Rushed (The Rushed Series)

by Gina Robinson

  If Morgan was my big, I was in deep trouble. I pushed the thought away. I was just being paranoid.

  Surprise number two—a text from Dakota. Can't get you out of my mind.

  I wondered—was he really that into me? Or was I just top prize this season? And a way to get back at, and one-up, Zach.

  Chapter Nine

  Alexis

  On Thursday, I received another clue from my big—a mug from the college of business. So, okay, a business major. And a lethal-looking letter opener in the shape of a medieval sword. History minor? The package was accompanied by a printed note that said, I'll always have your back.

  Em read it over my shoulder. "That's sweet!"

  I gave her an arch look, like she was so naïve. There was more than one kind of back. One of them was a quarterback. I crossed my fingers, hoping I was wrong.

  On Friday in class, Zach was in the middle of his fan club again. I had to hurry back to the house for our mandatory event. The members had a Friday night surprise planned for the pledges before they revealed our bigs.

  After dinner we gathered in the living room, dressed in our pledge T-shirts and jeans. Kelly called the meeting to order. "Pledges, I hope you brought your singing voices! It's serenade night!" She gestured to a couple of members.

  They handed out lyric sheets.

  "The frats are waiting to hear your golden voices. We've written you some special songs for the occasion. If you sing well enough, the guys might even reward you with something to drink." She winked at us.

  So that's what Dakota was talking about. I glanced down at the lyric sheet I had been handed and suppressed a groan.

  Beside me, Sarah giggled and Em rolled her eyes. "We're going to need a lot to drink if we're going to sing these."

  Katie grinned at her. "I think that's the point. This is part of our initiation."

  After a brief set of instructions, we headed out and strolled down Greek Row past the carefully manicured sororities, with their classic and modern architecture, to the frat district. In contrast to the sororities, the frat houses were mainly open timber frame Tudor-style architecture. Music, lots of screamo, poured out of them. Beer flowed so freely, the air smelled of it.

  I hadn't lied to Dakota. I didn't sing. I played piano. I danced. But I didn't sing.

  Kelly gathered us in front of the Zeta Nu house. "The first song is sung to the tune of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.'"

  And the concert began, with me lip-syncing. Sarah elbowed me. I just looked at her, like, what? If our choir was a little thin on voices, the guys didn't notice. They gathered on the lawn with a keg and applauded like fan boys. As soon as we finished, they came around with plastic cups filled to overflowing. "Drink, drink, drink, drink!" they chanted as we chugged.

  "Thank you, guys!" Kelly tossed her cup in a garbage bag on their lawn and shepherded us to the next house.

  It was late by the time we reached the Tau Psi house. I was buzzed and my reserves were down. I laughed at everything. Breaking into peals when Laurel tripped on the edge of the sidewalk. I caught her by the elbow and we both nearly went down in a wave of laughter.

  "Last house, girls!" Kelly yelled. "Put your all into this one. It's to the tune of…" She named a popular sixties beach song.

  The Tau Psis gathered on the lawn. Dakota made his way to the front of the crowd just as Kelly began the count. "Wait!"

  Kelly hesitated.

  "We request a solo." Dakota smiled at me.

  Kelly played along. "Do you have a particular songbird in mind?"

  My mouth went dry as his gaze rested on me.

  "Alexis Turner."

  Sarah, Em, and Laurel pushed me to the front of the group, laughing, as Kelly held her arm out in the way people do when they're introducing a new act. "I give you Alexis."

  I froze beneath the streetlight that showcased me like a spotlight. Dakota stood in front of me with his arms crossed, smug and grinning, like he always got his way.

  I was drunk, but I still wouldn't be cowed. Not by him. I took a deep breath and belted out the favorite song of the night. "I've been all around this great big campus and I've seen all kinds of tricks. But I can't wait to get back to Greek Row where the guys have the biggest dicks."

  I looked Dakota in the eye as I emphasized the last word, thinking I would have liked to say, Where the guys are the biggest dicks.

