He grimaces, amused. “Rookie mistake, bud.”

  I pause. “It is?”

  “There’s no such thing as fashionably late at Delta Xi,” he explains. “You’re either there, or you’re not. I mean, there’s no bad time to show up, but you don’t want to miss out on too much. These are the moments,” he says, echoing what Coach said at the birthday dinner. “Make ‘em count.”

  I consider it, the concept obvious now. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

  “Now, having said that,” he crosses his arms, “be careful.”

  “I will,” I mutter, my focus dipping to my shirt again.

  “Connor.”

  I glance at him through the mirror.

  “If you need a ride home, call me,” he says, a firm edge to the words. “Doesn’t matter the state you’re in. Be responsible, all right?”

  I nod, holding his eyes. “I will.”

  “Good.” He takes a breath, a warm smile returning. “You’ve come a long way, kid.”

  It’s my turn to grimace. “Dad...”

  “Wait, now. Just let me be a proud father for a second. You’re the only son I’ve got. I only get to do this once.” He stands a little taller, always towering above me. “My only son is headed to his first party on the very campus I courted his mom on. It’s a weird feeling.” He chuckles. “Part of me wishes you and Courtney would never grow up. If it were up to me, you’d be The Heartbreaker of Chicago North High forever.”

  Heartbreaker.

  Scandal at Chicago North.

  Nothing’s been whispered around the dinner table at home?

  It’s been bugging me since Trisha said it.

  What did she mean?

  “Speaking of, I talked to Trisha Wells before practice the other day,” I say, turning away from my reflection, finally satisfied with my appearance.

  Dad’s brow tightens for a second. “Oh, yeah?” he says. “What’d you guys talk about?” A quick laugh. “Does she want to do a follow-up article?”

  “No. Well, maybe. But no, she mentioned something about a scandal with Coach Thomas,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “Wondered if I’d heard anything about it.”

  Dad blinks with interest. “Have you?” he asks.

  “No,” I answer.

  “What else did she say?”

  “Not much. Coach Novak showed up and shooed her away.”

  With a shrug, he drops the football onto my bed. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” he says, not looking at me. “Every rumor’s a story with Trisha, you know that.”

  “Right.”

  “Have fun tonight.” He pauses in the doorway, glancing back. “And you call me if—”

  “If we need a ride,” I say with him. “I won’t let you down, Dad. I promise.”

  “Good.”

  He leaves, and I exhale the breath I was holding.

  Scandal at Chicago North.

  And my father knows what it is.

  We park in G-lot near the center of campus, only a quick walk away from Greek Row. The sounds of the street carry throughout campus, luring us closer like a wicked siren’s song. Each step is more exciting than the last; our first official steps toward becoming gods amongst men.

  Alpha Delta Xi.

  But first, we have to get inside.

  As annoying as carding at a frat party is, it’s university policy. The line to get into the Delta Xi house extends far across the lawn, stretching out into the middle of the street. Luckily, there’s no traffic. The ends of Greek Row were blocked off hours ago by campus security.

  They know what tonight is.

  We take our places at the end of the line, deep smiles on Alex and Ben’s face as they glance around the lawn. Each house on the street is alive and vibrant, their respective members dressed in color-coded shirts. Impress them. Get stickers. Sounds easy enough.

  I realize as I’m searching the crowd that I’m not looking for Delta Xi blue. I’m looking from one head to the next, hunting for that familiar head of golden yellow hair.

  Dana’s car was still in the driveway when I picked up Alex and Ben, but that doesn’t mean her new friend Dylan didn’t pick her up. As blunt and hurtful as Alex’s words were the other day, he’s not wrong. Dana wasn’t built for frat parties. She’s meant to be at home, wrapped in a blanket with a good book and a cup of tea.

  Her father feels the same way, having intercepted us on our way out the door tonight.

  “You guys have a good time,” he said, proud his sons would follow in his Delta Xi footsteps. “And Alex…” He paused, forcing his son to make eye contact. “Look after your sister.”

