Chapter 3

 

I-Week or more appropriately named, Hell week, was the week before the new pledges were initiated into Alpha Mu.

When it was my turn to become a full-fledged member, four years ago, I was scared shitless. I always thought they would see past my awkwardness and just decide I was too fucking weird to let in.

I didn't expect that they'd take me in with open arms or that my new big brother, John Boy, would be a moose of a guy that treated me more like family than anyone ever did.

But, John graduated after my sophomore year and I felt lost without him. I was never a big partier; I kind of just followed the crowd, always trying to find my own footing.

Now my world was even foggier after the weekend. I'd always thought Rico was a dick, but seeing the way he treated Betsy, just proved it. Yeah, he was one of my brothers and she wasn't a stranger around different guy's bedrooms, but that didn't mean he had to talk to her like that.

And yet, she didn't even bat an eye. It was as if she enjoyed being treated like shit. I didn't get that with girls. They always seemed to like the assholes and nice guys finished last.

I had to be back to the house right after classes, since the pledges were going to be in. The rumors, of course, were that we hazed the shit out of them, but it was nothing of the sort. Mainly, it was a lot of hanging out and 'bro time'. But I didn't want to be very brotherly when half the guys were straight-up assholes and I had another two months to live in the same house with them before graduation.

"Hey, Short Stack, wait up." I barely heard Cali, but I learned to keep my music low enough that I could hear what was around me, yet high enough so that no one gave me shit if I just wanted to blend into the crowd and listen to music.

I pulled my ear buds out as he caught up to me and matched my pace. "You heading back to the house?"

I shrugged. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Look, I know some shit went down with you and Rico at the party on Saturday and I just don't want there to be any hard feelings."

I turned to fully face him, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Cali had the full-blown California look and attitude of his namesake, even though the tanned blonde had never set foot outside of Illinois. "What? I've just noticed some tension between the two of you and I wanted to make sure everything was cool."

"He was about to have sex with a girl that could barely stand on her own. The next day she came crawling back to him so he gave me a smug attitude. How the hell am I supposed to take it?"

Cali blew out a deep breath of air. "Look, I know Rico can be a dick ninety-nine percent of the time. I still remember him as the cocky ass freshman who was my roommate in the dorms. I couldn't stand the guy, but he was the reason I rushed Alpha Mu and the reason I'm standing here, talking to you. He's really not all that bad if you just try to get past all the abrasiveness."

He punched my shoulder. "And I know you kind of have a thing for Betsy, so you can't hold it against him if she wants him."

I scoffed. "I don't have a thing for Betsy. I mean sure she's hot and all, but, no I don't have a thing for her."

That was a lie and I was a horrible liar. I had been staring at Betsy Darling since the moment I moved into my freshman dorm. She lived on the same co-ed floor as me. I still remember the pink tank-top and short shorts she wore during move in and how her body wash always smelled fruity when we were next to each other in the showers. She hugged me and gave me the chastest kiss when she found out I got a bid to Alpha Mu, but that was as far as our relationship got.

I moved into the house by second semester and she practically did as well, floating around and hanging out with different guys. I always wanted her to end up in my room, even if it was just to play Grand Theft Auto, but again...nice guys finished last.

"Look, can you just keep cool about it, at least until after initiation? I think some of the pledges have caught a bad vibe between the two of you and I don't want it to scare them off."

I just stared at him. Cali never wanted to make waves and wanted everyone to all hold hands and sing brotherly love songs, but that wasn't the reality of the situation. Rico was a dick and there was no changing that. Betsy probably wouldn't stop hanging around him, even if he treated her like shit. So, I guess I just had to get over it and move on.

I forced a smile. "Sure, Cali. Anything for you bro."

He grinned. "That's what I like to hear."