Chapter 10

"Are we done yet?" I ask, panting , leaning forward with my hands on my knees as I bow my head.

Brett made everyone wake up early for a workout session at this football field. All morning we've been doing excruciating drills like suicide runs, body weight squats, lunges, push-ups, and leg raises.

After an hour and a half of drills, we did the extreme , Tractor Tire Flips. One large tractor tire weighed at least 220 pounds and Brett gave us the really light and small ones compared to what regular football players are supposed to use . We flipped them all the way to the end of the field under 30 minutes, i t was exhausting.

"Stand up straight," Rubin commands, "Slouching only diminishes your lung capacity, which shortens your breaths."

My eyes widen at the sound of knowledge coming out of his mouth.

"Don't forget, I work at a gym , " he boasts. Wow, he's so cool, I think sarcastically.

"You going to drink that?" I straighten my posture, eyes squinted, pointing at the water bottle in his hands.

"Actually, this was for you, you need it, " he laughs, tossing me the water bottle.

I open it immediately, chugging down gulps of ice cold water, as it smoothed my dry throat. The remainder of the water I pour all over my head, sending a cold sensation of chills through my body.

"Wow, those drills took a toll on you," Rubin laughs. Rubin is on a rugby team, I'm sure he's much use to these type of workouts than I am.

At first it was exhaustion, my mind was so tired and so was my body. Every tiny task seemed to consume so much energy. And then I became extreme fatigue and I couldn't even feel anything as I tried to get up.

Rubin looks at everyone packing up before turning back to me, "I think we're leaving now, let's go."

From down the field, Brett yells,"Go with Daniel, there's no more room in our van!"

No room in the van? What is he talking about? We all carpooled here. "Who's Daniel?" I ask Rubin.

Rubin shrugs, "Most likely that guy packing up." He points to a guy with short scruffy dirty blonde hair. He has a muscular build, and looks quite intimidating.

Rubin and I trot over to him, "Hey, Brett said there's no more room in the van. Can we ride with you?" I ask.

He looked at me through the corner of his eyes, than dusted the dirt off his hands.

"Congratulations, you two are the first ones to come in contact with me all day," he says sarcastically. "I thought everyone was scared of the gay guy in the house."

My eyes widen at his comment,"I'm not homophobic," I say, getting offended.

"That's what they all say," Daniel mutters. "Follow me."

We follow his lead, walking up to a light purple-grey 03 Buick. The exterior bumper of the car has a few scratches, and a big dent near the license plate.

He unlocks the car, gesturing for me and Rubin to get in. I turn my head watching him out of curiosity from inside the car, he throws his Adidas gym bag into the back, slamming the trunk lid.

Startled, Rubin jumps. He gives me a look, and I know exactly what he's thinking. This guy is nuts...

The next few minutes are quiet as we drive by houses. I look out the window with a big grin on my face, I felt a sense of happiness. Joining a fraternity may have been the smartest decision in my life. It's a place where you are surrounded by tons of people, and forced to socialize. I spent my days last semester by myself. I was alone, and had no interactions whatsoever... I rid the thoughts from my mind and tried to think of other things. Like Mindy. Why didn't she let me walk her home?

Harshly waking me up from my thoughts, Daniel drifts the car to his right, turning in the parking lot, causing me to shift a bit in my seat from the sudden movement.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rubin yells, more so than sounding like a question.

Pulling his key from the ignition, Daniel mumbles,"Get out."

Rubin and I get out of his car. Daniel immediately speeds off as soon as we closed the doors.

"Does this guy thinks he's in Fast and the Furious?" Rubin snaps after he drives off.

I don't answer, instead I stare at the skid marks on the ground from his tires. What's with this Daniel guy?

***

After arriving home, all the guys in the house freshened up, changing into clean spare of clothes, including me. I put on a maroon shirt, and a light weight dark grey hoodie, along with some dark blue denim jeans.

I'm incredibly hungry from that workout this morning. Chris was lucky, he went to go visit his parents so ended up skipping it. I walk over to the fridge, taking out a carton of milk. I reach for the plastic bowl on the high wooden shelf, and grab a spoon from the drawer. I pour myself a big bowl of Lucky Charms, mostly pouring in the marshmallows.

Hearing a creaking sound from the stairs, I look up out of curiosity and see Jamie. She was fixing her hair, most likely coming from Brett's room. I think about that and then grimace.

