Page 34 of Twisted Legacy

“How long do you need me to stay?”

I can’t take her away from her life, but after a few days with my oldest friend, I think I’ll be able to step outside this room again. “The weekend. I just need you for the weekend.”

“Okay, then let’s get to it.” She kicks off her shoes, tucking them under her on the couch and says, “Tell me everything. Start from the beginning.”

Chapter22

Finn

When I step off the elevator, I’m greeted with the sight of a woman standing over a body on the floor. I slow my steps, taking in the spectacle in front of Thea’s door. She hasn’t been to class all week. Holden did his thing and found out all of her professors have been instructed to let her continue submitting her assignments online while she recuperates.

With only a few weeks left in the semester, and they’re waiving the attendance requirements, trying to mitigate any potential triggers she may encounter walking around campus.

Thea must be using her kitchen, because she hasn’t been to the dining hall either. Not since the day Carter Turner set her off. I have no idea who the chick in the platform converses is -but Thea clearly does- doing nothing to stop her as she walks into her dorm room like she owns the place.

Thea’s eyes meet mine as I draw closer to the door. I hate the look in them. Detachment. Like I’m a ghost, and she’s looking right through me.

“Pet…”

That’s the wrong thing to call her. The detachment turns to rage. I deserve her slamming the door in my face, but that doesn’t mean I’m not pissed about it. I look down at the guy still holding his dick.

“What are you doing up here?”

“Delivering a message to Suite D.”

There’s a generic access code for the elevator, but it’s for maintenance; and sometimes we give a one time code for food delivery, so we don’t have to ride down to the lobby, and of course my laundry crew has a code to get up here for my clothes. This guy doesn’t fit any of those categories.

“A message from who?”

“From The Prides, and The Lady Lions.”

I advance on him. “Excuse me? How the fuck did you even get up here?”

He wheezes out a laugh as he climbs to his feet. “Somebody published an elevator code during last month’s dorm challenge.”

It wasn’t me or the guys. That only leaves Thea, but she doesn’t strike me as the type to indiscriminately share her code. LJ is the only person I’ve ever seen come up here, but they ride the elevator together. I look to Thea’s door again. She was barefoot in sweats, and the girl had clearly just arrived around the same time as this idiot. She had to have had a code to get up here, too. There was a familiarity there and Thea let her into her apartment without hesitation. Did Thea hire security?

She doesn’t need it. I’ll protect her. She just needs to get over being mad at me and tell me who hurt her. But that’s a later problem. The guy in front of me needs to give me more answers about why he’s here. “What kind of message?”

He smiles again. “One that expresses our condolences for the brutality she endured during Mayhem Night, and our renouncement of Rho Beta Psi’s endorsement of unsafe pledge practices.”

“We had nothing to do with it.”

“Everyone in school knows she dropped out mid-pledge season and caused a power struggle after airing her grievances in front of Zeta Nu’s pledge committee. Which leads everyone to suspect that there may be some members of Rho Beta Psi who sought retribution for her actions. There’s also talk that your sister sorority is planning to invite her to pledge again.”

We’re the same height, but he still tries to stare down his nose at me. “If Thea is still inclined to join a sorority next term, Lady Lions invites her to apply to join their pack. The fierce sisterhood that embraces trust, loyalty, and respect.”

There’s no way Thea would be interested in reapplying to Zeta Nu. If they’re petitioning for her to give them a second chance, it has nothing to do with thinking she’d be a good fit for their sorority, and everything to do with our announcement that she’s from a defunct legacy family.

Active or not, legacy is legacy and we stick with our own. I highly doubt Eloise is supporting a vote for it to happen. We don’t usually care what organizations people pledge, unless the council takes an interest in them. It’s been pretty much a given that if you were a member of a fraternity before joining The League, then it was Rho Beta Psi, and the daughters were Zeta Nus.

The Lady Lions are one of Zeta’s Nu’s biggest rivals. They try this legacy recruitment shit every year. They want the loyalty and influence of a legacy student, forever tied to their organization. This wouldn’t be a problem if Thea would have grown up here. The choice would be easy, and she’d automatically say no.

But, they’re counting on a different outcome because Thea doesn’t understand how our world works. Saying yes would cause a disruption around campus and set a dangerous precedent. Other legacies might decide to do the same, and if The Lady Lions advance to the number one spot on campus, The Prides won’t be far behind.

It’s not just the Lady Lions and Prides that will try to exploit this. Pledge season is supposed to be over, but with the delay, investigation, and possibly having to disqualify all pledges and start again… this may work to their advantage. After going through the shit the Zeta Nus require, how many pledges would choose a different organization if given a do-over?

“You’ve got thirty seconds to get off this floor before I help you off by way of the balcony.”

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