Chapter 20
Frat Boys and Homophobes and Bears, Oh My!
CALEB
I've never been good at waiting. My father calls it impatience, my brothers call it entitlement, but I hate that hanging feeling of not knowing what's coming. Right now, it's creeping up my spine as Jaren and I stand outside the frat house common room.
"Did they say what this was about?" Jaren whispers, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Unlike me, his nervous energy manifests as perpetual motion. The guy can't stay still to save his life.
"No," I say, keeping my voice level despite the knot in my stomach. "Just that both pledges need to be here at seven."
Jaren checks his watch for the fifth time in two minutes. "It's 6:58. Should we go in?"
"Let's wait until—"
The door opens, and Drew is there, his expression unusually serious. "Caleb. Jaren. Come on in."
The common room has been transformed. The usual scattered furniture has been arranged in a semicircle, and every member of the fraternity is present, all looking sombre.
Tyler and Ethan are squeezed together on a loveseat, Tyler's arm protectively around Ethan's shoulders.
Gavin towers at the back of the room, arms crossed.
And James... James sits at Drew's right hand, his face carefully neutral when he catches my eye.
My stomach drops. This looks like a tribunal.
"Take a seat," Drew says, pointing at two chairs positioned directly in front of the semicircle.
Jaren and I sit. His leg immediately starts jiggling, but I force myself to stay perfectly still. Whatever this is, I won't show my nerves.
Drew remains standing, addressing the room. "Before we get to the matter of our newest pledges, I want to update everyone on the Michael and Cher situation. As you know, the university has been conducting its own investigation alongside the police."
Guilt twists in my gut.
Yeah, I helped fix it, but only after royally fucking it up first.
"Michael has pleaded guilty to assault charges," Drew continues. "He'll be serving time."
"Not enough time," Tyler mutters, his face darkening.
Ethan places a hand on Tyler's knee. "Hey, it's enough that he's gone," he says softly. "I don't need to think about him anymore."
Tyler's face goes all soft when he looks at Ethan, and something squeezes behind my ribs when I see how gentle he is with him.
Drew continues, "Cher Wallace has been expelled from Theta Pi Nu and faced a disciplinary hearing with the dean. She's chosen to transfer to a university in another state rather than face the sanctions here."
His eyes find mine. "Caleb, the university has decided not to pursue disciplinary action against you, given that you came forward with information and have shown genuine remorse.
However, there is a note in your file. If anything similar occurs, you'll face the full extent of penalties under the university charter. "
Swallowing hard, I nod. It's fair. More than fair, really.
"Now," Drew says, his tone shifting slightly, "to the matter at hand. Jaren Mitchell and Caleb Huntington, you both pledged late this semester. We've called you here tonight because we've been watching how you fit in with Delta Psi Omega, and we've come to a decision."
Beside me, Jaren has gone completely still. Sweat is gathering at the small of my back.
Drew's serious expression finally breaks into a smile. "The vote was unanimous for both of you. Welcome to Delta Psi Omega."
The room erupts in cheers. Jaren leaps to his feet with a whoop, while I sit, momentarily stunned. I hadn't realized until this exact second how much I wanted this, how much I wanted to belong here.
Gavin bounds forward, lifting Jaren clean off the ground in a bear hug before turning to me with a grin. "Don't worry, Grumpy, I won't crush you. But get up here for the official welcome!"
Finally standing, I'm suddenly surrounded by frat brothers clapping my back, shaking my hand, welcoming me. James hangs back, but his eyes are warm when they meet mine across the room.
"Speech!" someone calls, and the room chants in agreement.
Jaren steps forward eagerly. "I want to say this is literally the best day of my life, and you guys are the best brothers anyone could ask for, and—"
He continues for several enthusiastic minutes while I try to formulate what the hell I'm going to say. When it's finally my turn, the room quiets.
"I, uh..." Clearing my throat with a rough cough. "I wasn't looking for a fraternity when I came to PCU. In fact, I was actively against the idea."
A few chuckles ripple through the group.
"But this place, you guys... you've shown me what brotherhood means. It's not about connections or politics or wearing the right clothes." Glancing at James briefly. "It's about having each other's backs. So... thanks for having mine. I'll try to do the same for all of you."
Sitting down quickly, uncomfortable with the attention, but the genuine smiles around the room ease the tightness as unwanted emotions surface.
