Page 15 of #PhiThetaForever
"Sigma Nu." I roll my eyes again.
"Wow." Sandra takes a deep breath. "Doesn't surprise me that Bo went to recruit the top football player this year. He's all about big names being associated with his fraternity. Has been since he took over the Presidency his sophomore year."
I sit up straighter, and so does Candice. "You know Bo?"
Sandra laughs, but it has no humor. "Oh yeah, I know him alright. We dated our freshman year, which is when he pledged Sigma Nu."
"Why'd you break up?" My heart is beating a mile a minute. I hadn't realized Sandra knew anything about Bo or the fraternity.
"Bo wasn't a ladies' man when we dated. But Sigma Nu has a rep for their guys being all badass and sexy. He and I ended up hooking up one night after he pressured me for it for months. Turns out it was a pledge event. They had to have sex with a virgin and then bring all the details back to the fraternity brothers."
My mouth drops open, and I'm shocked when Candice cusses under her breath. "Are you kidding me?"
Sandra shakes her head. "Nope. A week later, I found out about it, went to confront him at the frat house. Found him high out of his mind having sex with some upper-class sorority slut. That was the end of me and Bo."
"Lena," Candice says as she touches my arm, "what are we going to do about Declan? What if Bo makes him do the same thing?"
I'm shaking my head before she finishes her question. "No. Declan wouldn't do that. That's bigger than us. God doesn't want that for Declan or me, and Declan wouldn't go against something he honestly believes is God's Will. He might do some stuff I don't like, but breaking Declan's faith is impossible."
Candice takes a deep breath, staring me straight in the eyes, as she nods. "You're right. Even after his accident, Declan didn't lose faith. If anything, it became stronger. Not even Bo can break that in Declan."
"Why don't you guys join my sorority?" Sandra smiles at us as we stare at her in surprise. "Phi Theta Forever is a sorority, fraternity combination. We've got two houses side-by-side on the north end of campus. It's a Christian organization, and we don't do pledging. We even have members that aren't Christians, but they want to know more about the faith. What do you say?"
"Justus is the President of the Fraternity, isn't he?" Candice sits up more and leans over me a little.
Sandra nods. "Yep. And he's my cousin."
My mouth drops open again. Justus never mentioned either of those things.
"So," Sandra dances a little in her seat, "you girls in?"
Candice and I look at each other for a second before looking back to Sandra. "Yep," we say in unison.
For the rest of the flight, Sandra tells us all about the history of Phi Theta Forever. How they got started, their mission, old and new members. It turns out they have alumni in just as powerful places as Sigma Nu, the only difference being Phi Theta Forever alumni and members don't brag like the others. It's not for show, and it's not for social points. This is a sorority or fraternity someone joins for fellowship and support.
They're strict about no drugs, and drinking is tightly monitored by those who are legally allowed to do so. The only rules in the houses generally pertain to things that are legal or can affect your education. Everything else is dealt with as it happens. Sandra and the other girls of Phi Theta believe in embracing sins and mistakes because God means for you to make them. Every sin, every mistake is a learning experience that makes you stronger, brings you closer to God, and pushes you further down the path He's put you on. Some paths are easy. Other paths are like walking through Hell.
"You see, God gives his toughest paths to his strongest soldiers. Everyone thinks that if you have a hard life, it means you haven't given your life to God. That's bullshit. Sometimes, you're fighting battles that others aren't strong enough to." Sandra continues talking, and while I'm listening, I'm also thinking about what I need to do when we get back.
Darcy and Jackson might want to join. Maybe I can talk Declan into changing to Phi Theta. Or better yet, maybe I can ask Justus to speak with him. He might be more inclined to listen to someone who went from Sigma Nu to Phi Theta.
Maybe Phi Theta Forever was the answer to my prayers.
17 Declan
Sniffling as I sit back from the table in Bo's hotel room, I wipe the powder residue from my nose. Club music plays from his iHome doc, and the Cheerleaders have joined us at Bo's request. My heart is beating a million miles a minute, and my who body is tingly. Coming down off this stuff was terrible the first time, but Bo says it gets easier. Thankfully, I'll be straight by the time we get back to campus tomorrow, and I have to see Lena. She hasn't texted me tonight, which has me a little bummed, but I'm too high to care at the moment.
Something blonde moves in front of my face, and then there's a steady grinding against the crotch of my pants. Instinctively, I close my eyes and lean my head back.
Damn, that feels good.
My hands move to the body in front of me and settle on her hips. There's this nagging in the back of my head, but I can't seem to care. The pressure and tug against my slight hard-on feel too good to say anything.
Just as my hands start to move upward, my cell phone vibrates in my shirt pocket, and I'm snapped back to reality. My eyes fly open, and I take a minute to focus before I realize the girl grinding on me is the Cheerleading Captain.
What in the hell am I doing?
As nicely as possible, I grip her waist and lift her off me. "Enough of that." I scoot to the edge of the chair and stand, doing everything I can to focus.