the rookies to strut their stuff, and it was not just the coaches they were intent on pleasing either. Steve Jankowski and Ryan Sanderson stood quietly on the sidelines observing them as the coaches lined them up for the first drill. Everyone else was watching Steve and Ryan.

  “They keep on looking over here,” Alex Delane whispered excitedly to his friends, Kevin Kramer and James Hanson. He glanced once more out of the corner of his eye at the fraternity president and his little brother. “They just looked again!” he exclaimed. “Who do you think they’re watching?”

  “Not you, butthead!” James smirked. “They’re watching Mr. Maryland State High School Record for Most Amount of Rushing Yards Ever, over here!” Kevin blushed, but he couldn’t help the cocky grin that spread across his face. He knew the fraternity president was watching him. He’d been aware of it all week, but unlike the other freshmen, he paid Steve Jankowski and Ryan Sanderson no mind. He was trying to pretend like he could care less whether they noticed him, or not. The truth was he wanted them to pick him. He wanted it almost more than he wanted to make the starting team, not just because of the status he would earn as the president’s youngest brother either. Surely there would be perks with that position, and he could certainly live with that, but mostly he was just dying to be Danny Lockheart’s little brother.

  He had a ton of respect for Danny. He had followed the young quarterback’s career since the beginning of last season, and felt sure he

  would be drafted as a first round pick, if not first overall, when he graduated. To play on the same team with him was the whole reason Kevin had come to Saber Bend. Now, this year, it was up to Steve and Ryan (well really it was up to Steve) to choose a little brother for Danny. Kevin hardly dared to hope that the president might choose him. His heart beat faster and he felt his cheeks grow hot as he looked up. Danny too was watching him with a steadier gaze than either Ryan or Steve. Unbeknownst to Kevin, Danny had, in his mind, already chosen him; if only the decision was his to make.

  Danny was standing across the field from his brothers, next to his best friend, Jesse. He shifted his gaze now from Kevin back to Steve and Ryan. His brothers’ eyes suddenly appeared to be roving once more and Danny scowled at them. Jesse followed his gaze. “Stringing you along, are they?” he asked quietly.

  “That’s the understatement of the year!” Danny griped. “Sean hasn’t said anything to you has he?”

  “No!” Jesse snorted. “Then again, he wouldn’t, would he? He knows I’d go right to you.”

  “I know they’re going to pick him!” Danny groused. “I just don’t understand why they’re dragging it out.”

  “They’re just messing with you,” Jesse returned soothingly, “being a pain in the ass as always. I’m sure they’ll pick him. Honestly, I don’t see what else they could possibly be looking at.” He looked disgustedly at the rest of the freshmen.

  Ryan had a hard time keeping a straight face as his little brother glowered at them from across the field. “You know he’s already got his heart set on Kevin, don’t you?” He lowered his voice, so only Steve would hear.

  “Yeah, I know he does,” Steve acknowledged in an equally quiet tone as he continued to scan the field.

  “It’s a good match,” Ryan probed further.

  “Yup, it is,” Steve agreed, looking briefly at Kevin again.

  “You’re not really considering anybody else, are you?” Ryan simpered.

  “Nope,” Steve was struggling to maintain his serious countenance now too, and Ryan shook his head.

  “Any chance of letting him off the hook?”

  “Nope,” Steve returned, and he cracked a smile, despite himself, as he too caught the irate eyes of their little brother. “Not yet, anyway. This is way too much fun.”

  The two hour practice was light as expected, focusing mostly on conditioning drills that involved the team as a whole. Since the players were not dressed in pads, there was no contact for the day. At the end, however, the coaches decided to put the rookie running backs and wide receivers through their paces. The vets were once again on the sidelines, and few of them paid attention now. They were more interested in catching up with friends they hadn’t seen since the spring than they were in watching the rookies show off.

