Chapter 5

FIVE

Ihad classes that morning, but I didn't remember a single one of them. I was fixated on the image of Briar in that skirt. It was seared into my memory, which was lucky because I would have hated to be caught staring at it in class. My phone had survived its brief milk bath undamaged, which was another lucky thing, because I'd spent most of the morning fielding messages from pledges and brothers who somehow seemed to think that I was their go-to guy when it came to questions about what to wear tonight and where to get size eleven heels.

This hadn't even been my idea!

Okay, so I was the one who'd decided to really run with it, but it was still Scout's baby. So, I directed everyone to him. I bet his scowl was getting a hell of a workout today.

I didn't have any afternoon classes, so after lunch I made a run to the local thrift store with Marty. We got some side-eye from the woman behind the counter, but once we explained we were dressing up for the children's hospital, she helped me find a skirt that kind of fit and even some clunky wedge heels that didn't pinch too badly.

I looked… well, I looked like a guy in a skirt that almost fit and who couldn't walk in heels. But that was fine. I figured I'd work the self-deprecating angle rather than trying to look good. People were more likely to hand over a buck for a candy bar when they were laughing at you trying not to fall on your ass and you were laughing right along with them.

My mind flashed unbidden to the photo in my phone. Briar hadn't looked like a dude in borrowed clothes. Briar had looked scorching. I pulled my phone out again, just to check and make sure I hadn't been imagining it.

Nope. Still hotter'n the sun.

"Bro!" Marty said. He was wearing a short black leather skirt he'd managed to wedge himself into. "Casey!" He held up a sleeveless silver mesh top and shook it. "I'm gonna try it on!"

He peeled his Hawaiian shirt and tee off where he stood and wrestled the top over his broad shoulders. It clung to the curves of his pecs and stopped three inches above his navel. Paired with the leather skirt, it gave the impression that Marty spent his nights shimmying around a pole. "What do you think? Does this say hot girl summer?"

I wanted to tell him he was ridiculous, except honestly? It kind of worked. "I think," I said slowly, "that you're gonna sell a shitload of candy bars."

Marty's face split into a wide grin, and he gave me a fist bump.

Once we'd paid, we headed back to Alpha Tau, and I spent the afternoon figuring out pairings and wrangling boxes of candy. I was just sorting piles of dollar bills for change when Scout appeared and whisked all the money away.

"Bro! We need that for change!"

"Oooh, I see what you're doing," Marty said. "Smart move."

"What? People will want their change."

"Nah," Marty said. "Scout's right. Watch." He scooped up a five-dollar bill and a couple of candy bars and gave Scout the cash. "Buy my candy, Scout. Two bucks."

Scout handed the five over.

"Aw, man," Marty said with a sigh. "I can't break that. I guess that's no sale. Unless… you wanna buy two candy bars and donate the difference? I mean, bro. Come on. It's a dollar. And it's for sick kids."

"See? Marty gets it," Scout said.

I could only stare in admiration. Scout was a devious little fucker, and Marty was far smarter than most people gave him credit for.

We might win this thing after all.

I mean, the hospital would be the real winner, obviously, but that didn't mean we couldn't enjoy the bragging rights. "You're both geniuses."

Scout almost smiled.

That afternoon we all gathered in the foyer of Alpha Tau. I checked my watch. Allison had said the drive would start at six, so of course I was planning to send the guys out at five thirty. Hey, I'd seen the Zetas' flyer. We needed any advantage we could get.

Everyone had turned up early except Charlie, Ethan, and Briar. I kind of hoped Ethan would be a no-show, if I was honest.

When I looked around the guys, I couldn't suppress a snort of laughter. They were dressed in a mishmash of skirts and shoes that suggested some hurried calls to female friends and relatives, and a whole lot of beggars not being choosers. Marty was in his stripper outfit, but since his feet were wide as fuck, he'd kept his customary slides and his sunglasses. So that was a whole vibe right there. I was pretty sure Sawyer was wearing a shortened bridesmaid's dress. He hadn't shaved his legs.

Still, they'd all done their best, and if you squinted just right, they almost looked like sorority girls. More importantly, they looked like a bunch of good-natured guys who were prepared to poke a little fun at themselves to raise money for a kids' hospital. People were gonna eat that shit up.

"Y'all are killing it," I said, grinning. "We're gonna make bank."

They responded by laughing and high-fiving each other. They were pumped, I could tell.

There was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Charlie standing there, face flushed. He was wearing a short red pleated skirt and a matching red cowboy hat and boots, and he was all kinds of cute. "Sorry I'm late," he said between panting breaths. "Have y'all ever tried to run across campus in heeled boots?"

"No problem," I said. "You're still early. And you're nailing that look."

Charlie beamed at me.

Everyone started pairing up, and Trey, Scout, and I handed out their boxes of candy. Marty had acquired a bright red lipstick from somewhere and was applying it to anyone who didn't get out of the way fast enough.

