12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Alex
The sounds of a ball hitting a bat and a roaring crowd fill the room.
“Score?” Kai asks as he walks in from class, dropping his backpack onto the dining room table. He wanders into the kitchen and comes back with his hands full of beer.
“One, nil. Top of the fourth.”
Kai hands me a cold one as he slides into the seat next to me on the couch. He nods, looking at the TV and taking a sip of his beer. I sip mine as well as I shift my gaze from the television to the computer screen on my lap.
“I think I’m actually liking these business classes this semester,” Kai says. “Maybe I could work for a sports team or something one day.”
“Yeah?” I answer but I’m distracted. Margot had texted me a link to the website that housed a comment box for people to write in questions they wanted to ask me. She was already promoting the podcast, name and all, and suddenly it all seemed to be happening so fast.
“What’s that?” Kai asks, extending his beer toward the screen.
“The podcast I’m doing with Margot,” I say, absentmindedly. I scroll through the pages but all I see is me, me, me. The cover page has a giant picture of me, not a bad one I’ll admit, I just don’t know where she got it from. There’s an “about me” page with some seemingly random facts that everybody knows but not a whole lot else. It leaves more to be desired, but I guess that’s the point of the podcast.
As I continue to scroll through the colorful, well-designed site, I notice something that causes an ache to grow in my chest. The only thing that’s missing from the page is any information about the podcast creator herself. I told her I wanted this to be an equal partnership, but I guess she didn’t take me seriously. I’ll have to remind her again when we meet on Monday.
Margot had granted me access to the behind the scenes of the website so I could see the questions pouring in, many of them incredibly dirty. I am shocked at how many questions have already been gathered seeing as the site only went live about five hours ago. At this rate, we’ll have material to last us for years. I groan internally.
“You good, man?” Kai asks from my right. I guess my groan was more physical than mental.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Just not really sure what I got myself into here,” I reply honestly.
Kai peeks over and looks at the growing list of comments. His eyebrows raise. “Damn, you’re really taking one for the team here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you were doing this because it was the only way to get that girl to help us with the prank, right?”
“Oh, right…that’s—”
“Go, go, go, fucking Aaron Judge every fucking time.” Kai’s ass finds its way back to its cushion after standing up in support of the almost home run. He’s not really paying attention to me, which is why I drop the conversation entirely, taking another sip of my beer as I shut down my laptop. There’s definitely a lot of things I want to say to Margot about all this and at the rate she plans, I don’t think I should wait until Monday.
You're needed for official prank duty
KA house. 9pm
I'll come if you can swear you didn't giggle at the word "duty"
…
Please come anyway
By the time nine rolls around, I’ve paced my room enough to carve a hole in the floor. It was risky to ask Margot to come over while there’s a party going on, but I figured it was easier than her coming another time. Considering how her roommates like to party, she’d probably be here anyway.
I glance out the window for what’s probably the billionth time and still see no sign of Margot or her two roommates. The task that I’m about to set before her for the prank is none too pleasant. I’m seriously hoping she doesn’t run for the door and call the whole thing off. I guess I could hold the podcast and New York Times contest over her head but that seems like an asshole thing to do. I’ve been actively trying not to be an asshole these days, especially when Margot is involved.
The next time I glance out the window, I’m convinced it’ll be my last time. I’m only proven right when I see Margot and her roommates walking up the path. From here, I can already tell she looks incredible. I need to get downstairs and snatch her up before other guys see her and start to take notice.
Heading for the stairs, I take them two by two until I’m at the door at the same time as Margot.
“Hey, Alex,” she says, with more glee than I thought she would greet me with, especially considering the way the last party that she attended ended. “You’ve met my roommates, right?”
Danika nods. “We’re acquainted.” To be honest, I don’t really know them well but I’ve seen them around at parties, the gym or class. They’re both beautiful girls, though. Sydney’s fit from the copious hours she’s spent at the gym. Danika’s fire red hair is a force to be reckoned with, but I’ve never felt the pull to her like some of my brothers have. Apparently I have a pull toward uptight, workaholic brunettes. Who knew?
“Nice to see you guys,” I say, in a hurry to get Margot upstairs and out of sight so I can talk her through the plan. “Margot, mind coming upstairs with me to…talk?”
I don’t miss the widening of her eyes at the suggestion of us being alone upstairs in my room. And I can’t control my body’s reaction to her reaction to the idea.
After a moment, Margot’s jaw closes and she nods once in agreement and once toward the staircase, motioning for me to lead the way. I turn immediately and have a gut feeling that she’s mentally communicating with her roommates about the situation. Even though this meeting is strictly professional, I can’t help but feel a flutter of goodness float through me. Her roommates, especially Danika, wouldn’t let her come upstairs with me if they didn’t trust that I had good intentions. Hell, she wouldn’t come up with me unless she knew I meant business. And I do, I definitely do…this time.
Once outside my bedroom, I open the door and gesture Margot inside, following quickly in her wake and closing the door behind me. I lock it for good measure and don’t miss the quickening of Margot’s breath.
She brushes it off and takes a slow glance around the room. There’s nothing much to see, to be honest. A few Led Zeppelin posters and a small bookcase filled mostly with course textbooks and one or two Stephen King novels.
“Into horror?” she asks, and I can tell she’s just trying to break the tension that came suddenly when I locked the door.