  Alex groaned. “Dad—“

  “Alex.”

  “Okay. Fine.” Alex nodded, but his annoyed sneer remained. “We’ll babysit Dana.”

  Dana is too old for a babysitter, but I assured Mr. Kirby that we’d keep an eye out for her. Her question still echoes in my mind, a stark reminder that little Dana Kirby is no longer a child.

  Will you take my virginity?

  If you don’t, someone else will, Courtney told me. How’s that sit with you?

  Not well, that’s how.

  But giving in doesn’t seem right, either.

  It’s Dana. Small. Defenseless.

  Beautiful.

  But I’ve always known that. I’ve always seen what’s behind the protective walls she puts up or beneath the thick jackets and baggy jeans she used to wear. Now, she wears dresses. And skirts. Tank tops and contact lenses. Everyone else can see what I coveted so closely before.

  Maybe I should reconsider her question.

  No. I shouldn’t.

  But if she asks me again, I won’t be able to stop myself from—

  Alex raps his knuckles against my shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”

  Banging your sister.

  “Nothing,” I say.

  My gut twists as the line moves us forward a little.

  Come on.

  Could this guy check IDs any slower?

  “Question,” Ben says to his brother, the sudden volume of the word drawing me toward their quiet conversation.

  Alex nods beside him. “What?”

  “Why is it so important to you that you’re right about this?”

  “It’s not about me being right,” Alex says. “It’s about Dana being wrong.”

  I listen in.

  Ben squints. “Elaborate.”

  Alex steps forward with a sigh, the line another step closer to the door. “You seriously think we’re gonna walk into this house—” he gestures at the porch ahead, “and find our sister living it up Beta Kappa style?”

  “Probably not,” Ben answers. “But she’s a big girl. She can make her own decisions.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since we turned eighteen, and she was given the legal right to do so.”

  Alex scoffs. “Who came up with that dumb rule?”

  “Uh... the Constitution?” Ben glances at me. “Does it do that?”

  “I don’t know,” I say.

  “Whatever,” Alex says. “The point is: we belong here. She does not.”

  Ben smirks. “And who came up with that dumb rule?” he playfully fires back.

  “Me.” Alex tugs on the edges of his jacket, cool and confident. “Think about it, brother. Do you really want to babysit her until graduation?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Then, pick a side. This nonsense ends tonight.”

  Ben looks at me again, his passive shrug a fitting end to the conversation.

  “Next!”

  Finally, we reach the porch, prompted to stop as the Delta Xi at the door waves me forward.

  “One at a time,” he says.

  I reach for my wallet, quickly finding my ID and handing it to him. He clicks on a small flashlight to see better and smiles, an instant grin on his previously bored expression.

  “So, you’re Junior Morgan’s kid,” he says.

  “Yes, I am,” I say, tall and proud.

  “Welcome, brother.” He grabs a roll of stickers from his pocket and peels one off. “Right hand, please.”

  I hold it out, and he slaps the sticker onto the back of my hand. Alpha Delta Xi letters lined with gold.

  “One gold sticker is worth five normal ones,” he explains.

  “Ah.” I raise it, happy I don’t have to kiss anyone else’s ass tonight. “Thanks.”

  He raises his fist. “Delta Xi!”

  The battle cry echoes from within by all in earshot.

  “Next!”

  I move out of the way as Alex steps forward, proudly handing his ID over.

  “Alexander Hawthorne Kirby,” he says, lingering on the last name. “Welcome to you, too, brother.”

  Alex bows. “Happy to be here.”

  “I met your sister earlier.”

  A short grimace. “Yeah,” is all Alex has to say to that.

  But the guy’s smile digs in. “Right hand, please.”

  I watch him accept his sticker with a grin, briefly glancing into the house, compelled to search for Dana again. But she’s nowhere to be seen from the entryway.

  “And you’re Benjamin,” he says, waving Ben forward.

  “How could you tell?” Ben jokes.

  The guy laughs at their twin faces. “Welcome home, brothers,” he says to the three of us, now claimed with gold. “Have a good evening.”

