The Flyer & The Frat Star

Meet Hero

 Hero

Senior year. Who would've thought the problem child from London would end up here? I certainly didn't. I moved to the states to attend university, or at least that's what my mum likes to say is the reason. The real reason is that I got into the wrong crowd of mates and was drinking my life away. Little does she know that I do the exact same thing at WSU— maybe even worse than back home. I manage to pass my classes and that's all that matters to her. C's get degrees, right?

I met my best friend Sam at my freshman year orientation. I was a brooding pissed off teenager sulking in the corner the entire time, so he approached me with some weed and we've been mates ever since. We ended up living in the same dorm as roommates for our freshman and sophomore years. We got an apartment with a few other guys for our junior year, but due to the amount of noise complaints and damage done to the house, our landlord pretty much blacklisted us across the board.

That's when Sam hatched his brilliant plan of joining the new fraternity coming to campus this year, Sigma Nu. Considering we were seniors we were automatically accepted and offered rooms in the frat house. Parties, booze, girls, drugs, bossing around freshmen... I figured I could get used to the frat life. I fit the mold of the typical douchebag, just with a British accent— which often works in my favor to win over these easy American coeds.

Tonight's a social with the cheerleading squad, so it seems like I'll get a bendy chick tonight. Flexibility is always a plus in my book.

"Yo, Hero!" I hear Sam yell as he knocks on my door.

"What?!" I yell back, not giving him permission to enter my room.

"We're going on a booze run, what do you want for tonight?"

"Get me a case of Sour Monkeys and some vodka! And pick me up a new pack of cigarettes while you're out," I reply. I hear his footsteps retreating from my door, so I put my headphones back on and drown out the world with my music for a few hours before the party starts.

Josephine

I return from my shower to find Khadijha throwing every item of clothing in her closet onto her bed and our floor. "I have nothing to wear!" she whines before flopping back onto her bed. I take in the amount of clothes she's scattered and laugh at her exasperation. "What're you gonna wear, Jo?" She sits up and looks at me with a raised brow.

I walk over to my closet and scan through my options, not nearly as many as Khadijha has. "Uh, maybe just a pair of jeans and a top," I grab a loose-fitting lavender button up blouse and hold it up to my chest. "What do you think of this?" I ask, not necessarily knowing what's appropriate to wear at a frat party.

"Hmm," she tilts her head as she assesses my choice. "That's super cute for, like, class, but do you have anything more... revealing?" I can tell she doesn't approve of the blouse, but I typically don't wear "sexy" clothing. The only time you'll see me in skintight shirts and short skirts is when I'm cheerleading.

"Not really, I don't really like to draw attention to myself," I giggle uncomfortably.

"Girl, why not?! With a body like that you should be wearing lingerie to the frat house!" She's so enthusiastic and supportive that I almost believe her. "You can borrow something of mine," she offers as she files through the mounds of clothing on her bed. I'm flattered that she'd even think that I could fit into her clothing, but I know that's not a possibility.

"Is it really that bad to wear this? I just don't want to feel uncomfortable, I'm already hesitant enough just going," I nervously chew on my lip, the notion of going to this party becoming even less desirable. It's not that I don't appreciate Khadijha's compliments, it's just that I'm not very happy with my body. While I've physically recovered from my eating disorder and gained back the weight to be a normal size, I never mentally treated the underlying feelings. While I feel a lot better about myself than I used to, I just can't ever imagine being completely content with the way that I look. I prefer to continue to hide under baggy clothes.

It's a completely different feeling when I put on my cheerleading uniform. I feel sexy and confident, but that's not Josephine. It's my alter-ego that I can escape into and pretend to be someone else for a short amount of time. Someone who can accept her body for its curves and exudes confidence. I guess that's just another reason why I love cheerleading so much. It's like Halloween for me, a chance to be someone else.

"You know what? I love it!" Khadijha says coming over to feel the silky fabric of the blouse. "Please, pretty, pretty please let me do your hair and makeup though!" she ruffles my blonde locks and gives me her best pout.

"Fine," I huff in mock annoyance, a smile overcoming my features at the ease in which we get along.

An hour later, our dorm room smells like hairspray and perfume. Khadijha is dressed in a bright pink crop top matched with leather booty shorts, fishnets, and killer boots with a heel I can't even imagine walking in. Her curly hair is wild and natural around her face, and I can't even imagine what I look like next to her.

"You look fucking hot, Josephine! Even in your little nun outfit," she jokes with me. I turn to look at her handiwork in the mirror. My hair is styled in loose curls with more volume than my scalp has ever seen, and my makeup is natural yet glowing. I turn from side to side and pinch my cheeks, not believing how different I look. Maybe not necessarily different...just an enhanced version of myself. Similar to how I feel with competition makeup and hair, I feel myself gaining just a bit of confidence.

"Wow," I smile. "Thank you so much. Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without you. You make me want to be such a great captain, but you're clearly going to be a tough act to follow," I tell Khadijha.

"Josephine!" she fans her face and pretends to wipe tears from her eyes, "Don't make me cry after I just applied liquid liner!" We both burst out into laughter, and I find myself becoming a little excited to go to this party and spend time with the squad. All frat brothers can't be awful, right? That's just those Hollywood American movies that exaggerate the stereotypes. "Okay, you ready?" she asks, putting on her crossbody purse and checking out her outfit in the mirror one last time.

"Wait!" I call out while slipping on my tan booties. "Would it be okay if I invited Shane? I think I'd feel more comfortable if he was there," I ask timidly, unsure if a JV member would be allowed to come to a social.

"Just because I love you, yes he can come," she smacks her lips together after reapplying one more coat of gloss.

"Thank you!" I squeal before rushing across the hall and pounding on his door. "Shane! Open up!" I yell. I can hear his groans and his footsteps as he approaches the door.

"What can I do for you, m'lady?" he asks with a smile, even though he clearly has just woken up from a nap. I just love his optimistic personality.

"Get dressed, we're going to a party!" His jaw drops at my statement, clearly confused as to why me, of all people, would be attending a party.

"First of all, what?" he asks, astonished. "Second of all, where and when?"

"Khadijha really wants me to come to this social with the new frat on campus to work on my social skills for captain," I explain. "And we're leaving in 10 minutes, so chop, chop!"

"You're going to a frat party?" he's genuinely concerned now. Shane is the only person who knows what happened to me last year. I trust him with my life, and he's never let me down.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really," I try to convince him. "And no, I'm not going to a frat party," he lets out a sigh of relief. "We're going to a frat party!"

"You know I can't say no to you, Jo," he gives me a smile before heading to his closet to change. I knew I could count on him.

"Meet me in my room in 10!" I call to him before retreating to my room. Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all. 

A/N: The party's up next!! I know I didn't go into as much depth for Hero's backstory, but I want this story to be told mostly through Jo's perspective (at least for a little while in the beginning). Any feedback is greatly appreciated! I promise the story will be picking up very soon, although it may be a slow burn. What do you think will happen at the party...?