Page 4 of In the Danger Zone
“Oh, you’re sweet. You must have been the most organized kid in your school.”
We moved through the double doors of the lecture hall together, entering the already busy hallway. “I was kinda the only kid in m-my school. For the last couple of years, at least.”
Leena’s dark eyebrows furrowed as she looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“I was homeschooled for all of m-my last year of high school. And m-most of grade eleven,” I explained, not getting into all the details. They stayed there in my mind, but I couldn’t say it. It wasn’t a story for everyone.
“Whoa, I’ve never met a home-schooled kid before. Sounds like your parents really do worry about you a lot,” she murmured. “I was five seconds away from inviting you to a party this weekend.”
“A party?” My eyebrows raised. No one had ever invited me to anything ever. No parties, no get togethers, no days out.
“Yeah, some start of semester thing. It’s probably just an excuse for people to get drunk. A lot of the girls from Gamma Theta will be there too, so I know some people who are going, but I thought I’d ask you too.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, you’re in a sorority?”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I didn’t have much choice but to join. I’m a legacy. My mom was a member of Gamma Theta back when she studied here.”
I lifted up my eyebrows at that. “Wow, that’s pretty cool.”
“Meh. The whole sorority thing has never really been my style. But my mom is big on tradition,” Leena said with a little eye roll. “The house is nice, at least. And I have my own room. That’s a definite plus.”
I thought about it for a moment. Parties weren’t really my thing, but that was mostly because I had never been invited to one before. Most of the parties at my old school were hosted by the more popular students. Someone like me was never on the guest list.
“College parties sound kinda scary,” I told Leena. “At least that’s what all the m-movies have taught m-me.”
“Yeah, they scare me a little bit too, actually. But I’m tryna branch out, maybe move on from the whole quiet goth girl thing I had going on in high school. But what do you think? You wanna come? It’s this Friday.”
Humming, I thought about her offer. Did an invitation to a party really need that much analyzing? For someone with my past, yes. But Leena seemed nice. She hadn’t judged me for my stutter, and I so needed someone who just let me breathe. “M-Maybe a party wouldn’t b-be too b-bad?”
“We can also ditch it if we hate it,” Leena said. “I’m mostly going for the free drinks.”
A party sounded scary and different and freeing all at once. I didn’t want my past to hold me back forever. I came to college to learn, but that didn’t mean that wasallI had to do. Leena seemed kind enough, and having just one friend would be so, so nice.
“I… I guess I’ll go,” I told Leena softly.
After everything I had been through, didn’t I get to have just the tiniest bit of fun?
Chapter 2
EVAN
“How many girls did you invite to this thing?” I laughed.
My eyes were lighting up as girl after girl moved into the Gamma Alpha Iota house. During the day the house was mostly quiet – it was just me and the other guys with a few friends coming in and out. But at night? At night it got seriously rowdy.
My head tilted at the sight before me: tight dresses and short skirts and little smiles from girls that confirmed that they already knew who I was. Evan Wentworth. Right defenseman for the University of Western Oregon Wolverines. It wasn’t easy. Hockey was a rough game that wasn’t for the weak, but I had loved the sport my whole life. My dad had played pro, so it was pretty much in my blood.
And one of the best parts of my jobs was the pretty, little perks that came right along with it. Like the girls. They loved athletes. Theyespeciallyloved hockey guys.
The annoying part of the semester was over. Well, besides all the exams and assignments that I’d have to do later. But rush week had finished up and all the voting and pledging and shit was done with. I had joined Gamma Alpha Iota last year as a freshman with some ease. They had been pretty excited to have a guy whose dad was a former hockey player be a brother.
I leaned up against the kitchen counter, watching as a blonde waved her fingers at me. My eyes trailed along her body and down to her long legs. Interesting.
“Word spreads quick around here,” my friend said next to me.
