Sophia put her hands up. “You’re right.” She squeezed the bridge of her nose and turned back to Carter. “Just…we either do this my way, or you can find a new study partner.”
Carter sighed. “It’s too late. All the other smart girls are taken already.” He looked truly devastated by this fact. “See you guys later,” he said to us as he made his way down the hall.
“This campus has some really interesting characters,” Aniyah said.
“Yup,” I said. And it seemed I was destined to meet them all.
S O P H I A
Carter kept staring at the door like a puppy who needed to go outside to relieve himself.
I smacked him on the arm. “Come on. Focus.”
“I’m trying.”
“You’re not usually this all over the place.”
“I know, but I had a shitty day, and the people in the living room seem way more entertaining than learning how my brain developed. Who even cares, as long as it works, right?”
“You need to stay eligible,” I reminded him.
“I know,” he replied miserably.
“Tell you what. Give this your undivided attention for twenty more minutes, and then we’ll go out there and get a drink.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded before pointing to his notebook. “Now read over your notes again and tell me what doesn’t make sense.”
And that was how we passed the next twenty minutes. Carter wasn’t a dumb guy, despite the things that came flying out of his mouth. He just didn’t care about psychology. He was only trying to fill a general requirement, and for that reason, he resented having to put so much effort into understanding the material.
When we emerged from the room, it seemed Drew’s group was also taking a break. Carter immediately began mingling with the others, and I sidled up next to Drew.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“Really well. We all have similar beliefs in terms of the role of ethics in business, so that’s making the process a lot easier.”
“Ah, you’re the good guys, huh?”
Drew looked surprised by my assessment. “How do you know we’re not ruthless future moguls?”
I tapped a finger against my top lip. “Hmm, let me see. That guy looks like he’s going to spend his life driving only electric cars and have solar panels on his roof, and the girl, while slightly intimidating, seems like she’s going to be a crusader for Greenpeace.”
“What about Xander? He almost burned down a library.”
“As a form of meditative therapy,” I pointed out. “What a shark.”
Drew snorted out a laugh at my assessment, which made me smile in return. “And then there’s you.”
“Me?”
“Yup. A guy who goes to school all day, soaking up every bit of information he can, while also holding down a full-time job and helping hapless sorority girls out of bad situations. Total monster.”
When Drew didn’t reply, I turned my head to see him watching me, a weird look on his face that I couldn’t decipher.
“What?” I asked.
He shook himself slightly as if he’d been in a daze. “Nothing.”
Before I could press for a real answer, Aniyah walked by us and stared at a painting on the wall. “This is fascinating. Who’s the artist?”
Her question was directed at Drew, and he shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the painting on the wall like it was going to rip his face off. “Oh, that. It’s uh…”
“God, you don’t remember anything,” I teasingly scolded him so I could save him from having to answer. “It’s a Paul Castle. His work is amazing. I stumbled across his Instagram page a couple of years ago and had to own some of his work. I bought this for Brody last Christmas.”
My story was true. I’d bought Brody the vibrant painting on a whim but later worried it might get buried in a closet somewhere. Work like Paul’s was created to be displayed, and it would’ve broken my heart a little to think that no one would get to see it. When I’d moved in and found it hanging on the wall, I was pleasantly surprised.
And as I stood there admiring the painting with Aniyah and Drew, my body filled with affection for my brother who knew fuck all about art but had hung the painting anyway. Maybe it was because he thought it made him look cultured, but I preferred to think that he hung it because I’d given it to him.
“I’ll have to look him up,” Aniyah said before moving back to where everyone else was congregating.
Drew held his palm up in front of me. “Thanks for the save,” he said.
I quietly slapped his hand. “Anytime.” I possibly should’ve been worried about how much I meant it.
“Sophia,” Carter called. “What’s going on with Aamee? Have you figured out a way back into the sorority house yet?”
Aniyah’s head whipped in my direction. “You’re in a sorority?” Her tone was a mix of accusation and disbelief.
“Yup. Zeta Eta Chi.” When her face scrunched up, I asked, “Not a fan?”
“When I was a freshman, my roommate rushed with them. I went to some parties with her, but…it’s not for me.”
I nodded. I got it. For how close most of the sisters were, some didn’t always extend that friendliness to outsiders. Hell, some didn’t extend it to their sisters either—hello, Aamee. Cattiness sometimes went looking for a target, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if freshman Aniyah had been one before she’d built all that armor she cloaked herself in.
To answer Carter’s question, I said, “I think I found something that’ll get me back in the house.” I left out Drew’s new hobby of scouring sorority handbooks in his free time. “I’m going to call for a meeting to discuss it. Fingers crossed it goes in my favor.”
“Well, I hope it works out for you,” Carter said. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thanks. I will.” I cast a look at Drew, who was giving me a smile I couldn’t help but return. It was nice of Carter to offer, but I had a feeling I already had all the help I’d need.
Chapter Ten
S O P H I A
“This meeting will come to order,” Aamee shouted over the chatting sorority sisters who were all gathered in the large living room.
The day after the cramped study date at Brody’s place, I’d sent Aamee and Macy, our sorority secretary, an email requesting a formal meeting. I knew Aamee would try to block the meeting, which was why I’d also sent it to Macy. A formal request had to be taken seriously, and she was gung ho about her secretary role in the sorority.
Macy then sent an email to all my sisters, telling them to mark their calendars for Tuesday of the following week. Everyone was told to make every effort to be there.
Once everyone was quiet, Aamee continued. “Sophia Mason requested this meeting, but she hasn’t shared what it will pertain to. Though I’m sure we can all guess.” Her smile was smug, and I couldn’t wait to wipe it off her face. “So at this time, I’ll turn the floor over to Sophia so we can all get back to our lives.”