Page 33 of Obligation
“Hey, I’m in Dory Hall, too,” Georgia Rose said with the innocent excitement of a child. “What floor?”
“Four. You?”
“Six.”
“If y’all make it into TOP, you can apply to live in the house with us next year,” Amber said.
“That would be awesome,” Carissa said.
She now had a new goal to work toward—get approved to live in the Theta Omega Pi house next year. While Dory Hall wasn’t awful—the building was fairly quiet for the most part—Carissa hated communal, residence hall living. Too many people she didn’t know all vying for the same spaces and resources… At least in the TOP house, she’d know everyone. Living here would be like living with all her best friends.
Carissa, Amber, and Georgia Rose spent all night stuffing baggies with S’mores and talking. Carissa wished Tiffany had been able to be part of this, because she would love Georgia Rose. Carissa would have to make sure she introduced the two; then they could invite Georgia Rose to hang out with them. Their friend group desperately needed more females anyway.
Finally, a little after midnight, they stuffed the last baggie. Carissa yawned so hard tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She momentarily rested her head on the table, exhaustion taking over her body. She could fall asleep right there if allowed.
Amber stood and stretched. “Thanks for your help.”
Carissa nodded. “Yeah, this was actually a lot of fun.”
Well, the repetitive motions weren’t fun, but hanging out with Amber and Georgia Rose was fun. They were both smart, funny, likable young women, and Carissa had a renewed determination to become part of this sorority, to have a lifetime of sisterhood with these girls.
“Wanna walk back to the res hall together?” Georgia Rose asked, her tone slightly hesitant.
“Yes,” Carissa said. “I hate walking alone.” She laughed.
Together, Carissa and Georgia Rose left the Theta Omega Pi house and walked at a brisk pace toward Dory Hall. Walking at night always made Carissa nervous, and despite the fact that tons of people were wandering around campus—most of them leaving a Greek party—she continually glanced around, hyper-aware of her surroundings.
As soon as they were safely inside their residence hall, Carissa said goodbye and promised to visit Georgia Rose’s room soon. Then, Carissa trudged up to her room. A sliver of light shone from beneath the door. Was Tiffany still awake?
Carissa unlocked the door, pushed it open, then froze.
Chapter Thirteen
“Danny?” she asked, stunned. Her gaze darted around the room.
Tiffany sat on her own bed, Garret beside her. They both glanced up and smiled. Did they decide to have a small impromptu party and forget to tell her? She slowly closed the door and dropped her keys on the shelf above her bed. She set her phone up there, too, but not before checking the time—12:24 a.m.
“Hey, babe.” Danny rolled off her bed and hugged her, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I felt terrible about earlier, so I thought we’d come over and surprise you. Hang out for a bit.”
Carissa nodded, still too stunned to speak. Not that she wasn’t happy Danny had gone out of his way to surprise her like this, but a heads-up would have been nice. Why hadn’t Tiffany warned Carissa, especially when Tiffany knew about the recent turmoil in Carissa and Danny’s relationship?
“How long have you been here?” Carissa finally asked.
“A couple hours.” Danny shrugged and moved back to her bed. “What took you so long?”
Blinking the exhaustion from her eyes, Carissa rubbed her hands over her face, fighting the urge to yawn again. “I had to stuff baggies with stuff to make S’mores. It’s for the homecoming bonfire.”
“Tiff told us your sorority is co-hosting the event,” Garrett said. “The money raised is going to charity, right?”
“Yep,” Tiffany said. “And I guess this is TOP’s largest, most successful fundraiser of the year. It’s a pretty big deal.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re done helping.” Danny clutched Carissa’s hand and tugged her down to sit next to him. He curled his arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer, and kissed her temple. “Tomorrow, you’re all mine.”
Carissa cleared her throat. She hadn’t told Danny that she was expected to help at the bonfire tomorrow night, and he was not going to be happy once she did tell him. She couldn’t put this off a second longer, and telling him now, with their friends in the room, would lessen the chances of Danny losing his temper.
“Actually…” She scooted away and angled her body to face him. “I have to help out at the bonfire. We both do.” She shot a pleading look at Tiffany.
Danny was silent for a moment, his face reddening. “You promised we’d spend tomorrow together.” His voice was low and tight but controlled. “We’re supposed to go to the game, then the bonfire. Together.”
