After a long day of studying and ZBZ hazing I walk into the KT house to see a strange sight. All the KT's are digging through filing cabinets. When I see them do things like this I pause and think about if I really want to know what they are doing.
The choice is taken away from me when Rusty comes downstairs and asks, "Are you guys group filing?"
Cappie says, "It's midterms." I cannot wait to hear the rest of this explanation. Cappie goes on, "We're studying. Beav, Clemo's past ten midterms for American History, 312k."
Beaver says, "Profiles in courage?"
Cappie says, "Be brave."
Rusty says, "You're handing out old tests?"
Cappie says, "No. These are just study aids. The sum total of all Kappa Tau knowledge compiled over the last 30 years. These are our only weapons against the insidious administration and their 'C' grade-point average requirements for fraternity membership."
Rusty says, "You know I've never gotten below an 'A'."
Everyone boos and throws things at Rusty. Cappie stops them and says, "Ape shall not kill ape!" Then all the guys make monkey noises.
I say, "I've never gotten below an 'A' . Are you going to boo me too?"
All the guys cheer, "Sunshine!"
Beaver says, "We'd never boo you Sunshine! I had fun at lunch yesterday. I can't wait for mini golf next week!"
I say, "I had fun too! I can't wait either."
Heath says, "Thanks for helping me set up my study schedule Riley. I have no clue how I would have done it without you."
I smile and say, "I'm glad I could help."
I walk over to Cappie and kiss him sweetly. He says, "Well hello my beautiful genius girlfriend."
I say, "Hello my gorgeous resourceful boyfriend."
Cappie goes over to Heath and says, "Oh, psychology 303. From Dr. Freud to Dr. Phil."
Heath says, "It's like five years old. You got anything more recent?"
Uncle Josh says, "You'll be fine. Alkin Recycles his test every five years to stop people from cheating."
Rusty says, "But isn't this cheating?"
Cappie and Uncle Josh slam closed the filing cabinets they are looking through. Uncle Josh says, "Cheating?"
Cappie says, "Would our esteemed professors continue to reuse the same tests over and over, knowing full well that future students could easily recycle them?"
Uncle Josh says, "It's their unspoken solidarity against the evil administration."
Cappie says, "I think it is incredibly brave that they're doing this."
I say, "Rusty it may be in a gray area ethically, but it is technically not cheating. They did not steal these tests or the answers to them. Nor is it someone else's term paper they are turning in as their own. They aren't taking these tests with them to the test or anything either. If the teachers wanted to be completely sure that no one could do this they would make a new test every year. If they choose not to do so they are taking risks that this could happen."
Rusty nods and says, "You have a point Riley. I guess it's not really cheating."
Uncle Josh says, "Can I offer you a study aid?"
Cappie opens a drawer to see if they had something for Rusty. He pulls out a skull instead and says, "Oh! Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Heath. We seem to be a bit light in the Polymer sciences."
Rusty laughs and says, "That's all right." Right as he says that Jen K walks into the house.
Rusty walks over to her as she says, "Hey."
He says, "Ready for dinner?"
Jen says, "Yeah, but I thought you had a physics review session tonight."
Rusty says, "It's optional, and I've already studied everything. I know a cold. Besides, we've been going out for eleven days, and you know what that means?"
Jen says, "We've been going out for 264 hours."
Rusty says, "Our two week anniversary is coming up. And I was hoping that maybe." Jen K cuts him off with a kiss and all the KTs groan. When they pull apart from the kiss they leave the house. Well that was cute. She doesn't act super ditzy with Rusty which makes me happy for him.
Cappie turns to me after they close the door behind them and says, "Were we supposed to celebrate a two week anniversary or even a month anniversary?"
I laugh and say, "No, Cappie I didn't expect us to celebrate those. I'm thinking more like six months and a year and just yearly after that."
Cappie nods and says, "Ok, goood. I just wanted to make sure I didn't screw up so early into our relationship."
I smile and pull him down into a kiss, which causes the guys to groan again. Once we pull back I say, "Cappie, you are an amazing boyfriend. There is no right and wrong way for our relationship. There is just us making it work the best and most healthy way we know how. We will figure it out together as we continue to move forward."
Cappie smiles down at me and says, "You are the best girlfriend I could ever hope for. I'm glad we get to figure this out together. I'd be lost without you sunshine."
I smile and say, "I'd be lost without you too Cap. Now why don't we go get something to eat and then see where the night goes from there?"
He nods and says, "Sounds perfect, all this filing has made me very hungry."
Cappie and I say goodbye to the guys and head out to get some dinner. We just talk and enjoy our time together then after dinner we go on a nice walk around campus. It was just a nice normal night with Cappie and I love when we get to have those. He really is the best boyfriend I could ever hope for.
After walking for a while Cappie walks me back to the ZBZ house. We stand on the porch for a few minutes just talking. We eventually share a good night kiss and he heads back down the stairs and I walk into the house. When I get inside I see an upset Ashleigh sitting on the couch alone.
I go over to her and ask, "What's wrong Ash?"
She says, "Everyone hates Travis and he's coming to visit and they won't let him help study. It sounds like they don't want to see him at all. He's my boyfriend. I wish they would just give him a chance."
I say, "I'm not going to lie Ash, I have heard not good things about your boyfriend, but I promise to give him the benefit of the doubt. I have a strict study schedule set up so I don't need help studying, but Cappie and I will hang out with you guys. We can even go on a double date if you want. I won't put up with anyone being rude to myself or Cappie, but if he is as great as you say he is we won't have a problem."
