Palm South University Season 1 Omnibus (14 page)

I pull back, pressing my forehead to Cassie’s. Then I laugh. What the hell am I doing?

“Man, I’m so sorry. That was weird, huh?”

Cassie pulls all the way back.

“I don’t know why I did that. I guess I’m just caught up in all the excitement tonight. I hope this won’t make anything weird between us.” I rub the back of my neck with one hand and shove the other in my pocket. This chick is one of the coolest I’ve met at Palm South and of course I let my penis talk me into fucking up that friendship.

Cassie bites her lip, her brows pulled together. I can’t tell if I really wigged her out or if she’s still trying to register what happened. “No, uh, no. Not weird at all.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Good. I really like hanging out with you, Cassie. I didn’t mean to take it there.”

“It’s not, you didn’t,” she stammers, shaking her head. “It’s all good. You were just excited. Zero weirdness, I promise.”

I pull her in for a hug just as the girls join us again. “Thanks. I have to run backstage. See you after the show?”

“Yeah. See you.”

I turn to leave, still shaking my head at how idiotic I am when Skyler grabs my arm.

“Hey, do you have a thing for my Little?”

I glance at Cassie behind her, but her eyes are fixed on the stage. “No. She’s cool, though. I like her, but as a friend.”

Skyler nods. “Okay.”

Once more, she grabs my arm as I try to leave.

“I just had to clear that up before I did this.”

“Did what?”

She runs her soft hand down my arm, her blue eyes dazzling in the rave lights as she tucks something into my front pocket. I swallow when she does, her hand falling way too close to a part of my body she awakened earlier tonight.

“My number,” she answers the question I haven’t even asked yet. “Call me tonight.” With that, she winks and rejoins the girls, not even giving me a second look.

I jog backstage with a shit-eating grin on my face, but it’s knocked off almost immediately.

“This concert sucks,” Clay says, draining the rest of the dark liquid in his water bottle. From his breath, I assume it’s whiskey.

“Don’t be a prick, Clay.” I shove past him, ordering a few of our brothers to get everything ready for the finale.

“It does. These bands are all local. No one gives a shit.”

“Well, there’s about a thousand people out there that say you’re wrong.”

“Whatever. I’m embarrassed that our name is associated with this mess.”

Clenching my jaw, I whip around to face him again. “What the fuck is your problem? Are you worried, Clay?” I know I’m crossing a line I shouldn’t, but I don’t care, even with Jeremy grabbing my shoulder in warning. “Afraid someone might notice what a shit president you are and vote someone else in who actually gives a fuck?”

“And what?” he challenges. “You think that someone is you?”

“Maybe.” I stand tall, and Jeremy finally drops his hand, giving up.

Clay stares at me for a moment, then he lets out a guttural laugh, leaning over and bracing his hands on his knees. Clenching my teeth, I surge toward Clay but Jeremy holds me back.

“It’s not worth it, man,” he mutters.

“I’d listen to him, Brooks,” Clay says through his laughter. “You may not want me to be, but I’m still your president. And I can have you kicked out of this fraternity faster than you come in bed. And that’s saying something.”

I rush forward again, but this time more hands join Jeremy’s and they all hold me back. Clay chuckles once more before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

“Don’t let him ruin your night, man,” Jeremy says. “He’s just being a dick. He’s mad he didn’t think of this first and he’s even more upset that you actually pulled it off.”

I know he’s right, I know it’s jealousy – but he’s still a fucking prick who deserves to have his jaw broken. Shaking Jeremy off, I nod and check the set list. One song away from the finale. “Let’s do this.”

In the middle of the last song, just as the music builds, two cannons shoot neon confetti over the black light crowd and the lights strobe in time with the beat. The crowd goes crazy, fog machines mixing with the confetti and the lights. It’s exactly the ending I wanted, everyone’s going nuts, but I can’t even fucking enjoy it.

Then, through the fog, I spot Cassie. She’s looking up at the confetti falling, a wide-eyed look on her face. She looks happy, and that makes me feel like maybe it’s okay for me, too. I may not be innocent like she is, but I’ve worked my ass off for this moment.

Grabbing one of the bottles of champagne lined up backstage, I run out into the crowd with Jeremy and several other brothers following. I shake the bottle and open it quickly, spewing the liquid everywhere as more people scream and jump in time with the music. The feeling coming from the crowd is electrifying and the band feeds off of it, making the show even better than I could have imagined.

Clay may have power over me now, but something tells me it won’t be that way for much longer.

MY HEART IS FULL. I don’t know how else to describe it.

I thought initiation as a Big was special, but seeing Skyler pin Cassie during our initiation brought an entirely new kind of pride to my heart. I watched as each of the new girls listened to our founding principles, committing them to memory and swearing to keep them secret for life. Their eyes were wide, their expressions eager – it was an amazing sight to behold.

For me, it always seems too short. We’ve been preparing for weeks, but already the ceremonial clothing is packed away, along with the candles and ritual books, and sisters are scattered around the hotel venue taking photos with their lines. Spotting my line, I pull my phone from my Kate Spade purse.

