Adam
“What happened to going easy on the pledges?” Jeremy asks me, his voice low as we circle our new members.
They’re all standing huddled together in a kiddy pool full of ice water in the middle of our chapter room, teeth chattering as they silently pray not to be the next one I call on.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” he adds with a chuckle.
“This is priceless entertainment, but I thought you said you were going to run the pledge process differently when you were president.”
“And I have been,” I remind him. “But, some things are tradition — like the camping trip.”
“And this particularly torturous brand of hazing.”
“Exactly.”
Jeremy smirks. “I will say, this might be the best pledge class we’ve ever had. Between Kade showing athletic promise and Kip already making such a big splash, we’re on everyone’s radar. Let’s just hope they can keep their GPAs up.”
Something twists in my stomach at the mention of Kip, a foreign feeling I can’t fully digest.
“We shall see.” I make my way toward Kip next, that same uncomfortable swell in my gut as I approach him.
“Go easy on him,” Jeremy warns as I close in, but I brush him off.
“Pledge Jackson,” I say, pausing to stand in front of him.
His glasses slip down his nose a bit, and he pushes them back up, his eyes as confident as they can be as he shivers his ass off, waiting for my question.
“Name the three founders of Alpha Sigma who helped the sisters of Pi Gamma Zeta sneak out of their dorms when they were founding their sorority.”
Kip forces a breath, and for some reason, I find myself silently wishing for him to screw up.
Of course, that would earn him some groans and possibly a few punches from his fellow pledges.
If they answer wrong, we start back over, and we go until they can answer ten questions in a row without missing one.
It seems cruel to anyone outside of the Greek system, but anyone who has had to earn their letters, to learn about how their organization was founded and discover a new kind of respect for the gentlemen who paved the way — they understand.
These potential new members aren’t getting hazed for fun.
They’re being tested, not just on their knowledge, but on their loyalty.
Alpha Sigma was quickly becoming a top fraternity on campus, and I would do whatever I could to ensure this next group of guys would add to that, that they would help us continue to build a legacy.
“Harry Winters, Edward Sanders, and…” Kip’s voice fades, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling as he tries to grasp for the last name.
“Ten. Nine.” I start a countdown, just to give him a little pressure, a little push. The rest of his pledge brothers groan, some of them cursing while others encourage Kip that he can do it. They’re a small group, only eight of them, and they’re already forming the bonds of brotherhood.
“Clarence Bell?” he finally says, the answer more of a question.
For a moment I just stand there, making him sweat his answer, but then I nod, moving down the line to the next pledge. Kip lets out a relieved breath, along with the rest of his brothers, but they still have one more question to answer correctly before they’re out of the ice pool.
Jeremy suggests Christopher, our youngest pledge.
He answers his question correctly, and all at once, the pledges tumble out of the water as our brothers toss them towels and bring them hot water to sip on.
We push them to their limits, but we’re still careful with them.
The last thing we want is to end up like Omega Chi for not being smart with our pledging process.
“Can I ask you something?” Jeremy says, handing me two cups of hot water to deliver.
“You already did.”
He smiles a little, rubbing the back of his neck. Jeremy is never nervous when it comes to talking to me. Hell, he’s one of my best friends. So, the fact that he can’t look me in the eyes when he asks his next question puts me on edge.
“What’s your deal with Kip?”
I swallow, my eyes flicking over to where he and Kade are sitting on the couch, chatting and waiting for their water as they warm their feet.
“I don’t have a deal with him.”
“You’re pretty hard on him,” Jeremy argues. “Like, more so than the other pledges. Is it because he’s got a thing going with Skyler?”
“No?” I say, but it doesn’t come out confidently, and Jeremy cocks a brow.
I sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe. There’s just something about him that irks me.
I can’t figure it out. I mean, I’m the one who wanted him to pledge, but he’s just…
he’s so showy. And he’s got all this attention on him already.
He’s not laying low, not working hard like the rest of the pledges.
It’s like he has this sense of entitlement or something. ”
“I think he’s just confident,” Jeremy says. “I mean… I hate to say it again, Adam, but…”
“If you say he reminds you of me again, I’ll nut tap you.”
Jeremy chuckles, tossing his hands up in surrender.
“I’m just saying. He’s a great pledge, and he’s going to be a great brother, if he makes it through your tests, anyway.
