Greek Letter Society
A/N: So, people say when you hit a wall with writing, to explore other avenues of inspiration. Be that in the form of something physical, or even another story. I've decided to give that a whirl on the hopes of jogging the creative flows again. This story is a lil side idea I've had so I think just chucking it out there will do me some good in terms of creativity.
I'm not expecting it to be a 500,000+ word saga but I'll see what kind of reception I get. This story is a small AU on the grounds that Blackwell had Fraternities and Sororities. As with all my stories, reader feedback and input is heavily appreciated, don't hesitate to let me know in the forms of a PM or Review!
Without further ado, I present to you, faithful reader, Greek Letter Society.
Chapter 1: Delta Omega Gamma
Blackwell; the prestigious academy located in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. It was certainly an institution of great merit, especially on the west coast. Thousands of students would apply each year, desperately hoping to claim a place among its hallowed halls.
While not even half that number would be successful with their application, the select few would find themselves in for a higher education experience they will never forget.
Our journey starts with one of those lucky applicants, Aaron Heartfiled. He had grown up in Portland, not too far away from Arcadia Bay so Blackwell was firmly on his radar as the looming question of 'What college are you going to apply to?' became ever more frequent.
Even now, as he sat in the passenger seat of his dads Audi with his black head of hair firmly placed against the window, he thought back to how he ended up here.
He didn't have much in life. Despite his dad's relatively good job, being a single parent made it hard for them both. Aaron's mother wasn't the most sincere of people when he was younger and now, may years after the divorce from his father, she had almost become estranged to him.
It was no big deal, he was used to the lack of her presence, it if anything gave him more focus when exams rolled around. His dad always told him to try hard in school so he could get a good job one day and that's kinda the only plan Aaron had for the future right now.
He was simple like that.
As the car pulled up outside the college, Aaron ran his fingers through his hair, adjusting it from the messy ball that had formed on his head and pulled it back, out of his face.
"Want some help with your bags?" his dad asked. He was a kind and caring man who's soft blue eyes brough comfort to anyone who looked at them. Aaron got his blue eyes from his father. Eric was older, so the soft, lighter look suited him whereas Aaron's were a polarizing deep, intense blue.
His brown hair had started greying and wrinkles formed in the corner of his eyes. He was clearly someone with a lot of life experience.
"Nah, I should be good dad, thanks" Aaron responded as he exited the car, shutting the door behind him. He unzipped his grey hoodie, revealing a casual red t-shirt beneath it before heading over to the trunk of the car.
Aaron grabbed his suitcase with his right hand and slung his rucksack over his left shoulder. Before his dad closed the trunk lid shut. Taking a deep breath, Aaron looked at his dad before focusing on the academic institute that stood behind him. It was certainly overbearing.
"Now, I know you'll have a great time son, just be careful" Eric called over, bringing Aaron's focus back on him.
"I know dad, don't worry" Aaron replied as he adjusted his rucksack.
"I know you will but with college comes parties and with parties comes girls, drugs and other things a father doesn't want to think about"
"Jeez dad, then don't!" Aaron called back with a little laugh, his red cheeks made his dad realise he was slightly embarrassed.
"Say no more, give your old man a hug" Eric called out before hugging his son.
"Ha, gay!"
Aaron could hear someone call out but he just ignored it. This was the last time he'd see his dad, well at least for now and figured he deserved a fitting goodbye.
Placing the altercation in the car park behind him, Aaron headed into the campus grounds, taking in all he could see. The lush garden in front of him was sparsely populated at this moment in time.
To his right, Aaron could see there were a few guys sitting under a tree, on a bench playing what Aaron figured was chess, some stereotypical jocks throwing a football back and forth just behind them and to his left he saw three girls walking across the grass to the main concourse. They walked with authority yet Aaron had no idea who they were.
Looking at the paper map he pulled from his pocket, Aaron saw that orientation would start in front of some statue. He sussed that it was to his right, passed where the jocks were playing football. Keeping his head down he hurried past them. The last thing he'd want to do is end up on someone's radar this early into the semester.
Aaron wasn't one for sports, he had no interest in it so he knew he would instantly but heads with the jocks on that fact alone. He wasn't afraid but would like his college experience to be as stress free as possible.
