Chapter 5

Alex

The next morning, I rolled over, feeling the after-effects of the three vodka sodas that I downed the night before after several cups of beer. I reached into the side table and opened the drawer, my eyelids barely open. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I grabbed a small pill bottle and popped it open, pouring two of the capsules into my palm.

I fisted them in my hand and sat up, keeping my eyes closed so that the room wouldn’t spin. Once I got up from the bed, I crossed the room to the small refrigerator and grabbed a cold bottle of water. I swigged the entire thing down along with the pills.

Next, protein shake.

Hangovers were a thing of the past for me. After joining AKA, I learned quickly how to get rid of them so I could be a functioning member of society.

I opened my door and stepped over one of my pledges who was passed out in the hallway. He laid on his side and the steady rise and fall of his back eased my mind that he was going to be okay.

I glanced at Bret’s closed door with a sock on the knob. I grinned. At least one of us had a good time. After meeting and kissing Lily, she was all I could think about. No one would have guessed from the way I cut across the dance floor the rest of the night, but with her in my pocket, I knew I had to buckle down. Dealing with some chick this morning was only going to get in my way.

It wasn’t just Bret who had a good time last night. On the way to the kitchen, I walked over several passed out members of the frat and other party goers. At least no one was drinking and driving. The house was close enough to the campus to allow for people to walk over while not having to deal with campus security when our parties were too loud.

Thankfully no one passed out in the kitchen, so I was given a moment of peace to walk around the space. Thankfully, I wore flip flops since the floor was incredibly sticky from spilled drinks and other unmentionables. The pledges had a long weekend of cleaning ahead of them.

I never went anywhere in the house on the weekends without shoes on. It was a mistake you only made once.

I measured the powder of my protein mix and added that and a few other items to the blender before turning it on. After taking aspirin, the next step to hangover freedom was hydrating with extra protein. Adding lost nutrients to my body would clear it up within an hour. Then, I would get to work on my assignments for the weekend.

I walked back to my room as a million thoughts raced through my head. There weren’t any plans for a party tonight at our house, but I was sure Bret would inform me of at least one going on. I hoped to get my assignments done for next week, so I could enjoy myself.

Speaking of Bret, the door burst open just as I finished mixing the shake. Bret stumbled into the room, his eyes were like slits, and his hands were in front of him, blocking the sun peeking through the side window.

“Bro, get the shades,” he said.

I chuckled and crossed the room, lowering the shades. “Rough night?”

“How are you even functioning right now?” Bret asked, leaning against the counter. His skin was gray, and he looked as if he were going to throw up.

“Practice, my friend,” I said clapping a hand on his shoulder.

He groaned, and I laughed. “By next year when you’re in my spot, you’ll have it down.”

“I have it down,” he said, attempting to stand up straighter. “I even slept with a hot chick last night.”

“What was her name?” I asked, pouring two glasses of the shake.

“I have no idea,” Bret said. “I can’t be bothered with details like that.”

“Or you can’t remember,” I said, gulping down the shake.

“There’s that too,” he said, sipping from the glass. He cringed.

“Drink it all,” I said, tipping the glass back for him. “You’ll feel fit as a fiddle soon enough.”

“Doubt that,” he said after choking down the final sip. “What are you doing today?”

“I have to catch up on some homework,” I said.

He stood up, already looking a little better, at least the correct color of his skin reappeared in his cheeks. “I’m going to go Round Three with what’s-her-face. See you later, bro.”

I pressed my lips together, suppressing a smile. Must be nice…

Even with a clearer head, I was still unable to make sense of my notes from class. My handwriting was illegible and what I could read made no sense at all which was par for the course with that class. I raked my hands through my greasy hair with frustration and shoved the work away from me.

A shower would clear my head. I knew I was procrastinating again, but I’d never be able to get through the homework without feeling clean.

I was about to head across the hall to the bathroom when my phone rang.

I whirled around. It was the ringtone set for home. I knew if I didn’t pick up right away Mom would think the worst. She already had enough to worry about from her failing son other than if I was alive or not.