  They greeted each other with slaps on the back, handshakes, hugs, jokes, and stories of their summer adventures. Steve and Ryan too were conversing with their friends, and Danny and Jesse were hanging out at the other end of the field with their friend, Patrick, who had returned earlier in the afternoon. Occasionally mild remarks were made pertaining to the newest class of freshmen and their potential, casual glances were thrown in the younger students’ direction, or people reflected speculatively for a moment on who Steve and Ryan would choose to be Danny’s little brother. For the most part, however, nobody seemed interested in what was happening on the field; that is, until Kevin Kramer flew by them all, on his way to the End Zone.

  The talk stopped and all eyes were on the young running back as he danced into the End Zone and spiked the ball, right in front of Danny and his friends. Danny knew he shouldn’t encourage the kid, but as he looked down the line to where his brothers were standing he couldn’t help the big grin that spread across his face. Steve and Ryan turned away, doing their best to look unimpressed, but they didn’t fool him, and the rest of the team was still staring at the celebrating rookie in stunned silence. It had been a

  long time since the Bulldogs had seen a running back capable of as much speed as Kevin had just displayed. “Nice one, Kid!” Danny couldn’t help himself, and Kevin beamed.

  “All right, Kramer, don’t get heady on me!” The coach called him back. “That wasn’t bad for your first time, against your own kind. Get back here now, and let’s run it again! This time we’re going to see what you can do when it’s not quite so easy. Mcarthy, get out here and play quarterback! Anderson, Novac, Robertson, McNally . . . .” He called some of his more seasoned players off the bench. Sean Mcnally grabbed his helmet and grinned as he met Ryan’s eyes.

  Ryan tried not to smile, but he couldn’t help it, and Steve jabbed him in the ribs. Ryan didn’t care. He was happy for his little brother, and he couldn’t help feeling smug as he stood next to Steve and watched as over and over again they ran the play. Every time, Kevin managed to get around even the most experienced players as they tried to block his way to the End Zone. Finally, the coach told them to hit the showers, and even he smiled at his young rookie. “Good work today, Kramer,” he said, patting Kevin’s shoulder.

  “Thanks, Coach,” Kevin replied with an exhausted smile as he took his helmet off. Alex and James bounced up beside him.

  “That was frickin’ amazing, Man!” James exclaimed. “They have to pick you, now!” Kevin shrugged, but felt smug all the same as he grinned at his friends.

  *************************************************************“So, have we decided?” Danny popped up all of a sudden between his brothers, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders, and taking them both off guard. Ryan smirked at him.

  “Nope, not yet,” his oldest brother replied indulgentl
y.

  “Well, what can you possibly be waiting for?” Danny cried impatiently. “Weren’t you watching just now? It has to be Kevin!”

  “Why?” Steve returned. “Just because he can run the ball into the End Zone? Hopefully, he’s not the only rookie out here who can do that.”

  Danny looked at him incredulously. “It’s not just that he ran it into the End Zone!” he snapped. “He’s fast! You saw him! Everyone else out here sure as hell saw him. Even Coach was impressed. The kid’s got skills, Steve. Don’t try to pretend you didn’t see that.”

  “He’s fast, I’ll give you that,” Steve conceded, “but being fast isn’t everything. There are bound to be some other rookies with skills too.”

  “But I like, Kevin!” Danny returned irritably.

  “Of course you do,” Ryan simpered once more at his little brother. “He’s just like you, isn’t he?”

  “I don’t know, Dan,” Steve teased, “I’m not sure, I’m ready for two of you. I think one is about all I can handle. I think maybe we should pick somebody with a nice quiet, shy personality, and let you pump him up a bit. Then maybe Ryan and I would actually have some peace this semester. For instance, maybe someone like Janson over there,” Steve smiled lopsidedly as he indicated the shy, awkward freshman with two left feet. He was standing by himself, he seemed nervous, and he kept dropping his helmet.

  Danny followed his brother’s gaze and snorted. “Come on, Man! Now, I know you’re messing with me!”

