Living at the Frat House - A College Romance

I roll my eyes. “I’m starving, Bai. Let me at least get a few bites in before you interrogate me.”

Slowly, she lets me take three bits while Taylor is laughing before pouncing. “Okay, tell me how it went.”

What the hell am I going to say exactly? That it went both way better and way worse than expected? That I tried to do exactly what I was dared to do and I fucked it up so badly that my entire plans have changed for the year?

“Well.” I clear my throat. “It was…interesting.”

“I think you might have had more fun than you want to admit,” Taylor says with a snide grin. “Maybe the famous Juno is a party girl after all.”

“I am not.” I say, glaring across the table at her. One night in a party house does not make me a party girl, even if Taylor wishes that it did.

She raises her hands in surrender. “Sorry, geeze.”

“Just run through the night, Juno.”

I clear my throat. “Well, after I got there, I kind of barged into the middle of a poker game and asked to be let into the house.”

Taylor chokes on her drink. “Wow. I would have gone with something more subtle.”

“I was tired of every guy I ran into practically devouring me with their eyes, so I wanted to get it over with.”

“And?” Bailey asks.

“And it was easier than I thought it would be,” I lie. “They thought I had balls to ask, and they had room, so after a little conversation, they said yes.”

“Holy shit,” Bailey says leaning back. “I mean…I really thought you were going to have to get on your knees and beg them.”

“Based on the way that she looked this morning, it definitely looked like she had been on her knees,” Taylor says.

“Jesus, Taylor,” I say. “I had to sleep on the floor because they’re rearranging stuff. You don’t have to be so crude all the time.”

“I know,” she smirks. “I like to be, though. And I’ve seen the head of Granite House. Believe me when I say I wouldn’t be judging you if you said that you’d gotten on your knees for that.”

“Well I didn’t.”

I leave out the fact that I had desperately wanted to, and went so far as masturbating after he went to sleep. Or the fact that I dreamed about him. God, I need a shower. I feel like he’s still all over me, that kiss and his gaze.

“So,” Bailey says. “Did you get the proof?”

I shake my head, deciding that I’m not going to tell them about the vase. At least not right away. “They didn’t let me go wandering around the house. They gave me a tour and kind of stuck by my side, so I didn’t have a chance. But I’ll get it.”

Bailey frowns. “What do you mean. You’re going back?”

“Yeah.”

“But that wasn’t part of the dare,” she says. “It was for one night and to get out.”

I shrug. “I don’t know…everyone was really nice.”

Taylor leans over the table, eyes suddenly intense. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I just look at her.

“You’re going to live in Granite House?”

“Maybe.”

“What the fuck?” Bailey blinks. “Why would you do that? We already have a room. We have plans.”

I wince. “I know. But they offered me my own room, and it’s huge, and that means a lot of dedicated study time. You know I love you, Bai, but you also know that you snore.”

She frowns, but she can’t exactly argue with that. We’ve all known each other for way too long, and we all know that Bailey snores big time. It doesn’t bother me, since it can be taken care of with headphones, but I need the excuse. I don’t want them to know that I’m being blackmailed by Malcolm. It would be embarrassing no matter what, but something about it being for the sake of a dare makes it even worse.

“Well,” Bailey says. “Okay. I guess that’s good for you, though I don’t really think that you’ll be happy living with a bunch of guys.”

“We’ll room together next year in the Tri Delta house,” I say. “Promise.”

“You’re still pledging?” Taylor asks. “How?”

“Granite House isn’t a real fraternity. It’s not like they can stop me.”

She looks a little stunned. “Yeah, I guess not.”

Neither of them look like they can believe my lie, and maybe they don’t. But I can’t worry about that right now, there’s too much to do. And besides, I can’t tell them the truth: that the dare that I agreed to basically forced me to sell myself to a man who gets under my skin way, way too easily.

“Speaking of study time,” I say, “I already have reading. So I’m going to head over to the library. Will I see you guys for dinner?”

“Yeah,” Bailey says, a little sadly. “Sure.”