  “Thank you,” we say as we step inside.

  “Delta Xi!”

  Another echo surrounds us as a few Delta Xis offer high-fives in the entryway.

  Alex presents his claimed fist. I bump it with my own before bumping Ben’s, too.

  We made it.

  “See?” Alex says, tapping his sticker. “We belong here.”

  “Apparently so,” Ben says.

  Alex’s shoulders sag a bit. “Now, let’s find Dana and get this over with.” He angles toward the sitting area on the left side. “Chances are she’s already crying in the bath... room.”

  His voice fades away beneath the sudden chants overwhelming the space. A group fills the center of the room, a rainbow of colored T-shirts encircled around a girl in a chair sitting up on a table. Softly at first, they repeat the word chug, getting louder and louder as she tips her red plastic cup back, her face and arms covered with house stickers. I realize she’s not sitting on a chair at all, but is propped up on the back of a Delta Xi strongly knelt over on his hands and knees.

  “Chug! Chug! Chug!”

  We freeze.

  That’s no girl.

  That’s—

  “Dana?!” Alex spits.

  She doesn’t hear us as she gulps the entire cup down. Afterward, she raises it over her head, her lips wet and dripping as she cries out, “Delta Xi!”

  “Delta Xi!” the room explodes, practically shaking the entire damn house.

  “Dana!” Alex shouts again as the clamor retreats a little.

  Dana looks over, her face excitedly beaming at us. “Ben! Alex!” She fidgets, arms waving. “My brothers! These are my brothers I told you about!”

  Dozens twist in our direction, plastic cups held high. “Brothers!”

  Someone thrusts a red plastic cup into my hand. Alex and Ben’s, too.

  “Let me down, let me down.”

  Dana slips off the guy’s back and steps down onto the back of another Delta Xi who dropped to his knees to be her stool. She glides to the floor, flanked on both sides by two others who gently take hold of her arms to assist her down.

  “What the hell is happening?” Ben asks beside me, also entranced by the fluid coordination in their movements.

  “I don’t know,” I say, too stunned to say anything else.

  Dana reaches us, out of breath from laughing too hard. “Hi, guys!” she says, her cheeks plastered with stickers. Golden stickers. Beta Kappa. Theta Zeta. Even Alpha Delta Xi.

  Guess she’s gonna be a sorority girl after all.

  “Dana, hey...” Alex puts his cup down and places his hands on her shoulders to hold her steady. “What, uh... what’s going on?”

  “I’m a princess!”

  “A princess?” Ben asks.

  “Yeah! I came to the door, they checked my ID, and now I’m a princess.”

  I deflate. “Of course. Princess of Delta Xi.”

  “Yup!” Dana hiccups. “That was they made me!”

  “What the hell is that?” Alex asks.

  “It’s because of your dad. He was Delta Xi, just like mine. They did the same thing to Courtney.”

  “And you didn’t mention this before because?”

  “Because I forgot! It was four years ago.”

  “What else did they do to Courtney?” Ben asks nervously.

  I cringe. “Well, she was very popular.”

  “Everyone’s been so nice!” Dana says.

  Alex chortles. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

  She laughs as another red cup suddenly appears in her hand.

  “What’s in that?” I ask, concerned.

  “Princess Punch,” she slurs.

  “What’s Princess Punch?”

  “I don’t know. It was definitely soda, at first. But then they tasted funny, but I didn’t want to be rude, so...” She brings it to her lips.

  “Yeah, no. I’m gonna just...” Ben guides it back down, successfully easing the cup from her grasp, “take that from you, okay?”

  Dana shrugs, happily serene either way.

  I scoff. “Looks like carding the minors is just for show around here.”

  “Everyone’s so nice!” she says again.

  “Yeah, we heard ya, sister,” Ben says with a laugh.

  But this isn’t funny.

  I shift closer so I don’t have to shout. “Dana, are you feeling all right?” I ask.

  “I feel fine,” she says, smiling.

