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“What the fuck?” Trenton said, “we had everything going so well. What happened?”
His words were echoed by all the other pledges.
“Look,” I said, holding my hands out in an attempt to calm them. “This was just a mistake… and accident.”
“An accident?” Trenton said. “How the hell does a rat accidentally get into a pot of sauce?”
“The dean is going to have our asses for this,” Deacon said through his teeth.
I glared at him. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“He’s going to shut us down,” Trenton said. “He’s going to shut the whole thing down. No more fraternity. No more Saints.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “Tomorrow, I’ll go talk to him. He’ll have calmed down and he’ll understand that this… this is just…”
Hell. I had no way of explaining, excusing or justifying what had happened.
“Look,” I said. “No matter what happens, no matter what the dean says, I will take the blame. I will take complete responsibility for what happened. As President of the House of Saints, I won’t let him touch this fraternity.”
My words had the desired effect. They all calmed down.
However, the next morning, I was nervous and unsure as I headed to my meeting with the dean.
“Good morning, Bishop,” he said as I walked in.
“It’s been a tense morning,” I said.
He sat back in his chair and eyed me. “I don’t know what’s going on in that house of yours, but I don’t like it.”
“I know, sir. I assure you that the mishap last night was an accident.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said. “But somehow I doubt it.”
“You really think that one of my pledges would do such a thing.”
“I think that girl in your midst is having a crazy effect on your boys. You know how it is. A pretty girl walks in, and all the boys go gaga. I’ve seen boys do some pretty silly things for a girl.”
“I think Brook has the effect of lifting us up, sir,” I said. “Everyone wants to impress her, not look silly in front of her. No. Brook is good for us. She raises the bar. She makes us better men.”
“Be that as it may, I cannot let that rat in a pot go unpunished.”
I steeled myself for what was to come.
“You have one hour to leave the premises.”
“What?” I said, stunned by his cold harshness.
He stood and indicated that I leave his office. “You heard me. You’re out, Bishop. You’re expelled.”
I fought to catch my breath, to recover from the blow. “Sir…”
“I’ll spare the house… for now.” He opened the door to his office and held it open, gesturing that I leave. “The Committee was horrified by what happened last night, not to mention how I had to step in to stop them from shutting down the campus. Of course, they opted to shut down your fraternity. Because my first intention was to shut it all down, Bishop.”
Our eyes locked.
“Fine,” I finally said. “I’ll take the fall.”
I left him and headed out.
