The Only Exception

CHAPTER 12

I got rid of all my going out clothes when I left Taylor, but somehow I didn’t think Trey would really appreciate it if I showed up in a short skirt and backless shirt anyway. Instead I put on some dark, skinny jeans and a blue tunic. They were the only semi-cute, going-out-appropriate clothes that I had left. Since Sam made the comment about my boots, I decided to put those aside and just wear a pair of sequined flats. They would be easy to run in if I had to get away.

I stared at myself in the mirror, taking slow, deep breaths. “You can do this, Monica. You are a survivor.” That’s what my counselor always told me. She said I couldn’t see myself as a victim, or that I brought it on myself. I was a survivor and survived the night. But now I felt like someone that was going back into the battlefield, armed with mace and a guy that hopefully wouldn’t try anything. I found it easy to trust him with my body, but my secrets were a different story.

I applied some lip gloss and let my hair fall loosely around my shoulders. It always fell somewhere in between wavy and messy. I liked to call it beachy, but really it was because I was too lazy to either straighten it or go all out and curl it. Grabbing my ID and keys, I shoved them into my back pocket and walked out into the living room. Sam was sitting on the couch, per her usual, with a bag of chips on her lap.

“Big plans for tonight?” she asked between chomps.

“Just going out with Trey,” I said, stopping between the kitchen and living room. “What about you? Is Mac coming over?”

She shook her head. “Naw, I have to be to work at midnight, and he’s delivering pizzas for Mario’s. So until then it’s just me and my chips and possibly a nap.”

I didn’t know if it would have been the good roommate thing to invite her along to the party, but she made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t the biggest fan of Trey’s and I didn’t think a fraternity party was exactly her scene. Who knew? Maybe the dreadlocked girl actually had a thing for guys that wore letters, and Mac was actually an Alpha Mu himself, but I didn’t ask. I probably should have asked someone else to join us, maybe even Melanie, but my trust in girls wasn’t exactly the greatest either. A guy would be up front with what he wanted, and a girl would stab you in the back the first chance she got. At least from my experience.

“Okay, well I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said, walking to the door.

“See you!” she yelled.

I closed the door and walked the few feet to Trey’s apartment, knocking on the door. He swung it open, and I caught the sound of some news channel on in the background. I thought he might have dressed down for a fraternity function, maybe even worn letters, but instead he was in his usual button-down dress shirt and pants.

“Do you ever just wear a t-shirt and jeans?” I asked as I walked in and followed him into the living room.

“Like I said, that stuff is for boys. I prefer to wear dress shirts,” he said, turning off the TV.

“But how do you always have them so neat and readily available?”

He nodded his head in the direction of the door, near the kitchen, that I knew housed the washer and dryer. “For some stuff I can still wash it on cold and air dry, or I send it to the dry cleaners. It’s not really that big of a deal.”

I widened my eyes. “You wash your own clothes.”

He put his hands in his pocket, leaning to one side. “Monica, do you think I’m too good to do my own laundry?”

“I, uh, didn’t say that.”

He took a few steps toward me, pulling his hands out of his pockets and placing them on my upper arms and then let them trail down until he intertwined our fingers. “I may have grown up privileged, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t launder my own shirts.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume…”

“That’s the problem. People assume that because of my dad that I’m some jerk who thinks that everyone should cater to his every need. I hope you’ve realized by now that I’m not that guy.”

I smirked. “Says the guy who assumed I was a hardcore liberal because of my eyebrow ring.”

He leaned in, and I was able to inhale his mesmerizing scent. I would have to sneak into his room and figure out what expensive cologne he had because it had to be bottled by God himself to smell that heavenly. “But I never said that I didn’t think you still made it absolutely alluring.”

I touched my eyebrow ring and then let my fingers fall back down. He had a way with words that always left me grasping at straws, and made my face feel like it was on fire. “You’re too much sometimes, Mr. Chapman.”

He brought his lips to my forehead, placing a very chaste kiss. “And you as well, Miss Remy. Now shall we head to the Alpha Mu house.”

