Beta-Kappa-Delta

“They were pie-eyed drunk and pissed off with you.” He raises his voice so I can hear him through the door. “They were three brain cells and two beers away from becoming talking apes, and they were getting all angry at me for defending you. Next time, I’ll tell them you ran off trying to avoid them so they go away and search the campus for you all night.”

“Don’t make me kick your ass, bookworm. Besides, I was at a friend’s house last night.”

He pauses. “I can tell.” There’s a hint of a snicker in his tone.

“Hey, Jay, one of those guys…did he have red hair and a Pirates cap on?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Huh. That was Todd. If you see him again, mace him.”

__

There’s a Denny’s within walking distance from the campus, which is where I go. I feel too sick to drive, and the fresh air does me some good. I take all the time in the world, because I’ve already missed Science class and coming up is Remedial Math, which I suck at and one of Todd’s buddies sits directly behind me. I don’t want them to know where I am today. I need a break or I’ll just call my old man and tell him and my grandfather that they’re out of luck. I end up staying at Denny’s until dusk, and I actually get some studying done for my Art History class. This was turning out to be a pretty calm and relaxing day.

“Look who it is, boys.” DAMN, I spoke too soon. Todd and two of his gorilla frat brothers come sauntering through the door and walk right up to my table. “You tryin’ to avoid us, Conroy?” The others laugh and sit down next to me, squeezing me in between them.

“Me? I just came here to eat and study.” I frown, closing my book.

“You weren’t in any classes today, we checked. What gives, you don’t wanna see us?”

I’d rather have six spinal taps and fourteen root canals. “That’s not it, I just needed time to study, what’s your problem??”

“Our problem is that you owe us an extra day now, Conroy.” Todd sits down across from me and grabs my arm tight, forcing me by it to lean in closer to him. “So, did you have fun fucking Willie last night, you little cock slut?” He smiles at me, halfway whispering.

My eyes widen dramatically, and suddenly, I’m at a loss for breath. “What?? I don’t know what you’re…”

“We know all about it, so you can cut the act. We had a little chat with your fudge-packer boyfriend this afternoon.”

“He wouldn’t tell you about that!” I grit my teeth, glaring at him angrily in the eyes.

“We can be really persuasive, blondie.” One of his buddies laughs, grabbing my crotch from underneath the table. “You were promised to us last night and we plan on collecting tonight.”

“Forget it! Fuck the Frat, I want out! I want you oafs to leave me and Billy the fuck alone, got it?!” I wrench my arm from Todd’s grasp, and the three of them respond my laughing at me.

“There IS no out for you, baby.” Todd grabs my hair, yanking my face mere inches away from his. “You are mine, you belong to me and anyone else I want to lend you out to. If you keep fighting me, I’ll be forced to make your life a living hell.”

“Let go of me right now, shit-for-brains, before I call the cops!”

“Trust me, baby, you won’t even make it to the phone. Make it easy on yourself, Nelson. I know all about your family history in Beta Kappa. Your dad was a brother and so was his dad. Am I right?” I just stare ahead, saying nothing, just gritting my teeth. “So, it would be a shame if their little boy was to fail to keep up the family tradition, wouldn’t it? Go ahead and call the cops if you want, but my one phonecall in jail will be to your father.”

“Bastard…”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be sure to let him down easy. Ha, ha, ha.” When Todd laughs, the other two goons chime in, laughing in my face as well. “Or, we can all go back together and settle this little debt in the privacy of my dorm room. What do ya’ say?” Again, I keep my mouth shut, just staring at him in contempt. “Hmm. I think he needs further incentive. Boys, why don’t you go pay a visit to our friend Willie in the nurse’s office. I’m sure he’ll be glad to…”

“Alright, alright! I’ll go back with you, just please, leave Billy alone!”

“That’s more like it. Gather your shit.” He lets go of my hair, shoving my face back violently. I put my books away and leave the ten on the table for the waitress. Reluctantly, I let Todd and his friends escort me out. His fire engine red convertible is sitting right outside the restaurant door in a handicap space. One of Todd’s friends goes to put me in the back seat, but Todd stops him. “Wait, he isn’t going anywhere. I want him up front with me.” And so, they shove me down into the passenger seat and buckle me in. My stomach jerks and thumps, wrapping itself around my spine nervously as the top folds down, trapping me in.