I checked my watch again. We were still missing Ethan and Briar, and if they didn't show up soon, we'd miss our head start. I was about to text them to see where they were when the door opened.

Briar stood there, eyes lowered like he was screwing up his courage. Then he raised his head, jutted out his chin, and stepped inside. He had one hand set on his hip like he was a runway model or something—which was exactly what he looked like.

For a second there, I forgot how to breathe.

I'd told myself I was mentally prepared for the sight of Briar in a skirt.

I was not, in fact, prepared.

Briar had chosen to go big or go home. He was wearing the skirt from the picture, and it was so short that it would have made my grandma blush. He'd paired it with a skintight hot pink crop top, over which he'd layered a longer pink string mesh top. Well, I said longer. It barely skimmed the bottom of his rib cage, leaving a wide strip of pale, flawless skin on display. Pink-and-white over-the-knee socks and heels completed his outfit.

His mouth shone with lip gloss, and his cheeks glowed with bronzer. His eyes stood out like dark pools on a moonless night, their depth enhanced by expertly applied eyeliner and mascara and a bold splash of dark blue eyeshadow. His hair was a tousled mess, but he'd used hair product, or quite possibly magic, to pull the strands forward artfully, and it was arranged so that it was the kind of mess that you wanted to sink your fingers into while you pulled him into a long, lingering kiss?—

"Jesus, Briar," Charlie said, snapping me out of my fantasies. "You look amazing!" He spoke in a tone usually reserved for church.

Okay, then. Good to know I wasn't the only one having a religious experience.

Briar's gaze locked on mine. "You like it, Casey?"

Was he kidding? He was breathtaking.

And why was he asking me?

It took me a second to find the words. "Yeah," I said, voice rough. "You look real pretty, Briar."

Real pretty? What was I, a kid in junior high on his first date? And why was I even thinking about first dates?

Briar's cheeks gained a more natural bloom, and then his face split into a sunrise smile. It made me want to haul him into my arms and kiss him senseless.

The moment was shattered when the door slammed open.

Ethan took a step inside and stopped short when he saw what everyone was wearing. He glanced down at his jeans and polo shirt. "You said we didn't have to dress up!" he said, glaring at me. "And now y'all are dressed like… like a bunch of sissies!"

Fuck this guy, seriously.

"You don't have to," I snapped. "But just because you're too insecure to step outside your comfort zone doesn't mean you get to act ugly to the rest of us."

"We Alpha Taus like to show our community spirit and have a little fun," Trey added, fixing Ethan with a hard stare while running a hand down the pleats of his black-and-purple checked skirt. It was a good color combo on him. "That a problem, pledge?"

There was a tense moment before Ethan dropped his gaze and swallowed hard, his throat clicking. "Nossir."

"Okay!" I said loudly, before this had the chance to turn into a whole thing. "Everyone grab your partner, and let's go sell a fuckton of candy! We've got a sorority to beat!"

There was a chorus of agreement as everyone paired up. Ethan stood there looking lost, and Marty hooked a hand under his elbow. "Don't worry, bro," he said, adjusting the sunglasses perched on his head. "I'm hot enough for both of us!"

He grabbed the handle of one of the carts loaded with candy and sashayed out the door, dragging a bewildered Ethan after him.

I fucking loved Marty.

Everyone else followed, leaving the house and heading off to different parts of campus, pulling the candy-laden carts behind them. Connor and I paired up and stayed on Fraternity Row, starting at the far end. And sure, we copped some good-natured ribbing about our fashion choices, but once they'd ragged on us a little, people were happy to buy our candy bars. And Marty and Scout had been right about not carrying change too—we turned all those two-buck sales into five-dollar sales real easy.

Two hours later, we'd walked the length of Fraternity Row, and our cart was empty. My feet ached from wearing heels, and my balls were freezing where an icy breeze was whipping up my skirt. We'd just sold an entire box of candy bars to a couple of Kappa Beta Rhos who had the munchies. Since they'd gotten a new president, the Kappas had stopped being such a bunch of dicks, and they'd been so fixated on getting their candy that they hadn't even given us shit for what we were wearing.

And now I was done.

"I'm calling it," I told Connor, kicking my shoes off.

He gave a nod and pulled off his own shoes with a sigh of relief. We limped the half a block back to Alpha Tau, our heels dangling loosely from our hands. Now we really looked like sorority girls on a Saturday night.

When we got back, I went and pulled on a pair of sweats and a sweater—seriously, my balls had shrunk to raisins—and then Connor and I settled on the porch swing with a couple of beers and waited for the rest of the guys to return. I figured they'd be a while since they were spread all over campus, but we'd barely opened our second beer when I spied a figure storming back toward the house. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the lights on Fraternity Row and squinted, but it turned out I knew who it was immediately. If the red skirt and hat hadn't given it away, the sound of cowboy boots on asphalt echoing through the night air would have.

Charlie.

My heart sank as he approached the driveway of Alpha Tau. Whatever had happened, it was bad enough that he was swiping at his eyes with the heel of his hand. He stopped dead at the end of the driveway and stood there, ramrod-stiff with his hands clenched into fists.

