Page 18 of Seeds of Friendship
“This whole thing is stupid,” Alfie interrupts. “We can still go to parties. It's not like we're actually banned from campus.”
Troy winces. “About that...”
We all turn to look at him.
“Connor's brother Roland is actually kind of a huge deal on campus. He's in Alpha Pi alumni leadership or some shit. Andapparently...” Troy pulls out his phone, showing us something that makes my blood boil. “He's got pictures of all our faces. He's telling all the frats not to let us into their parties.”
“Fuck sake, Troy!” Alfie explodes. “Keep it in your pants!”
“It wasn't my fault!” Troy protests. “Rachel said they were broken up! How was I supposed to know Connor was planning some grand gesture to win her back?”
“By not sleeping with her immediately?” Alfie suggests.
“She came onto me!”
“And you just couldn't say no?”
“Have you seen Rachel?” Troy asks. “She's basically a Victoria's Secret model mixed with a PhD student.”
“I don't care if she's Aphrodite herself,” Alfie says. “Your inability to keep your dick to yourself has fucked all of us.”
“Okay, okay,” I intervene before this gets uglier. “What's done is done. We can't unfuck Rachel?—”
“Gross,” Ethan mutters.
“—so we need to focus on the solution. Alfie, you just have to mention, to like two people, that you'll be at our party. That's it. Let the rumor mill do the rest.”
“This is beneath me,” Alfie says.
“Your entire existence is beneath you, according to you,” Ethan points out.
Alfie glares at him, but there's less venom than usual. “Fine. But I choose who I tell, and if anyone asks, I'm not 'looking for a girlfriend.' That's pathetic.”
“What should we say instead?” Troy asks, already strategizing.
“That I'll be there,” Alfie says simply. “That should be enough.”
The arrogance would be annoying if he wasn't probably right. I've already heard three different girls in my business class discussing whether Alfie's “dangerous or just damaged.”
“So we're really doing this,” Troy says. “Operation Save Our Social Lives.”
“We need a better name,” Ethan insists.
“We need alcohol,” I correct. “Lots of it. And good music. And food that doesn't suck.”
“I can cook,” Troy offers.
“I can get speakers,” Ethan adds. “My cousin's a DJ. Well, he thinks he is. But he has equipment.”
“I'll handle the alcohol,” I say. “Made some connections at the gym with seniors.”
We all look at Alfie.
“What?” he asks.
“What's your contribution?” Troy prompts.
Alfie sighs deeply, like we're asking him to donate a kidney. “I'll mention the party to Jessica Chen and Miranda Walsh. They're the biggest gossips in my Advanced Calculus class. Happy?”
