Page 99 of Cruel Legacy

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It’s been two days since lick-gate, and two days of Pax and I having to listen to Finn say he has to find something else to do to Thea, because she’s not playing the game like she’s supposed to.

Finn and I have just come back from the gym. Pax is still there, and I’m ready to go back and join him. I think we’re all a little on edge and Finn’s complaining isn’t helping.

I want her to act right, whatever that means, just so he’ll stop obsessing about her and focus on pledge season and everything else we need to do.

His laundry bag is sitting in front of his door. He grabs it and unlocks his door, heading straight for the couch to dump the bag on it like he always does. As soon as he opens it, we’re hit with the most obnoxious smell.

“Finn, carry that rancid shit outside.” I say, pointing to the patio.

He does and I follow him, only to find some kind of laundry line rigged across his balcony. There are clothes hanging on it, and they smell like ass. Okay, not literal ass, but sweat. And lots of it. He pulls a pair of his boxers off the line.

“It’s wet.” He touches the hoodie that’s next to it. “All of it’s wet, but why doesn’t it smell like it’s been washed?”

Better question is why did the laundry girl take his stuff and bring it back wet instead of drying it? Both of our gazes drift to the balcony across from us. He says, “This has to be Thea’s doing.”

“If it was, how did she get in to raid your closet? Did you forget to lock the balcony door?”

“No. All of this stuff was together. I sent it out to be laundered so I could wear it tonight.”

It would be one thing for it to be just wet. We could throw it in a dryer. But it all needs to be rewashed.

“At least she didn’t fuck with my favorite beanie.” He says, pulling it off the line. It’s his favorite because it converts into a ski mask. He says it makes him feel like a ninja. That comes in handy when an impromptu prank falls into our laps.

“Why do you think the clothes smell so bad?” He asks, turning the beanie over in his hand.

“My guess? She used them to mop the football team’s locker room, had the team wipe off with them, or dumped them in dirty mop water. If not all the above.”

He nods, heading to his bathroom. I hear him turn on the shower. “I’ll meet you out front in an hour.” He says over the spray of water.

“Since when do you need an hour to get ready?”

“Since I have to plot my revenge on Thea.”

All signs point to this being payback, but I try to be thorough. I don’t want to falsely accuse her of anything. She’s got a big enough target on her back. “You’re sure this was her doing?”

“Oh yeah. I’m sure.” He comes back out wearing a towel. “Clearly she had help, because someone had to climb over here and rig the line on this side. It was probably that fucker, Austin. But this was definitely her way of getting back at me.”

I leave him to shower and go to my room to pull up the camera feeds on my laptop. Finn’s front door remains unopened, and the only person I see on our floor getting off the elevator is Thea, and the laundry attendant dropping off the bag.

Yesterday was Finn’s massage day, and I haven’t had a chance to turn the balcony cameras back on yet. There’s nothing to suggest Thea touched Finn’s laundry bag. But the footage from the hallway could be a looped feed. I’ll have to do a little more digging to see if it is.

Ninety minutes later, we walk into Zeta Nu’s house for this week’s pledge dinner. I’m immediately put on edge. There’s too much noise and the overly excited squeals of the pledges make me want to dig my eyes out.

I know they’re just expressing their joy at making it through another week and being one step closer to crossing the line, but do they have to express their joy in that overly chirpy way?

Eloise walks up to us with a smile on her face. “Evening boys, glad you could make it.”

We would’ve skipped, but Pax is all about a show of support this season. The girls did their best on last week’s obstacle course. This is us acknowledging that. It’s also one of the last chances they’ll have to really mingle with our pledges because next week the final group of girls will face their chastity vow challenge.

When it’s over, some of them won’t be looked at or treated the same. It’s not as simple as how the guys will perceive them after it’s over, it’s about the girls confronting how they truly feel about themselves. Thea seems to have recovered well from her vow. Then again, she never broke, so why wouldn’t she be okay with how things went?

Eloise walks her fingers up Finn’s chest, bringing her hand to rest on his shoulder. “Finney, did you really have to wear your hat tonight? This is a semi-formal event.”

“I have on shoes and slacks, so I’m in compliance with the dress code.”

His attention is on the room. He’s looking for someone. I can guess who.

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