  “No I’m not, Danny!” Steve pulled away from his little brother, and started to pick up the equipment now that practice was over. “Janson may well be the diamond in the rough we’ve all been waiting for.”

  “Whatever!” Steve looked up quickly as Danny lowered at him, and Ryan had to turn away as he once again did his best to keep a straight face. “Play your little games then. I know you’re going to pick him!”

  “You do not know anything, Little Bro,” Steve cautioned sternly, “and if you would like a chance at having your way, I would advise you to adjust your tone.” Danny met his eyes with a glare of sulky resentment, and Steve raised his eyebrows.

  “Ok! Sorry,” Danny finally mumbled.

  “Apology accepted,” Steve responded, and Danny turned away with a

  scowl. Steve finished picking up the equipment, and as he headed for the locker room, Ryan fell in beside him again, his arms full of equipment, now, too.

  “You do not know anything, Little Bro!’” he mocked. Steve smiled at him, but inside he felt uneasy, and his discomfort increased as Ryan remarked, “You are enjoying this president thing way too much, Man.” Steve’s little brother was no longer looking at him, so he did not catch the serious expression that crossed his big brother’s face, and they continued on in silence as Steve anxiously pondered his brother’s smart-aleck words. It was true that he had been playing with Danny a little. It was too fun. How could he not? His last remark, though, had been anything but playful, and he knew he had to make Ryan understand the difference. His stomach filled with knots as he glanced once more at his impish little brother. Everyone in the fraternity knew how he felt about Ryan; he adored him. He in fact adored both his little brothers, and there were whisperings already that he was bound to play favorites. He knew he had to make both Dan and Ryan understand his position. He was still their big brother, but this year he was the fraternity president too, and he was determined to be fair, always.

  *************************************************************

  “Not bad, Rook,” a voice behind Kevin called as the coach headed off the field, “not bad at all for your first day.”

  Kevin turned towards the voice to see Gregg Mcarthy standing in the midst of some of the other seniors, and his smile faded a little. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was just something he didn’t like about the guy. He got a bad vibe, and his voice now seemed more jealous and sneering than genuinely congratulatory. “Thanks,” Kevin returned uncertainly.

  “Of course no one was in pads today,” Gregg goaded, “and you had little nancy boys out there like Mcnally,” he indicated the tall player with broad shoulders who was standing just behind Kevin. Kevin turned his head, and Sean glanced in their direction at the sound of his name, but he was used to Gregg’s shit, and was in way too good a mood to let it bother him today. He was much more interested in talking to his friends, and after smiling briefly at Kevin, he returned his attention to his conversation. “Sean doesn’t like to break his nails,” Gregg explained snidely as Kevin looked back at him. The guys gathered around Gregg laughed, and clapped their friend on the back, and the young rookie’s brow darkened.

  He didn’t know much yet about the other guys in the house. He had only been here a week after all and some of the older guys had just returned. He had some strong first impressions, though, and he liked Sean. Sean seemed down to earth, straight forward, and unassuming. He seemed like the kind of guy who would make a good mentor and friend. Of all the juniors and seniors, Sean had been the nicest to him so far, and he was Ryan Sanderson’s best friend. That had to mean something, didn’t it? In any case, Kevin didn’t appreciate Gregg’s comments.

  “I don’t know, Mcarthy,” he returned now, “I didn’t notice you doing anything particularly clever out there today.” Steve and Ryan had just come up beside Sean, and they paused as Kevin’s comment rang out. Gregg and his friends saw them, but Kevin had his back to them, and Gregg leered at him.

  “You just wait, Rook, until we’re all in pads! Then we’ll see what you’re really made of.”

  “I’ll still run circles around you, Mcarthy!” Kevin returned hotly. Despite Gregg’s appearance at quarterback today, Kevin happened to know that the senior was one of the principal players standing between him and a starting position as running back.

