Noah

"I have a class later," she whined. "I can't flunk it again, I have to go!"

"I can shop by myself," I told her, rolling my eyes.

"Nope," the man smiled and I recognized his voice from the night before. "It's in the bylaws. You have to have a full sister or approved stand-in clear all of your clothing purchases."

"That's ridiculous!"

"So walk away," the girl shrugged. "Either follow the rules or drop out."

I sighed. "Fine. My class is done by 11, have whichever sister isn't in class meet me here at 11:30 to go shopping. I am not missing class for one outfit, now move."

"Fine, but I'm telling Cicely!" the girl called after me as I went to my car. Not many students were allowed cars, but I was. I had a special parking pass and a placard as well. I didn't use it unless I had to, but today I had to. The spell from the night before still had me tired enough that it was hard to sit through the lecture.

Surprisingly, or I guess unsurprisingly, it was Noah who showed up at my dorm at 11:30, knocking loudly. I looked at my bed longingly before opening the door, then stared up at him in confusion.

"You ready?" he demanded.

"What the fuck do you want, asshole?" I demanded. "I'm busy."

"I know, shit for brains. With me. Let's fucking go, I'm picking out your stupid clothes. There's no Kids-R-Us for you to shop at here, you'll have to get real adult clothes now."

"Fuck you," I sighed, grabbing my keys.

"Leave them, we're taking my truck."

"I want my car and..."

"I can't fucking fit in your tiny ass Prius, Sut, drop it! Let's go!"

"My friends call me Sut," I told him glumly, dropping my car keys. "You can call me Sutton."

He snorted derisively, then shook me when he opened the truck door for me. I looked up at the high step, wondering how stupid I was about to look scrambling into this beast of a vehicle.

When I didn't move right away, he said nothing as he bent and picked me up under the arms, lifting me up into the truck.

"What the fuck? Don't touch me, asshole! I could have done it, I was just..."

"Just shut up and fucking say thanks for once," he yelled, slamming the door shut before going around.

When he got in and shut his own door, I gave him a smirk. "Compensating for quite a bit with this monster, aren't you?"

"Wanna find out, bitch?" he asked, grabbing his crotch vulgarly.

I rolled my eyes as he pulled away. "Seatbelt," he demanded loudly.

Yanking it on, I rolled my eyes again.

"It was a graduation gift," he spoke, ten minutes into the silent ride.

"What?"

"The truck. My grandpa gave it to me."

"So?"

"So I didn't fucking pick it out."

"So?"

"So it's not..." he growled angrily, then reached up and turned the radio on.

Covering my ears, I flinched at the loud, chest vibrating rap, then lunged up and turned it off.

"Don't fucking touch my truck!"

"That was bullshit! You did it to..."

He reached up and turned on the music again, louder this time if that was possible.

Curling up, I put my hands over my ears, then kicked at his hand and the radio. "Turn it off!

Reflexively, his hand snatched my foot as I kicked and he looked down at me derisively as he pulled up hard, putting me on my back in the seat. Turning off the music, he still held my foot high so I couldn't sit up. "Next time you try and hurt me, I'm giving it back threefold. I still owe you smashing all your teeth in!"

"Let go!"

"Fuck you!"

"Let go! Noah, now! Or I'll puke all over your stupid truck!"

He let me go quickly and I scrambled up, breathing heavily.

"Don't you fucking dare," he snarled, looking like he was ready to grab me.

"Not on purpose," I managed, still trying to breathe.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded warily.

"I get dizzy... I get sick. I have POTS, it was triggered."

"Not in my truck!"

"What?"

"No pot in my truck!"

"POTS. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. You can't move me around or... anything."

"What the fuck is that?"

"Just... don't move me around a lot. I get dizzy and sleepy and sick."

"POTS," he repeated, more as if for himself, like he was going to look it up later. "Sit up right and make sure your seatbelt is on right!" he demanded.

Sitting up, I caught my breath for a moment, then spoke. "So how are you in charge of a sorority?"

"Jealous?" he asked derisively.

"No, just didn't know you were starting the transition. Good for you though. She/her now?"

"Fuck you. I'm fucking Cicely and she's in charge. She just asks for help and I give it to her."

"She's a senior, right?"

"Yup. Next year it'll be Jenn and I'll be fucking her."

"Staying in charge. Why not just join a frat?"

"I'm in one," he laughed. "ION. I'm the one keeping everyone happy."

"Cock duty," I repeated, rolling my eyes. "That's you."

"It's no secret that we date almost exclusively POP," he shrugged. "And there's no reason your single sisters shouldn't be keeping the single brothers happy. We're the face of the university after all, and if we're the face, you cunts are always on our arms, that makes you the faces of the University as well. That's how it works. Fair trade is fair trade."

