He’s a dick. None of us likes him. But he usually gets the highest scores and has some killer mnemonics and flashcards I copy.
“We’re studying?—”
“We’re talking about her tattoo, ya dork,” Evie says at the same time I speak up.
Rowan’s brown eyebrows stitch together, and his face darkens as he glowers at her. Mumbling under his breath about next time, he grabs his backpack and heads out.
Ellis snorts with laughter but continues to tidy up the mess we’ve made.
I rip off my mask and gloves, then peel down my jeans to show Evie. She bends to get a closer look.
“Very nice. He does great work!”
“You dated Nico?” I ask, hoping she’ll tell me how much she knows about what happened when I was in the chair.
“I mean, we all fucked for a few months. My girlfriend at the time, and me and him. Then I got bored with them, but they’re still fucking, I think.” She shrugs like it’s not a big deal, and when she stands, there’s a nefarious sparkle in her big blue eyes. “I’ve moved on.”
I think Evie moves on quite quickly to a lot of things. Like cadaver lab.
Ellis eyes me carefully. Too carefully. Maybe she has something she wants to say in private. I turn around to wash my hands and gather my things.
With a clear change of subject I know will work, I ask, “IsSigma Lambda Psiready for Thriller Thursday?”
Evie’s eyes grow devilish. “Of course. We’re going to win. Wealwayswin Thursdays. Sorry, girls. We’re getting the Lunar Chalice this year.”
Ellis scoffs. “Fat chance. We’ve got a plan.Omega Nu Epsilonmay not have won a Thursday before. But we’re ready this year.”
It’s unusual to hang out with someone from a different sorority. But I can’t seem to get rid of Evie. She sticks to me like a burr in a sock. And I never know when she’s showing up or not. For as outlandish as she is, she can be quite sneaky, too.
We gather our bags and coats, aiming for the door. I flick off the light in the bright white-tiled room, then make sure we hear the click of the automatic lock.
“So I wasn’t going to say anything… Not withhimin there,” Ellis mumbles.
Evie dives her head between us and loudly asks, “What are you talking about?”
Ellis flushes pink. “Um, I was just saying to my best friend that I heard the Pairing Oversight Tribunal is going to appoint me to a Viscount.”
I stop cold. “No way! You found out already?”
Sophomore sorority sisters occasionally receive their letters, the assignments to vow the rest oftheir lives to a senior fraternity member. But it’s more common for seniors. It used to be that the Board of Trustees and the president of the university made such decisions. Now, with the new leadership, we have a POT to decide our fates.
“I guess I’mlucky.” She points toward the stairs, and we deviate that way, heading to the first floor.
“Lucky to get to marry someone good? Or…an asshole?” My stomach twists with worry for her.
“I don’t even know if he’d want a civil marriage after the vow ceremony in the cathedral. Only that I have to swear fealty to him for the rest of my life.”
“Caliphylla, goddess of life,” she and I mutter under our breaths. It’s our house’s god, who’s supposed to bless our unions. Not that I believe in that. But still.
If it’s all real, I don’t want Ellis to miss out on a blessing.
Evie chortles behind us. “Goddess of life. Vows. What a joke. You realize they’ll be fucking whoever they want.” She waves her hand at the groups of students clustered around the doorway to the building. “But cheer up. You’ll still getsharedamong the guys. If he’s got a small dick? You can fuck his brother.”
I blink heavily. “Yeah. What Evie said.” Sarcasm drips from every word.
But by signing up for Greek life at Northview University, that’s what you agree to. And it felt very pre-determined that we would all attend, since our parents did. As if we didn’t have another choice.
“I guess I’ll berich. So that’s nice.” Ellis muses a bit, finger tapping her chin as the winter air slaps our faces on the steps of the medical school north of the main campus.
