Chapter 2
“What color is that? Green?” Toccarra asked, turning up her nose.
“Yeah, I look great in green.” I’d told her all about my run in with Anubis.
This was our fifth weekly Target run. It’d been more than a month since I spoke to him. I’d seen him across campus, walking to class, but I never approached him. We weren’t in the same circle, far from it. No surprise there. He lived near the water at the Edenvane Boat House, a multimillion-dollar facility where all his rowing crew stayed. It was basically another fraternity house on steroids.
Toccarra and I lived in the slums.
“You sure it’s allowed?” I asked Toccarra, grabbing the green box. Sometimes I felt she was always trying to stir the pot since she still made her living making content.
“You saw the article yourself,” she said as she loaded every color into her cart. “Maybe I’ll do rainbow hair.” Toccarra swung both ways at the same time. She already landed a girlfriend and a boyfriend.
I found it surprising that Edenvane had a newspaper. Apparently, they lifted the strict dress code years ago, but the board just voted to allow hair color and visible piercings.
The next day, I went to my first class with bright green hair. Afterwards, I had my shift at the library. Of course, I had a work study. When I sat my backpack down behind the desk, the librarian, Margrett, gave me a once over.
“What’s this about?” she asked, her finger to her chin.
“Why not? If it’s allowed, right?” That’s what Toccarra had said to convince me. I’d always wanted to dye my hair. I’d just not wanted to risk my chance in the lottery.
“You stand out like a green thumb,” she joked. “Allowed? I don’t think so.”
I shrugged. “It was in yesterday’s Howler.” They named the college paper after the school’s mysterious mascot, which resembled a black dog. We were simply the Edenvane Howlers.
Dragging the paper out, Margrett studied it hard. She shook her head. “I read this cover to cover. What are you talking about?”
I snatched the paper from her. It was identical to the one Toccarra showed me except for the one article about the board meeting. The room spun a little as I tried to wrap my head around it. However, I wouldn’t go my entire shift upset. I calmed myself, knowing I could just dye my hair back. Crisis nearly avoided.
On the way to my next class, campus security stopped me and requested my badge. They told me to report to the Dean’s office immediately.
When her door opened, someone headed out in tears, and I stepped in. Behind a large wooden desk stood a very tall blonde. A dog peeked out from behind her. The all black rottweiler looked a lot like our mascot. The Howler. Like a mean Hell Hound.
Shavira Mence introduced herself and sat. “I didn’t think we would meet like this,” she remarked, a frown overtaking her features.
“Is it my mom?” I asked, suddenly scared her and Rock hadn’t made it to their next stop.
“It’s your hair. I know you can read, Ms. Divore. I implore you to read our rules here at Edenvane. As a lottery winner, I’d think you wouldn’t want to cause such a scene.”
I was gonna whine about the missing article or point the finger at Toccarra. But I thought better of it. Hanging my head, I simply said, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I’ll change it back right away. It won’t happen again.”
“No, you’ll wear it all semester. You look ridiculous. Everyone can see you broke our rules. Let it be a lesson for you. Also, it’s one strike on your record. If I had my way, you’d go back to whatever trailer park you came from, but I have rules to follow. Please familiarize yourself with our standards going forward.”
Though taken aback by her insults, I promised her, “It won’t happen again.”
Leaving her office, I felt ridiculous. Fuck, I couldn’t even fix my hair now.
When I got back to the dorm, Toccarra’s hair was unchanged, and I felt even dumber.
“What happened to your bright red?” I tried to keep my face straight.
“Washed right out this morning. Didn’t take,” she flat out lied.
“What sick pleasure do you get out of humiliating me?”
“I do not know what you are talking about,” she began. “My hair’s never been able to hold color.”
Locking myself in my room, I watched her videos to see if she was playing with me. If this was a bit. But I found nothing. Toccarra left for the weekend saying she was flying to California for a party. I only half listened. After the fake paper, I was so done with her. Most of the students in my classes were off to Dubai to go shopping or flying home for the long weekend.
While everyone was gallivanting around the globe, I found myself in a sad cafeteria, eating alone. Anubis took a seat across from me, and his presence completely surprised me. He was all decked out in a fitted suit, looking like a million bucks.
“Like your hair,” he said as a way of greeting.
Did he do this? I saw him in an all-new light. His suit didn’t change the fact he was the bad guy. Giving him a blank stare, I picked at my ramen.
“I’ve not seen you around.”
That was a question I wouldn’t answer. I gave him the silent treatment.
“Me? Busy with the crew. Practice. Competitions.” Anubis made excuses. “It’s dead here, isn’t it? Always is on this weekend.”
Sucking in my lips, I wouldn’t bite. The long break had nothing to do with traditional holidays. Though curious, I continued eating.
Unbothered by my silence, he went on. “There’s a party at the Boat House this weekend. Casual affair. You should go.” He produced a card from his jacket and slid it to me. “This will get you in.”
Without me saying a thing, he got up and left like nothing was amiss.
Turning it over in my hands, I studied the gold plastic. It was blank but had a strip on the back.
Back at my dorm, I paced. I felt like I should’ve chewed him out. Especially if he was the one who did this. Who else would have the power to make a fake paper? He talked about me working for the paper the last time we talked.
Catching glimpses of my green hair in the mirror, I was fuming. Did he work with Toccarra to get me in trouble? Why? Because I didn’t sleep with him as soon as I got here?