Another aspect he had no notion of engaging in was frat life. It wasn't on his mind but the thought had emerged from time to time. He was just unsure if it was for him.
Aaron spend the majority of his walk staring at his pair of black and white Converse, meaning he wasn't looking at the girl standing in front of him.
She let out a gasp as Aaron looked up, bringing himself to reality. She was a small framed brunette who had dropped her books over the floor.
Apologising profusely as he helped her pick them up, Aaron realised he had found the orientation group. The two looked at each other with red cheeks, both clearly embarrassed by the whole situation.
"I am so sorry, I wasn't paying any attention" Aaron remarked as he flipped head to the right, adjusting his hair yet again.
"It's fine, no harm done" the girl replied in a timid manor. She wore a pink shirt with a white doe on it and a jacket not unlike Aarons, just a lighter shade of grey.
"Uh, I'm Aaron" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I take it this is the orientation?" he asked in an effort to change the subject.
"I'm Max, nice to meet you" She called back as she adjusted the books that had returned to her arms. "Yeah, I think it's about to start, they wanted to give everyone a good chance to make it. You know, to avoid any first day jitters"
Aaron nodded in understandment before placing his hands in the pockets of his black skinny jeans. He could hear a teacher call from in front of the statue and began to focus in on her voice. The small crowd of about 40 students that had gathered there all turned and waited for orientation to begin.
While those numbers seem small, Blackwell wasn't a large university. Its place as a prestigious academy of more artistic degrees saw less of a need for a large student body. While the numbers ranged in the hundreds rather than tens of thousands, it really showcased how sought after a place here was. Many undergrads in the state of Oregon either attended OSU or the UO as the degree programmes they offered there were more diverse and accessible.
The niche market of Blackwell only led to its elevated position in academia.
"OK, thank you all for joining me here today, the aim of this session is to help you all settle in as best as we can. My name is Doctor Erin Scott, if you have any questions, call them out"
The teacher was young, Aaron guessed she was in her late twenties to her early thirties. She had short, wavy hair that was a warm shade of auburn. It cut off around the middle of her neck and was parted from right to left, going over her forehead and being tucked behind her left hear while covering her right one.
She wore a dark pair of glasses that covered a pair of dark brown eyes and had her lips a shade of maroon that fit the autumn weather well. She was slim but tall and had an air of authority around her.
She wore a grey jacket over dark red turtleneck. The turtleneck was tucked into a pair of light grey pants that led to a pair of black heels. She was elegant yet pragmatically dressed for a teacher and most of the students had no problem listening with intent to what she had been saying as they slowly moved around the campus grounds. Well, almost everyone.
"Yo, where would be able to buy beer?" a dude in a hat and glasses called out.
"There is absolutely no drinking on campus grounds!" Dr Scott bellowed back. "Anyone found in possession of alcohol will find themselves in front of the Principle"
"Whack, next you'll be telling me there's no drugs"
This comment earned him a stern look from the teacher and the rest of the crowd couldn't tell if he was being funny or stupid. Aaron tended to lean to the latter.
"Dugs are also banned from the college…not to mention illegal" Dr Scott called back as she lead the group onwards.
Aaron heard him mutter something under his breath. While being odd, Aaron couldn't help but find him funny.
As the group carried on walking, the guy who called out turned around and looked at Aaron of all people.
"Hey, you'd think they'd put that kinda shit in the brochure" He said in a hushed tone as not to talk over Doctor Scott as she continued the tour.
Max couldn't help but laugh, realising this kid thought it would've been ok to drink underage and smoke what she'd assume was weed on campus.
"Well those things are, y'know, illegal, man" Aaron replied. The dude in front of him looked back with a confused stare. He was clearly high right now.
"Yeah but this is college man, this is where the parties happen. Stick with me and I'll make sure to get you in on that action"
"I don't even know who you are" Aaron called back, earning a giggle from Max.
"I'm Justin and I'm your new best friend"
"Well what action are you even on about?" Aaron replied figuring he'd humour Justin.
"Parties bro!" He called out a bit too loudly for Aaron's liking. "I know where all the cool shit goes down, my buddy Trevor—" Justin was cut off.
