Black Number Four Read online

  My Big’s smile has faded and she’s in complete president mode. Her classic look has always been absolutely stunning to me, and every time she gets down to business, it reminds me how much I want to be like her – how much I look up to her. She’s only a year older than me, yet she has taught me so much about life, about the sorority, about myself.

  “Did I ever tell you guys about the summer before my senior year of high school?”

  Cassie is digging around in the bedside table drawer, looking for snacks, no doubt. “Isn’t that the summer you spent with your grandparents?”

  Erin nods. “Yes. It was the summer I wanted to find myself, that I wanted to sort of break free from everything I thought I was. I had just ended a two year relationship and I was just in a strange place. Well, I met a boy that summer…”

  “Oh!” Ashlei interrupts. “I remember this story! He was the Army brat, right?”

  “He wasn’t a brat, you brat.” Erin glares at her. “But yes, he did live on the base by my grandparents’ house. He was amazing – everything I needed that summer. We spent practically every night together and as cliché as it sounds, I fell in love with him. Well, as in love as I could be at that age. It was the perfect summer romance.”

  All the girls are smiling, but I’m lost. “Not that this isn’t romantic and touching, but is there a reason you’re telling us this?”

  Erin’s face lights up and she stands. “You are not going to believe this. The boy I met that summer? He’s here… like here as in he’s a student at Palm South!”

  “What? Isn’t that impossible? We know pretty much everyone on this campus,” Ashlei says.

  “Not the new students,” Erin adds, waiting for us to catch on. We exchange glances and then turn back to her, lost. She huffs. “He’s a transfer! He just moved here. I heard Adam talking about his new pledges this morning outside of the Greek library and I just kind of casually asked about him – where he was from, what he was like – it’s definitely him, girls!”

  Cassie and Jess’s eyes snap to me and I feel them burning through my skin. Pair that with the extreme pace of my heart right now and you could say I feel a little like passing out, a little like throwing up, and a little like bashing my head into the floor so I can be absent for the conversation that’s about to happen.

  “What?” Ashlei asks, eying us all. She hasn’t been filled in on last night yet, either. “Why are you guys acting so weird?” Erin’s expression starts to match Ashlei’s, confusion rolling over her.

  “Nothing,” I say dismissively. “We know him. Well, we met him. Last night.”

  “At rush?!” Erin asks excitedly.

  I nod. “Yep. He was nice.” I shoot my laser beams at my Little, pleading for her to not say anything, but I’m too late with Jess.

  “That’s one way to put it, Sky.” She snickers and nudges Cassie, expecting her to join in, but Cassie just coughs uncomfortably and tucks her hair behind her ear.

  Erin’s face screws up even more and she turns her focus on me. “Okay, what the hell happened, Little?”

  I groan, sinking my face down into the pillow on my lap. “Nothing. We played foosball.”

  “And he lost, so she made him take a shot of tequila…” Jess adds. I want to shoot her another death glare, but I know it has to come out sometime. This campus is too small for anything to remain a secret, especially something like that. I’m surprised she hasn’t already heard, honestly. Erin waits, crossing her arms impatiently for Jess to continue.

  “… off her body.”

  I cringe as she drops the bomb, chancing a peek at my Big to see her face. It’s stone. Typical. She always handles bad news like a pro, never really showing you how she feels about it. She could be pissed right now, raging mad – or hell, she could be on the verge of tears. But, does she show that? No. Instead, she looks like Jess just told her it’s raining outside.

  “Oh,” she says, breaking the awkward silence and standing again. This is the closest thing to fidgeting I’ve ever seen her do. She walks toward her closet and starts absentmindedly touching different clothes. “Well, that’s okay. I mean, you didn’t know. How could you?”

  “I swear I didn’t, Big,” I say, my mouth still muffled through the pillow. “You know I wouldn’t have done it if I had known.”

  She nods, still turned away. “No, no it’s okay.” Her voice trails off and then suddenly she whips around, her eyes big and bright again. “Actually, no – this is good. This is perfect.”