Looking out my window, I could see the Boat House in the distance. Torches were lit outside, lighting up the darkness like a runway leading to that party. Students were funneling in. The more I stewed, the more I wanted to go to his fucking party and cause a scene. Give him a piece of my mind. He wasn’t just bullying me. He was jeopardizing my whole future.
With Toccarra gone, I searched her closet. She’d said I could borrow anything anytime. I never took her up on the offer before. Right away, I found something expensive looking to wear, but casual, like he’d said. Her designer jeans fit me like a glove. I paired it with a black lace top that looked more like a bra. To fit in, I threw on a satin black blazer over it. I found her highest heels, black with red bottoms.
On the way to the Boat House, I regretted the heels. The night air was cool, so I was so glad I wore the blazer. As I made my way down the cobblestone path leading to the fraternity, the thumping of bass broke through the quiet night. The Boat House was a grand wooden structure, not unlike a big boat itself. I flashed my gold card at the door. The guy looked at me funny as he took my card and swiped it. He radioed my description to someone else before he let me pass.
“Once you’re in, you’re in. You’ll need to swipe out.”
Nodding, I stepped inside to the smell of expensive cologne mixing with the faint fishy smell of the river. And I thought everyone was gone? To my right was a bar, complete with a bartender in tails, serving top shelf liquor and champagne. Laughter cut through the air as I passed a group of students trying on a vintage diving suit that I could only assume usually decorated the room like all the other oddities.
My eyes darted around as I searched for Anubis. Still enraged, all my senses were on alert. I heard others in a heated exchange. It caught my attention. I listened in as their voices rose and fell, but discovered they were arguing over which yacht brand was the best.
God, I was out of my league.
I couldn’t help but feel like an outsider just observing the spectacle of excess. Then I spotted another shimmering glass-topped table with some white powder. A group crowded around it, sharing designer paraphernalia embossed with logos. Stuff couldn’t be real. Their focus intense, they moved with an air of invincibility that was frightening.
I wanted to be an outsider.
Stepping out back, a more familiar smell hit me. The pungently sweet smell of weed that Rock smoked all day long. But I wondered if this was that luxury strain of Mary Jane that they all whispered about on campus.
The river was a dark mirror reflecting the starlit sky. And it was alive with swimmers. A guy shouted as he jumped from the roof of the boathouse right into the water. I held my breath, waiting for him to emerge alive. Several students lounged on bespoke blankets, passing around glass pipes. Others chilled in the boats decked out with plush velvet pillows as they sipped from crystal flutes.
Through all this, as I searched for Anubis, I was invisible to everyone, green hair or not. They were inside their bubble, and I smashed my nose against it to catch a glimpse of their carefree lives.
“To the Nile,” someone shouted. A cheer rang out. A throng of party goers pulled me along to the water’s edge. Students in various stages of undress were all jumping into the river. I grabbed a cocktail from a silver tray and downed it. I strained my eyes for Anubis. My heart skipped when he beckoned me to the other side. I stepped around someone, and my heel caught in the sinking earth. Time slowed as I teetered. My arms flailed for balance. All eyes were on me as I plunged into the ice-cold river, gasping as the water enveloped me.
Strong hands grasped me, tugging me to the surface. Heaving, I was drenched. I could’ve drowned. I expected Anubis, but no. The stranger who had signaled me introduced himself as Dave as he offered a towel. I’d been mistaken. Chattering my teeth, I thanked him and rushed to the nearest bathroom to salvage what I could of my outfit.
There I stripped and wrung my clothes out. More than a frat house, the lavatory had powerful hand dryers. Lost in thought, I got to work on drying my clothes. Where was Anubis? It’s not like I even had his number. I realized I shouldn’t have come.
My jeans weren’t getting dry either, so I decided I would try the top. Once the dryer stopped, I heard people shouting outside the door.
Only in my panties, I hollered, “I’m in here.”
“Cops,” they screeched.
Then hurried footsteps filled the air.
Fuck.
As the door burst open, I froze. The stern faces of the campus police were getting an eyeful. They didn’t care as they ushered me out. Holding my wet clothes and my bare breasts, I realized I left my roommate’s shoes behind.
The lawn was all flashing lights and disheveled students. The ones who didn’t get away. And I was in the middle of it all, in nothing but a black lace thong. They let us go, but not before checking our IDs.
Talk about a walk of shame back to the dorms. Plus, I was freezing.
The dean’s office the next morning felt even colder. I was staring at that evil-looking dog again.
“Caught naked at the pauper’s party?” Mrs. Mence read the Campus Police report.
“Come again?” I asked. Paupers?
“The party. Did you think the crew invited you to party? All the Houses invite the slums every year to use the Boat House while they are away to pledge.”
I didn’t miss the fact she called me the slums. “This is sanctioned?”
“Yes. But there were illegal substances found,” she clarified, with an evil smile.
“I barely had a drink.”
“This is your second strike, Ms. Divore. Do you know anything about baseball?”
I bowed my head.
“People who grow up on hotdogs usually get the reference,” she said with a satisfied smirk. I was beginning to think she wanted me to leave. “This behavior is not befitting a student of our influential institution.”
Her attitude only made me want to get to the bottom of who was setting me up. But I knew who. He was, after all, the bad guy in my story. The guy who invited me to that party, he wasn’t even at.
Believing we were done, I turned to go. But her strident voice sounded from behind me. “You must join an organization. You’re too undisciplined. Those who have grown up poor have entirely too much time on their hands. Idle hands do the devil’s work. Please let me know you’ve joined an activity by the end of the week.”