Page 3 of Level Up

“Nah, I think I’m good.” Ryan shrugged off the arm and pointed toward the door. “Wanna head out?” he asked me.

But the frat bro wasn’t finished with his sales pitch. “Hold up, man, you’ve got to join. You’re a legacy. Wouldn’t your dad be pissed off if you didn’t?” Mention of his father seemed to give him pause. Like the guy had pressed some invisible button and set off a nuclear countdown inside Ryan’s chest.

My curiosity got the best of me. “Who’s your dad?”

“No on?—”

The frat bro cut Ryan off, beer sloshing out of his overflowing red Solo cup. “The owner of one of the most successful fucking companies on this planet.”

…

…

So Ryan was hot, funny, a gamer, good at sports (the kind involving alcohol at least), gay, and came from a rich family.

Definitely a serial killer.

“Maybe I should stay,” he said to me. His tone sounded more fit for a funeral, not a keg-fueled rage. “It was great meeting you, Jay. Want to trade numbers? Maybe we can link up later.”

I shrugged and took out my phone. What would it hurt? I was in a brand-new school, starting off during the beginning of the spring semester. Friend groups were already established, and new kids weren’t always welcome, so the more, the merrier. Especially since I wanted to continue with my activist work here. There was power in numbers.

Plus, the guy was hot.

We swapped information, and I left with another goodbye, trying hard not to be hypnotized by Ryan’s bright smile. I headed toward the huge two-story stucco house, a gentle breeze rustling the thick palm tree leaves. It smelled like salt, like the ocean.

God, I fucking hated that smell.

A group of brothers chatted near the exit. I decided to play the role of a detective. I smiled and caught one of the guys’ attention.

“Hey, quick question. I was wondering,” I said, acting as nonchalantly as possible, “but who’s that guy over there? The one with the FU shirt and white shorts?”

“Ryan? Ah, yeah, we all know him. His family was one of Sigma Alpha Chi’s founding fathers. Christopher Redpine.”

“Redpine. Why does… wait, wait, wait.” My heart dropped to my feet. “Redpine, as in Redpine Global? The company known for fracking all across protected lands? Ruining natural habitats for over a hundred different endangered and rare species? Contributing to the metric shit tons of carbon that’s accelerating climate change and creating natural disasters all around the world? That Redpine Global?”

The frat guy scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, I don’t know about all that. But yeah. Redpine Global. Dude’s fucking loaded.”

“Got it, thanks.” I walked around the fraternity brother and through the inside of the messy and cluttered house.

I knew it. I fucking knew it.

So Ryan wasn’t straight, and he wasn’t a serial killer. Instead, he was the heir to the oil throne for a king hell-bent on ending the world while making his pockets fatter in the process.

Before I left the house, I deleted his number. If there was any kind of god or goddess in this world, then they’d hear my prayers and never make our paths cross.

Ever. Again.

Chapter Two

Ryan

Damn. I really hope I see Jay again.

There was something about him. And it wasn’t only that juicy-looking peach he carried in his jeans, although that had a lot to do with it.

A lot.

Like… a lot. Fuck. It felt so good pushing up against him. It didn’t matter that we had clothes on or were surrounded by a party of wasted college kids. I had started getting hard just being behind him like that. He separated from me before he could really feel it, but damn, I kind of wanted him to feel it.

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