“Cheese!” I snap the photo before any of them have the chance to realize what I’m doing and they all groan in unison.

“Not fair!” Kelsey shrieks.

“Seriously this time,” I say, grouping them together. I find another sister to take our photo and jump in right behind Skyler. We make a long line, starting with Siomara at the top standing on a chair and ending with Cassie on her knees. Our family tree is one of the biggest in the sorority, since Siomara stays an extra semester to be president. I love the feeling of being the largest and, in my opinion, the best.

After a dozen photos at the fountain and around the hotel garden, I steal Cassie away from the group.

“So, you’re officially a sister,” I say, grinning. “Do you feel different?”

Her smile is just as big as mine and I have a feeling she’ll be more like me than Skyler. She seems to have that same passion for history that I do. “Honestly, yes. I really do. And I wasn’t expecting that.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

She nods. “I have to admit, I was a little creeped out at the beginning. The dark room… candles… weird clothing.”

I laugh, nudging her. “Trust me, I was freaked out too. But you have to think, that ceremony was created in the late eighteen hundreds.”

“That gives me chills. How awesome to think how many sisters we have across the states.”

“Across the world,” I correct her. Cassie smiles wider and we walk the grounds of the hotel, talking about her roommate, classes, and a little about my family. I don’t go into full detail, but I give her a little sneak into my parents and their craziness. Her family seems to be the polar opposite of mine – loving, supportive, kind.

It makes me envy my Grand Little.

When we make our way back to the lobby where all the sisters are waiting for our charter bus, I notice Skyler is missing.

“Where’d Sky go?” I ask Siomara.

“She said she had some errands to run but that she’d see us at Ralph’s later.”

“Oh. Want to grab dinner, Cassie? We can go back to the house and get ready for Ralph’s afterward.”

“Yes!” she answers excitedly. “I’m starved.”

Siomara and Kelsey join us for dinner at the sushi restaurant on campus. Glancing around the table at my sisters, I feel an overwhelming warmth envelop me. In high school, I was lost. I went through so much that no one ever knew about – not even my parents. It was the summer before my senior year when I found myself, and ever since then, I’ve thrown myself into everything I love – this sorority being one of those things.

Some people go to college for the education, some for the parties, some to find love. Me? Well, I guess I want all of those things, too – but more than anything, I want memories. I want friendship. And I know without a doubt that I’ve found both in Kappa Kappa Beta.

WE’RE STILL LAUGHING
as we pile into the sorority house, Kelsey and Siomara heading up to the President Bedroom while Cassie and I made our way to my room.

“Do you need to borrow clothes or did you bring some?”

Cassie’s mouth pulls to the side. “I didn’t bring any. Would you mind letting me borrow something?”

“Of course not! Come on,” I lead her up the stairs. “I have the perfect outfit for you.”

I help Cassie dress in tight, dark jeans and a slinky black top with an open back before pulling out a simple red dress for me. I can tell Cassie is new to the dressing up thing – almost as new as Skyler was last year when she rushed. But, at least Cassie has some grasp on makeup and what to pair with an outfit. Skyler is clueless. She’d much rather be in ratty jeans and a t-shirt and, more often than I care to see, she does end up in that. But, when it comes to something important, she lets us dress her.

Thank God.

“I feel like it’s missing something,” Cassie says, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

“Hmm… Oh! We need a pop of color. Skyler has some killer red heels she wore for some poker thing last semester. Let’s go steal them from her. Pair those with some red lipstick and you’re set!”

Giggling as we rush down the hallway to her room, we burst through the door and flick on the lights.

“Shit!” A voice says from beneath the covers on Skyler’s bed. Her head pops out and she’s completely flushed, her hair a mess and her makeup smeared. There’s someone else in the bed with her, but they won’t reveal themselves.

“Are you fucking serious, Skyler?!” I yell, but quickly close the door behind Cassie. Lowering my voice, I storm to the bed and rip the covers back, revealing the guy from the Alpha Sigma concert. “You have got to be kidding me. I know you did not bail early on initiation to bring a BOY back to the sorority house. Mom Cindy will literally skin you alive if she finds out!”

“Well, she doesn’t have to if you stop screaming!” Skyler whispers, giggling. The man in her bed is attractive, I’ll give her that. His dark hair is messy, but his even darker eyes are hooded with lust. Pair all that with his charming grin and I can see why she brought him back.

“Okay, you have two minutes to get him dressed and out of here.”

“Um,” she pauses, looking to the guy. “Could we maybe get like five?”

“Oh my God just get him out!” I throw the covers over both of them, grab her red heels from the bottom of her closet, and lead Cassie back to my room. I’m chuckling a little as we reach my door.

“Your Big,” I start, tossing her the heels. “She’s something else, that one.”

Cassie’s face is sheet white. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay?” I rush to her side. “Oh crap, did you eat bad sushi?”