  We all exchange glances again. “Um, how is this even remotely in the same category as good?” Cassie asks.

  Erin moves quickly over to her Lilly Pulitzer planner and starts flipping pages. “Well, Kip and I didn’t exactly have the best ending that summer. I may have acted a little immature, at best. ” She stops on a page full of highlights and taps her finger on one of the dates. “This will be perfect.” She spins to face me. “I don’t think he would want to talk to me, let alone get back together right now. I need him to come around more, to see how I’ve grown and how respected I am here. I want him to see that four years has done me well.”

  “Absolutely! You’re the shit,” Jess says. “But, I’m lost on how this has anything to do with your Little having lover boy’s tongue in her mouth.” I stuff my head back down into the pillow and cringe inward.

  “Really, J-Love?”

  “Because,” Erin says, sitting down to join me on the floor. “She’s going to be the one to get him to come back to me. She’s the bait.”

  My head snaps up, my eyes meeting hers. “What? No way!” I jump up from the floor and toss the pillow back on the bed. “I mistakenly made out with your high school… whatever he was, but I’m not involved in this.”

  “You are now!” She stands, stepping closer to me. “He knows you now, he’s obviously interested, and you’re the best shot I have at getting him to hang around me in a natural way without it looking like I’m insane. Or a creeper. Or both.”

  My shoulders fall. “Big, you can’t be serious. What am I supposed to do… woo him? Flirt him into following me around like a puppy and then blow him off so you can pick up the pieces?”

  Her eyes get a little wider. “I hadn’t thought it out quite that far, but yes.”

  “No.” I shake my head and toss my hands up. “I’m leaving this room and we can just pretend like last night and this conversation didn’t happen.” I turn to leave, but she cuts in.

  “You want to be president next year, don’t you?”

  “Ex,” Jess warns, letting her know she’s taking it too far. And she is, but she has my attention.

  “No, I’m serious,” Erin says back to Jess before turning to face me again. “You have to make a lot of sacrifices as president, Little. You have to do a lot of stuff you really don’t want to do. This position is not for the weak or the scared or the selfish. You want to be next in line? It’s time to start proving you can take it, that you belong in this room when I leave. You need to step up, Little.”

  I chew on my cheek, my head still shaking. This is insane, I don’t need to prove myself by toying with a boy. But I know my Big, and I know when she has her mind set on something, there’s nothing or no one that can deter her thoughts. She wants him, and she wants me to help get him. Whether I like it or not, her problem just became mine.

  “Can I at least think about it?”

  Erin sighs, but then glances back at her planner. “I tell you what,” she says, facing me again. “The date auction is Saturday. Let’s see if you made the impression I think you did. If he bids the highest and wins the date with you, then the game starts and you play him right into my hand.”

  “I have a tournament that night, Big,” I whine. “I wasn’t even going to go to the auction.” There’s a small Texas Hold ‘Em tournament at the underground casino on Saturday that I need to win. I still have to build up enough money to pay the entry fee for the tournament in Vegas this May, and that means I have quite a few weekend tournaments to d
o before the payment deadline.

  “Well,” she says, business-like again. “Now you are going – and you’re getting auctioned off. If he bids the highest, then you’re doing this.”

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  She shrugs. “Then you’re off the hook. I want it to be easy for you to get him to come around, and bidding the highest at a date auction is pretty much the most simple way to get a girl on a date. If he doesn’t try and succeed to do just that with you, then there’s no point in you making it awkward and throwing yourself at him. But, if he dragged his tongue up your stomach, I seriously doubt he’ll let you go on a date with anyone else.” She smiles, trying to get me to laugh, but I’m not having it.

  This sucks.

  Then it hits me – this is a game I can rig, a game I can easily win – if I play my cards right.

  I keep my face straight and pretend like I’m still upset, sighing. “Fine, but if he doesn’t make the highest bid then I’m off the hook and you’re on your own to reel in your fish.”

