15. Asch
ASCH
The dahlias are nearing the end of their bloom season, even inside the greenhouse. Blaze takes pictures of one of the blooms, moving around so he can get different angles of it.
“Maybe I can get a few seeds to send to Mom,” Blaze says. “She’d love this one.” He stops and shakes his head. “Flower mafia.”
I eye him. “Flower mafia?” I ask.
“It’s something Pandora said when I caught her skulking around here.” Blaze puts his phone away and leans in to smell the flower. “She didn’t believe me about the flower espionage from rival universities.”
“You didn’t tell me you caught her in here.” I frown at him. “When did this happen?”
I don’t know why I care, except that I’m not used to Blaze not telling me things.
“The other day when I came to check on the dahlias.” Blaze stands up straight and raises his eyebrows at me. “You had class, and I was bored.”
I’m used to Pandora being a project for both of us, and being left out of an interaction perturbs me on a level I don’t understand. “So what happened after you caught her here and tried to talk to her about the… flower mafia?” I prompt.
“She got kind of weird.” Blaze looks around, but we’re alone in the greenhouse. “She was hiding something. I felt it in her pocket, and she completely derailed everything after that. The key? Some sort of tracking device? But I forgot to check back after I fucked her.”
I stare at him. “You fucked her?”
“Uh, yeah? That’s what she’s there for, right?” Blaze starts walking through the greenhouse, admiring the various plants on display. “She mewled so prettily for me. She pretends to hate me, but her cunt clenched around me all the same.”
My hands clench into fists at my sides, though I relax them as I follow him through the greenhouse. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I’m acting irrational, and I know it, but I don’t like that he didn’t bother to even brag about it to me.
“We got busy planning all the pledge stuff, so I forgot.” Blaze pulls out his phone again and taps at it. “Speaking of, how’s our little brother doing?”
I rub the bruise on my side I’d gotten punched in. I’m still humiliated that Blaze stepped in to break things up, but I also remember how Blaze had helped patch me up.
I’m still pissed Fenrir started that fist fight over River. What’s so fucking special about him?
“How am I supposed to know?” I retort. Fuck, why am I reacting like this? It’s not like I’m jealous, but he’s going to think I am if I don’t calm down. “I haven’t talked to him in two days.”
Blaze laughs. “Maybe he’s avoiding you. You gotta assert yourself more, Asch. Stand your ground, demand he meet you in private or whatever. His entire future is in your hands right now. Have fun with it!”
Something twists in my stomach, and I stop dead in my tracks. “Do you have fun knowing you hold my entire future in your hands?”
I need to stop.
I need to calm down .
Blaze tilts his head at me. “What are you even on about?”
I take a deep breath. I’m being stupid. I may rely on Blaze a lot, but he does things for me because he wants to, not because he wants to hold them over my head. I shake my head. “Nothing important. I’ll find him today and talk to him.”
I don’t think I’ll “have fun” fucking with him, though. Blaze wants him to break, but if we push River too far, he’ll drop out and we’ll lose the opportunity to connect with River’s family. The same family that has ties to the Pavones.
“I got in trouble with the mob, and they cut it off.”
I glance down at my hand. If I piss off Blaze, will his family do the same to me?
Blaze acts like his father is nothing but a savvy businessman, but I know better.
I didn’t grow up in Blaze’s shadow to not know what goes on behind closed doors—even if Blaze often shuts those doors before I can walk through them.
“Okay, Mom wants me to bug the botany people for seeds,” Blaze says. “Maybe I should start a flower mafia.”
I snort. “Yeah. That’s the kind of organized crime I’d be into,” I joke. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll see if I can find River. I’m sure I have some things I need him to do for us.”
The truth is that I don’t particularly like this side of the fraternity. I still remember how bad hell week had been for me, how I’d been sure they’d been doing their best to drive me off. At least River is only contending with people who want to test his mettle.
He’s not the scholarship student dependent on his best friend for everything.
We walk out of the greenhouse, and I squint at the bright sun. I’m about to tell Blaze that we should head to the frat house when I notice someone lurking nearby.
River.
I narrow my eyes as I look at him. Did Pandora send him here? Why would she? The idea of her spying on the greenhouse for a rival is ridiculous, but what interest would they have here? I guess she could just like pretty flowers, but she seems like the type to prefer them deadly.
“River!” I call out, meandering over to him and clasping a hand on his shoulder. “Glad to see you.”
From the look on his face, he doesn’t believe me at all, but he fakes a smile. “Yeah, I was looking for you.”
