"Do you like girls?" he asked, again in the reasonable voice.

"Um, yes."

"That didn't sound convincing," he sneered. "You like boys, don't you?" I heard some smothered laughs from around the room.

I didn't answer.

"Answer me, maggot!"

I was shaking by this point. Fuck the Brotherhood, fuck the brothers, fuck Blair, fuck all of them. "Fuck you."

The room fell silent.

"Get him out of my sight," The National Examiner said, and someone grabbed my hand and led me back into the Great Room.

I sat there, trembling. I felt like crying. Why didn't you just say no? You told the National Examiner to fuck off, Like he's going to let you in now. All this energy, all this time, this whole week-you just threw it all away and for what?

I sat there in my misery forever before someone came and tapped me on the shoulder again. I was led, again the three knocks, and then a door opened. I was led through the doorway, and the door shut behind me.

Someone pulled my blindfold up, and I blinked as I saw Blair. His face looked completely miserable. The entire Brotherhood was inside the Chapter Room, it seemed, and they all looked solemn. I took it all in a second, and then Blair said, his voice shaking, "Jeff, I'm so sorry. The National Examiner said no."

My heart sank to my feet.

"But you know, Jeff, we've all been talking and we all like you and think he's full of shit," Marc Kearney said. "We really want you to be a Beta Kappa, and on behalf of all the brothers, I want to invite you back to pledge again next semester."

I stared at him. I looked around at all the sad, solemn faces. I couldn't believe this was happening. And they thought I would be willing to go through this all again? Oh, hell, no. All I wanted to do was get out of the house as fast as I could run. I looked down and took a deep breath. Tell them yes, and then get out of here. It's not binding, it'll make them feel okay, but there's no way I am going through this again. Staring at the rug, I said finally, "Okay."

"Um, Jeff?" Blair said.

I looked into his sad face, and suddenly it split into a joyful smile. "Congratulations, you just passed the final test. Welcome to Beta Kappa!"

My jaw dropped as everyone in the room started cheering. Blair threw his arms around me and hugged me, and my entire body sagged from the shock. Brothers were clapping me on the back, shaking my hand, and then Marc whispered, "You need to go in the back room and keep quiet-we have to bring the rest of your pledge class in." I made my way to the back of the room, and right at the door to the storage room stood a big man in a suit with a mustache and sideburns. He was grinning broadly as he handed me a bottle of champagne. "Congratulations, Jeff." I recognized his voice as the National Examiner.

"You asshole," I said with a huge smile.

"Fuck you, too." He winked, and opened the door. I slid through and my pledge brothers were hugging me. "They are such fucks, huh?" Chris whispered to me, a big grin on his face.

"Uh-huh." I nodded.

"I know, huh?" Eric whispered. "I said I'd come back, but I was thinking, no fucking way!"

"Oh my God, I was thinking the same thing!"

A loud cheer went up from the room outside, and a few seconds later Ted Norris was let into the room. I made a point of hugging him. "We did it, Ted!"

He was stiff, and didn't hug me back.

I let go and stepped away from him. I looked into his face, and saw nothing but malice in his eyes.

Nothing can change him, I thought sadly. Even tonight, when we've all finally made it, he can't let go.

There was another cheer, and the door opened. "Come on, boys, let's celebrate!" The so-called National Examiner shouted into the storage room, and we all crowded out into the chapter room, and then out into the Great Room. There was the sound of champagne corks popping, and I drank out of my bottle.

"I'm so proud of you," Blair smiled at me, and I passed him the bottle. He took a big foamy sip and then Marc was ushering us all out into the cul-de-sac. "New brothers, step forward!"

We all stepped to the front of the circle. "Get those fucking shirts off!"

The brothers cheered as we all stripped off the stinky T-shirts and threw them into a pile. Marc doused them with lighter fluid, and lit a match. Suddenly, everyone linked arms and started singing the house song.

"It is to thee dear old Beta K, we sing our song of praise,

It is to thee, our fraternity, that we our voices raise!"

In the sorority parking lots, horns started honking and headlights went on. We all waved in their general direc- tiom.

I looked around at my brothers-all of them now my brothers, and felt proud.

I'd made it. We'd all made it.

I took another drink of champagne, and knew I was going to get very wasted.

"I love you," Blair whispered into my ear.

"I'm going to show just how much later, big bro." I smiled back at him. "Prepare to get fucked like you've never been fucked."

"Oh, I know." He laughed. "I've never been fucked by a brother. And I can't wait." He brushed up against my shoulder. "I'm sure it's going to be well worth the wait."

PART THREE

\X/INTER

Chapter 10

r "he rest of the fall semester went by in a blur. Within two weeks of Initiation, finals began. My grades were pretty much well below the average my parents expected of me after being a straight-A student all through public school. Getting all Cs my first semester of college was, I feared, going to finally make them cross over the line and make me get a job. They'd been pretty patient and understanding about the whole pledging thing, but having substandard grades was unacceptable in my family. Mom and Dad had always taken great pride in my straight As. I'd never let them down before, and now with them paying for my education, I was about to give them the biggest letdown of my life so far.

And worse yet, they might not let me move into the house.

Moving in was now my biggest priority. I wanted to live in the house, to stay there every day, to completely immerse myself in Beta Kappa. I loved the Brotherhood, and was very proud that I'd made it through, been accepted. That meant more to me than getting good grades in a major I didn't care anything about.

After Initiation, I started going over the conversation I was going to have to have with my father about moving in. I came up with every conceivable argument against it that my father could have, and sometimes my answers to those objections sounded phony even to me. But then again, when I'd decided to pledge, and discussed it with them, I'd given them the information packet about Beta Kappa, its requirements, and costs. I knew they'd read it and talked it over. So, they had to know that the Brotherhood required every initiated brother to live in the house a minimum of two semesters.

I rehearsed and thought hard about my answers. The only objection I couldn't come up with an answer for was "You're too young to move out of the house."

And if I knew my mother at all, she was going to say that. The key was to get Dad on my side and present a united front to her.