Page 7 of The Frathole

Troy fidgets with the brake line. “Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

“You ever go on probation at your frat?”

Troy’s an Alpha Theta Mu alum, though I don’t hold it against him…much.

He stops what he’s doing and turns to me. “No, and how the hell am I only now hearing about this? What did you do this time?”

“Already assuming it was my bad?” At his glare, I confess, “It involves a couple of girls and Marty.” His eyebrows flare, and I quickly add, “Not like, us all together. A four-way with Marty? Fuck, I can’t even imagine.”

As I cringe at the thought, Troy bursts into a laugh. “That wasn’t where my mind went at all. I thought it was odd, the idea of you two fighting over girls.”

I snicker just thinking about Marty trying to hit on girls. “Not at all. You should see him with Lance’s friend Angie. He can barely get words out whenever she’s around. Although, it’s fun watching him get all flustered.”

When she’s over, he’s quiet, attentive…and I’m not even sure he’s noticing anyone else. Adorable.

Maybe not adorable.

That’s a weird thing to think about a guy I don’t even like.

“Can’t tell if she picks up on it, but it’s hard to believe she doesn’t with how obvious he is.”

“Yeah, Marty’s a great guy, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a girlfriend. But your night sounds like it was better if a couple of girls were involved.”

“It was until Marty came in.”

Troy’s brow rises. “I have a feeling you’re not totally innocent in this story.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Alpha Theta Mu for life,” he teases with a wink.

Of course that’s where his allegiance would lie.

“Now hand me another C-clamp,” he says.

I pass one over, and while he affixes it, I go on, “That guy does not like me, and the feeling is mutual. He wanted me out of thehouse the day we came to stay over there. That’s why he was so insistent on me staying in his room. So he could watch over me and wait for me to fuck up. And now I feel like if I so much as don’t change the toilet paper roll, I’m outta there.”

My fate depends on Marty, so I wasn’t doing myself any favors by continuing to argue with him even after I was put on probation, but I can’t help it. We’re fire and gasoline, and I guess I’m the gasoline because it seems like everywhere I go, the flames are chasing me.

“Marty’s a good guy,” Troy says. “He can be prickly, but he’s also very considerate, and loyal as hell when you get to know him.”

“Doesn’t account for why the guy’s whole personality revolves around being such a stick-in-the-mud. You know he’s a lifeguard at a community pool over the summer? I can only imagine him chasing those poor kids around, sounding the whistle every time there’s a splash.”

“You realize he’s really just trying to keep everyone safe.”

“Maybe that applies to the rest of the guys, but that’s not how it is with me. He doesn’t like me, and I honestly can’t think of anyone who bugs me more than him.”

Troy smiles, a sparkle in his eyes.

“What?” I press.

“I had a guy like that in my life. Real prick. Always annoying the hell out of me, keeping me on edge. To think how many times I wanted to sock him one.”

“What happened?”

“We’re considering getting a dog.” He beams, making me laugh.

That’s when it hits me. “Dude, you’re talking about your boyfriend? Seriously? You really got me with that one. I was thinking you were gonna say you kicked his ass or something.”