Their diatribe was broken up when they heard a loud "Ah-hem" from the other end of the crowd. Doctor Scott had caught on to them talking rather than listening to her. All eyes were on Justin, Aaron and even Max who had nothing to do with the conversation apart from listening to it.
Needless to say all three felt a morecombe of shame. Well, maybe not Justin.
"It seems as you don't need to listen to me talk so that must mean you know everything?" Dr Scott called over to the three of them "Go on then, where are we?"
The few seconds that passed seemed like an eternity before Aaron ran his fingers through his hair, lifting it back up before going:
"Well uh, these are the Prescott Dormitories. Donated by Sean Prescott in 2013, they have been the prominent form of student housing for anyone outside of a Fraternity or Sorority on the campus over the last five years"
The crowed was stunned at the fact Aaron not only answered but that the answer he gave was so thorough. Dr Scott was less than impressed by his answer though and took it as a form of an insult.
"Well maybe you'd like to give the rest of the tour, if you know everything?(!)" She called over sarcastically, expecting Aaron to fall in line.
He had his cards on the table, he didn't mean to sound rude, he couldn't help the fact he knew the answer. This was it however, he saw three paths before him.
The Neutral path was that of saying no thank you and continuing the tour at his place in the back. The submissive answer would be to apologise and promise not to interrupt again and the dickish answer would be to take her up on that offer and carry on the tour. It was like one of those moments in a video game where you had to make a defining choice and Aaron decided to do something he normally wouldn't.
"Well if you're offering" He shouted back and made his way to the front of the crowd. "Behind me we have the football field where our lovely jock meatheads practice varsity football. Go bigfoots(!)" Aaron said sarcastically as he started to walk, the group following him as Dr Scott stood there with her mouth slightly agape, not sure of what to think.
Aaron seemed to have some in depth knowledge about the school as if he had been there before. He was talking like a member of the faculty rather than a first day freshman. It was after his speech about the art wing of the school that Dr Scott had decided enough was enough but they had ended up back where they started, Jeremiah Blackwell's statue.
"If I'm right, that concludes our tour. Don't forget to collect your photo's at the end and remember to give to charity" Aaron called to the crowd as Dr Scott chimed in.
"Yes, thank you for that display, you're all dismissed. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask a member of the faculty or another student. FAQ's can be found in your student handbook and if you need a point of contact, the reception can be found on your map. Good day and welcome to Blackwell" She called out as the crowd dispersed.
Max and Justin approached Aaron, the latter laughing quietly to himself.
"Dude, that was awesome, how do you know so much about this place?" Justin asked as he patted him on the shoulder.
"Well I live in Portland so I kinda hear a lot about this place, with it being so close and all. That and I may have had a field trip here a few years ago" Aaron answered sheepishly, spilling his secrets. " I'm usually more reserved but I guess that's college kicking in"
"Awesome dude, we totally need to have a beer" Justin would have to wait for a reply as Dr Scott interrupted Aaron before he could reply.
"Well it seems you have a knack for talking and it saved you from getting into trouble on the first day" she said sternly as she looked slightly down at Aaron. She would've been smaller if not for her heels but Aaron figured she would still be intimidating.
He seemed to remember something about young teachers being a lot cooler. He figured she wouldn't be one of those so he'd have to pay attention to his answers from now on.
Aaron just smiled awkwardly as Dr Scott uncrossed her arms and walked away, her heels clattering on the stone path as she left.
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go find where all the weed is, peace out" Justin exclaimed as he ran off to…well…find weed.
Max and Aaron were left in disbelief at this utter character they've just met. Both of them looked at each other before laughing slightly. The display that had witnessed definitely had the same impact on them.
"Well he was…fun?" Max said, earning another laugh from Aaron.
"That's one word for it, I guess"
"So, I'm gonna get some food, do you wanna come? I'm always hungry early on in the morning" Max asked as she swayed from side to side on the spot.
"Sure, let me just drop my-shit-I need to get my room key!" Aaron shouted as he realised he was still holding his suitcase. He was yet to visit his dorm room.
"Well, that's not good" Max answered. "Go to the reception, they should be able to give you your key there"
"You're a lifesaver!" Aaron replied before heading back the main concourse. "I'll definitely take you up on that dinner once I'm settled" He called back, shouting a bit louder.