I groaned. “Do we really have to? Can’t we just hang out here,” I said, putting on my best pouty face. I know I wanted to face my fears, but suddenly it was becoming very real and if I had a chance to get out of it, I would. “We can rent a movie, cuddle, and all that fun stuff.”

He flashed his dimpled smile. “You drive an awfully hard bargain, but unfortunately, I promised John Boy we’d be there.”

“Ugh.” John Boy; the moose of a guy I met at the coffee shop. The one Trey said was his big brother. I couldn’t even remember the last time I talked to my Kappa big sister. There were so many girls in my pledge class that we all just got thrown in with someone. I don’t think she even talked to me except for the weekend of my initiation. She graduated that December and never kept in contact with me. Maybe if I actually did have a supportive big sister, I wouldn’t have had all of the problems that I did. But I had to learn to move on from the past and going to the Alpha Mu house was just the beginning. No matter how hard I could feel my heart beating in my ears.

Trey took my hand and led me out of the apartment, locking the door behind us before he slid his keys in his pocket. It was still warm for early September. Autumn was just starting to peak in as the temperature dropped and became more comfortable. That, and it was also close to nine o’clock. No one ever went out in college before then.

The Alpha Mu house was only two blocks from our apartment, along Greek Row. It had to be one of the bigger fraternity houses with three stories of windows and two large pillars that flanked the front door. Between the first and second floor large, red letters spelled AM and each window next to it was framed with black shudders. There didn’t appear to be any lights on inside, but a large spotlight lit up the whole front of the house.

I concentrated on my footsteps, stepping to the same beat as my heart. The last time I followed a path to a fraternity house I was alongside my sisters, linked arm and arm and laughing. That’s back when it didn’t seem like a big, brick prison that stole something from me. I didn’t want every fraternity house to feel like a prison, and if I ever hoped to move on, I would have to follow those steps on my road to recovery.

Trey walked right up to the front door and pulled his keys from his pocket. He took one that looked like an antique skeleton key and wriggled it in the giant, black door; it opened with ease.

“Oh, look at you with your own key,” I mocked.

He slid his keys back into his pocket. “Don’t patronize me, Miss Remy.”

Trey kept his hand locked on mine as he pushed open the door. It looked like the place was empty. There was a large, paneled wall full of paddles and framed photos to the left, and to the right was a large living room that I could barely make out in the darkness, but from what I could see there were a few couches and possibly a television. Trey pulled my hand, leading me down the hallway until we approached an open door where some annoying remix blasted. Obviously that’s where the party was.

We went down a narrow staircase and into a large, open area with cement floors and wood paneled walls. There was a ping pong table set up with people throwing ping pong balls into red cups across it and another table beside it where people were in a line drinking and then flipping their cup over. In the far back was a guy standing behind a laptop and surrounded by speakers. There were a few girls toppling in high heels and short skirts swaying in front of him. From my count there were less than thirty people there; nothing like a full-fledged party.

“Hey, you made it!” A voice called.

As we got to the bottom of the stairs I turned to my left and saw a few couches. John Boy was sitting on one of them with two giggling girls on each side of him. He stood up when he saw Trey and ran over to us, shaking Trey’s hand briskly with his free hand that wasn’t holding two beers.

“I told you I’d be here,” Trey said. Gone was his dimpled smile and instead he had on his usual political smile. I was beginning to think the sexy smile was only for me, and I was okay with that.

“And you brought the lib!” John Boy released his hand from Trey’s and switched to holding a beer bottle in each hand while he stared at me with his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised.

Trey put his arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his side. “Yeah, I couldn’t necessarily come without bringing my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” John Boy asked.

Girlfriend? I guess we were official. I told him I wanted to take it slow, but at the same time I couldn’t ignore the butterflies in my stomach that were doing somersaults. He was showing me off as his girlfriend. I didn’t want to be used as a trophy, but for a guy that made me weak in the knees, I was okay with a little showing off. Especially if that meant I was off limits to any other guy who wanted to try something.

