How could I tell her about the initiation? After everything she told me, after everything she endured at such a young age? It made me sick to my stomach that there was any type of similarity between me and that seventeen-year-old punk that took her virginity.
But there didn’t have to be. I’d already made up my mind. I chose her. The decision was finite even though I knew it might cost me a lot. I would do right by Rimmel. And I would do right by myself.
Starting now.
I arrived early in the locker room to get ready for the game. No one else was here yet, and I wanted to take advantage of it to have a talk with Coach.
He looked up from whatever he was doing at me hovering in the doorway and motioned at the seat in front of his desk. “Looks like you got something on your mind.”
“I’m out of Omega,” I said, deciding not to mince words.
His eyes lit with surprise and he tossed aside his pen. “You know your path into the NFL would be a hell of a lot easier if you weren’t.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s why I’m here.”
He waited for me to continue.
“I’m gonna do it without Omega,” I said. “I think I’m a good enough player. I want to know if you’ll help me get scouts here when the time comes.”
He studied me for long, measured moments. I didn’t back down, not one inch.
“This about a girl?”
“No,” I said. Because in reality it really wasn’t. Yes, Rimmel played a factor in me not wanting to be associated with Omega, but this was about more than that.
This was about me blazing a path to what I wanted, to my end goal on my own terms. When I got to the NFL, it wouldn’t be because I bent over and kissed some douche bag’s ass for a couple years in college so he would make a couple phone calls.
I was better than that.
“What I’m hearing is there might be some cracks in Omega’s foundation.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “There might be.” And his name is Zach.
“You keeping your nose clean?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” I said. For now.
He grunted like he heard my unspoken thought. “It takes a man with heavy balls to step away from something that could give him everything he wants.”
I just sat there unflinching under his gaze. My mind was made up. He wasn’t going to change it.
“I’ll make the calls. I got a couple favors in my back pocket,” he said finally.
I stood and held out my hand to shake with him. “Thanks, Coach. I won’t let you down.”
“Romeo,” he said when I would have stepped out the door.
“Yeah?” I asked, turning back.
“This crack in the foundation, is that something I need to have the university step in and handle?”
“No,” I said. “I can handle it.”
“The Wolves are behind you, son.”
I grinned. I knew they were. It’s why I was able to walk away from such a jacked-up frat. I already had a family. And this family would accept Rimmel without a fight.
“And, Romeo!” he yelled after I’d stepped out of his sight. “Don’t get caught!”
It was pretty much Coach’s blessing to handle my business.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rimmel
I don’t like scary movies. I didn’t think it was fun to be scared. Because of this, Halloween was never my favorite holiday. I would much rather stay home and hand out candy while something not scary played on the TV in the background.
Here at Alpha U, Halloween was just another reason to party. Every year the frat houses took turns putting together a haunted house, and students would swarm the place for a night of being scared and drinking beer.
I never went last year. I stayed in and studied, which was precisely what I planned to do this year.
Until Romeo showed up at my room.
He smiled that charming smile, kissed me dizzy, and the next thing I knew I was riding shotgun in the Hellcat on the way to the haunted house.
Braeden and Missy were still “having fun” and were currently in the backseat making out. Clearly she didn’t have a problem with haunted houses… or PDA.
Romeo reached across the seat and tangled his fingers with mine. His grin was highlighted in the glow of the dash. “It’s gonna be fun. You’ll see.”
I gave him a look that said I knew better, but his smile only got bigger. “You can hold on to me all you want.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you wanted me to jump you, you could have just asked,” I muttered. “You don’t need to make me wanna pee my pants to get me in your arms.”
He laughed, yet he still didn’t turn around.
I resigned myself to my immediate future. I really hoped I didn’t embarrass myself.
The haunted house was hosted by Beta House this year, and we had to pass by the Omega house to get there. I shivered a little thinking about the week before when I saw Zach at the game. I hadn’t seen him since, and I never told Romeo about the odd way he made me feel. Romeo already hated the guy enough without me adding more gas to the fire.
The whole week had been drama free. Sure, I still got scathing looks from some jealous girls, but I ignored them. I never cared what people thought before and I wasn’t about to start now.
We spent some time studying and even more time making out.
Ivy, Missy, and I had pizza and soda one night while Ivy tried to make sense of my wardrobe and put together some outfits she liked. She gave up after ten minutes and told me we had to go shopping. Up until now, shopping wasn’t high on my list of priorities. ‘Course, given where Romeo was dragging me off to, I sort of wished I’d made plans to go with her and that we were there tonight.
“I really don’t like Halloween,” I said, my stomach twisting a little as he parked the Hellcat. Creepy music and high screams pierced the air.
“It’ll be fun,” Missy said from beside the car. “The scariest thing you’ll see in there is someone getting it on in the corner because they think no one can see.”
Braeden and Romeo laughed. “Dude,” Braeden said. “Do you remember last year when that guy from Phi K was having sex with one of the girls supposedly working the house?”
Everyone snickered but me. “What happened?” I asked.
“Her fake arm fell off and he starting screaming and ran off with his dick flapping in the wind.”
I giggled. Missy grinned. “Bet he won’t be coming back this year.”
Romeo wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his body. I snuggled closer just because I could. The closer the four of us drew to the house, the more nervous I became.