  I kept singing. "I wish they all could be Double Deltsie's guys."

  The rest of my pledge class joined in. "I wish they all could be Double Deltsie's guys."

  Dakota started clapping, keeping his eyes on me. The rest of the guys broke into a round of drunken applause. We bowed tipsily. Em fell to the lawn, laughing.

  Dakota stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "There! I've cured you of your fear of singing in public. You have a beautiful voice. You should sing more often."

  I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but it was too impolitic until I had more clout, like member status at least. You don't diss the president of the Tau Psis in public before all his frat brothers. "And you must be tone deaf."

  He laughed and took my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Come. Have a beer with me."

  He pulled me to a keg and poured me a fresh red plastic cup of beer. I almost sloshed it on him as I took it.

  He didn't seem to care. "Let me show you the house." He pulled me across the lawn, up the stairs and into the house that pulsed with music. In the living room, people were dancing.

  "Music! I love dancing," I yelled over the din.

  "Wouldn't you rather see my puppy? I'll give you a house tour," he yelled back.

  Before I could answer, he pulled me past the crowd, down a hallway, and into a large bedroom. He closed the door with his foot as a Pomsky puppy bounded toward us. "I was supposed to take him back last Monday, but the guys decided to keep him and make him the house mascot."

  I set my beer down on Dakota's desk and bent to scoop up the puppy. "I think he's grown already. Aren't you cute, baby." I nuzzled the puppy to my cheek and stood. Even though he was weaned, he still had puppy breath as he yawned like a sleepy baby.

  Dakota butted up behind me, hands on my hips. He pressed the hard bulge in his pants into me as he squeezed my hips. "Like it?"

  My heart raced like I'd walked into a trap. I got the feeling he wasn't talking about the puppy.

  "He's adorable." I stroked the little guy behind the ears as Dakota wrapped his arms around me from behind and petted the puppy.

  Then he lifted the hair from my neck and pressed a hot kiss on my skin, sucking until I was sure he'd given me a hickey. "I could use a little of that attention, too." He squeezed one of my breasts and breathed hotly in my ear.

  My head was foggy, but quickly sobering as it became clear what he wanted. "I should go."

  The door burst open.

  "Damn it, Dak!" Kayla stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, wearing that amused, flirtatious look she was famous for. "The old puppy trick? Again? Really? Stop teasing the pledges and go pick on a girl with enough experience with frat parties to handle you guys." She walked over, took the puppy from me, and handed it to Dakota.

  "Impeccable timing, Kay. You're going to make a mean mom someday." He was obviously trying to tease, but his voice had a hard, frustrated edge.

  "I'll take that in the spirit it wasn't intended—as a compliment." She laughed. "You know this is our big reveal night. We're on a tight schedule. We don't have any time for…dallying." She was expert at soothing his ego at the same time she was rescuing me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door. "If you want to spend time with Alexis, you'll have to ask her on a real date and give her a sporting chance to appreciate your charms."

  She blew him a kiss from the door and pulled me into the hall and outside through the crush of frat guys. I realized then that she was totally sober. When I thought back through the fog clouding my mind, I couldn't remember seeing her drinking.

  "Never let a frat guy get you alone in his room wh
en you're drunk. If you're going to go there with him, make sure you want it."

  I tried to protest. "I didn't. He just took me—"

  "I know. Been there as a pledge, done it. Been rescued myself by an older sister. Dakota's slick; the smoothest operator in the Greek system. FYI, he has a reputation as a love-them-and-leave-them guy.

  "The guys love new pledge classes—easy targets. Like shooting fish in barrel, as my grandpa likes to say. You'll learn quickly enough." She sighed. "I expected more from Dak. He's favored you with his attention. Good for you. A lot of prestige comes with being the girl he's after. Just don't get a head about it." It was what she was expected to say, but her tone wasn't completely complimentary.

