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I answer before he can. “Anyone who doesn’t walk out of this house wearing their uniform won’t ever be coming back. In case any of you have forgotten, pledges don’t have rights.”
Evangeline looks ready to explode. The anger on her face is convincing enough that I doubt it’s entirely an act as she incredulous address the other pledges. “The rest of you might be lemmings, but this is bullshit. I’m not doing it.
We haven’t had that many interactions in front of an audience since the night that everyone saw her video. Everyone assumes that playing it was my idea, so the expectation is that sparks will fly. I can sense the gazes of the other pledges on me as they wait for my response.
“If you’re ready to take the easy way out, then go right ahead. Havoc House doesn’t need or want you.” I take a menacing step forward, forcing myself to finally look at her. The rage on her face is a beautiful thing to behold, but I can’t let myself show anything more than amused disdain. “You’re all lemmings, if that’s what we say you are. The question is whether you’re going to fall in line or fuck off. I can tell you what the rest of us would prefer.”
Nervous titters meet my words as her glare deepens.
Her gaze moves to Nolan. “I get why you’d want to see a bunch of guys in skirts.”
But Nolan doesn’t rise to the bait, for once. He blows her a kiss as a wide smirk spreads across his face. “You know it, baby.”
With an annoyed sound, Evangeline snatches the outfit out of my hands. “Fine.”
There are more than enough of them to go around. Making the pledges dress up in ways that might be offensive to their masculinity is a longstanding tradition. There are more than a few pictures of me floating around that might raise eyebrows. The kind of thighs that you get from playing rugby tend to stand out in a mini-skirt.
I take the opportunity while Nolan passes out to the outfits to check my phone. The only message is a brief one from my father asking me to call him with an update on the situation.
Evangeline is the first to the finish changing. She gets to use the bathroom instead of just stripping in the middle of the living room like the other pledges.
I hadn’t done it on purpose, but the outfit she got has to be the smallest one. The skirt is barely long enough to hit her mid-thigh and the top is low-cut enough that her tits are practically spilling out of it. She looks amazing in that slutty girl at Halloween kind of way.
And she’s going to freeze in the winter cold.
I give her a brief once-over, just to make it clear to anyone watching that I’m not particularly interested in anything I’m seeing. “You can wear a jacket when you’re outside.”
“Just outside,” Nolan adds in warning. He raises his voice to ensure they all hear him. “Cover up at any other point and you’re out of Havoc House. This is an exercise in knowing you’re place, pledges.”
Evangeline visibly grits her teeth but doesn’t say anything, only crossing her arms over her chest when Nolan’s mocking gaze passes over her body.
I’m proud of her. Her attitude provides just enough resistance that it’s believable without going to over the top that it might give the game up.
But the night has only just started.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I climb into the passenger seat of Cole’s Suburban while the other pledges get in the back. Drake and Nolan don’t come with us, so I can only assume that they’re riding separately. I can’t decide if it makes it better or worse that Drake isn’t in the car. Having him here would definitely make me feel better, but I can’t trust myself not to let that show while the others are watching us so closely.
Brady didn’t show his face while the other pledges and I were getting yelled at in the living room. I can only hope that will remain the case for the rest of the night. It’s impossible to know if he remembers everything that happened at the party, but it wouldn’t take an idiot to connect the dots.
The ride is short and nearly silent. I get the impression that the other pledges aren’t willing to do or say anything that might put their ability to join Havoc House at risk.
Cole whistles to himself, but doesn’t seem interested in acknowledging that anyone else is in the car with him. I move to turn on the radio and he speaks without looking away from the road.
“Touch the radio and I’ll shove you out without slowing down.”
The threat is spoken mildly, so it’s hard to tell if he actually means it. I can’t quite fight the impression that Cole is the least cruel of all the Havoc Boys. Maybe it’s because he was the only one who didn’t treat me like absolute shit when I first got to St. Bart’s, but I like to imagine he can be reasoned with.
“You really just want to ride all the way there in complete silence?”
“It’s not silent,” he replies and goes back to whistling.
“Nobody else wants music?” I glance back at the other guys, but none of them will even meet my gaze.
Pussies.
Cole isn’t even trying to whistle on key.
