The Taunting (College Life #1)

Once upon a kidnap, in a Kappa house far, far away

I woke up to complete darkness. 

My hands feel around for Cross, but he isn't in the bed, and neither is Connie. When I got done crying hysterically, Cross wiped my running mascara with a white towel, I told him I'll pay him back for it, but he told me to not worry about it and go to sleep. 

I did.

Connie was already fast asleep, and his room isn't that big, so we had to share the bed. Cross sat in the bed with me, rubbing my back. When I woke up in the middle of the night, he was laying in his gaming chair, I know his back had to have been hurting, but he looked peaceful, so I went back to sleep.

Now, he's nowhere to be seen.

My legs manage to stay upright and walk me down the staircase. I shiver when my feet hit the cold, hardwood floor. Cross must have taken my shoes off. 

Huddling my arms against my body, trying to warm myself up, I walk into the kitchen. The smell of bacon, eggs, and various other foods wafts up my nose. Music rings in from the kitchen, and inside of that kitchen was Cross and a few other guys cooking and dancing around.

I wipe my eyes, wondering if maybe I'm still asleep because this can't be real. I didn't even know that Cross could dance, and seeing him sway his hips makes me laugh, once he sees me standing all creepy-like in the entrance of the kitchen, he stops.

"Hey, when did you get up?" He asked.

"Uh, a few minutes ago. I got up, but you weren't there, I assumed you were down here." 

"You thought right, come here." He says softly, ushering a hand for me to come over.

He wraps an arm around my shoulder, whispering in my ear, "You, ok?"

"Yeah, I just needed to cry my eyes out, but I'll be fine." Andreas hurt me, that's true, but I can't spend my life moping around over him. It's over, and there are more fish in the sea. That's total bullshit, and I realized that once I thought it. 

He looks at me for a minute, like he doesn't believe me but also doesn't want to push it, "Fine, here- try this French toast, I made it myself."

"Don't lie to the pretty girl, Cross." I hear his frat brother say as he flips a pancake. I recognize him, he's the one that opened the door for me last night, the one with the ice cream in hand. He was handsome, had grey eyes and the best lips I've ever seen. "I made the French toast, he made the eggs, and they're a two at best." He points to the plate of eggs with cheese melted on the top right in front of us.

I laugh, "Why would you lie?"

He eats a piece of the French toast, "To impress you, but I didn't know my own frat brother would rat me out. You're trash, Tim." He throws a berry at him, to which Tim, impressively, dodges it. 

I pick up a fork that's lying next to the plate of food and take a bite of it, and oh my lord does it taste amazing. The fruits and dough and sprinkled sugar melts into my mouth, creating this flurry of flavor. 

"Tim, this is fucking amazing! I need the recipe." Excited, I take another bite, then another, and another. Cross just stares at me, surprised that a girl could eat so quickly, hell, I'm surprising myself. 

"Thanks, pretty girl. And I can't give you the recipe, if I did, I may have to kill you." He said it with such a serious tone, I thought he may be serious, but he follows up the cryptic sentence with a hearty laugh. 

Cross rolls his eyes, "Eh, the French toast is basic, try my eggs I'm sure it will blow your mind." I finish up the food in my mouth, then take a bite out of Cross's infamous eggs. 

They tasted basic. 

He watches me chew the food and then swallow it. "It's. . .good. Fantastic even, I've never tasted eggs so- so- different." He took me in when I was desperate, I can't hurt his feelings and the look in his eyes sends a pang to my heart.

Two of his frat brothers, one big and muscley and the other skinny, tries his eggs and they don't try to hide their thoughts.

"It's basic." said the muscley guy.

"Yeah, I've tasted better eggs at Waffle House." said the skinny guy, taking a drink of orange juice straight from the pitcher, guess I won't be having the orange juice, waters better anyway.

I rub his back, "It's ok, not everyone is talented in the kitchen. At least you're attractive." 

He shrugs a shoulder, "I guess." 

I sit down at the table with Cross and his frat brothers as we eat the bounty of food they made. I wonder what their food budget is because damn. I'm talking platters and platters and platters of food. I might gain 10 pounds from eating all this.

"So, pretty girl, will you be staying with us again tonight?" Tim asked, handing the skinny guy the plate of crispy bacon.

I swallow down my water, "No, this was a one-time thing. I hope I wasn't intruding." 

The muscley guy waves me off, "No problem, we would never turn down a girl, one that obviously needed a place to stay." 

I smile to myself; I barely know them but yet they welcome me with open arms.

"Oh really? You never turn down a girl, but you turned down Kelly Marshall." said the skinny guy, throwing a berry at the muscley guy.

"John, are you fucking serious! Kelly tried to kill me." 

Cross says, "You're exaggerating."

"Are you guys nuts! Of course, you are." Devin, who is later identified as the muscley guy tells his story. "Listen up pretty girl, this is serious. So, I ask this girl from Kappa out. Kelly was gorgeous, I'm talking thick thighs, hips like you've never seen before, and the cutest smile. We were set to go out on Saturday, I dressed up. Like slicking back my hair, putting on a tie and everything." He stops, talking to take a drink of orange juice, then continues up again, "When I picked her up at the Kappa house, all the sisters were standing at the door, like fucking killers. I was so scared I thought I would shit my pants, but she looked sexy as hell so all that went away."

"After our date at Tally's buffet, she wanted to stay at my place, and of course I let her. We get up to my room and start making out. Then, I feel something sharp at my back, it was a butter knife. I was scared, she told me to strip out of my clothes, I did, and then she took me down the stairs and told me to drive to the Kappa house. Remind you, I'm in my underwear and it was below 50. When I went into the Kappa house, all these girls are standing around a chair, they tie me up and start doing weird chants."

"I was so scared, turns out Kelly was using me for a Kappa prank. They made her give me a lap dance and make out with her, the making out wasn't so bad, but the rope hurt. After a few hours, they let me go. When I came back here and told the guys, they laughed in my face." He grumbles.

Tim chimes in, "If girls told me to strip and tied me up, I would love it. It's every guy's fantasy. A room full of women, especially a bunch of hot Kappa girls."

"Alright, next time they want to tie a guy up, you can volunteer as tribute."

I look over to Cross who's just shaking his head, telling me to ignore them. 

I helped them clean up the kitchen, they swore I didn't have to but I told them it would be rude of me to sit here and eat their food off their plates and not help. They washed the table and put all the food up while Cross and I washed the dishes.

Once all the guys disappeared, and it was just the two of us, the conversation turned serious.

"So, you want to talk about what happened with Andreas?" He hands me a plate. 

I don't want to, but eventually, I'll have to speak about it. Might as well start now, and who's better to talk to than Cross.