Always Crew

“What do you want, Blaise?”

He pulled Harper tight against him, looking as if he were jerking around a friend. The hard look in his eyes didn’t match his grin, and the sight was a little unhinged. “You know this boy and your girl Tab dated, right?”

Her eyes were narrowed, her mouth flat. “Yeah. Why?”

A bunch of girls came in, crowding behind her. They were all dressed similarly, in white dresses with diamonds hanging from their ears. A few looked nervous. Some were annoyed. Some were intrigued, casting glances at Jordan and Cross, then the rest of the other guys. More than a couple were fixing their hair, but Jessinda kept on point, staring hard at Blaise.

“Did she tell you it was against her will?”

Jessinda’s eyes went flat—wait. What?

I jerked around to Blaise. “What are you doing?”

That was my narrative to say. Well, mine because I was the one who handed out the beatdown the first time, but also Tab’s and Jordan’s.

“What are you saying?”

Harper was still cringing, cradling his broken hand against his chest. He didn’t seem to hear what Blaise was saying.

Blaise raised his eyebrows at Jessinda’s question. “I’m saying your girl Tab was with this douche because his dad,” he shook Harper a little, “owned a bad loan over her dad. She was with this dick because he told her if she spread her legs, he’d get his dad to back off the loan.”

Wait.

WHAT?!

I shared a look with Cross, but Jordan was at our backside. He was rushing in. “The fuck you’re saying?!”

This was different from what he’d been told. Tab said she went to Harper, not Harper extorting her. That flipped everything on its head, again.

Blaise’s grin was still cool, scanning over us as he went back to Tabatha’s sorority sister. “I bet you didn’t know that about your girl.” He was looking over at the rest of the girls. “I know your house is connected to theirs. You guys cool with keeping a guy like that in Zeke’s frat?”

I chanced a look at Zeke. His eyes were closed, and his head was hanging. His mouth was pressed tight. Then his lips moved, and I saw he was counting down under his breath. Ten, nine, eight, and so forth.

Jessinda looked at the other fraternity guys. “That true?”

They all shared a look, all shifting on their feet.

Zeke opened his eyes now, giving his best friend a hard look before turning his eyes to her. “Yes. We had a house meeting last night. He admitted it to us.”

Jessinda’s mouth hung open. A startled laugh came from her, but it was harsh sounding. “He did that to one of my sisters?”

“She was one of yours for two months. She’s gone—”

She snapped at the fraternity guy who had stepped forward, “She took the pledge. She’s one of ours. That makes her one of mine.” Her eyes were fierce, her whole face tightening up and rigid. “You all know who my father is. My mother.”

I studied the sorority sisters and then Zeke’s fraternity brothers. Not one of them spoke up. Acceptance and resignation seemed to hang over the guys, and one by one, they looked at Zeke and gave him a small nod. As they did, they turned and left until it was just Zeke standing. He looked at Blaise, who was still holding Harper upright.

Zeke’s hands were still in fists at his side, but he cocked his head to the side and his arms jerked. He forced his fists open, his palms pressing against his sides before he took a large breath. “Let him go, dude. We got him from here.”

Blaise shoved him at Zeke, who caught him, and Zeke and Harper took off, too.

Jessinda cast us a shrewd look before addressing Blaise. “Kinda shitty you did that in front of witnesses.”

Blaise shrugged. “Did that for my boy and my girl. I keep my promises.”

Her head lifted back, and she was taking him in in a whole new manner. Want and lust flared for a brief second before she stamped it back down. “Too bad you and your brother are taken.” She looked at me. “I know you’re friends with Tab. I’ll tell her myself, but maybe it’d be good if she heard from you as well. She’s welcome back anytime. We’ll all have her back. There’ll be no judgment or shame in our house, not when it comes to one of our sisters.”

I nodded.

She dipped her head down before turning. She and her sisters left after that.

Then it was Blaise and the rest of us.

Cross and I had been holding Jordan back. He’d been moving in, closer and closer as that whole conversation happened, and sharing one look, both Cross and I stepped aside.

Jordan was through in a flash, and he punched Blaise, a clear hit across the face.

“What the hell?”