And I have a bridge I’d like to sell you , I almost retort. “Yeah? I’m glad that’s the reason you’re out of the frat house.” I squeeze his shoulder. “Considering you’re not supposed to leave except for classes. You wouldn’t want to break the rules, would you?”
River tenses. “I did have class,” he says. “Then I thought I’d try to find you. One of the brothers said he saw you were.”
I’m increasingly skeptical, and I glance at Blaze. He can’t believe this any more than I do.
“Nice claw mark,” Blaze says, drawing a line down his cheek. “What pretty set of nails gave you that?”
“When we said, ‘no talking to girls during hell week,’” I add, “that didn’t mean you could go around fucking one either.”
“What if I was with a guy?” River retorts.
“Instead of going to class?” I ask, arching a brow. “Still broke the rules, my friend. I guess we’ll need to find a way of making you pay penance for breaking your word to the men you want to be your brothers.”
He huffs out a dark laugh, but he only says, “Yeah. I’ll go do some pushups or something.”
I exchange a look with Blaze, who makes a “go on” motion.
Right. He wants me to “have fun” with River.
“Pushups,” I scoff. “You can do exercise on your own time. No, I think you should thank us for not telling anyone you fucked up.” I’m not as quick at this as Blaze is, but I’m not going to humiliate myself, either.
I can humiliate River instead.
“How about you get down on your knees and kiss our shoes?” I suggest .
“How about I don’t?” River retorts.
“Then maybe I should destroy your chances with Kappa Alpha Omega Sigma,” I say, quirking a brow. I might not be the best choice for a big brother, but I still am one of them.
Blaze crosses his arms and smirks at River. “He can. You need unanimous approval to join Kappa Alpha. One single ‘ against’ vote will mean you’re out.”
River glares daggers at me, but he gets to his knees.
I don’t care how murderous he looks as long as he does it.
He leans down, kissing the top of my shoe, then pulls back. He starts to move away — to do the same with Blaze, I assume — but I clear my throat.
“I said shoes. Not shoe,” I remind him.
River grits his teeth, but he obeys, kissing the top of my other shoe.
I think I understand better why Blaze gets off on things like this.
“Better?” River asks, and while I can tell he’s trying to sound mocking, he doesn’t quite manage it. He sounds wary.
“Much,” I say. “Now Blaze.”
River’s skin has darkened in humiliation, but he scoots over to Blaze. I spot a few other students stopping to stare at us, and I wave, hoping I appear as confident as Blaze always does.
Own the moment , he says, as if I’ve ever properly owned anything.
After River has kissed both of Blaze’s shoes, he tries to stand up, but Blaze puts his hand on River’s head. “Was that enough?” Blaze asks me. “I think he could do more for you.”
For some reason, I’m keenly aware of how close River’s head is to Blaze’s crotch. I know we’re in public, I know it’s stupid, but part of me wonders what it might be like to watch River go down on him like we’d forced Pandora to do.
I shake that thought away. The voyeurs might tolerate the boot kissing, but they’d do something if cocks were involved .
“Lick our shoes,” I find myself saying, my voice a stranger to me. “Get them spotless.”
Blaze laughs, and the sound fills me with warmth.
“Yeah, do that, River.” Blaze shakes River’s head and forces it lower.
River balks, shaking his head. “Okay, there’s gross, then there’s disgusting. I’m not doing that.”
“Then obviously you’re not that interested in joining Kappa Alpha.” It’s cruel, but so was everything that happened to me during my own hell week. Licking someone’s shoes clean isn’t the worst of it.
At all.
“Yeah, sounds like River’s a bit of a pussy,” Blaze agrees. “We’ll tell Zayden you aren’t interested anymore.”
River sneers, and I can see him warring with the decision. Debase himself in public, or give up on whatever stupid scheme he and Pandora cooked up.
I win either way.
River clenches his fists and starts to lower himself down.
“Oh! There you are!” a familiar, feminine voice calls out. “River, River, you have to see this!” Pandora shouts, sprinting up to River as if he weren’t kneeling in front of us.
“What the…” Blaze turns to her. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t forget you aren’t supposed to talk to girls,” I hiss at River. “Get up.”
Even though he does, I can feel the quiet menace radiating from him.
Good thing I’m not scared of him.
Pandora smiles widely and extends her arms at us. “Look what I found!”
It takes me a few seconds to realize that she’s holding a large black snake in her hands.