Ashleigh squeals and pulls me into a big hug. She says, "Thank you so much Riley! I'm glad someone will try to make him feel welcomed! We would love to go on a double date with you and Cappie! It will be so much fun! You are the absolute best little sister ever! Travis will be on his best behavior I'm sure of it."
I smile and say, "I'm happy I can help Ashleigh. You are the best big sister! You can't help who you love. Even if Travis and I don't get along I promise I won't hound you about breaking up with him like everyone else. I'll tell you my opinion and then leave it alone."
Ashleigh says, "I appreciate that Riley. Travis can be difficult to get along with at times, but he really is a good guy. I don't know what I would do without you Riley. You really have my back no matter what and it means everything to me. I promise no matter what I will always have your back too."
I smile and say, "I know you will Ash. We are sisters for life!"
She nods and says, "Definitely for life! I'm going to go call Travis and tell him about our double date! I'm sure he will be so excited!"
I smile and say, "I have to go call Rebecca and then I'll call Cappie and let him know about our date too! Night Ash!"
She says, "Night Riles!"
After that we head our separate ways. I call Rebecca and she tells me all about the Spa her dad sent her too. I tell her about my night with Cappie and what happened with Ashleigh. She told me to be wary. She too has heard bad things about Ashleigh's boyfriend. We've all heard he's a jerk.
I hope he's not for Ashleigh's sake, but if he is I will do what I said and tell her my opinion and then leave it alone. I know that you can't control people and if Travis is a jerk Ashleigh has to decide that for herself. She has to break up with him because she wants to not because she was told to.
I call Cappie next and tell him about our double date. He's not super excited, but he agrees to go because he knows how important Ashleigh is to me. He does let me know if the guy is a jerk or a jackass he won't hold his tongue and I tell him neither will I. He just laughs and says he's glad we are on the same page.
We finish up our conversation and tell each other good night. I stay up studying for another hour or so and then I get ready for bed. College is a lot harder than high school, but I love my life here.
The next morning I get up and get ready. It is one of the nice mornings where I wake up on my own without someone else waking me up before I am ready to get up. I put on a flowing white dress covered in sunflowers and some white wedges. I do light yellow eyeshadow with black eyeliner, black mascara, and pink lipgloss.
I have some midterms today so Cappie, Uncle Josh, and I are going to meet for coffee beforehand. I grab the stuff I will need for the day before heading out to meet them. It's not a long walk to get to the courtyard where the coffee cart is. When I get there I see Uncle Josh, but not Cappie.
I walk over to Uncle Josh and give him a hug. He says, "Hello, niece! Cappie is running a little late. He said to go ahead and get our coffee and he'll catch up later."
I nod and say, "Sounds good to me." We make small talk as we head over to the coffee cart and order our coffee. Once we have it we make our way over to the tables in the courtyard.
Uncle Josh says, "Look there's Rusty and Casey. Let's go say hi." I don't think it's a good idea, but I go along with it anyway.
Uncle Josh walks up to them and says, "Oh, look at this! The Cartwright kids. You know, you two should band together and solve mysteries, fight crime. Got the perfect name for it. There's a sketchy janitor who I think is up to something." He sits down at the table, but I stay standing behind him. I just have a really bad feeling about this conversation.
Rusty says, "Casey got lavaliered by Evan." Ashleigh, Cappie, and Uncle Josh have all explained what that is to me, which is why I completely understand why Uncle Josh's face just drops.
Casey says, "Hey, that's supposed to be a secret." Uncle Josh looks so lost and sad. It makes me resent Casey a little bit more.
Rusty says, "Why'd you tell me?"
Casey says, "Good question."
Uncle Josh finally says, "Congrats, Case."
Casey says, "Thanks."
Uncle Josh goes on, "Your kids will be very Omega Kai."
Casey gives him a weird look and says, "Thanks."
I don't even fake a smile as I say, "Congrats."
She says, "Thanks Riles. Good luck on your midterms, Rusty. Riley, can I talk to you?"
Rusty says, "Bye."
I say, "I only have a minute."
We walk to the side and she says, "You can at least pretend to be a little happy for me. One of your sisters has a big moment, you celebrate it, especially as you are a pledge not fully in yet." Well I was going to keep my opinion to myself, but she just said the exact wrong thing to make sure I didn't
I say, "Casey what you're doing is hurting my Uncle, it's hurting my best friend and quite honestly it's probably going to hurt you too. I will keep my opinions about this to myself and when we are around everyone I will fake smile for you then. Right now I am not going to pretend that I think this is a good idea. Everyday you remind me more and more of Frannie and as much as I love Frannie, it scares me that you really believe that being more like her is a good thing. Now excuse me. I need to go check on my Uncle."
I don't give her a chance to respond, I just walk back over to my Uncle and Rusty. When I get back over to them I hear Uncle Josh say, "So, when did it happen?"
Rusty says, "Last night I guess."
Uncle Josh says, "That means one day till the candle-passing ceremony, and another before Evan makes his presentation on the ZBZ lawn, which means she's still technically 'un-lava-ed' for two more days."
Rusty says, "I still can't believe she's with that jerk. Well I have to get to class. I'll see you guys later."
Once Rusty is gone I look at Uncle Josh and I can tell he is really thinking about this situation. I say, "Uncle Josh, nothing good can come from trying to mess with this ceremony. Casey is wrong for all the people she is about to hurt, herself included, but it's her choice to make. We can't make it for her."
Uncle Josh says, "Maybe she can be reminded she doesn't have to make this choice. I have to, uh, get to class. I'll see you later, niece." He kisses the top of my head and heads off. This cannot end well.
Not long after Uncle Josh leaves Cappie shows up with his coffee. He says, "Where did Josh go?" I proceed to explain all that he had missed.
