The Tuition Fee

Chapter 6: October pt. 2, Year 1

Nathaniel

I watched Will pull Alina inside and I felt my hands ball up into fists at my side. I took a step forward to follow them but Reese grabbed my arm, pulling me back. "Dude, you can't be upset if she lets you do it," he whispered. 

I shot him an angry look as I grabbed my cup back from him. "He's my brother," I hissed. "He should fucking know better." 

Reese just raised an eyebrow. "You never told Will Alina was your roommate Nate." 

God, I hated when that fucker was right. I hated even more how much I didn't like her walking away with another guy in my own house and not even looking at me. I crumpled the plastic cup in my hand and mumbled something about getting another drink as I moved away from him and the curvy Latina girl Alina had brought with her. The house was lit up with orange Christmas lights and some other party lights Will had loaned me from his own room. Music was pumping through the speakers, flowing with the sounds of the music and laughter of all the other townhomes on our street hosting parties. 

I said hello to a few other pledges and brothers as I passed, moving into the kitchen and up to one of the cauldrons. I got a new cup and scanned the room, looking for Alina and Will. I spied them near the front door, both of them with a cup in their hand and talking, heads bent close together to hear each other over the music. I almost broke my cup again when a hand landed on my arm and I turned to look in a familiar pair of brown eyes. 

"Emily?" I asked, and the girl smiled and nodded, plastic halo bobbing on her head. 

"Hey! Will said you were having a party!" She reached for a cup, brushing against my arm. I nodded numbly, looking back to him just as Alina laughed at something he said. 

"Uh, yeah. I'm glad you could come Em." I smiled at her and she winked and gestured behind her to two other angels. 

"This is Anna and Becca, my littles." I nodded to them and looked back at Alina. God, I couldn't even stand to be in the same room right now. 

"I'll be outside if you want to join," I whispered in Emily's ear. She gave me a wink and I brushed past her and started to walk out back. I passed Alina and we made eye contact and for just a flash I saw uncertainty in her eyes as she looked at me. Like maybe she was feeling bad about flirting with one of my friends. But it passed just as quickly as I saw it and she turned her attention back to Will. 

I stepped into the night air and took a deep breath, walking back over to the beer pong table. I was going to stay out here all night if I had too. I did not want to see one more second of Alina and Will together. 

And stay outside I did. Emily joined me and proceeded to wrap herself around my body but I didn't mind the clinginess. She kept my drink full when it emptied so I wouldn't have to go inside or move away from my twenty-win beer pong streak. 

Sometime around midnight, I noticed that most of the crowd had died down considerably and someone had moved some chairs outside, along with one of the cauldrons. I called it quits on my twenty-fifth win, moving over to collapse in a chair next to Emily and Reese who was still talking to Alina's friend. 

"We should play a game," I mumbled, sipping my drink and closing my eyes. The punch was getting a little sweet for me but we had nothing else but beer and I wasn't going to make the mistake of mixing those two liquors. 

"How about spin the bottle?" Emily suggested. I heard the glass scraping of a beer bottle being picked up and gave a small laugh. 

"What are we, in middle school?" I teased, leaning further back in the chair.