Page 9

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHARLIE

The first week of classes flew by, and this weekend, we have a sorority team-building activity.

When I rushed last year, it was a good way to get to know some of the older members in the house. We went to a working ranch in the area there and were assigned different tasks around the farm. It was so much fun, despite us mucking horse stalls. By the end of the day, we were all sweaty and tired, and we stank like literal shit, but as we sat around the picnic tables to eat, we were all laughing as if we were old friends.

This year, our activity is an obstacle course. When we got on the bus, the president of the sorority explained that we’d be doing different trust exercises while also completing the course.

I’m partnered with Arbor and Lily, who are also fairly athletic, so I feel like we’ll get through the course pretty easily.

“Charlie, I’m dying here. You have to tell us what it’s like, living with Archie Griffith. He’s so fucking hot. I don’t even care that he’s the biggest player on campus. I would ride that pony anytime,” Lily says and fans herself with her hand.

Arbor and I start laughing.

I throw my arm around Arbor’s shoulders and lean across her. “Babe, I’m telling you right now, as much as I love Archie, I’m not sure you could handle him. He’s a lot.”

“Okay, but have you seen him naked yet? I’ve heard he’s huge.” Lily bends forward a little in the seat she’s sitting in across the aisle of the bus, then holds her hands chest-width apart.

“Lily, OMG, get ahold of yourself.” Arbor laughs but then turns to me. “Okay, but really … is he?”

“Ladies, let’s settle down.” I can’t help but laugh, then drop my arm from Arbor’s shoulders. “I can’t say that I’ve had the opportunity to catch a glance at anything on anyone, but I don’t think of them like that anyway.”

“Lies. I call complete fucking lies right now!” Lily shouts and slaps her hand on her leg. “There is no way you can look at those guys and not wonder, even a little, about what they have under their jockstraps.”

“Okay, first of all, ewww. I do know how bad they smell when they come home from practice and haven’t showered. And I might have gotten a whiff of said jockstraps in the laundry room. I promise you, it’s not something anyone should experience.”

Arbor puts her arm around my shoulders and pulls me into her. “Give us something, Char. A butt cheek? A peen outline? I definitely wouldn’t mind hooking up with Liam Pitz. He’s fucking hot, and he seems like he’s actually a nice guy too.”

“Oh, speaking of QBs, I met Bo Callaway the other day. Holy shit, is he hot! I could look at him all day. And he was super sweet. And to answer your question, Arbs, I can confirm that Pitzy is, in fact, one of the good ones. He’s a bit of a player too though. I haven’t gotten a peek at any of his parts, but he does like to walk around without his shirt on. He’s got a couple of tattoos I can’t quite make out and wouldn’t mind a closer look at. Although I think my brother might lose his shit if I did.”

“Charlie, who are you kidding? Casey probably couldn’t care less. It’s Beckham you have to worry about. He would lose his ever-loving mind. That boy claimed you a long time ago,” Arbor says, shaking her head.

I bring my legs up and fold them into me and wrap my arms around them. “I mean, maybe, but we’re not together anymore, so he wouldn’t really have a say if I did date anyone or hook up with someone. He knew I dated a guy last year and didn’t seem bothered.”

Admitting that out loud hurts a little. Not that I dated Tony to get a rise out of Beck, but I thought maybe he’d care.

“What is the deal with you two anyway? I know you broke up before we went into our senior year, but you never really said why. I have to admit, I was completely shocked when you told me.”

I drop my head back onto the seat and sigh. “It just got messed up, and we both let it fall apart. I’m not even sure I can remember the reasons why now.” I close my eyes and shake my head. “No, that’s not true. I guess I mean that I’m not sure I believe what I thought I did then.”

“Vague much?” Lily coughs out a laugh, and Arbor and I start laughing with her.

“Okay, I will give you this. Beck has been a little … nicer to me lately,” I say with a scrunch of my nose. “I’m not really sure if it’s because he’s trying to be civil since we’re sharing a room or if it’s something more. I’ve caught him watching me a few times around the house, and he did pick me up from my Human Sexuality and Religion class both times this week. It’s nice, but also kinda weird. Not weird, I suppose. But it makes me feel weird or confused at the very least.”

“And have you been nicer to him?” Arbor lifts a brow. “You haven’t been a little bitchy? The day you moved to Walker, you looked like you were going to kill him with your stare.”

I sigh. “It’s hard for me to be around him when I was angry with him for so long. Angry with myself. It’s complicated. All that matters is, right now, we are civil. Just a couple of exes, trying to be roommates.”

I decide to keep the note and peony out of this conversation. In fact, Beck left a peony on my bed again. No note this time. Just a pink flower on my pillow. That’s an us thing, and it feels like I need to keep it in our space. I also won’t mention that I made him mac ’n’ cheese the other night. I didn’t make a big deal about it, just like he hadn’t acknowledged the note and peony he’d left for me on the first day of class. But he did give me a soft smile and thanked me before I walked out of the kitchen.

“I never heard of Beck hanging out with any girls last year. I mean, we saw him at a few parties, and of course, there were girls around, but I never saw him with anyone. I don’t think he ever got over you. Anyone with eyes can tell he still cares about you.” Arbor nudges my shoulder with hers.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that, but it’s also not something I really want to think about.”

“So, maybe you aren’t over him either,” she says and puts her hand on one of my knees.

Thankfully, the bus stops and saves me from having to answer, and we get off.

The day flies by. Arbor, Lily, and I complete the obstacle course like the champs we are. We made it over the climbing wall together, conquered the tightrope, caught each other in the trust falls, and army-crawled through the mud. There isn’t a winner because it’s a team-building activity, but we did finish each one first. We decide we’ll reward ourselves with manis and pedis tomorrow.

After the physical challenges are done, we sit around in a big circle and introduce ourselves and say what lessons we learned from the day. I might have rolled my eyes when we sat down, but by the time it gets to me, I feel a sisterhood around me that I have never experienced before.