The pledge looked like he was about to cry.
“Lars, stop. If he says ‘no,’ then listen to him,” David said.
“Fuck you, Dawson. This is my house and my rules. If I tell a pledge to do something, I expect it to be done,” he said and then turned to the pledge. “Now! Drink!”
David took the shot out of the pledge’s hands and drank it for him.
“Lars. I’m trying to tell you that you don’t want to force someone to drink with all the hazing stuff in the news.
Have him clean up or get more ice.”
“Stay out of it!” Crystal said to David. “Don’t undermine Lars in front of his pledges.”
“That’s not what I was trying to say,” David said.
“I think you should leave. This is Greek stuff that doesn’t concern you,” Crystal said.
David looked at her, barely able to keep his emotions in check. He’d only been trying to prevent Lars from making a mistake that could hurt his fraternity. Crystal had escalated it to the point that now everyone was watching her tear into him.
“Fair enough. I’ll just head over to the football apartments. I hear they’re having a party,” David announced loud enough for everyone to hear.
He turned and started for the front door. He noted that all the football players were rounding up their recruits to leave. Once outside, he waited until everyone was there before walking to the next party. He wasn’t surprised when many of the Alpha Mu girls and other sorority girls joined them.
When they got to the football apartments, he could see it was totally out of control. Welp, he’d tried.
He grabbed a beer and found EZ and Damion had joined him.
“So, are you single now?” Damion asked.
“You wouldn’t mind if I called Crystal, would you?” EZ
asked.
David glared at both of them.
“Too soon?” Damion asked as the two recruits both broke out into laughter.
David took a beat to realize they were right. Crystal had broken up with him when she publicly sided with Lars.
“Let’s get drunk,” David said with a reserved chuckle.
◊◊◊
Chapter 27
A terrified yelp escaped David’s clenched teeth as his arms and legs flailed in the hope of grabbing onto something … anything … that could stop his fall off the side of the cliff. He awoke just a moment before colliding with the floor, landing hard on his left arm.
“Fuck!” he hissed because he’d hit his funny bone.
He rolled over on his back and looked at the ceiling to let his head clear before he tried to stand up. Thankfully, Jim had gathered him up and taken him home before the offensive linemen could talk him into a shots contest. The combination of him being a lightweight drinker and the sixty-to-hundred-pound weight difference between him and his drinking opponents wouldn’t have turned out well.
That being said, he wasn’t too steady on his feet for his walk home.
He finally sat up, and the earth tilted on its axis. If his stomach hadn’t announced that it was going to purge itself of any remaining poison he’d ingested last night, he would have simply lain back down. Instead, he half crawled and half ran to the bathroom. What he found disturbing was that all that was left was bile, and he began to dry heave when that was gone.
“I thought I swore off drinking the last time I did this,”
David complained when he finally stood up and could talk to himself in the mirror. “You need to get your butt in the shower because Cassidy will make your life a living hell if she thinks you’re hungover.”
He stepped into the shower and let the hot water do its magic as he contemplated how sad it was that he’d had to give himself a pep talk to get moving this morning.
When he finally got out, his phone made an irritating noise to let him know he had a message. David had to go full-on Sherlock to decrypt it. Suprz meant ‘Surprise.’
Gyadh took longer to decode, but he believed it meant ‘Get your ass down here.’
To be safe, he simply sent a smiley-face emoji back.
◊◊◊
The surprise was that Cassidy was driving her new car.
He knew she liked to drive, but it was usually his Demon she wanted to get behind the wheel of. David had to admit that the Mercedes was the superior car based on sheer comfort.
“We have to stop and get something to eat,” David said as he slid into the front seat.
“Doreen’s?”
“That works.”
Cassidy pulled up in front, and David was shocked to find so many people there on a Sunday morning. Cool air rushed over him as he pulled open the door, the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafting out. They were three deep at the counter, so he went behind and helped out through the mini-rush.
“You know you’re to blame for this,” Doreen said as her smile broadened. “People want to see where The Young and The Wild is filmed.”
He noted that his wasn’t the only photo on the wall now.
Doreen had gotten her picture taken with each of the rest of the cast.
“And next time you mention my place on your show, give me a heads-up. I ran out of coffee cake in about thirty minutes on Thursday,” she said as her smile never wavered.
He lounged comfortably against the counter.
“I need two coffees and coffee cakes to go,” David said.
“No tea?”
“No. I need the real stuff today; the stronger, the better.
I drank too much last night,” David admitted. “In fact, I could really use some Cuban coffee; that stuff has a
powerful jolt. It’s like drinking jet fuel. I can see students lined up before an all-nighter. You might want to add that to your menu.”
Doreen said she’d consider it and hooked him up with non-Cuban coffee. David was irritated when Cassidy refused to drive and eat her food because she only had one working arm. He thought the car could all but drive itself for what it would have cost him if he’d paid for it. While they had their quick breakfast, Cassidy made him talk to her.
“Rough night? Have you been partying like a rock star?
You look like shit. If I didn’t know better, I would say you’re hungover.”
David touched his nose to let her know she’d guessed right.
“What happened?” Cassidy asked, suddenly concerned.
She knew him too well. He reminded himself that it wouldn’t be worth not telling her.
“I had a fight with Crystal, and we broke up. I think she’s really mad because she didn’t even try to text me when I left Phi Sigs.”
“Don’t worry about her,” Cassidy counseled. “She’s just a small-minded girl who puts out for the jocks to be popular, and she’ll never amount to much more.”
He was too startled by her words to offer an objection.
Finally, he said, “Tell me what you really think.”
She gave him an unreadable look as she glanced over at him.
“That was probably harsh, but you can do better. What is it with your trying to see the good in raving bitches?
Remember what you thought of her and Lexi when you first met them? Why do you always go for someone you know is wrong for you? Why not focus on girls who are a better fit?”
As she asked her questions, David brought one finger down for each. Cassidy glared back at him.
“Don’t do that. What are you doing?” Cassidy asked as she used her chin to indicate his closed fist with his thumb sticking out.
“Keeping track of your questions,” he answered quickly.
“Well?”
“That was harsh. I see the good in everyone. I don’t let first impressions guide me; I’m a guy; and I’m not looking to settle down just yet.”