"Good, it'll be nice for us to have friends here, well, not counting our new bestie, Justin" Max was shy and quite but Aaron had to admit, she had some funny one liners. "Do you have Chatback?"
"I have no idea what that is" Aaron replied with a giggle.
"Its this campus social media app that lets you talk to other students and faculty members here. Think of it like Facebook but specifically for Blackwell" Max explained as Aaron searched the app store for it.
It took a few seconds to download and when it did, Aaron broke the silence by saying "So how do I know my log in details?"
"Ok so its your first and last name as one word with a capital letter for each and your password is just your student ID number"
"Ditto" Aaron called back, keeping his head into his phone as he entered the details.
AaronHeartfield
215679
"You might wanna change your profile photo, it defaults to the one on your student ID and if its anything like mine, you'll cringe" Max chimed in with yet more helpful insight into how this app worked. Aaron made a note of that and immediately changed his prison-like mugshot to one that was saved in his camera roll.
"It says I need a username?" Aaron asked, looking up at Max.
"Oh yeah, that's kinda like a twitter username. It can literally be anything and you can use it instead of someone's full name to find them on the app"
Fuck, I feel like I'm in a tutorial or some shit right now Aaron thought as he figured out what to set as his username. It didn't matter so he just settled for something quick
HeartAttack
"OK, what's your name, I'll add you?" Aaron asked the small brunette in front of him.
"It's easy, its just MaxnotMaxine" She replied with a slight friendly smile.
"Ok well that's all done so I guess I can harass you whenever I get bored then?" Aaron jested as he began to walk the other direction from the dorms, to the main building. He responded to Max's laughter with a quick wave before turning his back to her. He felt good to have made friends with someone so quickly.
Aaron headed inside the main building. It was bigger than you'd think, sporting a circular reception area at the hallway junction. The carved wooden desk was small enough to fit a person seated behind it without taking up much of the hallway, allowing students access the toilet and classrooms besides it as well as the corridor behind it.
He approached the desk and was greeted by a rather uninterested looking man who sat behind it. He wore a plain white shirt that had numerous pencils sitting in his chest pocket and short black hair that matched his black glasses.
"What can I do for you?" He called up to Aaron from his seated position behind the desk.
"Uh, I'm here to pick up my room key. My name's Aaron Heartfield" Aaron said as he handed over his student ID card.
The receptionist checked it over, verifying its authenticity before handing it back to Aaron. He opened a filing cabinet to his lower right hand side and flicked through some files before stopping on what Aaron could only guess was his. The receptionist pulled out a white card with the Blackwell B on one side and a magnetic strip on the other and handed it to Aaron.
"If you lose it, it costs $25 dollars to replace" He called up, not taking his eyes off the computer screen in front of him. "Sign here, please"
Aaron looked down at the form in front of him before giving it a quick read. It was just conformation that he had received his key so he signed it and handed it back to the receptionist.
What an fucking weird bloke
Aaron thought to himself as he turned around and began to walk away. Once again, he was unaware of his surroundings and bounced off of the larger student that was behind him.
Looking up, Aaron was met with the scowling face of someone who was clearly a Jock and who was clearly mad.
"Watch it, freshy!" He shouted before shoving Aaron with enough force to knock him back.
All Aaron could do was scowl back as he saw the larger man walk away, his posse of smaller jocks flipping Aaron off and heckling him as they continued down the filled hallways.
Aaron was brough back to reality when he heard a soft voice talk to him.
"If I was you, I'd be more careful around Zach" she said, causing Aaron to turn and face her direction.
She was a petite blond girl who's hair was up in an unusual bun. Her green eyes struck out against her pale skin that was matched by her cherry lips.
"He looks more like a gorilla" Aaron retorted as he adjusted his rucksack and picked his suitcase back up.
"Well he is the Captain of the Bigfoots so you're not that far off" The girl replied with a giggle. Aaron though her laugh was cute, this caused him to smile a bit.
"Thanks, I'm Aaron, nice to meet you" Aaron said with a mile as he looked back at the girl in front of him.
"Kate, pleasure to meet you" She replied as she placed her hands behind her back. "If you want, I can give you a quick rundown on some of the key cliques here at Blackwell, that should help you from bumping into the wrong people"
They both laughed at that silly joke, Aaron could tell that he would get ribbed for his clumsy ability to not look where he was going a lot more than this.