"Bullshit. What happened to academics?"

"It's not about how much you know, Sut, not in this world. It's all about who you know. You should know that. When your dad fucked up, did all his knowledge count for anything at all or did he get fired and both your parents get shunned?"

"You don't know shit about my life!"

He laughed then. "Sutton, I know everything about your life. Your dad should have kept his dick in his pants. All the knowledge in the world didn't save him after Chris found out he was fucking his wife, he took him down and your dad lost his place in the brotherhood. You don't fuck over your own. Your mom too, when she tried to intervene."

I stared at him in horror and he finally looked over at me, his eyes shining with the joy of my misery. His smile slid away slowly as I stared at him. Finally, he looked away, looking sick. "You didn't fucking know," he stated.

"My daddy wouldn't DO that! Not to my mom! He SWORE he'd never hurt her again after they got back together!"

He blanched and turned away, raking his fingers through his hair. "Sut..."

"Don't! Don't you call me that! I want out, pull over!"

"Sutton, I didn't know you didn't know, but it doesn't fucking matter. You've SEEN what all of this means, what the brotherhood and sisterhood can do for you! You don't need academics anymore, all you need is..."

"It used to be important to you! Until you became another idiot jock!"

"A lot of things used to be important to me!" he yelled back. "But that's tough shit! Life isn't fair and people fucking change! Fuck! Fuck you! How long were you and Josiah fucking anyway?"

"What?" I demanded, getting whiplash from the topic change.

"You and Josiah! How long had you been fucking?"

"Josiah? He's like a brother to me! He'd never lay a hand on me! Ever! And he'd kill anyone who did lay a hand on me! To this day!"

"He's a fucking washout, did you know that? Got caught juicing."

"He did not!" I laughed then. "He quit because of his dad's accident, went home and took over the family business. Swimming isn't like other sports, moron, there's no professional career after. His family needed him and he went! It's just like you though, to accuse someone of something like that after he did something so altruistic. Jos HATES needles, he's been terrified of them his whole life. He practically had to be sedated to get our matching tattoos!"

"You have a matching tattoo with him?" Noah raged. "What the fuck? Where?!?"

Turning slightly, I pulled up my shirt and exposed the words in perfect cursive just under my left breast.

'No Matter Where'

"His says 'No Matter When', same spot. We were children together, best friends our whole lives. Just not at school. Not until you tried to pull that stupid stunt. That bonded us, by the way. He became more of a protector than ever. Even spent all of his time at my house while he studied the last couple years until the accident. Staying with me through everything. Held my hand while I puked, sat with me when I wished I was dead. When all my other friends moved on without me, he stayed. And when his family needed him, he came back. College was never a big deal to him, it was something he got for free and was taking advantage of it with his full ride. He always knew he'd be taking over the restaurants someday and he was glad to help out when that day came sooner than anyone had hoped. You wouldn't understand a person like that though."

"You sound like you're in love with him," he sneered.

"Jos is my big brother, I will always love him. He was there for me when no one else was and he's a great guy."

"So why not fuck him?"

"We don't see each other that way."

"He fucking gay?"

"Why, interested? Or saying it derisively because you're a giant bigot. No, he isn't gay, he has girlfriends all the time. He just hasn't found 'her' yet. Why do you care? Where are we going, how far is it? I have another class at 2."

"Yeah, you're going to miss that class," he snorted. "We have to go into the city for the brand names required."

"Fucking ridiculous. I need to go to class!"

"So drop out," he spat angrily. "Drop out so I don't have to see your stupid face again! Why come here of all places anyway? You knew I was here, why come here?"

"Why would I know or care where you went to college? I had no idea. And this is where my mother, her dad, my papa went, as well as my father and grandfather. I am a two time legacy. So fuck you and your whiny crybaby bullshit. I was always coming here."

"Couldn't have just fucking died," he muttered angrily.

"What?" I asked sitting up.

"Nothing," he growled, blushing and looking immediately sorry.

"Fuck you, Noah. Fuck you for ever looking my direction and ruining my entire life."

He snorted. "Bitch, you ain't seen nothing yet," he told me with a cryptic smile.

Reaching down, he turned the music back on and all I could do was wrap my arms around my head and curl up.

The drive took forever and Noah dragged me in bodily when we got there. Shoving me back to a dressing room, he brought me clothes, not letting me pick out anything myself.