  She holds out her hand to shake mine. “Absolutely, no questions asked.” We shake on it and Erin clasps her hands together, her smile fully back in place as she turns toward the girls. “This is going to be fun!”

  Ashlei and Erin start chatting excitedly, but Jess and Cassie’s eyes are trained on mine. They know as well as I do that this isn’t going to be fun, but I’ve got an Ace up my sleeve. Before they can ask if I’m okay, I duck out of the room, leaving my shoes behind. My room is just a few numbers down the hall and I push through the door, grabbing the first pair of leggings and tank top I see and throwing them on, followed by a pair of socks and my sneakers. Jess knocks just as I open the door again, reaching for my iPod and squeezing past her.

  “Are you okay?” she asks, but I keep walking.

  “Going for a run. I’ll see you for dinner tonight.”

  I shove the earbuds in before she has the chance to reply and jog down the stairs and out the front door, falling into rhythm with the pop song blaring through the tiny speakers. As my breathing gets heavier and my chest tightens, I realize my poker face may be a little better than I thought. Because the entire time I was in that room, I didn’t once give off that I might like Kip, that maybe I don’t want to play this stupid game because I’m into him and I don’t want to deliver him on a silver platter to my Big.

  Which is exactly why I can’t let him win me at the date auction.

  If he’s Erin’s now, then I need to get rid of him. I need to get out of this while I still can, rip off the Band-Aid. And if that means cheating? Well, I’m not above getting my hands a little dirty.

  Clinton’s Little, Josh, has had a crush on me since we met at freshmen orientation. He’s tried to get me to go on a date with him multiple times, but he’s far from my type – huge, muscles too big for his body, cheesy smile that screams “I’m a douchebag!” and orange skin from using too much bronzer. I’d sooner go on a date with Clinton than Josh, and he’s like a brother to me.

  Which is why I can’t believe I’m shoving a thousand dollars from my savings account into his palm and telling him I want him to buy me at the auction tonight. As sad as it may be, he’s my Ace in the hole – and I need him.

  “You can’t tell a single soul,” I remind him again. “Not even Bear. This is against the rules – big time. Just make it look casual and go up as high as you need to, but don’t jump out the gate with all one thousand. Hold back and see what the crowd does, only bet as much as you need to.”

  “Whatever you say, baby.” He grins, throwing his arm around me. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you’d give in. Turning me down all this time and now look at you – paying me to save you from other guys so you can spend a whole night with me.”

  I groan, pushing him off. “Don’t make me change my mind. I’m serious, Josh, this stays between the two of us.”

  He runs his fingers up my arm and hooks his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “I look forward to a lot of things being kept between the two of us.”

  Gag.

  I pull away and check my phone for the time. “I have to go get ready. See you tonight. And Josh?”

  His green eyes meet mine, waiting.

  “Please don’t screw this up.”

  He laughs and I let myself out of the Omega Chi Beta house, turning toward KKB. I only have a few short hours before the auction and I need to get prepped for the tournament tonight. The auction should only last until ten, but the tournament starts at ten thirty. That’s barely enough time to drive there, let alone buy in and get in my zone. It’ll be tight, but I have to make it work.

  Ashlei and Jess help me get ready while my Little studies flash cards. I have no idea how she’s already studying when classes have been in session all of five days, but that’s her. I watch her look at a flash card, close her eyes and mouth the answer, then open them and flip the card over to check if she was right. She repeats this over and over and each time I smile a little more. As much as I admire Erin, I think I admire Cassie, too. She’s so bright, and so unafraid to be exactly who she is. I’m not sure I could ever be that confident.

  Jess and Ashlei are like two peas in a pod. They’re both majoring in event planning, they both love country music, they’re both born and raised in South Florida, and they’re both blonde and beautiful. Pretty much the only difference is that Ashlei came from old money and Jess’s family came into their fortune from a lawsuit. She hasn’t ever really gone into detail with us, but it doesn’t matter – we don’t need to know.

