Chapter 11: Rushing In
EmPOV
To say that Gabrielle was a spitfire would be putting it mildly. She was fiercely protective of me, which made me feel a hell of a lot better about throwing a jealous hissy fit over Edward constantly having a part of her that I could never. I know it isn't something he can control, but I was getting frustrated that he was so determined to break into her thoughts, even though she clearly didn't want him in her head.
I also have to admit that I loved that Gabs was still able to block him, much to Edward's disappointment. In all his years as a vamp, he never once thought to take up Russian, which is currently working to my girl's benefit, though I don't know how her human brain can think in one language while she's speaking in another.
Gabs and the rest of the girls were currently getting ready for the first Fall rush event in their suite, and I was busy kicking Jasper's ass in Madden '10 on the Wii with Jake looking along in amusement, while Edward continued his fruitless efforts to tame his hair before we headed over to rush as well.
"Dude, one day all your strategic 'expertise' will help you to finally beat me… just not today!" I exclaimed as my team scored the game winning touchdown and I stood on the couch to do my patented victory dance.
It may or may not have looked like Chris Klein dancing in the barn in Here on Earth, but whatever!
Jasper was laughing at me and putting on his jacket as Edward finally walked out of his room, his hair looking exactly the way it always did. Jake just shook his head at him and went to wait in the hall for us.
"Okay, fine, you may be able to beat me in video games, but don't let it get to your head. I can still kick your ass in real life." Jasper taunted through his laughter.
Way to take the wind out of my sails.
I jumped off the couch, grabbed my leather jacket and headed for the door, when I realized that Edward was no longer following Jasper and I. I turned around to ask him what the hold up was, and I noticed that he was staring at me strangely, with a weird smirk on his face. He looked remarkably like Alice, and for once I understood why so many humans believed they were siblings.
"Um, Captain Creep Show, care to explain why you're standing there staring at me like that?" I asked, slightly concerned that my brother had finally lost his shit altogether.
"She really loves you. And you two are remarkably alike" Was his only reply.
Uh, okay that was not only strange, but from far left field.
"Yeah, okay thanks?" I replied, though it came out more as a question. "What the hell are you talking about, anyway?"
"The girls just passed by the building, and Gabrielle finally let me in her head. I guess she knew I would be listening." He started.
"Okay, so what did she 'say' to you." I asked.
"Just that she gets that it bothers you to have me try and get in her head, and if I didn't quit trying to read her thoughts she would kick my ass." He finished with a smirk that showed he didn't believe that my girl could take him.
"Well, I wouldn't piss her off if I were you," I replied as Edward followed me out the door. "She may be small and human, but I have a feeling she is pretty lethal."
"I think I'll take my chances." He smirked at me as we exited the building into the crisp fall evening air. One of my favorite things about being a vampire is our enhanced senses. I would never have enjoyed the amazing scents around me as a human.
"Its you're funeral" Jasper, Jake, and I chimed in unison. The strategist in Jasper made him acutely aware of the possibilities of Gabrielle's power, and I don't think he was up for betting against her in a fight, no matter if it was with a 117 year-old vampire.
"What's with you antagonizing her anyway? Why do you have to get into her head so badly?" Jake asked, voicing the question that had been on my mind since Edward realized Gabs was so good at keeping him out of her head.
"I don't know" he sighed, frustration clear in his tone. "It's nothing like with Bella, but a lot similar in a way. I can't stand not knowing what she's thinking because it makes me feel vulnerable, and I use my power to make sure we are all safe."
"You think she would ever do anything to hurt us?" I asked. I had stopped walking and was staring pointedly at Edward. I loved him as my brother, but I was furious that he would ever imply that Gabrielle could do anything to harm any of us.
"That's not what he means" Jasper chimed in, defusing my anger. "He can't protect her either if she decides to disappear or do something stupid. As much as they seem to butt heads, he really does care for her, I can feel it."
I had never thought of it that way. All this time, I never even considered that Edward would want to protect my Gabrielle as well, and while he can't see her future like Alice, if he heard her thinking something that could be dangerous he would at least be able to stop her from going through with it.
"Dude, the thought never once crossed my mind." I said to him as I threw my arm over his shoulder and dragged him along the path towards the main student center where the rush events were being held.
"I'll talk to her tonight and let her know why you want in so badly. Maybe she'll understand your side and let you in, sometimes." I said, trying to show him that I didn't mind him peeking in her head, if she didn't mind.
"Thanks… but I doubt she will. She is even more stubborn than Bella" he snorted, and I couldn't help but laugh in agreement. My Gabs really was as stubborn as they came, but I wouldn't take her any other way.
We arrived at the rush event just as it began, and we were able to walk from table to table hearing a little about each organization. There was a lot of talk of philanthropy, and community service projects, but no one was mentioning the raging parties and fun events. I'm sure it had to do with the Greek Life faculty meandering through the gathering.
When we reached the final table, the guys sitting there shared a lot of information about their organization and their involvement in campus events, and what sold me on them was their involvement in setting up campus concerts with various artists. I saw Edward's eyes light up at the mention of music, and I could tell he was definitely interested, and Jasper appeared to be deeply considering something, as usual.
Edward began to chew one of the guys', I think his name was Chris, ear off about their involvement with music, and Jake and I struck up a conversation with the largest guy at their table. Jasper was talking to the last guy at the table about his "Real Men Play Chess" t-shirt.
"So football, huh?" I asked gesturing toward his hat. Based on the hat he was wearing he was a member of the football team as well as a member of the fraternity.
