Bear
“This is bullshit!” Josh yells and a few brothers join in with his assessment. I just cross my arms harder over my chest and kick back in my chair, shaking my head. This cannot be happening.
“No,” Alec, the fuckhead alum who’s ruining our lives interjects. “What’s bullshit is that you asshats can’t pull your own dick out of your ass long enough to realize worse will happen if you don’t reign it in.”
“We’re in college,” Josh argues. “Partying is part of that package.”
“Maybe, but getting multiple sound violations, police calls, and write ups from the council aren’t.
If you want to still have letters to wear next year, you’ll heed this warning and play ball our way for a while.
” The rest of the alumni brothers behind Alec all nod in unison, agreeing with this stupidity.
“Whatever. No parties for the rest of the semester. Got it. Are we through here?” I know I sound like an ungrateful dick, but on the inside I’m just as pissed off as my brothers.
I get where the alumni brothers are coming from.
Hell, I’ve been warning my Little all semester to get his shit together, but at the same time I’m not ready to give up parties completely.
The fact that we’re doing so without even being on suspension or probation is absolutely idiotic.
The alumni want to teach us a lesson and also get our names off the radar. Whatever their reason, it sucks.
“If we’re all at an understanding, then yes,” Alec concedes. “Chapter is over.”
“Great.”
I stand before everyone else and jet out the door, shoving it a little harder than necessary when I exit. It bounces off the brick of our house before I slam it closed again and start off across campus toward the gym.
This is total, complete, utter bullshit.
Horse shit. Fucking cow manure. I understand that we have to be careful and not do anything crazy enough to get our asses in the news, but throwing a few ragers and having too much fun shouldn’t be a fucking crime.
And Alec seems all too pleased to tell us we were on temporary probation.
It’s already November, so not throwing any parties for the next month doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for us it’s like asking us to cut our dicks off.
Partying is what Omega Chi Beta does. It’s who we are.
Fuck!
I punch a tall plastic sign advertising an event on campus and someone laughs. Spinning on my heels with a glare I know is murderous, I find Erin Xander sitting on one of the benches that line the main sidewalk leading to the gym.
“Whoa,” she says, wide eyed. “Sorry. I’ve just never seen you so pissed.” She puts her hands up in mock surrender. “Everything okay?”
Exhaling, I toss my gym bag to the ground and fall onto the bench next to her. “We just got put on temporary probation. No parties for the rest of the semester.”
“Are you serious?” Erin runs her delicate hand through her dark blonde hair. “Wow. What are you guys going to do with yourselves? Isn’t that like… all you do?”
“Exactly.”
Erin Xander and I are nowhere near close.
Really, I never talked to her much before I met Skyler.
She’s a cool chick, but she’s way too spunky and involved for me.
I’ve always been freaked out by women who like to juggle a thousand activities on top of school.
Any girl who has to have control over that many things in life doesn’t sound like a good time to me.
“Well, at least you can still go to parties. It’s not total lockdown.”
I scoff. “Who’s going to throw parties like us? Mu Beta Chi? Alpha Sigma?” That last option makes me roll my eyes. “Let’s be real.”
Erin giggles, but then stops abruptly and snaps her fingers.
“Hey! I have a temporary fix. Come to semi-formal with me this weekend.” I’m pretty sure I look at her as if she just sprouted a dick on her face because she instantly clarifies.
“As friends, Bear. I’ve been too busy to even slightly worry about getting a date and I know all the other girls will have one.
Come with me so I’m not stag. There will be plenty of booze and you know the Kappa Kappa Beta girls are a good time. ”
“Can’t argue that,” I concede, considering the option.
The KKB semi-formal is always rumored to be a pretty decent party.
I’ve never been before, and the thought of going with Erin kind of makes me want to shove my head into an ant pile, but then again Skyler will be there along with a bunch of my brothers.
Kind of like moving the party, I guess. “Okay, I’m in. ”
Erin lifts her brows. “Yeah?”
“Why not? Free booze, sexy women all dressed up – sounds like a good time to me.”
“Come to the house at six-thirty. We’ll be taking a few buses over.” She smiles, revealing her perfectly straight teeth that I’m sure her parents paid good money for. “And I’m wearing white.”
I nod, snatching my bag off the ground and throwing it over my shoulder as I stand. “It’s a date, Erin Xander.” I wink and she shakes her head as I continue in the direction toward the gym.
Semi-formal isn’t exactly what I have in mind when I think about partying, but it’ll be fun, and anything is better than nothing.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sigh when I see there’s no missed calls or texts.
Ever since I sent money home to both Carleton and my mom, I haven’t heard a word.
Not a peep. I must have ATM stamped on my forehead instead of SON and brOTHER.
As much as it irks me that I haven’t heard from them, it’s kind of a relief at the same time.
Maybe that was it. Maybe they’ll leave me alone now and I can focus on school and Omega Chi.
Temporary probation is going to suck, but in a way, Alec is right – I can’t imagine being on actual probation.
Maybe we do need to take a step back and stay off the radar for a while.
There’s not much time left in the semester anyway. It can’t be that bad, right?
Right?