"Sure, give me the rundown"
Kate studied the hallways of the main concourse as she looked for visual aides to help Aaron visualise what she'd be talking about.
"Ok so those 'gorilla's' as you put them, are the Jocks. The Alpha Tau Zeta Fraternity. You can recognise them by their crimson red Letter jackets with menacing black sleeves"
"A to Z? They really didn't think hard about that one(!)" Aaron remarked sarcastically.
Aaron looked over to the lockers where the Jocks had congregated. Their Varsity jackets definitely drew his eye. It was like they chose the most sinister colour combination possible.
Aaron found it polarising due to the fact that most Jocks were stupid, they don't try to be scary and yet, they chose a colour scheme that actually gives them more credit than they'd deserve.
Even know, as Aaron saw Zach pull on an unfortunate students bag as he tried to walk away, the other Jocks laughing at his discomfort. They weren't trying to be scary, just funny.
"Over there, you have the Beta Omicron Pi" Fraternity Kate called, bringing Aaron back to her attention. They're what you'd call, well uh.." Kate trailed off.
"Nerds?" Aaron replied, finishing her sentence in an abrupt manor.
He looked over in the direction of the toilets and saw three dudes, two of which were wearing glasses, one even had a bowtie on. They had the stereotypical lack of fashion and geeky demeanour that was associated with nerds.
The least looking nerdy one actually had styled his hair but his outfit choice of a formal shirt under a jumper and formal dress shoes did little to mask his affiliation. He looked more like a teacher than a student, except for the calculator watch on his wrist. No one over the age of 22 would wear one of those.
"Eh, they seem harmless, I guess?" Aaron said as he turned back to face Kate.
"They are, they tend to stick to the library or their dorms as they don't have their own Frat house" Kate informed Aaron as she looked around the concourse.
Aaron joined her in the search for other striking figures for him to be informed about. His head darting around the corridors as the two searched for more people of note.
It was fun for Aaron, getting as much information as he could this early on. This should make shit easier he thought as his eyes landed on the trio of girls he saw earlier.
The one in the middle was the tallest, although not by much. She had long blonde hair and hazel eyes that were a contrast to the blue feathered earring that was in her left ear.
To the right of her was the second tallest girl who was sporting a blonde pixie cut and looking painfully uninterested.
The third and shortest member of the trio had dark black hair that came down to just below her chin. She was reading out something from her phone to the other two girls who were with her.
"And who are those?" Aaron asked, unable to look away. He was a young guy and they were hot girls, he wasn't gonna lose any sleep over it.
"They belong to the Tau Epsilon Chi Sorority, or Vortex as they like to be called" Kate said as she rolled her eyes, clearly not a fan of the joke.
It took Aaron to realise but the letter for Chi was an X so they were the ΤΕΧ Sorority. He couldn't agree with Kate, Vortex sounded cool.
"The one in the middle is Rachel Amber, senior and President of the TEX Sorority" Kate explained. Aaron's gaze fixed on the three girls.
Rachel's hair was pulled into a ponytail with two parts of her fringe loosely covering each side of her face. She wore a dark green tank top that was covered by a blue and black checked flannel and ripped grey jeans. They were rolled up at the bottom and she was wearing what Aaron would assume was a new pair of red Vans due to how bright the colour was.
Time slowed town as Aaron watched them talk. If that was the case, he would have seen her look over in his direction and catch him staring at her. Pulling his gaze away in a rushed manor, Aaron turned back to Kate who had a small smile on her face.
"Who are the other two?" Aaron said awkwardly as he adjusted his rucksack.
"The one with the short hair is Victoria Chase, she's the Vice-President and a total, uh, well she's not nice" Kate explained as Aaron looked over his shoulder, realising he wasn't being looked at anymore.
She was wearing a white sports bra that was partly hidden behind a red buttoned up shirt that she had tied into a not above her stomach, showing off her midriff. Her black skirt ended just before her knees leaving a gap of pale skin before the black returned in the way of patent leather Doc Martin Thurston's.
"Yeah, she seems like she's mad all the time" Aaron said as he turned back to face Kate. "Who's the last one?"