” He lets his hands drop to his sides, tucking them in his pockets.
“If it is about Skyler, just talk to him. Let him know whatever it is that you need to tell him. You’re his president, man, and he wants to impress you.
Don’t make it harder on him than it already is. ”
I huff, aggravated both at the thought of talking to Kip and that Jeremy is right. I care about Skyler, she’s one of my best friends, so maybe part of my annoyance toward Kip has to do with her. Then again, maybe it has to do with the fact that, like Jeremy said, he reminds me a little of myself.
Do I feel threatened?
I shake off the possibility of that. If jealousy has anything to do with my attitude toward him, I sure as hell wouldn’t be admitting it to Jeremy — or even myself, for that matter.
With two cups of hot water in hand, I make my way toward where Kip and Kade are sitting, and their conversation comes to a grinding halt once I reach them.
“Kip, can I talk to you for a second?” I ask once they have their hot water.
Kade jumps up like my words were lava spilling on the floor at his feet, rushing to join the other pledges by the pool table. Kip follows him with his eyes like he wished he’d stayed, and I’m reminded of Jeremy’s words as I take the seat next to him.
Don’t be a dick, Adam. Don’t be like Clay.
“Are you taking Skyler out tonight?” I ask, remembering from his little stunt at Kappa Kappa Beta’s chapter that their date is supposed to be this evening.
Kip takes a drink of his hot water, simply nodding in lieu of an answer.
I sigh, running my hands back through my hair as I grasp for the right words to say. “Listen, I don’t have claims on her or anything, but I still care about her,” I say honestly. “And I swear to God, if you fuck her over, I will personally fuck you up.”
So much for not being a dick.
The words fly out before I have the chance to run them through my head, to digest them and decipher a way to say them in a more respectful way. Still, I find myself watching Kip confidently, as if those words were exactly what I planned to say.
Kip swallows down his frustration, and I can’t help but admire the way he’s able to school his features and say his next words calmly and respectfully.
“You won’t have to do that.”
I search his eyes for a sign of a lie there, but find nothing. Satisfied, and frankly out of words to say, I just nod, standing and leaving him alone as I make my way back to Jeremy.
“Well, that looked like it went well,” he says, his eyes on Kip behind me.
“I’m working on it, okay?”
Jeremy chuckles. “Okay. By the way, a cute little redhead just showed up asking for you.”
I can’t hide the smile that that news spreads on my face, and Jeremy waggles his eyebrows in response to it, as if he knows something no one else does.
“And on that note, I’m officially off duty,” I say, walking backward toward the front door. “Can you handle wrapping all this up?”
“I got it, El Presidente. Go have fun.”
I roll my eyes, turning away from him, but he calls out again.
“No. Seriously. Please, for the love of God and for all our sakes, have some fun.”
I flip him off over my shoulder, tucking that little finger away as soon as I round the corner and see Cassie standing in the foyer.
Her back is to me, her unruly red hair pulled over one shoulder of her emerald green hoodie as she mindlessly twists the strands into a braid. She scans the picture of our founders hanging on the wall, her Keds turned inward a little, legs covered by a pair of dark jeans.
Sliding my hands into my pockets, I slip up behind her, my lips close to her neck as I eye the picture over her head.
“Back then, they were told not to smile when they took pictures,” I say, and she jumps a little, but then a small smile spreads on her lips. “What’s my excuse going to be when all the pledges from this semester look just as miserable in their photograph?”
Cassie turns, one eyebrow climbing toward her hairline. “I guess the rumors about you being a dictator president to the new guys are true, then, huh?”
“Hey, can’t make it easy on them,” I say with a shrug.
Her green eyes twinkle as she smiles wider, the gold flecks in those green irises even more pronounced thanks to the deep shade of her hoodie. “Can’t make it anything less than brutal, from what I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, exasperated. I pull her under my arm for a hug, inhaling the scent of her strawberry shampoo. “Jeremy’s already on my ass, okay? I’ll ease up.”
“Do whatever you want,” she says when we pull away, my hand finding hers. “You’re a great president, Adam. Whatever you think is best, I believe it.”
A warm surge of pride tickles my ribcage as I tug her back toward my room.
“Alright, enough of that. I didn’t ask you over to talk about Greek stuff.”
“What did you invite me over for?”
“Mind-blowing sex.”