“I guess,” I reply, shrugging. Truthfully, I don’t read much. Those books have probably collected more dust than they’ve had pages turned, but she doesn’t need to know that.
Margot just nods slowly, continuing her perusal of my room. I’ve had loads of girls in here before. Believe me, this room is not unaware of the female sex, but I can’t say I’ve ever had one that I haven’t immediately just taken right to my bed. The thought is…kind of jarring.
Margot goes to sit on the edge of the bed but seems to think better of it, opting instead for my surprisingly clothing-free desk chair. “So, you wanted to talk?”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. Yes, let’s get down to the real reason I brought her up here. I end up sitting on the edge of the bed, not disgusted by my own bodily fluids that might be lingering there, as Margot clearly was.
“The prank is in place for next Sunday night, that’s when the alumni gala will be going on. The guys should all be there early in the day, getting ready. You’ll need to get in touch with Ryan Walsh, their president, to set up the interview for that time but I can’t imagine he’d say no. Any press for DE is good press, they hardly have anything going on over there.”
“About that…”
I tilt my head at her.
“You know, my journalistic integrity is not feeling too great about having to lie about this interview. In fact, I think it would make me feel a whole lot better if I was actually able to write something about them, then I wouldn’t be lying.”
“Oh, go right ahead if that’s bothering you, sunshine. Just don’t write anything too nice about them,” I joke, mostly.
“Actually,” she starts and suddenly I feel like she’s about to grab my balls in a vice grip. “I want to cover the gala. You can get me in for that, right? Spare an extra ticket?” She looks equal parts hopeful and determined and I almost wonder how long she’s been sitting on this request.
Truth is, I can get her into the gala, but not as event press. The Greek community is very specific about the people they allow at these parties so anyone unknown by other members would have to have a very special pass. So, I can get her in but…I don’t think she’ll like the circumstances. Do I?
I realize I haven’t answered her request yet and she’s starting to look more and more crestfallen. “I can get you into the gala.” Her eyes perk up immediately. “But you’d have to be my date.”
For a moment she’s stunned into silence and I think this might be the first time I’ve made a girl truly speechless. She’s looking back and forth into my eyes and I’m worried for a second that she might never speak again. Thankfully, she does.
“Why do I need to be your date? You don’t have a press table at these kinds of things?”
“Not typically. Or if we do, it’s very exclusive and, no offense, but the campus newspaper isn’t the type of press the alumni board typically caters to.”
“So, I’d be like…sneaking in?”
“You wouldn’t be sneaking in. You’d be walking in, with me.”
She’s shaking her head. “But I don’t understand, you said we shouldn’t be seen together and now you want me to join you on the dance floor to boogie the night away?”
“Yes, well…minus the boogying part. Do you know what decade you’re in?”
Margot rolls her eyes, pushing herself up from the chair. She starts to pace around the room similarly to how I did just minutes before.
“Fact is, we’re going to have to seal the last door the second you leave their frat house so they’re going to know that the Kappas pranked them and that you were involved, whether we want them to or not. Ryan and the Deltas aren’t stupid. If you’re going to be at the gala, it’s better you’re with us than on your own anyway.”
Margot stops pacing, squints her eyes and lets out a deep breath.
“I need to think about it,” she says, turning toward the door.
Wait. Don’t go, my mind screams and I do the first thing that comes to my head, which is bolt off the bed and stand directly in between her and the door.
“What’s there to think about? You want to write an article for the paper, we need them distracted for the lock-in, this whole thing is like killing ten birds with a bat.”
Margot takes a step out of my personal space and crosses her arms. “That’s not a thing.”
“Also,” I continue, ignoring her. “This will be better for your podcast. If they see us together at the gala, it would start some whispers on campus and they’d be more interested to check out our first episode.” I raise my eyebrows at her, knowing I made a good point.
“Technically though, we aren’t going to be seen together for the podcast. With the way I designed it, I’ll be–”
“Yeah, that’s another thing. I know you want me to be the center of attention for this thing, but I really need it to be a partner production. I can’t just be sitting there answering questions and looking like I’m talking to myself. This is your project, sunshine. You need to be there too. On camera. Talking with me.”
Margot opens her mouth to fight me, but I close my hand over it. “Another topic for another day.”
Margot shoves my hand away and I reluctantly let it drop, missing the feel of her soft lips on my palm. “I hate you, you know that?”
I chuckle at the little lion cub trying to tussle with the alpha. “Sure you do.”
Margot releases a deep breath. “I would need to change before the gala.”
I nod. “Bring your clothes, we can run over to Kappa quickly before the gala.”
It’s only then that I notice we’re still painfully close to each other, her arms having dropped in the heat of the conversation. If I take another step forward, I know she would undoubtedly take a step back to keep the comfortable distance, but I’m hoping to prove myself wrong. Stepping forward, I keep her eyes and watch as they widen softly, but she doesn’t step back. Her neck cranes a bit to keep my eyes on hers.
“You can text me these details, right?” She asks, her words a little breathier than normal.
“Sure, sunshine,” I nod, taking another step closer to her and farther away from the door. Her coconut scent fills my nose, momentarily catching me off guard. Do I want to kiss Margot? Before I could even entertain the idea, she looks up, meeting my eyes again.
“Great,” she gives me a lazy smile. “Be sure to do that, then,” she says suddenly, quickly stepping around me, unlocking the now available door and heading into the hallway without another word uttered, leaving my brain confused, my ego bruised, and my mind more than a little amused.