I shake my head.I was taking a nap.And she’s not my girlfriend.
So, let me get this straight.Hot women show up on our doorstep, all ready to fuck?And there are so many that we have to turn them away?Grecs snickers loudly.I think I’m really going to like living here.
Nah, that’s just Zee.Coty enters the kitchen, his dark hair messy and clothes rumpled.Destiny must have woken him up too.He gets oat milk out of the fridge and starts preparing one of his special smoothies.
Oh, only Captain Perfect gets all the perks?Grecs sneers.
Zee is a special case.Coty pauses to run the blender, then finishes his thought.He plays hard to get.
I shake my head.I’m not playing at anything.I enjoy dating, but I don’t want a steady girlfriend.
Grecs nods.Oh, I get you.Variety is the spice of life, right?Don’t want to get tied down when there’s so much pussy out there.
Once again, his words irritate me.But this time I feel the truth of his words.I act like some scumbag who has to score with new women constantly, so I’m stuck with a player reputation.Destiny was a nice distraction from all my worries, but I have too many responsibilities to take on any extra demands.
3
THE REVENGE SQUAD
EVELYN
IWALK BACK TO RESIDENCE AFTER MY CLASSES, PULLING MY SWEATER COAT TIGHTER AROUND ME.The late September weather is chilly, and the leaves are already turning red and orange.I exhale.It’s only a month into my Monarch College life, and nothing is turning out as I’d hoped.
Of course, I have much to be happy about.Annie is now my stalwart best friend and I’m making new friends in my residence and classes.Scholastically, I’m excited about my courses.
But I’m too different from everyone else.I don’t share the pop culture references that everyone else has.I haven’t had the same social experiences, like high school, dating, part-time jobs.And I don’t look like everyone else here in ways I can’t really put a finger on.Sure, my wardrobe is mostly altered thrift finds and home-sewn garments, but even my store-bought jeans don’t look like other people’s.
And I’ve already messed up on one of my dream goals, getting into Alpha Zeta Mu.Annie was incredulous that I turned down Sigma Phi, but that’s my way.I aim high and work towards my goals.I’m going to try again next year.All I have to do is figure out the codes of fitting in.
Of course, my other goal—getting a boyfriend—feels equally impossible.Men here don’t seem to notice me.And honestly, I haven’t yet met anyone that I want to date.Even if I did, I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to demonstrate my interest.
When my phone trills, I start, still not used to having a cellphone.I check, and it’s my father.I panic.
Dad?
Evelyn.How is college going?His clipped voice sounds like he’s right next to me, and I instinctively straighten my posture.Of course, he can’t actually see me but with my father, who knows.
Fine.All my classes are challenging.The assignments so far have not been difficult.It sounds as if I’m reporting to a headmaster, but my father is intimidating.He’s extremely intelligent with a formal manner.I’m shocked that he’s calling at all, since my mother is usually the communications conduit.
Look, I’m calling about your mother,he says, and my heart plummets.
Is she not well?I already feel guilty because I haven’t called her since I got the sorority rejection.While I realize that Alpha Zeta Mu was my own fantasy, I still feel like I’m disappointing her.
My father pauses for a tense moment, then replies,Physically, she’s fine.But mentally, she misses you very much.She’s experiencing a low.
It’s not like him to be so vague.Like a depression?My mother can be sensitive and moody at times.
I wouldn’t classify it as depression, but I’m not a medical expert.But what would help is if you called her more regularly.Kept her abreast of your activities.
Okay, sure.I don’t mention that she was the one who suggested that we talk less.It’s a chance to separate from your old mom and have a new start,she’d insisted.
Good.Thanks.Then he disconnects the call.My father never wastes words.He communicates with intention, and that question about my schoolwork was his attempt at socializing.Besides, he won’t tell my mother he called.He prefers his interventions to appear natural and unprompted.
I calculate the time in Moscow so I can decide whether I can call her right away.Ugh, it’s 11:00 PM there, so too late.My dad keeps insane hours working late into the night and then getting up early for his calisthenics routine.He’s so immaculately disciplined that he still weighs exactly what he did when he met my mom over twenty years ago.
Before I put away my phone, I find a new email from Alpha Zeta Mu.My hopes jump.Maybe there was an omission?
It’s a message from Destiny Brown, the woman in charge of rush activities.She asks if I can meet her at 7:30 tonight.No details or explanation.I agree immediately, hoping for good news.