Cappie says, "Poor Josh. I can't believe Casey tried to make you feel bad for not being happy about this. It's not like you said anything unsupportive until she provoked you."
I say, "I know this ceremony is supposed to be a big deal, but when you are hurting people that I care about it is unrealistic to think I would jump for joy. This is so sad, this ceremony is supposed to show your commitment and love for someone. It is supposed to be beautiful and these two are using it for power or to pretend they're still happy or just hold onto what's already gone. I'm not sure which, but they aren't using it for what it's meant for."
Cappie then gets a far off look on his face. He says, "Is that something you want? To be lavaliered?"
I smile at him and say, "Yes, one day it would be nice to be lavaliered. But only when you think it's time and you want to make that commitment. We are in no rush Cappie, we have all the time in the world. We don't have to base our relationship off someone else's timeline. When the time's right you'll know. And if it never is that's ok too."
Cappie smiles at me and says, "You are the best girlfriend I could ever ask for. I know one day I will lavaliere you!"
I smile and say, "You are the best boyfriend I could ever ask for! And I know I will be so happy the day you do, but for now we are in no rush. Our relationship will go at our speed and no one else's."
Cappie and I enjoy our coffee and just talk about other things for a while. When It's time for me to head to class for my midterm, he gives me a kiss and wishes me luck as we part ways. I make my way to class to take my first midterm. I'm not super nervous because I studied very hard for this test.
Once the test is in front of me I focus on the studying I did and it really pays off. There are a few questions I'm iffy about, but most of them I am confident in my answers. After my test is turned in and I am leaving the room to head to my next class I check my phone.
Calvin has sent me a ton of messages about how annoying Ashleigh's boyfriend is and how Ashleigh is almost a different person around him. He also said everyone is right about him, he is a massive jerk.
I text him back and tell him how Cappie and I have to go on a double date with them. And now I am dreading it a little bit if he really is that bad. But I would never cancel on my big sis because of a jerk.
Calvin texted back wishing me luck and glad that he'll get a break from him. I just shake my head and head over to my next class. No point in stressing about it. I knew he was probably a jerk before I offered to double date with them.
I get to my next class and focus on my next midterm. I have three today and one more to take a different day which is fine I'll make it work. Once I am done with both of my other midterms I feel so much lighter. I think I did pretty well and I can't wait to get my results back.
I head back to the house and when I walk in I see an annoyed looking Casey leave the living room and an annoyed looking Ashleigh right behind her. I sigh and walk over to Ashleigh and say, "Want to come up to my room and talk?"
Ashleigh nods and we head up the stairs to my room and close the door. As soon as the door closes she explodes, "Casey really has the nerve to come at me about Travis while trying to be subtle, but she wasn't subtle. Why doesn't she get it? I owe Travis everything. He helped me get into school here. He has stood by me when no one else would. He's everything."
I nod and say, "I get it, no one can tell you how to feel Ashleigh. But you don't owe him everything. No matter what he or anyone else tells you, you got into this school because you are smart and talented. You can love him and be with him if that is what makes you happy, but don't do it because you believe you owe him. You are better than that."
I take a breath and say, "Casey is very opinionated and at times a little judgemental and hypocritical. She isn't trying to be mean, I don't think so anyway. I think she really just cares about you and in her own way she is trying to help you."
Ashleigh says, "I know, just with her being lavaliered by Evan and everyone so down on Travis everything is just so stressful and confusing. Oh no! I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about Casey or Evan. She is going to kill me!"
I say, "First, I would never tell her something you told me. And second, I already know. She told Rusty and when Uncle Josh and I went to tell them hi this morning Rusty told us. Casey is probably too busy being mad at me to be mad at you anyway."
Ashleigh says, "Why is she mad at you?" I proceed to tell her the story from this morning and Ashleigh says, "Why would this hurt your Uncle?"
I say, "Whether he admits it out loud or not he cares about her. She has kind of led him on whether she meant to or not and watching her still be with Evan is hard on him."
Ashleigh says, "Poor Josh. I think if Casey knows he likes her she's pretending he doesn't to make things easier for her. So, I promise not to tell anyone. On a happier note are we still on for our double date?"
I nod and say, "Just tell us when and where and we'll be there."
She says, "How about tonight at Dobblers? There will be live music and it will be so much fun!"
I nod and say, "I'll call Cappie and set it up." She squeals and pulls me into a hug. Then rushes across the hall to her and Casey's room.
I quickly text Cappie about the plans and he texts me back to tell me he'll be ready. He also tells me about how Uncle Josh is Casey's partner for this class and they have a big project to do together. He lets me know that Uncle Josh plans to grill for Casey and use their, Casey, Cappie, and Josh, pie tradition to remind her of the fun they had together.
I just shake my head. I really wish Uncle Josh would take a step back. Casey isn't ready for him, she needs more time. I believe that one day they will be together, but now isn't the time. I would never say that to Uncle Josh though. He needs to decide that on his own.
My phone goes off and I answer, "Hello?"
Rusty says, "Riley I am so screwed. I blew off that session for my class and now there are five new chapters I didn't know about and I don't understand them."
I say, "Calm down Rusty just read the chapters, break down the information, and try your best. That is all you can do. You will do fine, working yourself up is only going to make things worse and make this more difficult. Do you need me to come help you study?"
He says, "Ok, I'll try my best. I can do that. I can do that. No, it's ok Jen is going to help me. Ok, thank you bye." He hung up quickly. I did not help, he is still stressed. Maybe Jen will be able to help him or Cappie or Calvin or Uncle Josh. I hope someone can.
There is a knock on my door and I say, "Come in."
