Frat House Confessions

7. Ridge

Seven

Ridge

“Welcome, welcome. I’m ready to get started,” Crush called, causing everyone to look to where he was standing, on top of the ledge in front of the fireplace in the common room. “I’d like to say thanks to all the ladies who agreed to help these poor, insignificant pledges. Their mission is to turn you all into the hottest girls on campus in time for the big Delta Homecoming party.”

Crush paused and looked around the room. I don’t know if he thought he had the room eating out of the palm of his hands or what, but while the pledges looked scared, the girls looked kinda pissed.

“Tonight, I will personally meet each and every one of you and either approve or disapprove of the pledges’ choice. If I approve, we’ll see you back here Homecoming night; if I disapprove, that pledge is out of the running. The pledge who wins gets fifty points, and the opportunity to have a private dinner with the board.”

Karrie poked my shoulder, so I leaned down.

“What are the points for?” she whispered in my ear.

“The pledges earn points to become members,” I replied.

“And, what’s the benefit of a dinner with the board?”

I glanced at her, saw she was seriously curious, and said, “It gives them the opportunity to talk to us individually … privately, and give us more insight into who they are as a person, rather than just a pledge. It’s hard to give individual attention to each pledge, and they usually don’t get that chance until we’ve already gone through two rounds of weeding them out.”

“Hmmm,” Karrie murmured, then asked, “But, what’s in it for the girls?”

“What’s in it for you, you may be asking,” Crush began, and I stood back up, wondering what his answer would be. “Well, other than having access to the Deltas and our house over the next few weeks during the competition, the winning girl will have an open invite to every Delta event during her career here at U of M.”

I glanced down to see Karrie’s reaction and chuckled when she gave me a dry stare.

“To give you an idea of what I’m looking for,” Crush continued. “Bella…”

He held his hand out and Bella, his f**k buddy, came out of the kitchen and started moving through the crowd. The pledges and their girls parted, all eyes on Bella as she strutted toward Crush.

Wearing stilettos, a skin-tight leather dress, and what I’d bet a Benjamin was a wig, Bella placed her hand in his and let him pull her up onto his makeshift stage.

When she turned and faced the crowd, there was an audible gasp.

Yeah, sure, Bella was gorgeous, but she was seventy-five percent fake and one-hundred percent a raging b***h.

Not exactly who the young girls on campus should aspire to be.

“This is what a winner looks like,” Crush said with a dumbass grin.

“What a dipshit,” Karrie muttered and I grinned down at her.

“Right?” I agreed.

“So, go forth … eat, drink, and get ready for my inspection,” Crush said, hopping down off the stage and leaving Bella on display.

God, what a f*****g douche.

“You hungry?” I asked Karrie. “There’s some pizza and chips and stuff in the kitchen.”

She lifted a shoulder and replied, “I can always eat.”

I put my hand on the small of her back and led her to the kitchen.

Once inside, I rounded the counter and grabbed some paper plates. Luckily, no one else had come in search of food yet; they were probably all anxiously awaiting Crush’s decision.

I handed Karrie a plate and noticed her watching me warily.

“What?” I asked, opening pizza boxes until I found a supreme.

“So, are we dating now?”

She put air quotes over dating.

I looked toward the door to make sure no one was coming before turning back to her and saying, “I figured we’d ease into it. We’ll be spending time with each other as we work on your makeover, and eventually we’ll start incorporating PDA and I’ll drop hints that we’re dating.”

Karrie grabbed a pepperoni and sausage slice and jumped up on the counter to sit.

“I’ve been wondering,” she began, her gaze on me pensive. “If we just need to convince your mom that we’re dating over Thanksgiving, why do we need to pretend over the next few months? Here? Can’t we save it for the trip?”

I shook my head.

“My brother’s a pledge. I need to start the ruse here so he gets wind of it and tells our mom; that way, it’ll be more believable when I take you home. Since Wes goes to school here and’s a pledge, he would know if I was seriously dating someone.”

“We’re going to lie to your brother?” she asked, not looking happy about it.

“Yeah, at least until after Thanksgiving,” I told her. “I’ll come clean once we get back and have officially broken up. Wes is a total mama’s boy. I need him to believe we’re together so that she’ll believe we’re together.”

“What are you talking about?”

I shifted to see my brother walking into the kitchen, a petite girl with long black hair and a scowl following behind him.

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with, pledge,” I replied, hoping he hadn’t heard what Karrie and I’d been discussing. “How’s it going? You guys have your meet with Crush yet?”

“Guy’s a total d**k,” the raven-haired chick scoffed.

“That he is,” I agreed. “Hi, I’m Ridge, Sergeant at Arms, and this rude asshole’s older brother.”

“Trixie,” she replied, shaking my offered hand.

“And, this is Karrie, my date for the evening,” I said, turning to include Karrie, who was watching us from her perch. “Karrie, my brother, Wes, and his offering for the night, Trixie.”

“Hey, Karrie, it’s nice to meet you,” Wes said, finally remembering his manners and moving to take her hand in his.

His eyes were twinkling and he held her hand for a bit longer than necessary, so I walked over to him and pulled him away

“Hands off my date,” I told him, needing to establish boundaries, and interest, right off the bat if he was ever going to believe Karrie and I were dating by Thanksgiving.

I wasn’t exactly known for dating seriously and had never taken anyone home to meet the parents.

Wes looked up at me, surprise evident on his face, and held up his hands in surrender.

“You got it,” he replied, and backed away.

“Nice to meet you, Wes … Trixie,” Karrie said, placing her plate next to her with only the crust left.

“You’re not going to eat the crust?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t like it. Too much dough.”

“That’s sacrilege. You can’t call yourself a pizza connoisseur and not eat the crust.”

“Good thing I don’t call myself that, then,” Karrie said as she hopped down. “Do we need to go in and meet Crush so we can get his approval?

She said Crush with a sneer that I enjoyed.

“f**k that,” I replied. “I’m not part of the competition, so Crush has zero say in you, me, or how we decide to make you over.”

“Okay,” Karrie said, wiping her hands with a napkin. “What should we do then?”

“Beer pong?” I suggested.

She grinned at me and replied, “You’re on.”