Page 29 of The Frathole

Marty

“Mart! Over here!”Ryan shouts from across the yard.

I’m on edge, and not only because the TaskFrat Challenge earlier involved wrestling with a bunch of guys in a pool full of Jell-O.

I’m suspicious as hell about my agreement with Ryan.

This must be a trick to get me back for having his ass placed on probation, which was one of the reasons I shut his idea down at first, but as he pushed, I realized this could work in my favor. If it is a trick, then I won’t have my documentation for his nuisance behavior, but bullying, if that’s what he’s planning, for that he deserves to have his ass kicked out. Still, I hoped Ryan was sincere about his offer, and not only because I spent two nights this week showing him what I’d learned in class (three if you count the first night when we made the agreement).

I’ve seen the way this frathole is with girls. Of course, I’m sure his appeal is in no small part due to being a hot jock, but I’d be curious to see if he really has some tricks up his sleeve that could help me at least be bold enough to let a girl know I’m interested in her.

I approach Ryan, who’s hanging with Dax, which makes me feel less threatened since Dax and I get along. Really, Dax gets along with everyone. He’s the kind of guy who’s never met a stranger…which is an odd thing to say about a guy who apparently hooks up with plenty of strangers.

Dax runs his hands through his wet bangs, which must’ve happened when he tackled me in the pool. “Sorry again about earlier,” he says.

“Eh, all’s fair in love and TaskFrat, right?”

“Guess so,” he says as we fist-bump.

“I see you showered off too.”

“Yeah. Found Jell-O in some surprising places.”

I laugh. “I’m not even sure I got it out of all the surprising places.”

“You think you’d be that nice to me if I tackled you during TaskFrat?” Ryan asks me.

“Shut it,” I say.

Dax laughs. “Okay, you two duke it out. I’ve got a Zeta Tau I’ve had my eye on all night.”

“Of course you have,” I say in a knowing tone.

“I’m surprised you haven’t torn through all the frats yet,” Ryan says.

“Is that a challenge?” Dax asks, which gets us laughing. “It’s not the kind of thing you want to rush,” he adds. “Take your time, enjoy every fucking drop.”

A part of me thinksdropmight not be what he meant to say, but I’ve known him long enough to know better.

“Go get ’em, champ,” Ryan tells him, and Dax heads off.

I search around, making sure no one’s in earshot. “Okay, this is the part where you make me regret agreeing to this?”

Ryan grins. “Nah. You’re gonna be great. And even if you suck, I’m a great teacher, so…”

He says that in that arrogant-ass way he has, the sort that has me rolling my eyes.

“Now…” He signals to someone, and before I know it, there’s a Phi Lambda blonde at his side, as indicated by the Greek-letter charms on her necklace. Her hair falls just past her shoulders, her blue eyes bright in the outdoor lighting.

She sports a bright smile as she says, “Hey, Marty, I’m Gisele.”

“Um…hi? Ryan, what is happening?”

“This is why we’re doing it at a party. You need practice chatting up girls, so I figured, what better way to do it than to have a real live girl to work with.”

My face heats up. “Can you excuse us for a moment?” I grab Ryan’s shoulder and usher him away from my new Phi Lambda friend. “I knew you’d do something like this,” I say through my teeth.

Ryan’s expression twists up. “What’s wrong?”