I love my brother.

But sometimes, he just fucking annoys me to death. I mean, just because he's older doesn't give him the right to boss me around like this.

Okay, well, he sort of does.

"We have a deal, Con."

I rolled my eyes as I laid my back on my bed in my dorm room. Thank God my roommate hit the library to get an early start, even though classes didn't really begin until Monday – next week.

It was only Sunday.

"Fuck that deal," I told Drew, my brother.

"When are you going to stop swearing in every fucking sentence? Geez, you talk like a goddamn dude."

I raised my eyebrow. "Not my fault if I grew up surrounded by fucking football players around the house."

I knew I was acting like a childish petty bitch, but there was just something about arguing with my brother that brought out the inner eight-year-old in me.

"Exactly," he said. "You need a new environment – away from all that shit. I want you to have some friends, people you can rely on and have memories with for the next four years that you'll be staying there. Maybe even the rest of your life, I don't know."

I opened my mouth to point out that I already have friends but he spoke again.

"Girl friends. Sisters."

My eyes narrowed as I sat up. "But me, joining a sorority? Really, Drew? Really?"

"You promised me you'd rush," he reminded me. "That was our deal. That's why you attended Rutgers instead of going to a community college like you originally planned."

"I didn't think you were serious!"

"Oh, I was – I am," he deadpanned. "I'm sick and tired of you getting in trouble because you act too much like someone with a dick. Be a fucking lady for once."

I held back the retort that was dying to come out because Drew was still my brother and I didn't want him to come all the way over here just to kick my ass, because he could and he definitely would.

"Even Dad agrees, and you know it."

There it was. The final blow.

I rubbed my face with my free hand and groaned. 

"I hate you."

"Love you, too."

I thought about it. We did have a deal, and I did agree to that deal.

I was supposed to go to a community college for the next two years and make my way to a university. I didn't wanna ask my brother for help, even if he was earning a shitload of money now. But he offered to pay for college, and hell if I was gonna pass that up.

Since he was my brother, I thought he was doing it out of the pure kindness of his heart. I didn't think the fucker had an ulterior motive. But he did. He had only one condition.

I had to join a fucking sorority.

I literally laughed and brushed it off. Never did it even cross my mind that he was serious about that shit. Turned out, he was serious as fucking hell.

Ah, whatever. It's not like I'll get a bid if I rushed. Wait a minute . . . If I don't get a bid, then I don't have to join a sorority. Drew will have to accept that I'm just not cut out for it.

Confident in my plan, I declared, "Fine, I'll rush."

"Good."

"But only because I promised."

"Right."

"Not because I want this."

"Sure."

"I don't think they'll even want me."

"They will."

Something in his tone caught my attention. He wasn't humoring me anymore. He was assuring me. That got my bullshit radar going off like crazy.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You gotta stop doubting yourself like this, Con. You're pretty awesome. They'll love you."

I snorted and looked away. "Yeah, whatever."

"Aaaaand Kate might've put in a good word for you at her sorority."

That made me frown in confusion. "Didn't your girlfriend go to Florida State with you?"

It was where they met, after all. Now they were close to being engaged. But I was pretty sure it was gonna be a long engagement since he was busy proving himself in the NFL right now.

"Yeah, but they have a chapter there at Rutgers."

"Huh," I grumbled. "Well, you obviously thought this through."

It didn't change my mind, though. I was gonna make sure no sorority liked me. It'd be a piece of cake. Girls in general didn't like me – with the exception of my friend Oz's girlfriend and her friends. Maybe it was because I wasn't afraid to call out if someone was being a fucking bitch. I wasn't entirely sure.

"You bet your ass I did," said Drew. "Now go do some girly shit. I gotta go."

"You wish," I chuckled. "Bye."

With that, I hung up. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. This was such a pain in the ass. If the crew heard about me rushing some girly sorority, I would never hear the end of it. Was I ready for a lifetime worth of jabs?