"Yeah, I played for two years here but I blew out my knee last year. I was really down about not being able to play sports anymore, but then Sigma Gamma came along, and I feel like I can be useful again. It was so frustrating not being able to participate in sports anymore, but these guys gave me a way to do something else with all that energy. What about you guys? Let me guess, linebackers?" he asked.
"Well, it's our freshman year, but we didn't play in high school or anything. We had a really small high school and district…it didn't seem much worth it." Jake replied, using our standard cover for why we didn't play sports.
"Well, have you ever considered Rugby?" he asked, his interest peaked in our as yet untapped athletic potential.
"No, I can't say I have, actually, but it does look like fun." I replied. I had always wanted to try the sport, but never hung around with enough people to actually get a chance to play.
"A few of the guys in the fraternity and I play in the school's intramural league. It's a bunch of washed up football has-beens," he joked, "but we could definitely use a couple more if you're interested." He offered.
"Definitely. You have my email address, let me know when practices are and I'll let you know if I can make it out." Jake replied, and I nodded my head in agreement.
Over the years since Nessie was born, I had been improving the control of my strength (I was so afraid I would break the little thing) I was sure at this point I would be able to play a sport with humans without causing injuries more severe than were considered normal.
"Cool. Well it looks like they're kicking us out of here now," he laughed as the lights started flickering and the Greek Life staff began telling people to wrap it up.
"Well, the next rush event is by invitation only so that we can get better acquainted with our prospective pledges, so we'll email you later tonight and let you know if you've been invited to join as at our next meeting." The guy named Jeff said. He was a nice enough guy.
"Between us, I don't see you guys not being invited to the next rush meeting. Em, Jake, it was cool meeting you, and I will be sending you the practice schedule for the rugby team later tonight." He said.
"Thanks again, it was great meeting you guys." I replied as Edward, Jasper, Jake and I turned to leave the auditorium.
"So?" I asked of my brothers as we took a seat outside of the main entrance and waited for the girls to emerge from their own rush event.
"They have a really cool program for not only brining in established musicians for concerts on campus, but also discovering new talent. I think that's pretty awesome. And they have several musicians in the fraternity who play together sometimes, Chris was telling me they could use someone on the keyboards." Edward replied. I could tell he was excited about the idea of being able to play with a group every so often.
"They were really genuine, unlike a lot of the others." Jasper finally cut in. "I think they would be a good fit for us, what do you think Em, Jake?" he asked.
"I think I'm pretty much set on them. I didn't even sign up at any other tables, so if we are joining a fraternity, it's this or bust for me." I replied.
"Same for us," the guys replied in unison.
Just as we finished our conversation, the girls emerged from the main entrance, and Gabrielle was beaming. The moment she locked eyes on me she bolted and launched herself into my arms. If it weren't for my vampire reflexes I wouldn't have caught her.
"Whoa there Super Dave! What's with the death defying stunts?" I asked, amused at her ecstatic mood.
"Oh nothing, except I think I found the perfect sorority for us girls, and I am super freakin' excited!" she babbled, as she was gesturing wildly while I still held her in my arms. She was so beautiful when she was like this, free and happy and smiling.
"Oh yeah?" I asked as I nuzzled my nose in her neck and began kissing her gently as she continued telling me about her night,
"Yeah, and before you get ahead of yourself, take it down a notch Mr. I'm-perpetually-horny. We're still in public" she giggled and squirmed in my arms, but I could tell she didn't really want me to let her go.
"It's called Sigma Gamma Omega, and apparently they have a 'brother' fraternity on campus that they do a lot of events with. They hold this annual charity fashion show and concert with the guys and some of the girls actually design the clothes that are auctioned off." She beamed at me, and I could tell that my girl's love of fashion was one of many ways into her heart.
I could hear Alice excitedly babbling to Jasper about the same thing, and I couldn't help but laugh at how alike they sounded. So excited and bouncing uncontrollably. I swear when Gabs is turned, she'll give Alice a run for her money in the energy department.
Nessie was talking to Jake about how some of the girls were also on the school's dance team, which she was interested in joining as well. We were all full of school sprit this year for some reason.
"Wait, did you say Sigma Gamma Omega? Who is their brother fraternity?" Edward asked, amusement clear in his face.
"Sigma Gamma" the girls chimed in unison and the guys and I let out a huge round of laughter. The girls stared at us in confusion until Alice's tinkling little laugh could be heard along with ours when she realized what we had done.
"Okay, what's so funny?" Gabs asked, clearly not liking being out of the loop. From the looks on Bella and Nessie's faces, they weren't too keen on being left out either.
"Oh, it's just that we want to pledge the sister sorority of the guys. It seems like no matter what we do, we can't get out of playing siblings!" Alice laughed, eliciting another round of raucous laughter from us as well. Gabrielle still looked confused.
"Back in Forks, our last home, our cover was that Alice, Edward, Jasper, and I were all foster siblings. Back before Bella joined us. " I offered, as a means to fill her in on the joke. "We often use the cover of being foster or adoptive siblings in a new place, and it looks like we'll be Greek siblings here too if everything works out."
Gabrielle let out a soft giggle, and reached up to kiss me. "So, would I have to play your sister after I am changed?" she whispered in my ear causing a shiver to run down my neck.
"With the way I can barely keep my hands off you, either no one would believe it or we would be arrested for incest, so no, I don't think you will ever be playing my sister." I finished as I kissed her deeply.
Nope, definitely not my sister.