“Yes it does.” He let out a deep breath. “It means last night meant something.”
“I have to go, Colt.”
“All right. Have a good night, pumpkin. Good to hear your voice.”
If he was calling me pumpkin, things might actually get back to normal again eventually. “Good night.”
I hung up and got ready for bed. The quiet wasn’t quite as good as I thought, and I lay awake for hours. My head swirled with thoughts of Colton, Gasden, and more than a little guilt and regret. How was I supposed to know he’d want more? Maybe this was still just his chivalrous side. I was positive he’d forget all about what happened when he got to USC.
I watched the clock until it finally hit 5:30. I couldn’t wait any longer. I changed into my gym clothes and went for a run. I wasn’t going to let a sleepless night hold me back.
Chapter Five
“All right, girls, are you ready for this?” Danielle, our rush chair, stood next to the front door. Dressed in dark jeans and a bright pink shirt with white lettering that said Keep Calm and Pledge Delta Mu, she was wearing exactly the same thing as the other forty-five girls in the room. As much as I’m against conformity, I kind of liked the whole ‘dress alike for rush’ thing. It’s just part of the bonding experience.
“Go Delta Mu!” Clare started cheering and the rest of us joined in.
“All right. Let’s do this!” With the same pomp and circumstance a mayor of a small town would use when cutting the ribbon for a new building (trust me, I’ve been there for that too), Danielle threw open the door. In one long line, we all streamed out onto the porch and started in on our first rush song, complete with synchronized clapping and some pretty giant smiles.
Right on cue, the freshman walked up the porch steps. A bunch of us took the arms of the girls and led them into the house. This was all perfectly planned, but of course we tried to make it seem spur of the moment. After several days of practice, it was finally time for rush to begin.
“Hi, Jamie,” I introduced myself to my first rushee. Her white name tag was prominently displayed on her chest. “I’m Mallory.”
“Hi!” She popped up on her toes. “It’s so great to be here.”
“I know this is your first house, but how’s rush going for you so far?”
“Oh, it’s been awesome. I love the group I’m with.”
“Fantastic. What dorm are you in?” I went through the list of ice breaker questions I was supposed to ask.
“Maude.”
“Oh. Cool. If you talk to Juliet and Cara, they were in that dorm last year. I was in Dells.”
“Do you love being a Delta Mu?” She took charge of the conversation. I had to give her props for that. That was hard to do at the end of the day, let alone as soon as she walked into the first house.
“Absolutely. My best friends are all in the house.”
“Cool!”
“Where are you from?”
“I’m from North Carolina.”
“Oh, great. Let me introduce you to Natalie. She’s from North Carolina too.” I handed off Jamie to Natalie and got a new girl of my own.
I glanced at her name tag. “Hi, Jade.” She was one of the girls I was supposed to talk to because she was from a town near mine.
“Hi.” She didn’t meet my eyes when she spoke. Some might have interpreted that as a lack of interest, but I recognized it for what it was—nervousness.
“Where are you from?” I couldn’t let on that I’d studied her card and knew every little detail she’d provided on her rush application.
“Melborne. It’s a small town outside—”
“I’m from Gasden.”
“Really?” She lifted her chin, all signs of nerves gone. That’s what the match-ups were designed to do. Find connections between sisters and rushees so we could see what the girls were really like.
“Yeah. Was this a huge transition for you? I remember how crazy it was.”
“Definitely.” Her eyes lit up a little.
“Well, that’s why it’s awesome you’re rushing. It’s a great way to build a community. It really helped me adjust.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Terrific. Well, it’s so awesome meeting you. Could I introduce you to another one of my sisters?”
“Sure.” She grinned. Nice. I liked Jade and hoped she ended up in the house. I caught Juliet’s eye. She walked over with her rushee.
“Hey, Mallory.” Juliet stopped in front of us. “This is Manda. She’s interested in the business school too.”
“Hey, Manda. Juliet, you’ve got to meet Jade. She’s from a town right near mine.”
I’d only gotten a few words in with Manda when the lights flickered. It was time to show them out. I walked Manda to the door and got in place for another song.
As soon as the door closed, we regrouped and got ready to do exactly the same thing again and again.
“Nice job, girls, but remember the smiles!” Danielle grinned. She really was the perfect rush chair. She got more into it than I ever could. Still, I was having a decently good time, and I definitely had a favorite.
By the end of the first day, the open house, I was exhausted but also hyped up. I was all about going out afterward, and I jumped at the opportunity to hang out with some of the Kappas.
I wasn’t surprised when we met up at Al’s Pizza. The place served awful food, but the beer was pretty cheap. Not to mention, Reed practically ran the place for his uncle, the owner. Juliet worked a few nights a week there too. In other words, I didn’t need to worry about getting carded. The guys were already waiting for us when we arrived.
“Hey.” Tanner got out of his seat when he saw us. Juliet and Cara were already pulling chairs over next to their boyfriends.
“Hey.” I couldn’t deny it was nice to have someone excited to see me. I was used to squeezing in anywhere, realizing none of the guys really cared whether I was there or not.
“Here, let me get you a seat.” He pulled up a chair next to the one he vacated. He gestured for me to sit.
I took it, slightly surprised when he pushed me in. I was less surprised when he grabbed the pitcher of beer and filled a glass for me.
“How was the first day of rush?” He gave me his full attention, his brown eyes setting on mine.
“It was pretty good. How’s it going for you?”
“You know how it is for guys. Much less BS.”