  After trying on several outfits that were deemed not good enough for a date auction, we settle on a tight, ruched pink dress with a sweetheart neckline. It accents my long legs and slender frame and we pair it with nude heels and a chunky gold and beige necklace. They use a curling wand to give my hair some volume and I do my makeup – simple and light, as usual.

  “Damn, Big,” Cassie says, tucking her cards away. “You look hot.”

  I check myself in the mirror, turning sideways. I’m really not a fan of dresses, but I do feel pretty sexy in this one. I’m not concerned about the auction as much as I am the tournament. This outfit will definitely put me in the naïve girl category. They’ll never see me coming, which is exactly the way I like it.

  Ralph’s is packed when we arrive, which isn’t out of the ordinary for a Friday night. It’s one of the most popular college bars in the area, and we hold the date auction here the first Saturday of spring semester every year. It’s tradition – and usually I’m excited to watch my sisters get bid on and raise money for our philanthropy. But tonight, I’d rather be in a den full of hungry tigers with a steak wrapped around my neck.

  We go in through the back door to skip the line outside and run straight into Erin. She’s got a clipboard in her hand and she’s shouting orders into her headset. “Oh!” she says when she sees us. “You guys are just in time. Little, go line up over there with the other dates. J-Love, Lei, I need you to start handing out bidding paddles. G-Little, can you find Chelsea? We need to raffle off the first door prize.” I smile at the nickname for Cassie. Her being my Little makes her Erin’s “Grand Little” – kind of like a grandchild. Thus, G-Little.

  The girls all nod and scurry off to their destinations and as much as I hate my Big right now, I can’t help but stare at her in awe. She’s doing that thing again – kicking ass and taking names, making me want to be like her. She commands attention, and I envy her for it.

  As if she senses my thoughts, she turns back to me. “I love you, Little. I’ve been thinking.” She stops to shout another order into her headpiece before continuing. “If you really don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. Whether he’s the highest bidder or not, you don’t have to do my dirty work.”

  I shake my head. “We shook on it, Big. It’s a deal. We just have to see what happens now.” It’s easy to say now that I know I can’t lose.

  She smiles and leans in to hug me. “You’re seriousl
y the best Little in the world.”

  I squeeze her tight and then she pulls back, running off to the side of the stage. I feel a little shitty for rigging the auction, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her – and now I won’t have to hurt Kip.

  Or myself.

  Erin kicks off the auction with Chelsea on stage. She’s one of my pledge sisters, a tiny little thing with long, thick black curls. They raffle off a few prizes, speak about our philanthropy, and then one by one our sisters go up to be auctioned off. It’s actually pretty fun watching the girls on stage. Some of them take the cute, girl-next-door approach, some of them go more sexy and carefree, and some of them just act ridiculous and go for the laughs. When it’s time for me to step up, I feel so awkward I want to cry, but I strut my ass up there like I’m the most confident girl in the bar. A few whistles ring out and I wink at the crowd, smiling. The highest bid so far has been three hundred and twenty dollars, which means I gave Josh plenty to win me and get this over with. It’s almost ten and I need to get on the road.

  “And now, last but the farthest thing from least, we have the beautiful Skyler Thorne!” The crowd cheers and I throw up our sorority’s hand sign in response, still smiling. Chelsea calls out above the cheers, “We’ll start the bidding at fifty dollars!”

  A paddle goes up near the front of the room. Josh.

  “And we have fifty, do I hear one hundred?” Chelsea says, pointing at Josh. Another paddle goes up a few rows over. It’s Adam. I shake my head and point out at him, smiling. He shrugs and winks, which makes me smile even bigger. Adam and I had a short run last year and he was fun, but he needed to focus on getting elected president, which left no time for me. We’re still friends, and every now and then we have a drunken night together, but I can’t imagine us going on a date again. Though he’s definitely been paying close attention to me this semester.

  Josh lifts his paddle again and the bid is up to two hundred. Adam goes up one more time and then someone in the back before it gets back to Josh. Four hundred.