“Yeah,” Trey said, running his free hand through his hair. I didn’t know how he even got it through all of his gel, but I loved when he ruffled it up. “It took a lot of convincing on my part, but she finally gave in to my charm.”

I smirked. “Or I just got tired of your begging.”

“Oh! Burn!” John Boy put a fist to his lips, laughing.

“And I need a girl that keeps me in line,” Trey said, squeezing my side.

A brunette in a very short, sequined dress saddled up to John Boy’s side. “Hey Trey,” she cooed in a voice that sounded like a baby doll’s.

“Hey Missy, have you met my girlfriend, Monica?” Trey was unaffected by the girl’s obvious flirty attitude, and he called me his girlfriend, again. Inside I was a bubbling little girl that just wanted to giggle and squeal, but I kept myself in check, forcibly keeping my mouth shut. So far I hadn’t freaked out and ran away from the house, if I turned into a giggling idiot that probably wouldn’t be any better.

“No, I haven’t…” She gave me the once over, her dark green eyes trailing over me like I was a piece of meat. “You’re dressed too well to be a freshman, are you a transfer?”

I nodded, swallowing to regain my voice. “Yes. I’m a sophomore. I transferred from Taylor.”

John Boy finished off one beer, throwing it in a nearby trash can and then took a swig of the other. “Missy here is a Kappa, our sister sorority, she could totally put in a good word for you if you’re looking to rush.”

“Oh, uh, no, I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head.

“Why?” Missy crossed her arms over her chest, her voice turning from baby doll to snarky Barbie. “Do you think you’re too good for sororities or something?”

“No, not at all.” I put my hands up. “I’m just concentrating on surviving this semester before I think about any extracurricular activities.”

Trey rubbed my side. “Yeah, we’ve got this massive debate assignment, and Monica’s a double major, plus she works at Brewster’s in the student center. I don’t know how she does it all.”

Thank God he came to my rescue. If Missy was anything like my sorority sisters back at Taylor, she would be notoriously good at convincing me to do anything she said, even worse than Trey. I didn’t want her to figure out that I actually was a Kappa or to let Trey know. That would then lead to more information about my life at Taylor, and I wanted him to stay as far away from that as possible.

“Can I get some water or something?” I asked, looking up at Trey.

He took the hint and nodded. “Yeah, there should be something up in the kitchen.”

John Boy was too busy fondling Missy to even let him know we were leaving, so Trey just took my hand and led me back up the stairs. When we were out of earshot he leaned down and whispered. “Sorry about that. I should have warned you about her. There are some vulture girls here that will prey on the weak.”

“I think I can manage,” I said, following him down another hallway into a large kitchen.

On one wall there were two commercial grade stoves and on the other were three stainless steel fridges. Between them was a long counter with a big farmhouse sink and white cabinets. In the middle of the white tile floor and walls was a big, red island and sitting on it was a girl in a short, white skirt and teal halter with a tray of Jell-o shots in her lap. There were a few other guys leaning on the counters drinking beers and another couple of girls standing next to them. But as soon as Trey and I went in the room, the girl swooped down from the island and came at us with a big smile on her face.

“Hey y’all, want a Jell-o shot? They’re only a dollar each and all the proceeds go to the Kappa philanthropy, leukemia research,” she said in a voice that was as sugary sweet as her smile and mounds of curly, blonde hair.

“Thanks, Layla, neither of us drink, but I’ll still donate to the cause,” Trey said, pulling out his wallet and handing her two singles.

She smiled, taking the money and putting it into one of her tiny pockets. “You’re always such a sweetie, Trey.” She then looked at me, her eyes lighting up like the Fourth of July. “And who is this hottie?”

“This is my girlfriend, Monica. Monica, this is Layla, president of Kappa sorority,” he said gesturing his hand between the two of us.

Layla. The girl Brittani emailed me about. She knew about me. She was supposed to get in contact with me about joining their chapter. I couldn’t let Trey know. I felt like all of the butterflies died in my stomach and now were sitting there turning to lead.

