“Not at you exactly. Look, I share a bathroom with Remy, Braxton, and Caleb. It was the thought of you running into any of them looking like that. I’m sorry. I can’t seem to control it.”
“Are you going to punch Caleb again if he looks my way?”
“Hell yes, I will.”
“Monte.”
He just shrugged. “Blame it on the bond. Until you make an honest man out of me, it’s bound to happen. Maybe even after that.”
I wanted to tell him that I was ready, that I wanted to be his forever, but the words didn’t quite come. And before I could muster up the courage to try and tell him, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room and across the hall.
“Wait here.”
He walked into the bathroom and then came back out. “Coast is clear. I’ll stand guard.”
I bit back a laugh, but when I walked into the bathroom I sort of understood. It wasn’t a single bathroom. There were two stalls, two sinks, and two showers in the room, and the showers didn’t seem to have curtains on them.
Mother Nature didn’t allow me to look around long. I ran to a stall and relieved myself, then washed my hands, and got out of there.
“Better?” Monte said.
“Yes. Thanks.”
Now I knew why I’d never done the morning-after thing. When Braxton stepped out of his room and gave me a knowing look and a wink, things started to get awkward. Before I made it back to Monte’s room, Remy and Caleb had also stepped out of theirs.
“Morning Zoey,” Remy said.
“Uh, good morning,” I managed.
Caleb was sporting a black eye and wouldn’t even look in my direction.
He nodded. “Monte.”
“Caleb.”
And then he disappeared into the bathroom as quickly as possible while Monte escorted me back to his room.
“Wait here,” he said. I suspected he had to go to the bathroom too.
That’s when I realized I had no toothbrush or toothpaste. I didn’t even have a brush. No doubt my hair was a mess and all I had were my pajamas.
I groaned, looking down at Monte’s clothes sagging off me and shrugged.
“Guess this is what they call the walk of shame,” I said to myself.
I gathered my things, climbed out his bedroom window, held my head high, and strutted across Greek Row to Theta house.
Halfway across the lawn I felt Monte’s emotions spike, and then he poked his head through the window, calmed down, and let out a loud catcall whistle.
“Call me later, doll,” he yelled across the courtyard.
I was horrified but turned and waved at him anyway.
At that point there was no reason in hiding it. We’d be the talk of campus by lunchtime at this rate . . . if we weren’t already.
Instead of crawling through my bedroom window, I walked right through the front door of Theta house. A bunch of my sisters were there and started cheering and whistling.
Chloe ran over and hugged me. “Our illustrious leader has finally had her first walk of shame. I’m so proud.”