  “Careful, Kid,” Steve cautioned quietly, and Gregg smiled smugly as Kevin turned to face the fraternity president. “You keep talkin’ like that, and you may have to put your money where your mouth is.” Kevin paled as he looked at Steve’s serious face. Ryan stood between his brother and Sean, and a number of other seniors and juniors had gathered around them now too. Sean tried to catch Kevin’s eye, attempting to arrest any further comments, but Kevin felt he had gone too far to back down now.

  “Bring it on then,” Kevin answered Steve evenly.

  “Kevin! What are you doing, Man?” Alex stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the older students.

  “Leave him alone!” James took hold of Alex’s arm and yanked him out of the way.

  “Are you crazy?” Alex demanded. “He just challenged the president!”

  “Yeah well, he got challenged first!” James snapped. Neither Kevin nor Steve, nor anybody else was paying attention to them as Steve and Kevin continued to stare one another down.

  “All right, Kid! You have your ass here, on the field, by seven o’clock tomorrow morning. I want you dressed, and ready to go, in pads!”

  “Just me?” Kevin questioned, his stomach turning. There was no one he respected more than Steve (except maybe Danny), and he hadn’t meant to challenge him in the first place. He certainly hadn’t meant for things to go this far.

  “You’re the only one talking smack, aren’t you?” Steve demanded. Kevin bit his lip, and remained silent. “See you at seven,” Steve repeated, and he turned once more towards the locker rooms. Sean and Ryan glanced briefly at Kevin and then followed Steve as James came up and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Kevin hung his head and brought his hand to his eyes. ‘That’s it,’ he thought. ‘They’ll never pick me now.’ A moment later he felt a hand settle on his other shoulder, but he assumed it was just Alex, and he didn’t react. There was no possible way for his friends to know how low he was feeling right now.

  “Don’t worry, Kid.” The soft, reassuring voice reached Kevin’s ears, and he looked up quickly to meet the concerned, empathetic eyes of Danny Lockheart. “You’ll get used to him. Stev
e’s bark is worse than his bite, and Ryan is real good at settling him down,” he grinned a little sheepishly. “He should be by now I guess with all the practice he’s had. Steve’s always got a beef of one sort or another with me that Ryan has to try and talk him out of. Keep your chin up. The next week or so is going to be hell, but it will be worth it.” Danny gave Kevin’s shoulder a final squeeze, and then started after his brothers, walking quickly in an attempt to catch up.

  Jesse had come over with his friend, and he too squeezed Kevin’s shoulder as he passed. “You’re a real gutsy kid,” he whispered. “Don’t let Mcarthy get you down. Sean saw what happened. I know it seemed like he wasn’t paying attention, but he was.” Jesse was talking to Kevin, but he was looking at James, sizing him up. He liked what he saw. James might not be as fast on his feet as Kevin, but he was just as fiery, and as young as their friendship was, he was obviously fierce in his loyalty to his friend. James eyed him curiously. “Looks like it’s you and me, Kid,” Jesse grinned. “Take care of your friend, here; his life’s about to get real difficult.” James regarded him apprehensively, and Jesse grinned. “Don’t look so worried. It’s only a week, and after all, he has you.”

  Steve was walking so fast that even Sean and Ryan were having trouble keeping up. Danny and Jesse really had no chance, and they finally slowed their pace. ‘If Steve really was mad,’ Danny thought, ‘it was better to let Ryan handle it anyway.’ Silently, the two friends walked side by side, content now to let their thoughts go. “So, how’s it feel to be a big brother?” Jesse asked quietly after a minute. Danny met his eyes, and they both grinned.

  “It’s awesome!” Danny replied.

  Jesse nodded. “I think so too,” he returned softly as he thought once again of James.

  Steve could act as mad as he wanted. He could put on airs and continue the pretense, but the jig was up. Kevin Kramer had outperformed every other freshman on the field today, and he had stood up to Gregg Mcarthy’s bullying. He had even stood up to Steve. No matter what Danny’s older brothers said now, Danny and Jesse knew it was over. The selection had been made. It might not be official yet, but Kevin Kramer had just become the newest and youngest brother of the fraternity president.