Casey walks in and says, "Look I'm sorry about this morning. I know it took you by surprise. I also know you don't care much for Evan. It was unfair of me to expect you to squeal and cheer for me. You didn't say anything negative until I did first. I know you think this is a mistake and I'm sorry you feel that way. I hope we can move past this and still be friends."
I say, "We will Casey, I just need some time. Whether you believe it or not you are hurting people by doing this. On some levels I think even you know this may not end well. I want you to be happy, but I won't force my opinions on you. I have said what I think and now I will leave it alone."
She nods, "I'll give you your space. I'm sorry that I was so harsh this morning. I'll see you later Riley." With that said she quietly leaves my room.
I pull out my books and start studying for my last final. I study for a few hours then I get ready to go out with Ashleigh, Cappie, and Travis.
I put on a black mini skirt, a red off the shoulder top, and red heels. I do a smokey eye with my eye shadow, black eyeliner, black mascara, and red lipstick. I curl my hair and put on some perfume. I am ready to go.
I meet up with Ashleigh and Cappie downstairs and we head over to Omega Kai to get Travis. On our way to Omega Kai we have a lot of fun talking and laughing. As soon as Travis comes out something in Ashleigh changes.
Ashleigh says, "Guys this is my boyfriend, Travis. Travis, this is my little sister in the sorority, Riley. And her boyfriend, the president of the Kappa Tau fraternity. Cappie."
I smile and say, "It's nice to meet you Travis." Cappie just nods at him.
Travis says, "I know it is pretty great to meet me." I look at Cappie and we both realize this is about to be a long night.
Ashleigh and Travis walk in front of us and I quietly say to Cappie, "We are doing this for Ashleigh so promise you'll hold out whatever you want to say for as long as you can." I know he won't last all night, neither will I, but for Ashleigh we will hold out as long as we are physically able to.
Cappie nods, but doesn't verbally answer, works for me. The walk to Dobblers is exhausting and Travis is kind of proving how awful he actually is. I meant it when I told Ashleigh I will give her my opinion and leave it alone, so let's see what my opinion ends up being.
By the time we get to Dobblers Cappie and I are barely keeping quiet. Ashleigh leds us over to a table that Frannie is at with Calvin and says, "We'll get everyone a round of drinks."
I say, "Just soda for me." She nods and they walk away.
Frannie says, "How's the double date going?"
I say. "It's going. He's definitely something." Trying not to trash talk this jerk to Frannie, she can be very opinionated on people's lives and Ashleigh doesn't have the safety net of having Rebecca Logan as a best friend like I do.
When Ashleigh and Travis come back with the drinks I try to start us on some small talk so he won't embarrass Ashleigh in front of Frannie. I notice Casey and Uncle Josh sitting at the bar and just shake my head. This is a rough night all around.
The small talk was going ok for the most part. Mostly because Travis was silently looking around and not contributing, which is probably for the best. But all good things must come to an end I suppose.
Travis says, "Since the Greek system is just an excuse to have a bar in your house, isn't this place kind of redundant?"
Frannie says, "Uh, there's actually a lot more to the Greek system than drinking."
Travis says, "Sure. How could I forget the hangovers and throwing up? Right?" He just stares at Calvin confused.
Calvin says, "Calvin." This guy probably drinks more than all the Greeks here and is embarrassing himself and his girlfriend. He clearly wanted to be a Greek, but didn't make the final cut for any fraternity so now he hates on them. Calvin and I connect us and we both can see how miserable the other is being around this guy.
Cappie has been very quiet and I know that is because he is following the motto if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all. Travis says, "I'm terrible with names. Babe, do you think you could go grab us two more glasses of pinot noir?" He drank his first one and hers pretty fast.
Ashleigh says, "Sure!" I would have gone with her, but I don't think it's a good idea to leave Travis alone with anyone at this table.
Calvin says, "You know, Frannie, Riley, Dobler's has an exquisite wine selection." We both just smile at him and hold back our laughs.
Travis finally decides to be quiet for a while and we enjoy the music. Calvin, Cappie, and I are dancing a bit while Ashleigh smiles at us and Frannie laughs at us, in a joking fun way. Travis, however, is stewing in whatever messed up opinion he wants to share next.
Travis says, "You want to know what I find the most pathetic about the Greek system?"
I say, "Not really, no. But I feel like you are going to tell us anyway."
Travis ignores me and says ."It's all the pseudo-pageantry. You know, the Greek letters, the Latin phrases. And nobody here has a clue to what any of that actually means."
I say, "Excuse me?"
Frannie says, "What in the world?"
Ashleigh says, "Hey let's talk about politics!"
I turn to Cappie and say, "Babe if you would please." I held back as long as I could, but he is not going to continue to insult us all like this.
Cappie nods and says something in Latin which he told me before means eat my shorts.
Travis sounding pretentious says something back.
I lean over to Frannie and Calvin and say, "He was a Latin major for a while." Frannie leans back in her chair and smirks at Travis and Calvin looks at Cappie impressed. Cssey was packing up to leave, but stops to watch.
Travis says something else pretentious.
Cappie says something back and it sounds so cool.
Travis says something else.
Cappie puts his hand to his ear and responds.
Cappie says something else in Latin then says, "Translation. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" The whole bar cheers for Cappie, even Frannie.
Cappie says something else in Latin and then says, "Travis, a round for the house?" Everyone cheers again, but Travis does not look happy.
Travis turns to Ashleigh and says, "Come on, let's go."
Franie does not sound sad at all as she says, "Bye."
I say, "Ash if you want we can come with you. Or just me."
