Page 38 of The Bro-code

Viv wraps one comforting arm around my shoulders. “Your sisters still have your back. We stopped her yesterday, but the vote was close.”

I’m almost scared to ask, but I need to know. “How close?”

“By two votes. All the seniors voted to keep you as President and all the underclassmen voted for Bianca’s motion to remove you and hold a new election immediately. The only two juniors who didn’t vote for her were Candace and Paige.”

I feel like I walked into the Twilight Zone. None of this makes sense.

“I’m grateful that they had my back, but I wonder why. Candace is actually Bianca’s big sister. She sponsored her last year when she pledged. And Paige is Kylie’s.”

Liv lowers her voice. “You didn’t hear this from me, but you know the four of them are puck bunnies, right?”

I twist my lips. “You know I hate that term.”

“I know,” Liv nods. “But most of them are proud of it, they actually want to be called that. Anyway, you know Bianca was really into Luca, right?”

I nod. “She hooked up with him before he met Lake.”

“Yeah,” Liv continues. “Well, Paige was into Luca too and there was some rivalry. Candace is Paige’s best friend and there was a cat fight last year after a game. Bianca kept throwing herself at Luca but kept getting brushed off and Paige called her pathetic for not taking a hint. It spiraled from there. They started calling each other names and it got pretty ugly. I guess Candace and Paige are holding grudges.”

I guess so.

“Where was I when all that happened? I don’t recall that fight at all.” I ask.

“It was when you and Topher were really… close.” Tami says sheepishly. “I think you guys went to your room during that party and didn’t come back out.”

“God, I can’t believe I’m saying this. But is Bianca right? Am I a shitty President, too wrapped up in my own crap to keep Zeta business under control?”

My sisters all come to my defense.

“No, Bay.” Viv shakes her head. “We all have our shit and you’re entitled to a personal life. Under your tenure, the Zetas have grown not only in numbers but also in popularity. We never had as many pledges as last year, after you were elected President sophomore year. I bet this year is going to be even better. And it’s because of you. People follow you on social media and every girl on campus wants to be you.”

Including Bianca apparently, since she wanted my boyfriend and my presidency.

“So how did I get stuck with Bianca as Master of Ceremonies?”

Tami shrugs. “To become President, Bianca needed a vote against you. After Danielle graduated last year, I guess no one wanted to shoulder that kind of workload.”

I sigh. “Yeah, we have a very full social calendar. I was hoping that one of you would want to run, I was going to ask you at the first opportunity. But now the point is moot.”

“I’m sorry,” Liv says. “Bianca caught us totally by surprise. We were still shaken by her attempt to steal your presidency and when she demanded that we elect a new Master, we didn’t know what to do. I made a last minute desperate attempt to run but Bianca must have bribed some of the sisters. It’s like she knew she had it in the bag.”

All I know is that aside from the obvious animosity I harbor toward Bianca, working with her won’t be easy.

“This year is going to be tough,” I bite out. “If this surprise kissing booth is an example of the way she is going to act, I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

My sisters look at one another.

“What?” I ask.

The answer surprises me.

“Actually,” Tami explains. “The way she planned this was quite smart. Each sister will be at the booth for a limited amount of time. You can choose where you want to kiss people who bought a ticket. I guess not even Bianca wants to be stuck kissing too many frogs.”

I exhale, partially relieved. “Ok, then that’s not too bad. Kissing someone on the cheek isn’t as skanky looking as I thought.”

Since this was Bianca’s idea, I should have known there would be more to it.

“Yeah,” Viv doesn’t look at me when she drops her bombshell. “You can kiss anyone on the cheek or forehead, it’s up to you. That’s if they bought a ten dollar yellow ticket. There are also thirty-five red tickets that went on sale by auction with a starting price of two hundred bucks. If someone has one of those, they’re entitled to a kiss on the lips. There was also one golden ticket for five hundred bucks that buys the proud owner one French kiss.”

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