  "A word of unsolicited advice about Dak—he loves the chase and lives for the conquest. Once he's gotten what he's after, he notches his bedpost and stops calling. If it's status you want, string him along as long as you can. After it's over, remember it's not you. It's him. Don't spend too long crying over him." She herded me into the group of pledges waiting on the sidewalk.

  I thought about what Kayla had said about Dakota as we walked back to the house. I wasn't going to be anyone's conquest.

  We settled on the floor of the living room at the house. Kelly started a speech about how our big sisters would guide us as we became members and become our best friends and mentors. A whoop and the sound of chanting male voices from outside stopped her midsentence.

  The front door to the house burst open. A group of naked guys streamed in wearing nothing but neckties and mounds of strategically placed shaving cream.

  One paused in front of me. "The Tau Psis thank Alexis and the Delta Delta Psis for their song, and return the compliment!"

  A clump of shaving cream fell with a plop on the carpet, just missing my crossed legs. My eyes went wide. I blushed, mortified by being singled out.

  Sarah nudged me. "You've caught somebody's eye. Only a house pres could order this."

  All around me girls were squealing as the guys dashed by, dripping shaving cream from those dicks we'd sung about.

  Kelly rolled her eyes. Someone started singing again. "I wish they all could be Double Deltsie's guys."

  By the time the guys streaked around the room, most of the shaving cream was on the floor, not the dicks. The girls were laughing and squealing so hard we could barely breathe.

  As the last of the guys waved goodbye and ran out the door, Kelly shook her head and grinned like this had all been part of the plan. "The Tau Psi pledges showing off their dicks."

  She shook her finger at us. "You girls should know better than to sing to them. It only encourages them!" Then she laughed and called the members up to the front. "That concludes the entertainment portion of our program. The big moment has come. Bigs, introduce yourself to your littles!"

  I crossed my fingers as Kayla came toward me and walked past. Even though she lived out, Kayla would be the perfect big.

  Em nudged me. Morgan was making her way toward me. My stomach felt sour. No! When she sat down beside me and flashed me her drunken smile, I felt positively sick.

  "Welcome, little sis!" She pulled me into a hug.

  I played along and smiled back at her, acting like I was totally thrilled. Like this was a big honor. "I guessed it might be you!"

  "You did?" she said in a sly tone. "What gave me away?"

  "Your love of football," I said. "Your room is plastered with posters."

  "A lot of girls like football." Although she sounded sweet, Morgan was baiting me.

  "Yes, but only one of them has my back." I stared her down, knowing it wasn't true. Zach would never go for her.

  She smiled coyly, like she was glad I understood her message. "And always will." She gave me a one-armed hug around my shoulder. "As long as we understand each other, we'll get along great."

  Then I felt really, seriously sick. I jumped up and vomited into the nearest wastebasket.

  Zach

  It was a perfect Saturday afternoon for a football game—clear and warm with a hint of a breeze. Seth, Dillon, Paul, and I sat in the student section away from the Double Deltsie group intentionally. As much as I loved the girls, they didn't appreciate football as anything more than a social event, a chance to see and be seen. And the frat guys were always hovering too closely to them.

  I was pleasantly buzzed from pre-gaming with the houseboys before we came to the stadium. Plus we had a stash with us. If you were careful, it wasn't hard to sneak booze into the stadium. Dillon and Seth were on their way to getting totally hammered, becoming more lively and boisterous with each play.

  I drank slowly enough just to keep a buzz on and numb the frustration of being in the stands, not on the field. Damn, on a day like this I itched to play. I could almost feel the ball in my hands, the weight of the helmet on my head, the thrill of calling the plays. The camaraderie with the guys. Days like these were torture. I even missed Dakota. My days on the field were over. Watching the game was only second best.

  Speaking of Dakota, he was seated in the middle of the girls next to Alexis. It shouldn't have bothered me. I should have been glad he distracted her. I didn't need the complication of her in my life. Of all the guys on campus, did it have to be Dakota?

  Even from here I could feel his smugness in the glances he cast in my direction. I had warned Alexis off him. What more could I do? I had hoped she'd had more substance than to go for him. But he was the prize catch. Being his girl was a status position.