She smiles at me and says, "It's ok Riley. Thank you for trying. You are still the best little sister. Bye guys."
I smile and say, "I will still stand with what I said. I just want you to be happy. I won't be pushy with my opinion. But he is kind of a jerk and you could do better. That's all I'll say on the matter." She smiles at me and follows Travis out.
Calvin says, "Later."
I turn to Cappie and throw my arms around his neck as I say, "I am so proud of you! And thank you for running him off. He was actually the worst!"
Frannie says, "I will never say this again and deny it if anyone asks, but thank you Cappie, that guy was a complete jackass. Worse than you could ever be." That is as nice as Frannie will ever be to Cappie.
I say, "Well Cappie let's go dance and have some fun. It is date night after all."
He smiles at me and says, "Sunshine, I was thinking the same thing." We say bye to Frannie and Calvin then walk closer to the stage. We dance and sing along when it's a song that we know. We just have fun and be us and that is my favorite thing about being with Cappie. Nights like this.
We hang out for a couple more hours then Cappie walks me back to the ZBZ house. We do what we always do and talk on the porch for a few minutes then he kisses me and heads back to the KT house. I smile as I watch him go for a second before heading into the house.
I head straight to Ashleigh's room and see her laying on her bed looking sad. I say, "Hey, how are you?"
She says, "Not good. Travis really isn't so horrible. He's just very opinionated and has a dry sense of humor."
I say, "Honestly, Ash the guy is a jerk. I think you can do way better, but that is your decision to make. If he makes you happy then be happy, but try taking a step back and make sure he really makes you happy and you aren't just staying because you feel like you owe him. I will support you whether you are with him or not."
Ashleigh says, "I'll try really thinking about it like you said, but right now. I love him and he's familiar and I don't think I'm ready to let go of that yet."
I nod and say, "That's ok. Take your time and decide what's best for you. No one can decide that for you and no one can control how you live your life."
Ashleigh smiles at me and says, "You really are the best little sister. I would feel so lost and alone without you."
I smile and say, "I would feel lost and alone without you too. You are the best big sister I could have ever hoped for. Now let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully, it will be a better day."
We say good night and head our separate ways. I get ready for bed and put a movie on as I get comfortable in bed. It doesn't take me long to fall asleep.
The next morning when I get up I decide it's a good time to call my parents. I call them and we talk and catch up on all the things that have been happening lately. I tell them about midterms and Ashleigh's tell me about life there. I got to talk to Auggie for a bit too. It was a nice start to my day.
I decide to spend my day studying for my next midterm. Cappie and I text throughout the day, but he is busy organizing his filing system and doing a little bit of studying too. I manage to study all day undisturbed, only taking breaks for food.
When evening time rolled around I was feeling very confident in my ability to do well on my next midterm. We have the candle passing ceremony for Casey tonight so I start putting my books and study material away. I'm already dressed and ready with hair and makeup done too. I'm wearing a pink sundress with white wedges.
Once everything is put away I grab my phone to head downstairs, but before I can get to the door it flies open and Ashleigh storms in. This cannot be good. I say, "What's wrong Ash?" She looks furious and I can see tears welling up in her eyes.
She says, "Frannie told me I have to break up with Travis then they briefly went over a list of approved guys they want me to go out with. When I turned to Casey for help she took Frannie's side. How can my best friend do that? You don't like Travis, but you aren't trying to force me to break up with him. I am so mad at them!"
I pull her into a hug and say, "They are absolutely wrong for trying to control your life like this. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Frannie and Casey need their world to be perfect and when it isn't they start controlling and manipulating things until it is. That's just how Frannie is and one day I think Casey will realize she is wrong, but right now she is too wrapped up in Greek life to realize it."
She says, "I don't know what to do. If I don't break up with Travis, Frannie can kick me out, but I don't want to break up with Travis."
I say, "First thing you need to do is calm down. If you don't want to break up with him then don't. I don't think Frannie will kick you out of the house. She'll just keep annoying you with her opinion."
She shakes her head and says, "I can't deal with the pressure they put on my relationship."
I say, "Then tell them you broke up with him, but don't. It's not any of their business who you date. I'll be the only one that knows, you're still together, unless you want to tell Calvin too. I know how close you are and he will respect your decisions like I do."
She says, "That's a really good idea! I think I'll ask Cavin what he thinks, but I think that's what I am going to do! You are the best sister ever!"
I say, "Right back at you. Now we both have to put on a fake smile and pretend that Casey is making a good decision."
She rolls her eyes and says, "Do we really have to?"
I nod and say, "Yes we do. Just like they need to let you make your own decisions, we have to let her make her own decisions too. Even if we believe them to be bad ones. Everyone has to make their own mistakes to learn their own lessons."
She nods and says, "You're right. Let's go." We head downstairs and meet up with everyone else.
Frannie gets us all organized in a circle. Ashleigh is right next to Casey and I am right next to Ashleigh. I thought it was better if I stay close, because Ashleigh is not a fan of Casey right now and I don't blame her. I'm not a big fan of Casey right now myself.
Frannie begins the ceremony, "Ok. It's time for our anonymous someone to reveal herself by blowing out the candle. Once around, friendship. Twice, lavalier. Three times, pinning. Four times, engagement."
Jen K says, "What's five times." Girl, you're a legacy. Did you do no research before you came here? I'm not even a legacy and I know all about this ceremony.
Frannie says, "Murder. Kidding. Okay settle girls." The candle is lit and Frannie passes it to the next person.
The singing begins, "Now we pass 'round the light, let our love glow and warm you. Let out bonds through the years, let our hearts be joined as one."