“Why are you doing this, Todd?” I glare at him as we tear out of the parking space. “I mean, there were a dozen other recruits to do this to. Why me?”

“Because I like you.” He snickers, squeezing my knee. “Because you look damn hot in a dress, and because I wanna fuck you in it.”

“And what makes you think I’ll still let you fuck me once I become a brother?”

“Hey, baby, this will be my third year there. I hold a lot of weight and the others look to me for guidance. If I say a recruit fails the test, it doesn’t matter what everyone else says, that recruit doesn’t get in. And if you don’t get in now, you’ll just have to try again next semester.”

“But if I know I’m not getting in, why would I try next semester? It’s just going to be the same thing, isn’t it?”

“Maybe, but you have no choice. You’ve got two stingy old men to answer to.”

I take a look around and realize that I’m the only one wearing a seatbelt. “Maybe you’re right, Todd. I think it’s time I make up my mind what I care about more; my father’s approval, or my dignity.” And with that, I grab the steering wheel with both hands and jerk it all the way to the right, slamming my foot down on top of his, forcing him to accelerate. The car makes this horrible screeching sound as it swerves off the main road and into a patch of sparse trees.

“What the fucking Hell are you doing?? ARE YOU CRAZY!?!” Todd tries to regain power over the wheel, meanwhile, the two idiots in the back are screaming for their lives. Todd glances in front of him just as a big tree appears dead in our path. We both let go of the wheel and cross our arms over our faces defensively.

*CRASSSHH!!* Todd goes flying through the windshield, past the tree and I hear his body hit the nearby bushes with a disturbing thud. The two in the back are crying and whimpering. I waste no time unbuckling myself, grabbing my book bag, squeezing through the window (the door wouldn’t open), regaining my equilibrium and getting the fuck outta there.

__

“I’m sorry, Mr. Conroy. William left a couple hours ago.” The nurse gives me a sympathetic look when I ask her about Billy. “Are you alright, dear?”

“Yeah…thanks anyway, ma’am. I gotta find him. He may be in serious danger.” I turn around and start running back down the hallway.

She calls out after me. “Would you like me to call campus security?”

“No thanks!” I call back, turning the corner. “I can handle it myself!”

I run as fast as my legs can carry me back to Billy’s dorm. I knock on his door a thousand times but there’s no answer. I feel physically ill with worry. I hope none of Todd’s other friends got to him first. I don’t even know how badly they beat him up, or if he had to go to a hospital, I just know I have to find him. I don’t know what I’d do without him. After a while of pacing around, I run all the way across campus back to my own dorm. Hopefully, Jay will have some profound wisdom for me. He always has in the past. On the way there, I make an anonymous phone call to 911 about the crash outside campus.
When I unlock the door to my dorm, the room is dark. I flip on the light and see a note tacked to the fridge. It’s the note Billy left for me this morning. Shit! I must have left it in the pocket of the pants I borrowed! On the back of it is written another message:

//Billy is safe. Come to where we first met.
-Jamar\\

That kid must have a giant hole in him, because he’s a lifesaver. I lock up and head for the last place Todd or his goons would ever look for me- the library. I come crashing through the double-doors of the cavernous study hall and my eyes immediately begin scanning the dark room for them. It doesn’t look like anyone’s here.

“Billy! Jay! You guys here?” My panicked voice echoes throughout the empty room.

“Nelson?” Both of them pop their heads up from behind the row of microfiche projectors. “My god, Nelson!” Billy runs up to me, picks me up in his arms and spins me around. “I was so worried about you!”

“Me?? I wasn’t beat up! Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you too bad, did they?”

“I’m fine. Just some cuts and bruises. What happened to you?”

“Yeah, Nels. What the hell ran you over and sped away?” Jay comes out with his hands on his hips, smirking at me.