  I hoped she didn't trust him with any secrets. Dakota would eventually stab her in the back, like he had me.

  He seemed to be ignoring the new pledge Sarah. Didn't he remember her? She made me nervous. For two years I'd been lucky. No one who knew me from high school had pledged the house. Until Sarah. She'd been a punk sophomore when we were seniors, but she'd been on the fringes of our crowd. Not that either Dak or I noticed her much at the time. We had other girls in our sights.

  I couldn't remember exactly, but I had a vague memory she'd been at the party where Dak and I had our falling out. Maybe it was only my fear that put her there.

  If she was, she heard everything. If she wasn't, she'd heard the rumors. Total shit for me either way.

  I told myself the rumors couldn't do any damage now, that no one would believe Dak's ridiculous drunken accusation. That years of hiding the truth had almost erased it. He hadn't even dared to bring it up again. I couldn't mention it to Sarah without calling unwanted attention to it. I had to play it smart.

  So I was friendly when I ran into Sarah. Like people are when they share the bond of going to school together. And treading carefully at the same time. She'd made it clear she could easily still crush on me if I wanted her to. I wasn't like Dak. I didn't use girls. Not even to get what I wanted. And in this case, I didn't mean sex.

  I glanced up into the crowd. Dak was sitting next to Alexis, trying to work his charm on her. He loved football as much as I did. It must have been hell to sit in the middle of that vapid crowd and still enjoy the game. No one deserved it more than he did.

  But there was something about Alexis' face as she watched the plays. Like she was really, intently watching the game. Every once in a while she leaned over to say something to Dak. And when she did, his face lit up. He gestured toward the field and looked like he was making some kind of point. Showing off his knowledge. His chest even puffed out.

  Seeing them together reminded me of how much I'd lost. I looked away and focused on the game just as we made a fifty-yard gain. Seth handed me our flask.

  "I'll drink to that!" I took a long, cool pull of cheap whiskey.

  At halftime some of the girls from the house stopped by to say hi. Seth flirted with them as usual. It was pointless, but there was no use reminding Seth. He knew what our status was.

  The third quarter got interesting. Seth and Dillon "left for the snack bar." Which meant they were trolling for girls. I was so absorbed in the game I didn't look up when someone scooted right next to me on
the crowded bleacher bench. The student section was always packed and in motion.

  "Yes!" I sprang to my feet and pounded my fist in the air as our quarterback broke through a pack of defenders and sprinted to the ten-yard line before being tackled.

  The person next to me put their fingers in their mouth and let loose with an earsplitting whistle. And then she squealed and hooted. My heart pounded into overdrive as I recognized that voice and caught a whiff of a familiar perfume. When I turned to look at the newcomer, Alexis smiled back at me.

  "Hey, stranger!" she said. "Do you guys always segregate yourself from the girls? Is it by choice? Or another one of those dumb unwritten rules?"

  I stared her down. "I'm off duty and trying to watch the game, pledge."

  "So am I." She grinned at me. "And apparently I'm the only one. Have you ever tried to watch some serious football with that crowd?" She rolled her eyes.

  I couldn't help grinning at her. Why did she have to be so perfect? "A time or two. Why do you think we're down here?"

  "Then you know what I mean." She grinned back at me. "They don't know a shotgun formation from a homerun."

  I laughed. "That's two different games, pledge."

  "That's my point." Her eyes sparkled. Her lips were moist.

  I couldn't stop thinking about kissing them. Damn dangerous thoughts. "What happened to QB2?" I couldn't help reminding her he'd been number two.

  "He's no fun to talk football with when he's drunk. I ditched him."

  "Playing hard to get? Nice move. Not many Double Deltsies have the guts to make the president of Tau Psi chase them."

  "I don't want him to chase me," she said. "I want him to leave me alone." She glanced at the field as they got ready to snap the ball. "Now either talk football and watch the game or shut up."