While everyone else keeps singing Ashleigh says, "You could have given me a warning before the entire sorority black balled Travis." I knew I shouldn't have let them stand together.
Casey says, "I'm sorry, I tried to talk to you about this before."
Ashleigh says, "I just didn't think you would join the mob."
Casey says, "Look, Travis isn't remotely right for you. And if you weren't so worried about being single, you'd know that." Well that's all I can take.
I say, "Well Evan isn't even remotely right for you, but here we stand while you hurt yet another person you claim to care about."
Casey says, "Riley please stay out of this. I said I was sorry for how I acted."
Ashleigh says, "No she's right. So you think you and Evan are so perfect together?"
Casey says, "This isn't about me and Evan."
Ashleigh says, "Maybe it's about you and Josh. But no one knows how you really feel, do they?"
Casey says, "What are you talking about? We're just writing a paper together."
Ashleigh says, "If that were the case, why aren't you blowing out the candle?"
I say, "Because as much as she will lie to everyone, even herself, she knows this is a mistake. Maybe Uncle Josh isn't who you are supposed to be with, but you know deep down it isn't Evan either."
Casey just stares at us for a minute, before she finally blows out the candle. Everyone cheers for her once she does. Ashleigh and I clap politely before we head back upstairs away from the celebration. We talk for a minute then head to our separate rooms.
It wasn't long after we separated that there was a knock on my door. I was already in my pajamas watching a movie so I did not want to get up. I say, "Come in."
Ashleigh opens the door and closes it behind her. She says, "Can I stay here tonight? I can't deal with Casey tonight. She doesn't think she did anything wrong. She literally told me you outgrow the people you love. Who says that?"
I say, "She is 100 percent wrong for what she did to you, but her saying you outgrow the people you love has nothing to do with you. That is what she tells herself to justify how she hurt Cappie and Uncle Josh. She wants you to be like her. She left Cappie not just because she was hurt by his actions and choices, but because the sorority wanted her too. Because Cappie, like Travis, wasn't, in their opinion, up to ZBZ standards. Cappie didn't always do right by Casey, but he is still a good guy. She also didn't always do right by him, but she never talks about that."
I take a breath and continue, "She could have still been friends with Uncle Josh after her and Cappie broke up, but she didn't even try. Not because of choices Uncle Josh made, but because he wasn't what Frannie wanted for her sorority. Casey chose getting ahead over love and told herself she chose both."
I pause and give Ashleigh a chance to digest this information. I go on, "At one point she may have loved Evan, but since he cheated and she cheated to get back their relationship is destroyed. Him lavaliering her is his last ditch effort to restore what they once had. Her relationship is falling apart, but she needs her status."
I take another breath and continue to rant, "To her she has worked too hard to quit now. She wants you by her side with equal status, but she also cares about you. She wants you to be happy, but she thinks you won't do what she thinks is best for you without an extra push. She is absolutely wrong and you should be allowed to live your life however you want, but in her own twisted way she is doing this because she cares about you."
Ashleigh says, "Wow. I never thought about all that. You are right though, Cappie was really good to her. He did screw up trying to impress his KT brothers, but Casey definitely blew him off to impress our ZBZ sisters too. Her and Evan have both been different since they cheated. I guess I didn't notice how bad things were for them. And I know she cares. I just wish she would stop being so my way or the highway."
I say, "Well let's not worry about her tonight how about you crash here and we enjoy some good old fashion chick flicks to get our mind off things. You pick the movies and I'll go get some snacks." Ashleigh agrees and starts looking through our movie options.
I head downstairs to get some snacks when my phone goes off. I answer as I look through all the snack choices in the kitchen, "Hello?"
Rusty says, "Riley help!"
I say, "What's up Rusty?"
He says, "I went to Cappie about getting help on my test and he gave me this number and I called it and they delivered candy with the answers and I don't know what to do! I have never cheated or thought about it before!"
I say, "Rusty take a deep breath. You are a logical person. I can't make this decision for you. I say keep studying and when you get to the test maybe you won't even need to cheat. Just do your best. That is all anyone can ask you to do. You have to make this decision and I will back you up no matter what it is. Do you feel a little calmer now? Do you need me to come over? Do you need to come here?"
He says, "Not really, but thank you for trying. No you don't have to come here. I think I'll be ok. I'm going to study and think. Thank you Riley. Call you later."
I say, "Good luck Rusty. You can do this." We say good night and hang up.
I take all the snacks up to Ashleigh and we spend the night watching movies and just having fun. It was a nice night. We don't stay up too late because I have an exam tomorrow.
The next morning when I get up I see Ashleigh is still sleeping. I quietly get up and get dressed. I put on some black ripped skinny jeans and my red tank top. I do simple eyeliner, mascara and red lip gloss for my makeup and I quickly curl my hair. I put on my red converse then I grab my backpack and purse before walking downstairs.
When I step outside I see Cappie there. I say, "What are you doing here?"
He says, "I thought I would bring you coffee and walk you to your final midterm as a freshman."
I take the coffee and kiss him sweetly. I say, "That is so sweet. You are the best boyfriend ever! Now let's get moving. I cannot be late today of all days."
He laughs and says, "After you sunshine."
We walk and enjoy a peaceful morning together. He quizzes me on things from my study guide and kisses me when I get things right. It slowed us down a little, but we had some time to get there.
When we get to my classroom Cappie says, "I will be waiting for you when you finish and we will go get lunch to celebrate finishing midterms."
I smile and say, "That's perfect Cappie."
He kisses me one more time and says, "Good luck! You got this!"
I smile at him before heading into my classroom. When the midterm is in front of me, I take a deep breath and begin carefully reading each question. Just like my other midterms I feel confident in most of my answers because I remember a good portion of what the questions are asking.