"That's Courtney" Kate explained. "She's ok, I guess, she keeps mostly to herself but I feel like her opinions are Victoria's"
"And Victoria isn't nice" Aaron stated, earning a nod of approval from Kate.
Courtney was the smallest of the trio and was sporting a white jumper with black stripes going horizontally across the top half. She wore a pair of ripped black jeans and a white pair of hi-top converse. She seemed quiet and reserved but that was just an initial impression.
"I take it they don't wear a Sorority uniform?" Aaron asked due to the lack of any form of uniform that the girls had.
"Well not in the traditional sense. They have an outfit that they wear for parties and such but they don't have Varsity jackets or anything" Kate answered as she scratched her right arm.
Aaron couldn't help but wonder what outfit Sorority sisters would wear to a collage party. He figured it would be something…provocative but quickly threw the image from his mind. He didn't want to get distracted by girls this early on.
"So uh, is there any other Societies I should know about?" Aaron asked as he rubbed the back of his head. A gesture he always did when feeling slightly awkward.
He enjoyed just taking in the surrounding College scene in his own time. It was nice to have some insight on the social structure that was Blackwell. Hopefully it will serve him well in the days to come.
"There's no more Sororities but there is one more Fraternity here at Blackwell" Kate began as she looked to the floor. "The Delta Omega Gamma Frat are well…"She trailed off, looking for the right words. "You'll have to see for yourself" Kate began as she looked back up at Aaron. "They wear Bright Royal Blue Jackets with white sleeves, they aren't that hard to miss"
Aaron was definitely intrigued as to what these guys were about. He wasn't big on Societies or anything, he was just here to study but figured knowing a bit about them couldn't hurt his chances of having a peaceful college experience.
"Thanks for all this, Kate, you've really helped me here" Aaron began before picking his suitcase up. "I need to go and drop all this off at my room, I'll see you around?" He asked as he headed towards the front door, earning a nice smile from the girl in front of him.
Aaron figured he should get another lay of the land before classes start tomorrow. But first he was going to drop all the luggage he had been hauling around off at his room.
Overall, Aaron had a pretty eventful morning. It wasn't even eleven yet and he had made what he would call a productive start to the day. He was pretty relaxed about most things, he wasn't easily stressed out. Still, he couldn't help but think that maybe bumping into the Jocks could boil into something bad.
As Aaron reached the dorms, he looked at the floor plan on the inside to find where room 244 would be. Second floor, right side, end of the row. He said to himself as he dragged his luggage up the two flights of stairs. The dorms were relatively quiet, in the sense that there was only one or two people present, in terms of decibels, Aaron could make out at least two different rooms playing music obnoxiously loud.
Aaron reached his door and opened it, praying there would be no issues with his key. He just wanted to be rid of the baggage he was carrying. With a sigh of relief, Aaron entered his now unlocked room.
Aaron's room layout was as follows: bed in the top left corner with black bedding, a window in the centre of the back wall, a silver desk with a computer set up on it and a pink flower next to it, a brown, three shelved book case at the foot of the bed with space for various books, DVDs, and games to go. There was a closed wardrobe on the back wall, to the left of the door, a black HDTV on the right wall, opposite the bed and Aaron noticed an empty space in the bottom right corner of his room. What to put here? He thought to himself as he dumped his bag and suitcase in the empty space.
The bed was a welcome sight, it gave Aaron a chance to sit and gather his thoughts. Deciding to use this reprieve to check out the app Max was on about, Aaron pulled out his phone.
Sure enough, it was easy to navigate and pretty much what he thought it would be. There were a few posts off of returning students as well as Seniors saying how they were sad to be in their last year. None of it meant anything to Aaron but he saw it as a cool way to bring the College together.
The post that caught his eye was one from Justin, believe it or not. He was standing next to someone in a beanie who Aaron could only assume was in the Delta Omega Gamma Frat due to the blue and white jacket he was wearing. The DOG's, woof, woof. Aaron thought as he spelled the letters of the Fraternity out in his head. Still, Justin looked happy.
-So Psyched to catch my boy Trevelations again, can't wait to pledge to the DOG's and party hard!
The post under the photo read. Aaron realised that Trevor, the guy in the photo, was obviously a friend of Justin's outside the realms of academia and that this Fraternity may even be a party Frat.
