I wake up half-naked to someone pounding on my door.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I turn to Jordan, who’s still asleep, one armed draped around me and his face still in his so-cute-it’s-stupid smile.
“Wake up,” I whisper.
“Hmm?” He raises his head slowly.
I scramble to find where I threw his clothes the night before. We hadn’t slept together; he’d been very respectful and gentlemanly about that, but what we did do was...well, a lady doesn’t talk, but I’m not really much of a lady and...daaaammn.
He’s sitting on the edge of the bed by the time I find his shirt and pants. I shove the clothes into his arms.
“Someone’s here—get in the closet.” He jumps up and climbs into the wardrobe, closing that door just as the room one opens.
“One second!” I jump into bed and pull the covers up to my chin.
“Cass!” Duncan barrels into the room. “They voted that you get to be initiated!”
“That’s great!”
He suddenly notices that I’ve buried myself in blankets. “What are you doing? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just, uh, not wearing any clothes.”
“Oh.” He furrows his brow. “Oh my God, is there someone—”
“No, no, just me.” I force a smile.
“Oh. Oh.” His eyes go wide. “Well, um, I guess it would be antifeminist of me to judge, cuz, like, I do it, too, but...”
Oh. My. God. My face must be crimson. “Okayyy...well, bye then.”
He leaves, and the closet door starts to open slowly.
“You can come out now.”
Jordan steps out, covering his mouth as he tries not to crack up. “That was—” He can’t even finish his sentence as he doubles over with laughter.
“Don’t you dare!”
“There are so many jokes, I can’t pick one.” He gasps for breath between laughs. “That was great. That makes this whole sneaking-around shit worth it.”
I make a face at him. He leans forward and kisses me on the cheek.
He pulls his clothes on quickly and then pecks me quickly on the lips. “See you at initiation.”
He checks to make sure no one’s there, then heads out into the hallway, but he peeks back around the door before he goes. “Hey, Cassie, try to finish quickly so you’re not late, okay?”
“Ha-ha. You’re funny.”
He winks and disappears.
* * *
At exactly twelve all the pledges gather in the main room, but the actives are nowhere to be found. People lean against the wall, sit on the furniture, check their watches. Few people are really talking, and those who do just whisper nervously.
No one is exactly sure what we’ll be required to do.
“All right, pledges, let’s get started!” Marco shouts as he bursts into the room. He’s wearing a long black robe, like he’s a Jedi or something. “I’ll call you into the ceremony room one by one.”
People start to murmur at the word ceremony. Most things that involve words like tradition, ceremony and rite of passage have not been pleasant so far.
“Absolute silence in the pledge pen will be required.”
Everyone shuts up.
“Okay. Ben ‘Bambi’ Worthington.”
Bambi steps forward tentatively.
“We don’t have all day! God, don’t make me give you a shot with two fucking minutes left.”
Bambi shuffles forward, almost tripping over his own feet.
“There’s no way he sheds that nickname after this,” Duncan murmurs after they disappear behind the doors. “It’s too perfect.”
Every five minutes or so Marco reappears to summon another pledge.
Until...
“Cassandra ‘Title IX’ Davis.”
My heart slamming against my chest, I step forward and follow him into the darkened living room. Black curtains cover the walls and windows. The actives are standing on tables in a circle, all of them wearing black robes and holding flashlights up to their faces.
Oh my God. I’m about to join the dark side.
Darth Vader, I mean, Peter, steps forward.
“Pledge, state your name.”
“Title IX?”
Even in the dark, I can tell he’s trying not to laugh. “State your given name.”
“Cassandra Davis.”
“Pledge Cassandra Davis.”
“Yes?”
“Please kneel.”
Some of the hooded figures snicker. I roll my eyes but get on my knees anyway.
“Do you promise to lend your loyalty and friendship and brotherhood, I mean sisterhood, let’s go with siblinghood, to the order of the Delta Tau Chi for the remainder of your life?”
“I do.”
“And to take the secrets of this ritual and the brotherhood to the grave?”
I take a deep breath, thinking of all the transcripts locked in my desk upstairs. “I do.”
“To uphold the virtues of Delta Tau Chi—valor, honesty and loyalty?”
I bite my lip. “I do.”
“Stand.”
I do.
He runs through the secret password and handshake so quickly that I remember nothing.
“Now, to prove your allegiance, you must drink the blood of former members.”
He presents a large plastic bag, but unless Franzia used to run through Deltas’ veins, I’m guessing this part of the ritual is a bit off script.
“Just slap the bag,” he whispers.
He holds the sack of wine up while I chug and the rest of the actives count. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven.”
I start to cough, and the wine burns in my throat and up my nose.
“Welcome to Delta Tau Chi, Sister Cassandra.”
“Valor, honesty, loyalty, brotherhood,” the hooded figures chant.
Marco grabs my wrist and leads me through the door to the kitchen, where the rest of the new initiates are waiting. The bright light burns my eyes.
“That’s it?” I ask.
“I guess so,” someone says.
“I hope so,” Bambi says.
“I thought we were gonna have to kill a goat.”
“I heard we were going to have to swallow a goldfish whole.”
Finally Duncan comes through the door, the last pledge.
“Now what?” I whisper to Bambi.
“A’right, let’s party!” Peter shouts as he joins us, throwing his black robe at Bambi.
The rest of the actives follow, also shedding their cloaks to reveal tanks and pastel shorts. The true frat uniform.
Bass and Marco start to hand people red cups. When I get mine, I take a small sip. Champagne, nice. I mean, cheap-ass, sugary champagne, but still...
“All right, men.” Peter climbs onto the coffee table. “And Cassie. You are now members of the best fraternity in the world. If there was ever a time to black out or back out, it is right fuckin’ now!”
People scream and yell and chant and make all sorts of animalistic noises.
“All right, all right,” Peter says, and the chaos dulls to a low roar. “Everyone raise their glasses. To honesty and loyalty.”
“To honesty and loyalty!” everyone else echoes.
And I swear, as we drink Peter’s eyes lock on me.