Blaze yelps and backs up several steps. “What the fuck! Kill it!”
“It’s harmless,” River says, every bit as calm as Blaze is freaking out .
I take a step back, too, but I don’t retreat as much as Blaze has. Considering River has stood his ground, I hope he’s right that it’s not venomous. “We need to let the groundskeeper know there are snakes,” I say.
Pandora glares at Blaze. “We are not killing it. This is an eastern rat snake. It’s completely harmless, unless you’re a rat.
I guess the verdict’s still out on that one.
” She lifts the snake higher so she can look it in the eye.
“What a cutie you are, though. Are you keeping our grounds vermin free?”
“The flower mafia says you need to take the snake and get out of here,” I tell her, trying to sound casual. I can’t deny that my heart is racing, but I don’t want to show her that I’m even a little freaked out by the snake.
Pandora giggles and smiles at me. I don’t understand the sudden thud in my chest.
“Flower mafia! Blaze told you about that?” She hefts one half the snake over her shoulder, and it slithers desperately in an attempt to escape her. “If you guys are the flower mafia, can I be the snake mafia? Actually, wait, I hate reptile traffickers.”
“Reptile traffickers,” I repeat. “Is that even a thing?”
“Yes,” River says. He’s not quite speaking to Pandora, but the line is thin. I eye him, and he shrugs. “ You asked.”
“There are no snake or flower mafia here!” Blaze says, still several feet away from us. “Take that filthy, salmonella-ridden beast out of here!”
Pandora looks down at her free hand. “Ooh. Guess you can’t get a handjob from me right now. Would the salmonella infect your dick first and make it rot off?”
“Get rid of the snake,” I order.
But I have no intention of letting her hands near my cock either.
Pandora meets my gaze, and I see the shrewdness behind her eyes. This is definitely the same crazy bitch who attacked me that first night.
“I’ll find a good spot for…” Pandora li fts the snake’s tail up. “Oops, can’t tell. Well, gender non-distinct snakeage, let’s find a place to set you down that won’t get you trampled by giant vermin.”
River covers his mouth to smother a snort, but Blaze and I both heard him.
“This isn’t over,” Blaze snaps at her. “You’re trying my patience.”
“Do you have a lot of it?” Pandora asks. “Anyway, River, walk with me.” She glances at me and Blaze. “I guess you two could come. If you want to accompany me while I discover all the snake nests on campus.”
“No,” I say. “River has things to do for Kappa Alpha.” I stare at River, daring him to argue.
He grimaces. “Rain check, Pandora,” he says.
I’ll have to find a way to punish him for speaking directly to her.
Pandora pouts at us. “Maybe I should stick with all of you then. If you’re giving free shows out in public, I want to watch, too.”
“There are no free…” Blaze edges closer, and the snake wriggles. Blaze immediately stops moving. “There’s nothing to see here, Pandora. Move along.”
Pandora gives him a nasty grin. “You sure? There was quite the acrobatic event at the greenhouse the other day.”
I look between the two of them, fighting back jealousy I don’t like or understand. “Go on, Pandora,” I echo. “We’re going back to the frat house, and you’re going to deal with that… snakeage.”
“If you say so.” Pandora creeps over to River, then gets on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
Another sudden spike of jealousy goes through me.
“He isn’t allowed to talk to women,” I say.
“It’s okay. He didn’t say a word!” Pandora answers before stepping into my personal space.
I’m hyper aware of the snake she’s still holding, her hand near its head.
“Be nice to River,” Pandora says before kissing my cheek too.
I freeze, not sure what to make of the gesture, but I don’t pull away. I’m not giving her that kind of satisfaction .
She’s already getting enough satisfaction from intimidating Blaze, which isn’t something I’m used to seeing.
I grudgingly admit that it’s… interesting.
She is interesting.
Pandora heads toward Blaze, but he backs away again. “I don’t need a kiss. Just get out of here.”
“Blaze Bouchard, afraid of a harmless little rat snake,” Pandora says with a laugh. She waves and starts walking off. “I’ll keep that in mind!”
I turn to face River. “Aren’t you afraid she’s going to bite your dick off?” I ask.
River snorts. “No. I haven’t done anything to deserve it.” But he doesn’t look quite as certain as he’s trying to sound.
They walk off—in opposite directions—and Blaze finally approaches again, visibly seething.
“That fucking bitch. She did that to save him some humiliation?” Blaze stares after her. “What the fuck is their connection that she’d risk pissing us off for him?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”
One way or another.