Adam
“So I’ll see you there, right?” I ask the three freshmen girls standing in front of me. They all giggle and nod, their eyes flitting from the flier to me before they turn and walk away. I throw Jeremy a cocky grin and he just shakes his head.
“Only you could pull this off, you know that right?”
“Anyone could have before me,” I say, handing a few fliers out to groups of students walking past our booth. “It’s just that no one made the effort.”
“That’s because no one cared.”
“And that’s exactly why we’re the lamest fraternity on campus,” I deadpan.
“Touché.” Jeremy chugs half of the water bottle in his hand and wipes his forehead. “Damn it’s hot. Florida sucks.”
“What’s wrong, Michigan? Can’t hang?”
He glowers at me before grabbing another stack of fliers. “Shut up or I’ll make you do this shit by yourself.”
“You’ll make me flirt with every girl on campus to convince them to come to our concert? Wow. What a dick.”
He flips me the middle finger before walking up to a group of Zetas. I laugh, but it’s cut short when I spot our president making his way toward the tent.
Shit.
I’m not in the mood to put up with Clay, but I don’t really have a choice. Out of all the brothers, he’s the most resistant to the changes I want to make to our organization. In my opinion, he should have been doing all this a long time ago.
“So do we have a packed house for the concert yet?” he asks mockingly, eying our booth. I want nothing more than to smack that smug look off his face but I smile instead.
“Getting there. You want to help us pass out some fliers?”
“Nah, I’m on my way to the gym. Just wanted to see this shit show for myself.” He snickers. “I can’t wait to see this thing fail. Then maybe the alumni will realize why I didn’t listen to you the first time you suggested it.”
“Why are you against me on this?” I finally ask him, perturbed. “We’re brothers, Clay. If we pack this concert, we’ll put Alpha Sigma on the map again.”
“We’re on the map now.”
I scoff. “You really are stupid if you honestly believe that.”
His face drops and he steps forward, bowing up his chest to mine. “Maybe you should watch the way you speak to your president if you want to keep those letters.”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek hard to keep from opening my mouth. Shaking my head, I don’t give him another word before taking off toward a group of Omega Chi Betas. As much as we’re rivals with them, we need their support just as much as the girls’ at this event.
I’m still steaming over the conversation with Clay two hours later when Jeremy and I start breaking down the tent.
It pisses me off that he can’t stand to see me try to better our fraternity.
Part of me thinks he’s jealous or worried I’ll overshadow him, and part of me knows he’s just a miserable human being.
“Looks like I missed the party,” a soft voice says behind me just as Jeremy and I pack the large navy tent into its cover. When I turn and come face to face with Cassie McBee, I smile.
“We can always take the party somewhere else.”
“Oh yeah?” She grins. “Where to?”
Cassie is cute, I can’t deny that, and part of me wants to tell her we can move whatever party she wants to my bedroom. But there’s something about her that’s innocent – too innocent for me to screw up. “Ralph’s?”
Her face falls a bit, but she snaps out of it quickly. “Wish I could. I’m actually on my way to class.”
“Let me walk you?”
“Uh,” she falters, holding up the longboard I didn’t realize she had tucked under her arm before.
“I didn’t know you longboarded,” I say, genuinely surprised. “Can’t say I’ve met a sorority girl who rides before.”
Cassie blushes. “Yeah well, I’m not initiated yet. Maybe the sorority girl life will wipe away my longboarding habits eventually.”
“I hope not. But, can you ditch it long enough to let me walk you the rest of the way to class?”
“Sure.”
I toss a glance at Jeremy to make sure he’s cool with taking our equipment back. He nods and I grab a flier from our bag and hand it to Cassie as we turn away from the Student Union.
“Oh yeah, the concert,” she assesses. “I already told you I’d be there.”
“Just making sure you didn’t forget. You bringing your slip-n-slide sister?”
She scrunches her nose in a way that makes her look even more innocent than before. “I don’t like that nickname. But yes, she’ll be there, too.”
“What’s wrong with that nickname?”
“I think it sends the wrong message.” She waits for me to catch on and when I do, I blanch.
“I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. I like it even more now.”
Cassie punches my arm lightly and I grin. Her bright scarlet hair is braided over her right shoulder, accenting the natural pink blush of her cheeks. I’ve never really been into red heads, but there’s something about her that intrigues me.
The problem is, I feel the same way about her Big.
Skyler Thorne has always been a gorgeous girl, but getting to talk to her more this semester has piqued my interest. She’s a spitfire and her confidence is unparalleled by any girl I know.
Funny – it’s like she and Cassie are almost polar opposites.
One is innocent and light, one is mysterious and dark.
They’re like two sexy little devils perched on each one of my shoulders.
“This is me,” Cassie says as we reach the Sciences Building. “Will I see you before the concert?”
Her hazel eyes assess me and I throw her a sideways grin. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
When her cheeks flush red, I’m not sure how to feel about it, but I don’t have time to analyze it before she turns and disappears behind the large wooden doors.
Pulling out my cell, I type out a text to a few brothers to meet at the house.
We have a lot to get done before next weekend and I’m determined to do it right.
Alpha Sigma may be in the back of everyone’s minds now, but if I have anything to do with it, we’ll be all the campus can talk about by the end of the semester.