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“Hey, Jenna,” she smiles sleepily.
Jenna looks at her with surprise, then looks at me, then back to Lindy.
“Okay,” she said slowly as she takes in the details. “Have fun? I guess?”
Lindy looks down, sheepish. “Oh, no! It’s just—”
But Jenna backs away, snatching the door open as soon as the key card activates the deadbolt.
“No need to explain!” she calls out brightly. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
Lindy grimaces, but she lets me take her duffel bag from her.
“Well, that went well,” she quips sarcastically. “Jenna thinks that I am probably heading out to shack up with the art school model! Excellent!”
“Would it make her feel better to know you were shacking up with the whole football team?” I add sarcastically.
Lindy raises her eyebrows defiantly. “Excuse me? Is that what you think is happening here?”
“No, no… I didn’t mean that,” I explain quickly. “Just a joke. A very awkward joke. Let me get you back to the house, and Spencer can explain.”
“I don’t usually just pack a bag because somebodytoldme to, you know,” she answers petulantly as we begin to walk across campus.
“Yeah, people have a hard time telling Spencer the word no,” I shrug. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s just a talent he has. But he means well.”
“I hope so,” she sighs. “I hope this isn’t just a way to get me to do all of your art homework, either.”
“Ha! Well, you are the expert. I’m glad you’re there,” I confess.
She raises an eyebrow at me but keeps walking. As the streetlights slide over us, they illuminate her hair like a halo around her wide cheekbones. She’s wearing a light green top that ties at one side of her waist, and flowy trousers with cute little pink tennis shoes. A nice art school student outfit.
“I haven’t ever taken an art class,” I explain. “I mean, I know my way around the art building, and I know a lot of the art students through my modeling gigs, but I don’t know anything about drawing or anything. That’s gonna have to be you.”
“Wait, what?” she gasps. “But you… Why would you… What are you talking about?”
“We’re a team,” I shrug. “I mean, Spencer needed the hours, and we do almost everything together, so why not this too?”
“You’re a team. Like what does that really mean? Just football? Classes? Or is there more?” she asks softly.
I can’t explain it to her. Not yet. She’s going to have to get her head around what teamwork really means to us before I could even think about telling her. Besides, it’s better if it comes from Spencer.
“Well, you are just such a fantastic artist,” I cover. “I mean, it’s fun to model for you. That was fun.”
“That was fun?” she repeats suspiciously. “You got up on that podium because it was fun?”
“Believe me or don’t believe me,” I shrug. “But you gotta leave room for the possibility that I am just a man who enjoys his job, okay? Now, don’t be startled by the fraternity pledges…”
“The fraternity…” she repeats, then gasps when she sees them.
They are all lined up on either side of the stairway, wearing deep red robes. It sort of looks like we’re going to have to endure some kind of magical ritual in order to get to the front door.
“What do they want?” she whispers loudly.
“Well, mostly they just want to get into the fraternity,” I explain. “The theatrics, well, that is mostly for us.”
I feel her tense beside me as we walk up the stairs one by one, through the shrouded figures. They don’t make a sound, but we can hear them breathing as they sway subtly back and forth. It really is a pretty intimidating sight. I’m very proud of them.
“Is this all they have to do to get into the fraternity?” she asks in a meek voice when we enter the front door.