When I finished with my midterm, just like he promised, Cappie was waiting outside my classroom. We went out for a celebratory lunch and he took me to get ice cream too. It was so much fun and it was a great way to celebrate being done with we got back to campus I got a call from Rusty and he said he needed to talk to me.
I kissed Cappie and headed straight for Rusty's room. When I got there I knocked on the door and when it opened Jen was there. She says, "Come in. I'll give you two a second to talk."
I nod and walk over to Rusty and say, "What's wrong?"
He says, "I tried studying more and it didn't help. So I cheated. I've never had below straight A's and I cheated. How could I do this to myself? I love to learn. I love knowledge. I didn't just cheat on an exam, I cheated myself out of important knowledge that I need going forward. What is wrong with me?"
I say, "Rusty this is more pressure than you have ever faced before. School was never hard for you before and now it is. You are in a competitive program taking complex classes. On top of that you're in a fraternity and have a girlfriend. These distractions you haven't had to deal with at the same time is new and it is difficult and maybe this time you made the wrong choice, but you can do better going forward. You know now what is expected of you and that you need to learn to juggle a little better. You'll get there. I know you will. I'll be here to help you every step of the way, I promise."
Rusty pulls me into a hug and says, "What would I do without you Riley?"
I smile and say, "You'll never have to find out. Now go spend some time with your girlfriend and try to relax. The solution to all your problems won't be decided right this second."
He nods and says, "You're right."
I say, "Of course I am. I'll see you later."
I leave the room and run into Jen she says,"Just curious, did you cheat too?"
I say, "Not that it is any of your business, but no I didn't. My dad is a teacher and he taught me how to balance studying with life. Cappie and my Uncle Josh didn't cheat either before you ask and annoy me further."
I don't give her a chance to answer, I just leave her standing there.
On my way out of Rusty's building I call Cappie and update him on Rusty. He says he'll help keep an eye on him. He also tells me Casey broke Uncle Josh's heart again. She gave into his advances then threw in his face that he doesn't have a ten year plan. She told him that wanting to be with her in ten years wasn't a real plan and broke him again. I am not a violent person, but I am seconds from punching her in her smug face.
Cappie told me to calm down and that I can't actually punch her in the face if I want into the sorority. He also knows I'm not violent. Cappie then asks me if I want to go to the movies with him and the guys. I say absolutely and that I'll meet them at the theater I want to see Uncle Josh.
I beat the guys there by barely a minute. When they get there we jump in line to buy our tickets for the movie. While we are in line I ask Beaver how his exams went and he says they went great. We also plan to go play mini golf in a few days.
I go over to Uncle Josh and say, "Are you okay?"
He says, "No, I'm not, but hopefully one day soon I will be. I keep forgetting that I will never be good enough for her."
I say, "That is not true! You are good enough, you both just want different things at this point in time. She wants to plan her perfect life that we both know isn't playing out the way she planned it too. You just want to go with the flow of things. And that is ok, it is ok to not know what you want to do with your life right now. It is ok to spend a lot of time in college figuring it out. You do what is best for you and if you two are meant to be you will be."
Uncle Josh pulls me into a tight hug and says, "How did I get so lucky to have you for my niece? You are the best niece I could ever ask for and I am grateful for you and all you do for me. I'm glad you decided to go to college here with me, with all of us. I don't know what we all would do without you."
I say, "Well lucky for you, you don't have to find out. Now let's go watch a movie and cheer you up. Or at least distract you for a while." He nods and we continue moving in line. Cappie got my ticket for me even though I told him he didn't have to.
Once we get our tickets we head in to get our snack then we go find our seats. I sit between Cappie and Uncle Josh with Beaver on the other side of Cappie and the other guys scattered around us. Cappie, Uncle Josh, Beaver and I are sharing popcorn, but we each got our own candy. Though Cappie and I are sharing ours.
The movie was pretty good, but I don't know if Beaver was a huge fan. The guys and I start walking back, we are getting close to the ZBZ house. Beaver says, "That movie sucked. I totally guessed the ending."
As we are walking I text Rusty and tell him to let me know if he needs anything and that we can hang out whenever he wants. He texted back that he'd let me know if he needs anything and that we'll hang out in a few days.
I text Rebecca and tell her she needs to call me tomorrow night because I have a lot to catch her up on. She texts back and says she will absolutely call tomorrow.
Cappie says, "That's not the point."
Uncle Josh says, "The point is, the hero always wins."
Beaver says, "So that's like one of the rules?"
I say, "Absolutely."
Uncle Josh says, "I mean, the twists and turns that they take, that's just to make it interesting. In the end good will always triumph over evil."
Beaver says, "Always?" We are now close to the ZBZ house and I see the ZBZs and Omega Kais on the lawn together and I know Evan is officially lavaliering Casey. Uncle Josh looks crushed.
Uncle Josh says, "Without a doubt."
His look worsens as we watch Evan put the necklace on Casey he hugs her. She has her eyes closed at first, but when she opens them she looks right at Uncle Josh. Her look turns a little sad as he lifts his drink up to toast her.
I see him tearing up a little so I decide it is time for us to go. I say, "I think I'll crash at the Kt house tonight. How about we have a video game slash action movie marathon? We'll put someone's Tv in the living room and we can play video games and watch movies at the same time! Who's in?"
The guys all cheer except Uncle Josh who is still staring at the scene in front of him. I grab his arm and start leading the guys away. I say, "Come on Uncle Josh. Beer, video games, snacks, and action movies. What could make the night better?"
He smiles slightly and says, "Spending time with my niece which I guess is included in the fun. Let's go!"
