Page 47 of The Bro-code

Flames are visible from several windows upstairs and I open my mouth to ask what’s going on but nothing comes out. It just doesn’t look real.

“Bay.”

Cole’s voice brings me back to reality and I finally find my voice again. “I—we need a headcount. Where are my sisters?”

Tami, always practical, already has the answer. “We’re all accounted for. Thank fuck for the fair, we’ve all been outside since it started.”

It seems ages until we hear the sirens of the fire trucks and no one moves as I answer the questions of one of the firefighters as his team begins working to extinguish the fire.

I don’t even flinch when my bedroom window breaks with a loud crack. It’s like an out of body experience, almost as if I were watching myself watching the fire. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the shock. Isn’t it crazy how one can go from feeling all kinds of things to being totally numb in a matter of seconds?

Just like that we stand on the front lawn, watching our sorority house, the place many of us have called home since sophomore year, go up in flames with all our worldly possessions.

CHAPTER 9

ROCK BOTTOM

BAY

By the time the fire is out, the sun is rising on the horizon, marking a new day in Star Cove.

This is probably going to be a normal Sunday for the townies and the few tourists that remain after Labor Day, but for me and the Zeta sisters it’s anything but.

“Miss Woods,” the fire fighter in charge comes to see me as I wait on the front lawn with most of my sisters. “We’re all done in there for now.”

The earlier crowd is long gone, everyone dispersed once the thrill of seeing a house on fire wore off and the night progressed.

I look at the lieutenant with hope in my eyes. “Can we go back in? Start cleaning up and?—”

“Ma’am,” there’s compassion in the firefighter’s eyes, “the top floor is pretty bad. There’s extensive damage and I can’t allow anyone in there. I’m afraid this building is going to be condemned.”

Condemned? No. No, this can’t be happening.

“How…” Tears well in my eyes as I contemplate the disaster in front of me. “So it’s all gone? All of our things?”

The man nods. “I’m afraid so. The ground floor isn’t as badly damaged as the top, but it isn’t safe to go inside. Sorry.”

The tears I’ve been fighting to hold finally start spilling, and the only thing I can do to salvage one tiny shred of dignity, is to cover my eyes with my hands.

Cole, who stayed by my side all night, wraps a comforting arm around my shoulders.

I seek refuge in the warm safety of his embrace, my face hidden by his ripped, hard chest.

“Ma’am,” the firefighter tries to console me. “I’m sure every campus building is thoroughly insured. I’m going to make sure all our reports are forwarded to the administration as quickly as possible, so you can think about rebuilding a new, better house.”

He’s right, but that doesn’t help right now. All our stuff is gone and it’ll take months at best, if not longer, to tear down the ruined Zeta house and build a new one. The seniors among us might never even see it completed.

“I don’t understand,” I say, wiping under my nose with the back of my hand as the tears keep flowing. “What could have possibly caused such a severe fire?”

The lieutenant sighs. “We have a pretty good idea. Ironically, the object that caused the fire made it out almost unscathed. The fire was electrical. We’re pretty sure it started in one of the upstairs bathrooms where someone left a hair curling wand plugged in.”

Horror twists my insides.

“A hair curling wand?” My voice is shaky.

“A pink, bedazzled one,” the firefighter reveals. “Do you want to see it?”

I don’t need to see it. It’s one of mine. One of the Bay W. hair styling tools I put my face and name on.

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