I sighed and picked up my cell. “Hey, Mom.” I hoped I sounded convincing enough for her to not ask about my studies.

“Hi, Alex,” she said. “How are you?”

“Fine,” I said. “Just about to get into the shower. Can I call you—”

“I wanted to check in with you to see how school was going?”

“Oh,” I said. “Everything is fine.”

“You said that already,” she said, her voice going flat.

I rubbed my forehead. “Because everything is fine, Mom.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “I can tell when something is off.”

She might as well have stood in front of me to ask that. Her powers of perception bordered on psychic.

“I’m not doing so well in Cost Accounting,” I said, finally opening up. She’d find out soon enough when my grades came in. At least if I got some money from her for a tutor, she might not be as disappointed at the end of the semester. I hated to ask her for more money than she already shelled out for me on a monthly basis.

“How bad?” she asked.

“Professor Tarrington suggested I get a private tutor,” I said.

There was a long sigh from the other end. It wasn’t as if I wanted to be horrible at the class, I just didn’t understand the concepts. I was never great at academics. It was my athletic ability that got me into school. She didn’t need to work to make me feel worse than I already did.

“Where do you expect to get the money to pay for that?” she asked.

“You know I don’t have time to work,” I said. Between classes, practice, and my AKA duties, there was barely enough time to sleep.

“I think you need to start prioritizing what’s important to you, Alex,” she said. And I knew the lecture was starting. I sat on my bed, waiting for her to dive in. “Your father and I can barely afford the costs of your fraternity life. Is your scholarship in jeopardy with this class? You know we can’t afford to make up that cost. And with only one semester remaining, I’d hate for you to have to drop out because of that.”

“Mom,” I said sharply. I needed her to stop freaking out. I was twenty-two years old. I could handle this. And she needed to start trusting me. Lily’s face popped into my head. I would make it work with her. There had to be a compromise for her to help me without costing Mom more than her means. “I have this under control. My scholarship isn’t in danger. I will buckle down for the rest of the year and make you proud.”

“You always make me proud,” she said after a moment. “I can’t help but worry. I am your mother.”

“I know,” I said. “And I love you. But I really have to go now.”

“Okay, call me when you can.”

“I will.”

I tossed my phone onto the bed, my nerves a bundle in my stomach. I glanced at my shoes. Screw the shower. I needed to let out the negative energy and the only way to do that was to run it off. Maybe after I cleared my head, my notes would make more sense.

I changed into running shorts and slipped on my sneakers. Even though the sun wasn’t as blazing as it was in the summer in Dallas, I threw on a tank top to protect most of my chest from a potential burn. So far, it was a mild December, but I wasn’t willing to take that chance with my body.

Even though there were plenty of side streets to jog down, I liked to make an appearance on campus when I could. Living off-campus created a separation and I had to keep in touch with other students outside of class so our parties would remain as well attended as possible.

Several girls looked my way, and I made a point to check them out as well. My reputation was paramount, and I had to admit that I was looking for one girl in particular.

Outside the library, I found her. I wasn’t sure who was surprised more, her or me. She wasn’t dressed as sexy as last night, but I was happy that I had a look at her smoking body when I did. From here on out, it had to be strictly professional between us. I couldn’t disappoint my family because I couldn’t control myself around a first year student. Even though she was considered a sophomore, she was technically a freshman to the school. I grew out of that phase two years ago, and I couldn’t slip back to my old ways with my grades on the line.

As I approached her, she slowed, and her eyes widened. Even with no makeup on and her hair tied back into a tight bun, she had something special about her. I typically went for the girls that took the time to look pretty but the natural look suited Lily better than that.

“Hi,” I said, slowing down. I paced around her, keeping my heart rate up.

“Hi,” she said, tightening her hands around her books.

“I was hoping to run into you.”

“You were?”

“Of course,” I said. “I wanted to hammer down the logistics for the tutoring sessions.”

She let out a choking sound.

“What is it?” I asked. “Did you change your mind?”

Her eyebrows knitted together and my heart dropped. I hoped that she hadn’t changed her mind. This delicate girl was my only hope of passing Cost Accounting and graduating on time.