“Monica, honey, are you all right?” Layla stared at me, tilting her head. “You don’t look so good.”

I shook my head. “Um, no, all of a sudden I’m just starting to feel a little sick to my stomach.”

She put her tiny, tanned hand on my shoulder. “Oh, no, honey do you want me to take you to the bathroom? I can see if any of the girls have some aspirin or something?”

First off, aspirin would probably not help a stomach ache; second of all there was no way I was leaving Trey at a party; especially not with a Kappa. I didn’t expect him to cheat, but who knew what would happen if I was left alone and cornered by a guy that didn’t have Trey’s manners. I didn’t want to think about it.

“No, I think I just need some air.” I looked at Trey with pleading eyes.

“Say no more,” Trey said, putting his hand on my back and leading me past the hordes of people and out a back door onto a small deck that opened up to a parking lot filled with cars. There was a picnic table at one end and a propane grill at the other, with just enough room for me and Trey in between.

I slumped down on the table, putting my head down. It felt like it was a jumbling mess, and all I wanted to do was get away. The past I thought I was getting away from seemed like it was slowly creeping back up to me. I’d eventually have to tell Trey everything about Kappa, but I didn’t want to when we were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. I couldn’t let him think any differently of me.

I felt his arm on my back and his hand rubbing my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I think it was just really hot in there.”

He continued rubbing my shoulder. “I get the same way at these parties, even when they are just kickbacks.” He pulled me closer, running his hand from my shoulder down my arm. “I always try to be the good guy, but it’s just annoying to watch everyone else act like drunken idiots. I don’t really care who the flippy cup champion is or what girl wants to try and dance up on me just to spill beer all over my pants, so that I’d have them to get dry cleaned right away.”

I couldn’t help it, I giggled. “Trey Chapman, you seriously crack me up.”

I looked up meeting his gorgeous, green eyes. Even in the faint light of the moon I could make out the freckles that always consumed me whenever I looked at him.

“And you, Monica Remy, were the most gorgeous girl in that house.”

“Stop it.” I swatted at his stomach, feeling a bit of his abs underneath his shirt. I knew it would be awhile before I found out exactly how ripped he was, and there was no way I was going to give into my urges that easy, but it never hurt to appreciate his physique.

He raised his eyebrows. “What? I can’t tell my girlfriend how attractive she is?”

“So, I’m your girlfriend now?”

“I assumed so, after last night and everything in between. I guess I was hoping that’s what you were.”

I wanted to take it slow. I told him that, and while I knew I shouldn’t have moved this fast with him, there was something about Trey that made me feel safe. I didn’t feel like I needed to escape when I was with him, he was better than an escape.

I lightly kissed his lips. “I think that’s a pretty good assumption.”

He pressed his forehead to mine. “And should I also assume that you are too ill to stay, and I need to take you home?”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” I said.

“Trouble is what you’re good for, and that’s what I like about you.”

He leaned in to go for another kiss, but was stopped in mid-air when the back door burst open and out came two guys in letter shirts laughing and chugging beers. “Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” the taller of the guys said, holding his hands up.

His words struck a chord, bringing me back to a place I had hidden deep down inside.

“Whoa, sorry Jdawg, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

The light streamed into the dark bathroom, and I could see the outline of bodies melded together behind the doorframe. I thought he would stop. I prayed for it, but he just kept pushing harder.

“It’s cool, bro, wanna join?” His voice was hoarse and every time he spoke his beer gut jiggled onto my back.

I looked up at the guy in the doorway with pleading eyes, hoping he was my knight in shining armor. Hoping he could see this wasn’t what I wanted. I should have told him. I should have screamed and ran, but my whole body felt like it was stuck to the cold cement floor.

“Naw, it’s cool. Have fun, bro.”

And then he left, shutting out the light in the room and on my life.

“Monica, are you okay?” Trey’s words took me out of my trance.

I nodded slowly. The two guys had left, and it was just me and Trey sitting on the picnic table. “Yeah. I think I just need to go home.”

“Okay, Monica. Let’s go.”