Page 11

Moscow, Idaho

The place might as well be called Party Central, because just a few weeks into the fall semester, its five occupants, especially Xana and Emily, have become known for hosting the best and most frequent parties at UI.

That Sunday morning, a bunch of freshman Sigma Chi brothers are standing there, summoned to get to know the Shark Tank women by playing a game called champagne shackles.

“Come on in,” says Xana.

She and Emily grin. They’ve got the bottles of bubbly ready.

And the zip ties.

The rules of the game are simple: The ties go around the wrists of a pair—a man and a woman—who have to stay tied together until their bottle of champagne is finished. Even when going to the restroom!

The tall, dark Chapin brothers, Ethan and Hunter, are easy to spot among the crowd of Sig Chi freshmen. One of Xana and Emily’s housemates, Josie, a pretty brunette from Boise, immediately calls dibs on both of them. Xana cracks up.

“Josie, can you even tell them apart?” she asks.

Excitement builds as they all whip out their phones to take the most embarrassing photos possible for social media. That’s part of the fun of this—it’s almost the point.

Xana has on an eclectic outfit: a psychedelic sun hat that is a mix of bright pinks, purples, and yellows; a yellow bustier; and black jeans. She’s in her element, giggling as Emily photographs her sitting on the toilet while the guy she’s shackled to, Peter, is stuck on the floor by her side.

Sitting in the living room, practically immobilized by the ties for hours, Ethan can’t help but notice Xana’s effortless magnetism.

Xana is the one running the music. “DJ Xan!” her housemates yell as she changes songs. She’s the one in charge of the shambolic Wii dancing and making sure everyone has drinks. Xana is the focal point of the party, though she doesn’t seem to notice the attention.

When the game’s over and the day’s finally winding down, Ethan asks Xana about herself. He discovers that Xana is… just Xana. She has no big plans. No idea what her future is. She’s in the present. She makes no apologies for this. She’s the most real person he’s ever met.

He’s hooked.

In the next few days and weeks, he often finds himself making the few-hundred-yard trek from Sigma Chi to the Shark Tank.

He and Hunter regularly hoist their massive stereo on their broad shoulders and carry it across the Lower 40, as the field is called, so DJ Xan can play whatever she wants.

In the midst of all the music, the dancing, the talking, he notices that Xana gets some work done by passing her assignment book around and insisting each person take a stab at writing a paragraph.

Her spirit is infectious.

He’s so smitten he asks Xana to become his Big. According to the esoteric fraternity rules, there can be brothers and sisters in different houses, though dating your Greek sibling is considered sort of incestuous.

But Xana has never cared about the rules.

In early 2022, it starts to become unclear as to when Ethan arrives and when Ethan leaves 1118 King Road. Does he actually go home at night? Or does he sleep over in Xana’s room?

“Anything going on I should know about?” Emily asks Xana one morning.

Xana shakes her head.

She’ll speak only when she’s 100 percent sure what she wants to say.