Shared

“Ah,” I said. “You’re from Omega Alpha.”

“Yup.”

“Shut down for alcohol hazing. Disbanded. Thrown off campus.”

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Brandon said. “But also, no. We got railroaded. We didn’t haze anyone.”

I reached for the towel I was using as a paint rag. “That’s not what I read.”

“That kid you read about got drunk at some other party,” he said defensively. “He passed out on our lawn and we called him an ambulance.”

“That kid was a freshman, with more alcohol in his system than the town drunk tank. He nearly died.”

“Again,” Brandon reiterated. “Not us.”

I sighed as I wiped my hands clean. I sure wasn’t there to argue with him. I wasn’t there to babysit him either.

“Well Brandon, it seems somebody’s made a mistake. You can’t live here because the house isn’t ready. Not even close.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m still fixing it up, and the University gave me another six months to finish the job.”

He looked confused as I handed the paper back to him. “You? A girl?”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “Me. A girl.” I used a single finger to tap my tits, playfully. “See?”

He blushed and nodded. Folded the paper back into his pocket.

“Go tell them you need another place. In fact, tell them they—”

I stopped dead as another two guys walked up behind him. Two boys, really. College students, like Brandon. Maybe twenty, or twenty one.

“Hi,” one of them said. He was equally as tall, with soft blonde hair that framed a very handsome face. “I’m Colin, and this asshole next to me is Hunter.” Hunter elbowed him so hard he almost dropped his box. “We’re here for our rooms.”

My eyes found Brandon’s again and he gave me an apologetic shrug.

“Well shit,” I said.

Two

CLAUDIA

The guys stared at me for a long while, like they were witnessing the creation of some paint-splattered goddess. It was Colin who eventually put down his own boxes to help clean up the mess.

“Thanks,” I said, tossing him a clean rag.

“No problem.”

I explained to them how I’d been tasked with fixing up the place, and how I’d only just begun. I left out the money part. As an adjunct professor my salary wasn’t much, so I took whatever extra hours I could. Not only was this some good supplemental income, it also kept me out of my own house for as long as I wanted.

Out of the house and away from Garrett.

“S

o you’re the one fixing up the old DDT house, huh?”

Hunter circled the foyer, being careful not to track through any of the spilled paint. There was a definite swagger in his step. His walk was cocky, if not outright arrogant.