As much as Aaron told himself he was here to study and be as prepared for his future as possible. The vices of College attracted him more than he'd care to admit. The idea of a Frat party sounded enticing to say the least. Even now, he didn't realise he was thinking about going to a party and not reading the other posts.
After finally getting back on track, Aaron figured he should at least make an effort to put some of his things away before he had to go to his first class at 11:30. Putting his phone in his pocket and standing up, he began the strenuous task of unpacking.
An Introduction to English; Aaron's first class. He had entered the room and found a seat next to Justin. He didn't feel like he had much of a choice and Justin's plea of 'Yo dude, sit here, it'll be great' made Aaron feel like he couldn't refuse. Still it was nice to be sitting next to someone he had at least talked to before. Aaron figured English would be a good Gen Ed class to just get out of the way but also take further if he enjoyed it.
He was always decent at the subject and he was still deciding what he'd major in. at least he'd have some idea on what would be going on and wouldn't be completely lost.
Aaron found himself idly staring around the class room, taking it all in for the first time. In the back row sat two of the Jocks he'd seen heckle him when he bumped into Zach earlier. They looked too old to be freshmen so Aaron figured there was something else going on.
On the desk to his right sat Max and a girl with blue hair and a beanie. The two girls seemed to be getting on very well so Aaron assumed they new each other outside of Blackwell. The taller of the two, who's name he still didn't know was saying what he could make out to be immature things in an effort to make Max laugh.
"See, the trick is man, just cheat. If you don't get caught, this class will be a breeze" Justin said, bringing Aaron's attention back to him.
"So that's your plan?" Aaron asked. "You're just gonna cheat your way through College?" Justin just nodded with a huge smile on his face. "This is the finest academic institution in the country. You can't just cheat" Aaron protested as fixed his gaze on Justin.
"I beg to differ bro, just watch and learn" with that comment, the bell rang and everyone faced forward. Aaron just shook his head in disbelief.
As the ringing of the bell subsided, Aaron heard a familiar voice start speaking as they made their way from the door at the back of the class to the desk at the front.
"Settle down everyone, we have a lot to cover" The voice of Doctor Erin Scott called out as her heels clacked against the floor. She stood at the front of the class and crossed her arms as she stared into the souls of everyone in front of her.
"Ah Logan, how nice to see you're joining us again this year" She called out two one of the two Jocks who were sitting at the back of the class. "I see you were also kind enough to bring Mark with you as well" Both Jocks looked incredibly awkward as a few heads turned around to face them. "Still, I'm sure these freshmen can benefit from having a Sophomore and Junior in their class. You must have so much you can tell them about the course(!)" Her obviously sarcastic comment made both men's faces redden with embarrassment.
Aaron couldn't help but laugh, feeling a sense of justice for the encounter earlier. But he laughed too soon.
"Ah, if it isn't the talkative two" Dr Scott said as she looked squarely at Aaron and Justin. "I trust you two will be quiet during my class?" the two of them silently nodded, unable to look her in the eye. "Excellent, so with that, lets start" Dr Scott said as she took off her blazer and draped it across the chair behind her desk before approaching the board.
Max looked over to Aaron and smiled at his misfortune. He just scrunched up his face and turned his attention back to the front, not wanting another verbal beating.
Aaron had to admit, he figured a teacher of Dr Scott's age would be more relaxed and certainly more understanding. She couldn't have left higher education long so she should be familiar with how students behave.
She was ruthless and took no prisoners and this was only Aaron's second encounter with her. She had to be between 28 and 33 if Aaron had to hazard a guess. He'd never openly discuss this with her though, that would see her tearing him a new asshole.
Her face was soft and round, like the dark glasses she wore but she was more like her colour palette; dark and cutting. Aaron couldn't help but gulp as he prepared for the year ahead.
The rest of the class went by fairly mundanely. Aaron was glad to at least get a feel for what his first class would be like for the year and now he would ponder on that over lunch.
Max had introduced Aaron and Justin to her best friend of countless years, Chloe Price and the group decided to check out if the cafeteria food was any good.
They sat on a table off to the left of the modest sized eatery, out of the way as to not be disturbed by anyone. There was a few students present, more than a classroom could hold but not so many that it was overflowing.
