#Nerd

“Show of hands,” Zach called. “Who’s finished this challenge?”

Several hands went up. Everyone looked around. A lot of gazes landed on me. I didn’t flinch. Hell, I wasn’t even embarrassed I wasn’t the first.

“Well, well, well…” Zach said, pacing over to stand in front of me.

“Looks like Romeo might be losing his touch.”

I gave him a look that said I was bored.

“What’s the matter, Romeo?” Zach taunted. “Is the nerd too much of a challenge?”

I felt my lip curl when he mentioned Rimmel.

“The clock’s a ticking.” Zach got up in my face. “Less than two weeks to seal the deal.”

I didn’t say a word. I just stared him down.

“I gotta tell ya,” he boasted, stepping away from me and addressing everyone else. “I don’t think you can do it. She’s probably cold as ice.”

One. More.

All he needed to say was one more fucking word about her and I would pound him.

A couple of the pledges laughed. Probably not because it was funny, but because they wanted to kiss Zach’s ass.

“Tomorrow night we’re having a frat party at Omega. Be there. See what life will be like when you’re one of us.” Zach looked at me again. “Did you get what you were supposed to?”

“Of course,” I replied.

“Where is it?”

“Somewhere you won’t find it,” I said smoothly.

“You were supposed to bring it,” Zach challenged.

“To the party tomorrow, not here. Not now.”

“You have it when I say you have it!” Zach snapped.

Dude needed a beer.

He needed to chill the fuck out.

“C’mon, Zach. We all saw the text. You said the party.” One of the members who was not Trent spoke up.

Zach shot him an angry look but said nothing.

“The night before the inductions into Omega, you will be brought back one final time. Have your proof that you slept with your assigned female. If you have it. You’re in.” He glanced at me. “If you don’t? You’re out.”

Bags were shoved on all of our heads once more. Hands grabbed me and spurred me forward.

“Rick,” Zach said behind us.

The hands guiding me stopped. The bag was ripped off my head again, and I found myself looking into Zach’s eyes. “Bring the girl tomorrow night,” he said.

The last thing I wanted to do was bring Rimmel into a room full of these assholes. “What the fuck for?”

He smiled. It looked more like a sneer. “I’d like to meet the nerd. I hear you’ve become quite smitten.”

The more he talked about her, the more he implied he knew her, the more pissed off I got. I lunged forward and shoved my face right up in his. Satisfaction speared me when his eyes widened just a fraction. He wasn’t as tough as he thought he was.

“Well, since you seem to know everything,” I said, dead calm, “then you must also know that I take care of what’s mine. You might be president of this frat, but I own the campus. Do. Not. Push. Me.”

An arm wrapped around me from behind and towed me back. “You said what you needed to say, man,” Trent said. “Let’s go.”

“Bring her,” Zach called after us. “I mean it.”

The bag was stuffed back on my head, and I stiffened. “Chill,” Trent murmured and led me from the building.

As soon as the cold air hit me, I reached up and ripped the bag off my head and swung around. Trent and three other Omegas were standing there looking at me.

“That guy is a total douche,” I spat.

No one disagreed.

“You’re supposed to keep that on,” Trent said.

I ignored him. “So is he that much of an asshole to everyone or just me?”

The guys all looked around. Trent sighed. “I’ll take him home,” he told the others.

They all nodded and left.

“This shit ain’t worth the hassle,” I told Trent as I looked around. The Omega house loomed in front of us. We were in the backyard near what looked like an old shed. Off to the side was one of those old-looking doors that lifted out of the ground. It reminded me of the Wizard of Oz and the shelter they ran to during the tornado.

That must be where we’d come from. That must be the hangout of the Omegas.

“C’mon,” Trent said, and I fell into step beside him as we walked toward a black SUV parked nearby.

When we were in the car, Trent turned over the engine and said, “I’ve never seen him hate someone so much.”

“Yeah, well, the feeling’s mutual.”

Trent shook his head. “He’s pushing it with you. We’ve all warned him. He keeps it up and it’s borderline hazing.”

“No one will tell,” I said. And it wasn’t like I was the type to run and tattle either. I could handle Zach. I could handle any hazing he might decide to dish out. What I couldn’t handle was him messing with Rimmel because he knew it would get to me.

“You’d be surprised,” Trent said and drew my stare.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the Omegas haven’t been too happy with their leadership in a while.”

I grunted. “What a surprise.”

“Look, we all see that he’s going out of his way to make it hard on you. You have more friends here than Zach. He just doesn’t realize it.”

“I won’t have him messing with her,” I said. There was no give in my words.

I felt his sidelong stare as we drove silently for a few minutes. Then he sighed. “Yeah. I thought that might be the case.”

We pulled up to my house not too much later. The sky would soon start lightening with the rising sun.

Trent put it in park and looked at me. “Look, just get through rush. Once you’re inducted, we’ll take care of Zach.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the reason he didn’t want you last year is because he knew once you made it in, we’d all outvote him as president.”

I glanced at him. “You want me as president?”

“Dude, you’re like the most popular guy on campus. The party follows you. Not to mention you’re the quarterback for the Wolves, and if you take presidency now, the Omegas will have a steady leader for the next couple years.”

Basically, he was saying if I became president of the Omegas, the already popular, exclusive frat would just become more so.