Drew raises his voice. "Alright, official business concluded. Let's celebrate our newest members!"
The party explodes from the frat house, as if mere walls can’t contain it.
Music pumps from speakers set up on the porch, and within an hour, the front lawn is packed with people.
Strings of lights have been turned on in the trees, and someone, Emily, I suspect, has produced a table full of snacks and drinks.
Leaning against the porch railing, I nurse a soda and watch the chaos unfold. Jaren has already been absorbed into a group playing a complicated drinking game involving ping-pong balls and red cups.
"Not feeling the party vibe?" James appears beside me, his cup containing what looks like plain Coke.
"Just taking it in. It's a lot."
He nods, understanding in his eyes. "You can always retreat to higher ground if it gets to be too much."
"I might take you up on that later." Bumping shoulders with him is the closest we get to affection in such a public place.
James smiles, then tilts his head toward Jaren. "Your roommate looks like he's found his people."
Jaren successfully bounces a ball into a cup and is lifted onto the shoulders of two other freshmen like he's scored a winning touchdown.
"He's a good guy. Far too cheerful for his own good, but decent."
"High praise from Caleb Huntington the Third," James teases.
"I'm capable of liking people, contrary to popular belief."
"Oh, I know exactly what you're capable of," he says, his voice dropping enough to send heat up my neck.
Before I can respond, a commotion at the edge of the lawn draws our attention. A group of guys in Epsilon Beta Mu shirts stands at the property line, their postures aggressive even from a distance.
"Great," James mutters. "The welcome wagon from next door."
We move towards each other.
"—turned into a fucking pride parade," one of them sneers, waving broadly at the party. "Delta Psi Homo, am I right?"
Drew steps forward, Emily at his side, looking furious. "If you're not here to party respectfully, you can move along," Drew says, his tone deceptively calm.
"Or what?" A tall guy with a crew cut steps forward. "You'll have your little boyfriends gang up on us? I see you've got the whole collection now." His eyes scan the crowd and land on Ethan and Tyler, who are holding hands near the drinks table.
My fists clench, and James tenses beside me.
"I mean, look at this shit," Crew Cut continues, emboldened by his friends' laughter. "Used to be a respectable frat. Now it's a bunch of—"
"Finish that sentence." Gavin's voice cuts through the tension as he steps forward. At 6'4", he towers over Crew Cut, and his usually cheerful face is in stone. "Please. I'd love an excuse."
Crew Cut falters slightly but rallies. "What, you one of them now too? The whole house catching it?"
Gavin laughs, but there's no humour in it.
"You know, the university has some pretty clear rules about hate speech on campus.
" His voice is conversational, but his eyes are hard.
"And I'm thinking someone might send the administration a recording of you guys harassing students at a private event if you don't move along. "
He takes a step closer. "But hey, if you want to stay, we can make room. Just be warned, the really gay stuff hasn't even started yet." He winks exaggeratedly. "Wouldn't want to tempt you."
The EBM guys exchange glances, clearly thrown off by Gavin's approach.
"Whatever, man," Crew Cut mutters. "Not worth our time anyway."
They back away, throwing a few more slurs as they retreat, but the energy has been defused.
As they disappear down the street, the party seems to exhale collectively.
"Fucking assholes," someone mutters nearby.
"Gavin," Drew calls, "remind me to nominate you for diplomat of the year."
Gavin grins, his usual sunny demeanour returning instantly. "Just doing my civic duty to educate the ignorant masses." He spots a freshman holding up an empty keg. "Ooh, beer emergency! Gotta run."
As he bounds away, several brothers watch him with curious expressions.
"Did Gavin imply he's...?" a freshman named Rex asks, looking confused.
"Who knows," Drew says with a shrug. "And who cares? He's our brother."
There are nods all around, and just like that, the moment passes, the party resuming its previous energy.
James looks at me. "You okay?"
My fists are clenched, and my nails are digging crescents into my palms. "Yeah. Just... not a fan of those guys."
"Join the club," he says. "But Gavin handled it. I'm impressed, usually it's Drew who steps up in those situations."
The music changes to something with a heavier beat, and more people flood onto our makeshift dance floor. James glances at the growing crowd, then back at me.
"Want to get out of here for a bit?" he asks.
I don't hesitate. "Hell, yes."
We slip into the computer room, and James pulls the door closed behind us. The servers hum quietly in the background, and the blue glow from multiple monitors casts strange shadows across his face.