"Well, shit," Connor said. "That can't be good."

I sighed and put my bottle down, standing. But before I'd even stepped off the porch, a second figure came racing up behind Charlie, one that I would have recognized anywhere. Briar threw an arm around Charlie's shoulders, and as he did, Charlie seemed to just sort of… sag. Folding in on himself, he turned and buried his face against Briar's neck, and even from the porch I could see the way his shoulders shook.

My pledge master side took over instantly. Charlie was my baby Alpha, and damned if I was letting anyone make him cry.

I jumped off the porch, landing with a thud, and jogged over to them. When I got there, I put a hand gently on Charlie's back, and he lifted his head and stared at me, eyes red-rimmed and glassy.

"Hey, Charlie," I said quietly. "Wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

Charlie swallowed, obviously doing his best to get himself together. He dashed a hand across his eyes, took off his hat, and ran his fingers through that startling red hair. "I think—" He gave a hitching breath and tried again. "I think Alpha Tau's not a good fit. I'm pulling out."

He jutted his chin out in a show of determination, but it didn't quite take, and his bottom lip wobbled.

"What?" I put a hand on his shoulder and guided him through the front door, with Briar still plastered to his side. "How about you tell me what happened?"

"Ethan happened," Briar snapped.

Of course it was fucking Ethan.

I steered Charlie toward the couch in the living room and sat opposite him. He was still pretty shaken. "Okay, someone needs to tell me what the hell Ethan did."

"It was just a stupid prank," Charlie said. "But I just can't live with that guy, okay? I'm not spending the next three years waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm... unpledging or whatever you wanna call it."

The front door slammed.

"Okay, first off, nobody's unpledging," I said.

"Who's unpledging?" Trey asked, appearing in the doorway.

"I don't think Alpha Tau is right for me," Charlie said, and Jesus, I hoped he didn't start crying again. I'd never been good with crying.

Trey took in the sight of the three of us, heaved a long sigh, and dropped onto the couch next to Charlie. He put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me guess. Ethan?"

"Yeah," Briar burst out, vibrating with indignation. "He ducked out of the candy drive and dicked around with his friends. And then he cornered Charlie and took most of his money so he could pretend he'd been working!"

Trey's brow creased. "How'd he think that was gonna work? Like, he must have known you were gonna tell us what he did."

Briar blew a stray lock of hair off his forehead. "He doesn't give a shit. He said the money's still going to the same cause, so nobody would care, and he's a legacy, so he's here to stay. And he's not wrong, is he? Ethan fucks around, but it's Charlie who finds out what Alpha Tau is really like."

Trey held his gaze, and his voice went quiet, the way it did when shit was about to get real. "What are you trying to say, Briar?"

"Oh, shit," Scout said quietly from the doorway where he'd just arrived.

Briar didn't back down, though. He looked Trey in the eye, quivering with incandescent rage on behalf of his friend. "You guys talk a big game about being safe and inclusive and all, but what are you actually gonna do? Lemme guess—jack shit. Because Ethan's daddy was an Alpha Tau, and that gives him a free pass."

Briar was clearly furious, eyes blazing and cheeks flushed, andwas it wrong that even with everything else going on, I found tiny, angry Briar one hell of a turn-on?

Probably.

"Casey," Trey said, turning to me and raising an eyebrow, "you gotta do a better job with your pledges."

Me?

"What the hell did I do?"

"Well, for a start, Briar and Ethan don't know their charter," Trey said, "if they're under the impression that legacies are Teflon."

Wait.

I glanced over at Trey, and his lips twitched up in a hint of a smile that told me all I needed to know. I wanted to kiss him—except obviously not because Scout would make sure the authorities would never find my body.

"Trey, are you saying?—"

"Yep," Trey said. He didn't usually cut people off, but his dander was up. "Being a legacy gets you in, but it sure as shit doesn't keep you here. Ethan's subject to the same code of conduct as everyone else in Alpha Tau. He crossed the line by threatening and stealing from a brother, and we're dumping him."

"Oh my god, really?" Charlie's voice was a high-pitched squeak, and he slapped a hand over his mouth. His eyes were bright with a mixture of relief and surprise, and when he lowered his hand, he was grinning from ear to ear. He looked like a little kid at Christmas.

"Really," Trey said. "That shit doesn't fly at Alpha Tau."

Briar stared at Trey for a second before he visibly deflated. It was like all the anger had leaked out of him and now he wasn't sure what to replace it with.

"Um," he said at last, "I probably fucked up by yelling at you, right?"

Trey silently held up his thumb and his forefinger, showing the tiniest of spaces between them.

Briar flushed. "Then I guess I owe you an apology. For the yelling and for not trusting you to take care of your pledges."

"Yeah, you do," Trey said, "and that's why you're spending an hour in the basement with Casey, making sure you learn the charter this time!"

"Okay," I said. "You're the prez."

Trey's glare followed me all the way out of the room.