"So, anyone else here feel like pledging?" Justin began as he took a bite of a burrito.
"Ha, you don't know Max" Chloe started. "There is no way in hell this girl is brave enough to join a Sorority"
Max just frowned at the table below her before saying:
"I mean, you don't know that Chloe, maybe I have thought about joining"
"Have you?" Chloe asked as she placed her drink down on the table
"No, but that doesn't mean I don't want to, I just haven't thought about it yet" Max responded with as she tried to force a smile.
"I'm definitely gonna pledge to the DOG's, my boy Trevor did last year and let me tell you, the parties they have are wild" Justin called out over a mouthful of food. "You should totally join me man, it will be great" He continued as he nudged Aaron.
Aaron just shook his head before saying:
"Dude, it's the first day, there's plenty of time for things like that. Plus I don't even know if I wanna join a Frat"
"See, Aaron has the right idea" Chloe interjected. "These Societies are so dated, it's such a stupid concept that they are still around"
Clearly there was different opinions around the table and Aaron was happy they could all be discussed so civil-like. He couldn't lie, the idea of going to parties in a Frat house sounded cool. Not having to cram everyone into dorms and the like. Also, if these parties were a regular thing, then there must be some steady supply of alcohol that they were able to get.
Realising where his train of thought was going again, Aaron excused himself from the table. He needed a distraction.
"OK, that's enough Frat talk for me, I'm gonna grab another drink" Aaron began as he left the table and made his way over to the vending machine that was next to the main doors.
As he approached, he couldn't help but overhear an argument on the table to his left, in the corner. There were a few of the Vortex girls sitting around a able and Rachel was arguing with none other than Zach.
So much for no more Frat talk Aaron thought as he slowed his pace in an effort to overhear the commotion.
Their voices were raised but they weren't exactly screaming at each other. Still, Aaron found his head firmly fixed on the argument. The rest of Rachel's friends were also watching along as they wondered where this would go.
Aaron heard Zach say the word 'slut' before calling her a bitch. He wondered what the fuck had happened for them to get to this point but decided it wasn't any of his business.
Or was it?
The unresolved incident earlier found its was back to the front of Aaron's head and he saw the same fork in the road as before. Get his drink and leave it be, or confront Zach. It was obvious, stay away from the massive Jock who could bench at least 200 pounds, not piss him off more and enjoy his juice.
Aaron however found himself doing the other thing and all because he was stupid enough to think Rachel was hot.
He walked up to Zach and spun him around, the older boy was shocked at first but when his gaze settled on Aaron, the anger returned.
"Hey, leave her alone you gorilla!" he called, all eyes were fixed on them now, the surrounding voices fell silent.
"Didn't learn your lesson last time, Freshy?! Well I guess I'm gonna have to beat it into you"
It was then Aaron realised; he was about to have a fight on his first day.
A/N: Ok so I feel like this is a cheeky place to end it. I guess this will force me to carry on and post the outcome to this encounter.
A few things I want to address is the AU of this story is more stereotypical, focusing around Greek letter societies (hence the name) and the cliché college experience.
The characters you know and love have been ever so slightly repurposed to suit the narrative but I aim to use the most faithful adaptations possible to help with he immersion!
There will be a few OC's as the main cast isn't large enough to fill all rolls. This means feel free to submit your suggestions to me and I'll see what I can do!
As I've said before, I'm not American, so any help and constructive feedback is much appreciated.
Aaron is a character I created for my main story, Life and Death are Strange, I highly recommend you check that out to learn a bit more about the character but keep in mind, this is an alternate version!
Readers seemed to like him quite well so I tend to use him as an insert for you, the reader so you can anchor yourselves to the protagonist of my story, hopefully making the experience more enjoyable!
As it stands, I'll start the story with a T rating but it could switch to M in future chapters as well, the things that go on in these kind of settings aren't exactly family friendly.
Please Review and let me know your thoughts! My inbox is also always open to anyone who has more direct questions. I aim to produce another chapter quickly and by then I can gauge how long this story will be. I like length but it's not gonna be a stupidly long story, I see potentially 100,000 words as a rough ballpark but that depends on feedback and interest.
As I said before, check out my other story and I look forward to hearing from you all!