"You're rushing?"

I twisted in my bed to see Madeline standing at the doorway with her arms crossed as she watched me. She was still wearing her pjs under a pastel blue robe, with her short curly hair up in a messy bun.

Her expression told me she was curious and maybe a little confused. I knew what she was thinking. Yeah, I didn't really look like the type who would go 'greek' in college.

"Eavesdrop much?" I asked, getting out of bed and reaching out to grab the can of soda on my desk. "Didn't your uppity folks teach you how to knock?"

"Nah, they were too busy bailing me out of jail."

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Sure, I've been friends with guys who always got in trouble that they sometimes end up in jail, but I've never done it myself.

Madeline laughed, uncrossing her arms and entering in the room.

"Kidding. My parents would flip if I do something remotely fun as that. Let's just say I'm the poster child for being the perfect little daughter, and now I get to break free." She sat on my bed and looked up at me. "So anyway, you're rushing?"

"Yeah," I sighed, throwing my phone on my bed and drinking what was left of the soda. When it was empty, I threw the can away to the trash bin. "My idiot brother is forcing me to."

"Why are you doing it? You don't seem the type who listens to orders."

"Not unless they came from him."

He was a lot of things, but he took care of me. Dad was too busy working his ass off to provide for us that it was mostly Drew who made sure that I ate on time and got everything I needed, like clothes and shit.

Madeline shrugged, dropping it. "Do you have a sorority in mind? I heard Kappa Pi Kappa is cool."

Shit, I forgot to ask which sorority Kate went to.

"No idea," I admitted. "We can check them all out and go from there."

I walked to my closet and grabbed a leather jacket to put over my white muscle tee. I glanced at the mirror. Nah, I was good with just the muscle tee and cut-off shorts. I removed the jacket and put it back in the closet.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember saying I'm rushing with you," she said, sporting a confused look but with a smile.

I looked over my shoulder and gave her a bored look. "Do you have anything better to do?"

She didn't answer, and only pursed her lips.

"Thought so," I snorted, before turning to leave. I resisted the urge to smirk when I heard her following from behind me. A sheltered girl like her craved for something exciting. I knew that for sure. Well, what was more exciting that joining a sisterhood full of fake ass girls acting all pretty and perfect?

"Do you even know where you're going?" asked Madeline, when I stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Nope," I answered, looking around.

She sighed, then headed to the right end of the corridor. Since I had no idea where to go, I ended up following her. She seemed to know where she was going, after all.

"I didn't wanna do this but since you're doing it, I might as well join you."

Called it.

"You're fun." She looked sideways, meeting my eyes. "I've decided that I like you." She turned back to face her front, and added, "You're my friend now, Cons."

"Do I have a choice?"

She grinned and shook her head. "No."

I let out a small laugh. "So where to, Mads?"

"We're going to see the RA and ask her where to sign up for the greek life orientation."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "There's an orientation for this shit?" I wanted to laugh.

"Yup," she nodded. "We don't have to attend the meeting, we can just show up on the first day when they're going to the houses. But since you look like you know nothing about the greek life, I think it's pretty safe to say you're definitely going to the meeting. Just so you know what you're getting into."

"And you do?"

"My sister was in a sorority." She shrugged. "I know enough."

Before I could grill her about it, she stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway and knocked. When we heard footsteps on the other side of the door, Madeline looked at me with a hint of excitement in her eyes mixed with a tiny bit of mischief, as if she knew exactly what I was up to.

"You ready?"

Looking at her smug smile, I had to take back what I had thought earlier. It wasn't girls in general who didn't like me. It was those insecure bitches who hated my guts. Madeline didn't seem to have an ounce of insecurity in her body. She was the good kind of bitch, too. Yeah, we'd definitely get along.

"To stir up trouble?" An evil grin stretched across my face. "Hell yeah."

I think I just found my partner in crime for the next four years.