Page 30 of Cruel Legacy

Stuff? She’s looks uncomfortable with the topic, and I’m starting to get a clearer picture. “LJ, are you saying they stopped being your friends because you’re still a virgin?”

She looks around like she’s afraid someone heard me. “Yeah. That. I guess you’ve done it with someone before?”

Scanning the crowd, I say, “Several someones.” I refrain from telling her I’m looking for someone to do it with right now.

“Oh.”

I grab her arm and pull her over to the log I’ve been keeping an eye on. More people are showing up and if we want the best seat, we need to claim it now. When we’re settled, she asks, “Are you mad?”

“About what?”

“That I pretended to be cool and you’re finding out I’m not?”

“LJ, what I think shouldn’t matter. You are what you feel. So if you feel cool, you are cool. But no, I’m not mad that you don’t have party experience, or haven’t done whatever ridiculous thing you think you’re supposed to have done already. You’re no different from anyone else. It doesn’t matter where we come from or how much money a person has. We’re all faking who we are until we figure out who we’re not.”

She’s staring at her lap when she asks, “Does that include you?”

If she only knew the life I came from. “Especially me. College is the perfect time to reinvent yourself. To try new things, to fail horribly, and then try again. I think that’s part of the fun.”

She still has a pensive look on her face. “Look, I don’t care if you’ve never had sex before. I’m not the president or owner of a sex club and I don’t select my friends based on swapping fuck stories. So don’t give too much energy to that, okay?”

“Okay.” She gulps her drink this time and coughs and grimaces at the taste.

I laugh, patting her on the back. “What I do care about is you learning how to take a proper drink. We’ll work on that.”

* * *

Pax

The first bash of the school year is in full swing by the time we arrive. I’m pleased with the turnout. There are a lot of people here, but the night is still young, and I expect a lot more to show up. Namely, people from the other fraternities and their sister sororities.

Everythingis a competition. Those other organizations will want to see what we’re doing and hope they can do it better. They can’t. Tonight’s party is just us getting warmed up. The appetizer of things to come.

Most of the guests are on one side of the fire pit, closest to the drink table. It’s also closest to the line of trees they used to get here. The guys and I used a different path. One that emerges from an underground tunnel, deep in the woods. Sometimes, like now, we come from that entrance just to watch what’s happening when we’re not around. It’s how we found out the two members we lost over the summer were working for a rival fraternity.

I don’t know how they thought things would turn out, or why they even thought they could defect from Rho Beta Psi and be promoted to a leadership position in the other house, taking our secrets and followers with them.

It was a stupid plan. One that failed miserably and now they don’t have a frat to belong to at all. The one they were working for knew we’d never stop attacking them if they let them join. Nobody wants our full focus on them. We’re easier to deal with when we spread mayhem to all the frats on campus. The sororities have their own rivalries going on. So those two idiots are now strays. Belonging to no one, and nothing.

Finn, Holden, and I make our way across the dirt towards the place where we always sit, speaking to people we know. I look to the left side of the fire pit, and my steps grind to a halt. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Finn comes to stand beside me, a curse tumbling from his lips. Holden is quiet, but I can tell he’s assessing the scene, trying to figure out why there are people sitting in our spot. Two people. A girl whose name I don’t remember and our new neighbor. The bitch from the hallway.Theona LaReaux.She might be new here, but her friend isn’t. She sees us glaring at them and taps Theona on the shoulder, trying to get her attention.

Is she really this clueless? Anybody with working eyes can see the other guests are avoiding this area. When her friend taps her again, and says, “I think we should move,” Theona finally looks our way, only to dismiss us.

Finn steps forward first, all smiles and good intentions. “Hey there, Pet.”

“Hey there, asshole.”

He takes that in stride. Name calling never bothers him. “Your friend is correct. You’ve come too far past the boundary and need to head back over to the other side of the fire.” He explains, ever the diplomat.

“Why?”

Why? Because we fucking said so. It’s a good thing I’m not the one talking to her. Finn’s better than me and takes the time to explain. “Because this area is reserved for legacies, which you are not.”

“Thank god, for that.” She snorts. “My life hasn’t been perfect, but if being pissed off all the time and only being allowed to sit in one place is what it’s about,notbeing alegacysounds like a blessing to me.” Her voice drips with condescension, like she’s too good to be a legacy, and we should be happy to be in her presence.

Being nice isn’t going to work with her, and we’re drawing an audience. I can’t let people see her trying to talk back to usagain. I edge Finn out of the way and stand over her. “Get. The. Fuck. Up.”

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