I look down at my cereal, pretending not to acknowledge her. It was immature of me and I knew it. I caught feelings for her and was upset of the outcome when I found out she was in a relationship. What I can't seem to get a grip on is the night at the club...I thought we had a connection, or maybe I was just imagining the whole thing? Why would she even ask me to dance if she's in a relationship?

"Cereal, for dinner?" Jamie says, adding a light laugh, as she tucks her light blonde hair behind her ears.

"Best time of the day to eat it," I answer her. My voice sounded weird, like I was forcing the cheeriness in my tone.

She leans against the wall crossing her arms. She carries herself with confidence, but she isn't cocky. Jamie didn't seem like the type of girl who cared about her looks. Either that, or she's way to humble about it. I don't know whether she's still mad, it's been a week. Either way, I just want to clear things up with her.

"Look, Jamie." I pause before continuing,"I didn't stand you up that night. I got caught using a fake ID under the name Will Smith. Sarah's mom's boyfriend, Rocky, was a big fan of the guy. Although it was more so Rubin's fault because he wanted our IDs to be based off characters from Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. We ended up getting kicked out, and then I got this huge cut on my knee. Which is taking a while to heal, because I couldn't find a Polysporin in the house, but I'm sorry," I blurt out, not even processing what I had just said.

A big grin appears on Jamie's face, like she is trying to hold in a laugh.

"It's the truth," I protest. Why is she laughing? She probably thinks my story was ridiculous.

She laughs even harder staring at the confused expression plastered on my face. Her laugh was so genuine and contagious, I couldn't help but smile.

"You're just like me when I'm nervous . I ramble too, " she laughs, running her fingers through her hair, "I see you've met Rocky."

"You've met him?"

"A few times with Sarah," she answers, "Apology accepted."

"Hey are you coming to the charity event on Monday?" I ask, changing the conversation. I can't believe I said all that to her, Polysporin? I'm completely embarrassed.

"I might be a little tired after that exam, but I'll stop by maybe later in the evening."

The exam! I forgot all about that. These brotherhood activities were distracting me all week.

"I forgot all about the exam." I rub my hands over my face in stress. How could I be so irresponsible ?

"You didn't study? It's thirty percent of our mark." Jamie says.

"I didn't even take down notes while he was talking. I was juggling activities here and helping Mindy plan the event..."

"That was nice of you. Everyone around here uses her, it's nice seeing you help her with no strings attached." She smiles.

I felt a heavy pit in my stomach. When I first met Mindy, my intentions were to use her... even though I didn't, I still held a guilty conscience.

"I'll tell you what, come by the house tomorrow and I'll help you study. Studying the day before isn't really gonna help, but it's better than zero."

"Thanks." I smile. Maybe not asking Mindy for those notes was a good thing. I hear footsteps coming from the hallway, looking up only to see Brett.

"Hey babe," he says, leaning in to kiss Jamie on the cheek. "Pledge , " he acknowledges, referring to me.

Pledge? I thought we were pas t that. He's probably trying to show off his leadership to impress Jamie. He stands over Jamie, whispering something in her ear, causing Jamie to laugh.

Not interested in hanging around for Brett's games, I head to the basement to see what Rubin is up too. Walking through the hallway, I'm surprised to see Mindy sitting down, flipping through a notebook on her lap.

"Hey," I greet Mindy, who looks up at me with her big brown eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey," She answers putting away her notebook. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around Mindy, she was acting weird last night. "Sarah told me to come, I don't know where she is now though. Some guy was asking her about shock collars and she just left."

"Rubin?" I ask. Only Rubin has the nerves to annoy Sarah, she was a feisty one, I guess he likes that.

She shrugs, "Maybe."

"I'm glad to see that you're okay, you didn't let me walk you home last night so I was worried," I admit.

I notice Mindy blushing from my concern, "Sorry, I didn't have your number to text you when I got home."

"Here." I give her my phone, she quickly types her number into it then hands it back.

"You want a contact photo?" I ask, moving my thumb on the screen to open the camera.

She jumps covering her face, "No!"

I look at her with confusion.

"Sorry, I don't like taking photos."

"Don't worry about it, it's fine." I say shoving my phone back into my pocket. What was up with that?

Hey guys! Almost 2k reads wow. Thank you to everyone reading/commenting/voting. It's all appreciated! What's up with Mindy? What are your thoughts on the new addition, Daniel?