Cappie yells, "You heard them men! Let's go! Come on sunshine, I'm so excited!"
We rush over to the KT house. When we get there I say, "You guys go on inside and set up, I'm going to call Ashleigh real quick." They nod and head inside.
I call Ashleigh and she answers on the second ring. She says, "Hello?"
I say, "Hey, how did it go?"
She says, "I told her we broke up even though we didn't. You're right it isn't any of their business."
I say, "You do what you think is best, I have your back. If you want to sleep in my room tonight you can. I'm crashing at the KT house. I went to the movies with the guys and on the way back we passed Casey getting lavaliered and Uncle Josh is a little upset."
I decide not to tell her about what happened with Uncle Josh and Casey earlier. They should be the ones to tell people about that, not me.
Ashleigh says, "Oh no! Poor Josh, what are you guys doing to cheer him up?"
I say, "We're going to watch action movies, play video games, eat snacks, and they are going to drink beer. You're free to come by if you want, but I understand if you don't. You can crash here if you want to."
Cappie told me not only am I alway welcome here, but so are my friends. I think he knew one of them might need to crash here at one point.
Ashleigh says, "You know what? Sure. I need something fun and distracting. Plus you gave Travis a chance for me. I can give the KTs a chance for you. Let me stop at the house and grab some things and I'll be right there. Do you need anything?"
I say, "Yeah I have an overnight bag I keep packed for these random sleepovers. It's in my room under the table I keep my laptop on."
She says, "Got it! I'll be there soon!"
I tell her, "Okay, just come in when you get here. It may be too loud for us to hear you knock."
She laughs and says, "Okay. See you soon."
Once we hang up I text Rusty inviting him and Jen to come hang out, but he says they are studying, maybe next time. I tell him I understand and we'll catch him next time. I also wish him luck on his studying and offer to help him whenever he needs me to.
When I go in I see the table is covered in snacks, one tv is set up with the gaming system, the other the tv is set up with the dvd player, the guys all have beer, and they are trying to decide which movie to watch and which game to play.
I grab Cappie and pull him away from the group and say, "Ashleigh is going to come hang out and probably crash here. Is that ok?"
He nods and says, "Of course we have all told you, you and your friends are always welcome here."
He calls the guys attention and says, "Riley invited Ashleigh to come hang out and possibly stay the night. Don't be jerks and make her feel welcome."
Beaver says, "She's Riley's big sister, we'll be nice to her. She's good to Riley." The guys all nod in agreement.
Wade says, "She can sleep in my room. Riley just helped me clean and organize it and I changed the sheets this afternoon."
I smile and say, "Thank you guys. I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality, it's just she's going through a rough time and I didn't want her to be alone."
Uncle Josh says, "You aren't taking advantage of us. You're just being a good friend to her just like you are to us." After that we pick our game and first movie and start our night of fun. We wait for Ashleigh to start the movie, but the game starts while we wait.
The guys decided to turn the game into some kind of tournament. They brought out the white board and started making brackets with everyone including me and Ashleigh. It wasn't too long after the game started that Ashleigh arrived.
When she walked in we were deeply engrossed into the first round of the game. When I notice her I walk over and say, "Hey Ash. Wade said you can sleep in his room. I'll show you where to set your stuff." I take my bag from her and we head upstairs.
She says, "There is a lot of excitement going on down there."
I laugh and say, "They just started round one of the tournament for the game. As soon as we get down there we'll start the movie too. That should distract them a little bit. This is Wade's room. I helped him get it organized so it's pretty clean. He also said he changed the sheets this afternoon. And I make the boys wash them all so I know they are clean."
She says, "They are so nice for letting me crash here tonight."
I nod and say, "Yeah they are pretty good guys. That's why I hang out with them so much. Let me set my stuff in Cappie's room and we'll head back down."
When we walk into Cappie's room Ashleigh says, "This is Cappie's room? It's so clean!"
I laugh and say, "Yeah he does it mostly for me I think, but it's a nice room." We head back downstairs and join the guys.
We have a really fun night watching lots of movies, playing the video game tournament, eating all the snacks we could, and the guys and Ashleigh drinking all the beer they could. Ashleigh is having a lot of fun too. She came in 5th in the tournament which was higher than my 8th. She is laughing and joking with the guys and I. It was great. Just what we all needed.
Uncle Josh seems a lot happier, he is obviously still upset, but he needed this and I am glad we did it. He came in 2nd in the tournament with Heath winning the whole thing, Beaver coming in 4th and Cappie coming in 3rd.
When it was late into the night or early into the morning we decide to call it a night or day. Whatever. As we head upstairs Ashleigh says, "This was so much fun! I don't even like video games, but that was so exciting! I'm glad I came tonight. You're right, the KTs are good guys who are so fun to be around."
I smile and say, "I'm glad you gave them a chance."
She hugs me and says, "I'd do anything for my little sister. Good night! Let's go get lunch before we head back to the ZBZ house tomorrow."
I smile and say, "Good night and I would love to."
When Cappie and I get to his room we both change for bed and then we put on a movie. As we get comfortable in his bed I say, "What a week."
He nods and says, "This has definitely been a long week. Tonight was fun and I think it was just what Josh and Ashleigh needed. What all of us needed after exams. I'm so glad you're my girlfriend. You balance me out so well."
I smile and say, "We balance each other out. Now let's get some sleep. It has been a long day." He kisses me sweetly then we cuddle close as we both begin to drift off to sleep. This has been the most insane week in college so far and I feel a little stretched thin from all my friend struggles, but I'm glad they are all figuring it out! Gotta love college.