“It’s not important. I have to get the hell away from those frat creeps. They’re all perverted, power-hungry schitzos.”

“Ha.” Jay looks at Billy, pointing at me. “I’ve been trying to get that through this fool’s head since the semester started.”

Billy holds my face with both hands, looking deep into my eyes with concern. “Nelson, I thought something bad had happened to you. I wouldn’t know what to do if you were hurt.”

I smile, placing my finger gently on his pouted lips. “I love you too, Billy.”

He hugs me tight, giggling in relief. “Oh, baby, I love you so much!”

“What happened today? Todd told me he and his friends…”

“Todd is crazy. He had his goons knock me down and kick me until I told him the truth about last night. He told me you were his and that he was going to make you his by any means necessary. I got so scared, when I woke up in the nurses’ office, I tried to find you, but I found Jamar instead.”

Jay shakes his finger at me. “By then, I’d gathered up Bill’s clothing for the laundry and found the note in your pocket. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. When he came poundin’ at my door, I thought he was another one of Todd’s goons, and I had my mace ready, believe you me.” He laughs.

“So there I was, trying to explain that I was your secret lover through the door as quietly as possible. It was pretty embarrassing.” Billy shrugs shyly. “We looked for you all day, baby, where were you?”

“Hiding at Denny’s. They eventually found me, but then I crashed Todd’s car and now I think he may be really hurt or dead or something.”

“Oh my God.” Billy puts a hand over his mouth.

“That asshole had it coming. Don’t worry, Nels. I’m sure it was self defense.” Jay nudges me with his elbow. “So no more of that frat bullshit, right?”

“You couldn’t pay me enough, Jay. Speaking of money, I’d better get to a bank first thing in the morning.” I turn away, combing my hair back nervously.

“A bank? Why?” Billy puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Because when my old man finds out that I’m not only refusing the family tradition of Beta-Kappa-Delta, but I’m also dating the hunkiest jock in school, he’ll have a litter of penguins and cut off my bank account. I’d better get to a bank and have the joint account separated before he finds out. He’s a powerful man, and all he needs to do is make one phone call.”

“But you’re 18, aren’t you? He can’t touch that money.” Jay chimes in.

“He can if it’s a joint account in mainly his name. I need to open an account in a bank he’s never heard of and transfer the funds there before he even so much as smells trouble. He did the same thing to my brother when he came out. Poor guy.”

“Wow, no offense, but what a dickhead.” Billy crosses his arms. I merely turn to face him, smile wide and kiss him deeply. He wraps his arms around me and gladly reciprocates.

“Oh, sweet Jesus, SPARE ME!” Jay covers his eyes.

__

The car crash is all over the news this sunny and clear Saturday morning. As it turns out, Todd is in a coma, and when questioned, the two shaken but otherwise unharmed goons of his told Police that Todd crashed the car himself. It avoided having to explain that they were all trying to blackmail a local Freshman into being their sex slave. The cops wrote it up as a drunk driving accident and plan to arrest Todd if and when he comes out of the coma.

Billy stayed at my place last night, but we were considerably well behaved, for Jay’s sake. We all have a good, wholesome breakfast before heading out to my bank. We have to drive quite a ways and wait forever for an available associate to help with the transfer, but I take all sixteen thousand out right then and there, and put it into another bank manually so there’s no paper trail to follow.

Later that day, I give my little brother, Alex a call. We make plans to have dinner tonight, him and his lover, and me with mine. As for Jay, he insists that he has a test to study for on Monday. We four end up having a lovely evening out. I missed my brother more than I’d realized and it’s terrific seeing him again. He says the same about me. Alex’s lover is part owner of a small bar and restaurant chain, and he has a location not terribly far from the college. He tells me to get down there on Monday and get myself a part time job so I can start paying my own bills for a change. I agree wholeheartedly and offer to pay the bill in return.

Billy and I arrive at his dorm room late that night and spend the remainder of the early hours making love. When he falls asleep, I can’t.

Something is still weighing on my conscience. I wait until eight that morning and use Billy’s phone to make one last call.

“Hi, Dad. How are you? Look, we need to talk…”