  “Are you sure?”

  She just giggles.

  “You guys.” Alex’s lips twitch. “Dana’s drunk.”

  “No shit,” I say.

  “You. Guys.” Alex turns to face us, his grin even wider. “Dana’s drunk!”

  “Yeah, this is really bad. We should get her home.”

  “No, fuck that! This is great.”

  “Great?” I ask. “How is this great?”

  “Just look at her!” he says. “Bright happy face. Stickers galore. No babysitting required. Am I right, Dana?”

  “Delta Xi!” she shouts.

  I cringe as the echo reverberating throughout the house penetrates my brain. “We should get her out of here, Alex.”

  “She’s fine!” He nudges Dana’s chin. “You’re fine, right, sister?”

  “I’m fine!” she says.

  “See? She’s fine!” He picks up his cup again. “Now, let’s have some fun, shall we, boys?”

  I frown. “Alex.”

  “What?”

  “Whatever happened to she doesn’t belong here?” I ask.

  “Eh, she’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.” He raises his cup and instantly hooks an arm around a young woman in a Theta Zeta shirt who smiles with joy. “Delta Xi!”

  “Delta Xi!” echoes throughout the house once more.

  Alex disappears into the crowd with her.

  “Ben,” I say to him. “Come on.”

  “Sorry, buddy.” Ben raises his cup. “Delta Xi,” he adds, thoughtfully making it a whisper. He follows his brother through the crowd, leaving me alone.

  Whatever.

  Fuck ‘em.

  I look for Dana again, easily finding her right where we left her: in the middle of a crowd of Northies. This time, she’s chatting with that damn Dylan guy.

  Smiling. Popular. Claimed.

  And I am not letting her out of my sight.

  CHAPTER 12

  CONNOR

  Nope.

  Not for one second.

  I’ve lost track of how many hands I’ve shaken tonight. I’ve forgotten more than half the names of people I’ve met. It’s hard to concentrate with one eye on Dana, making sure she stays safe.

  Truthfully, she’s in no danger. Based on the countless interactions I’ve witnessed since arriving, everyone has treated her with the utmost respect. No one seems keen to harm a Princess of Delta Xi — especially not the daughter of John Kirby. It makes me breathe easier.

  Somewhat.

  A throat clears beside me. I turn, finding myself face-to-face with him.

  Dylan.

  He smiles, warm and friendly. “Sorry to bother you,” he says, extending his hand. “But I wanted to re-do our introduction from the other day. I’m Dylan Sherman.”

  I shake his hand. It’s the nice thing to do. “Connor Morgan.”

  “Yeah. Morgan.” He nods. “You’re Alyssa Morgan’s son, right?”

  “You a fan?”

  He scoffs. “Only while breathing.”

  I laugh. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to know Northies still worship her.”

  “You know, you have her eyes,” he says.

  “I’ve been told that my whole life.”

  “Gorgeous.”

  I pause, unsure how to react. “Thank you.”

  In the silence, I look for Dana again. Still smiling. Still surrounded. Still fine.

  “Relax,” Dylan says, the words pointed but playful. “I’m not interested.”

  “In what?” I ask.

  He follows my gaze across the room. “Petite, bright, and bubbly ain’t exactly my type, so you guys can stop leering at me like that.”

  I feign a shrug, pretending the news doesn’t fill me with joy. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I usually go for a more… tall, bright, and handsome variety,” he says, adding a smirk to his face and voice. “Kinda like you.”

  “Oh,” I say.

  His eyes soften, lingering on me.

  Oh.

  “Oh.” I shake my head once. “I’m not—”

  “Obviously.” Dylan eases back. “But I’ve been wrong before, so I wanted to come over and be sure. Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. Very sure,” I say, my cheeks singed with fire. “Thanks, though.”

  He nods, eyes shifting to admire Dana again. “She’s a nice girl,” he says.

  “She’s great, yeah.”

  “You have good taste.”

  My gut lurches. “Oh, no. It’s— it’s not like that.”

  “Obviously,” he quips.