To my surprise, he didn't force anything horrible on me. Most of them were in my taste, which surprised me, and none of them were attention grabbing or too bright. He stayed low-key and with almost exclusively earth tones. I'd thought I'd be vetoing every other outfit, but at the end of the day, I'd only said no to one because I didn't like how it fit. It was the same when he took me to get shoes and boots, picking them for me and having me try them on. All of them were within my taste and not too flashy. When he took me to the hair salon after, I gave him a cold look, but he only told them to trim my hair and make it look more cute. When they asked about coloring it, he told them no. Just show me what products to use to give it more body and stay like they showed me how to fix it.

The make-up was harder to sit through. The place he took me had a woman trying to show me how to put on make-up. Not just a little, an entire makeover every single day, showing me tips and tricks on how to hide certain things and make other things appear a certain way. I walked out feeling like a fraud. I looked like... exactly what that man had said. Some anime character with huge eyes and a pale, tiny face and white hair. I looked ridiculous.

Noah kept looking over at me, his eyes a little wide and he didn't look pissy at all. Starting his truck, he hesitated. "It's getting late, the sun is almost down," he announced.

"Happens every fucking day."

"You haven't eaten yet," he told me, pulling away. I said nothing until he pulled into a restaurant.

"Drive through is fine, I don't want..."

"I don't care what you want," he snapped. "I'm going to go in and eat. You can either come in and eat too or sit out here until I'm done."

Getting out before I could answer, he came around and opened the door for me, something he had done all day long.

We were seated right away, the man giving Noah a broad grin. "Good to see you again! Excited for Friday's game! You're going to win, right? I have money on you! Again!"

Noah smiled at the man. "Do my best, Don. I'll have red wine, she'll have white."

"I'll have water," I spoke up.

"She'll have the white wine," Noah reiterated, not looking at me.

"I'm 19."

"Enough, Sut," he snapped.

"Not your usual type?" Don smiled.

"She's not a date, she's a chore."

"Ahh. I'll bring out your wine immediately and send Shel over."

The man left and Noah scowled at me. "Stop being a cunt for once. Drink the wine and yank that stick out of your ass."

"I cant have wine, asshole, it fucks with my medication and my other issues."

He leaned back and looked away, blushing as he looked around.

When Don came back, Noah waved the wine away. "Bring her water," he told him softly.

"Of course! Do you want your usual?"

"Yes, the spiedini. Bistecca Modiga for her, medium rare with a side of pasta."

The man nodded with a smile and left, smiling happily.

"Did you really just fucking order for me?" I hissed.

"Diet restrictions, remember?" he commented, still looking around. "Or were you too busy being a victim last night during that part?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I couldn't help what happened last night! At least one of them was nicer than you were! I woke up in one of their nice beds."

He snorted derisively, shaking his head. "They just didn't want a lawsuit," he told me, sipping his wine.

Whatever he ordered for me, it turned out to be mouth wateringly delicious. I didn't want to admit it to him in a million years, but it was divine. I even scraped every last bit of the sauce up off my plate.

Noah looked around the room, refusing to look at me at all, but he looked vastly amused as I finally sat back and held my too full tummy.

It was full dark out when we left and I let out a sigh as I buckled into his truck, not looking forward to the long drive back with his shitty music. My head was already hurting.

"Do you have any tylenol?" I asked when he got in on his side.

"No... headache?"

"Nope, just really love tylenol that much," I grumped, turning to look out the window.

He said nothing, but he pulled in at a CVS and went in before he got on the highway. Getting back in, he tossed me a bag.

I looked inside and blinked at it, confused. Tylenol, an Arizona peach tea, my favorite, and a bottle of burgundy nail polish?

"I was supposed to go get your nails done, but the hair place took too long and it was late," he told me. "You'll have to settle for me doing it when we get back."

"I can..."

"You've never done your nails in your life."

I looked at him then, confused. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Because you've never had your nails painted. Take your tylenol."

"Thanks for the tea," I grumped, opening it and taking the pills.

"There's migraine in there too in case it doesn't help."

"Thanks," I offered again, looking at the other box of pills.

"Whatever," he snapped. "The last thing I need is you being more of a cunt."

I stayed quiet, looking down at the tea and my fingernails. My nails had never been a thing for me, I'd never bothered. One year I had gotten some in my stocking for Christmas and I had tried it out. I couldn't get it on right, I kept getting it on my fingers and it globbed up. Wiping it off, that nail polish had sat on my vanity for a few years until I finally tossed it. How had HE known that though? How close attention did you have to pay to someone to know if they'd ever worn nail polish?

After a half an hour, he reached down and turned on music, not nearly as loud this time. It was also country music and not rap, which made me look at him incredulously. He refused to look at me at all as his thumb tapped to the music.

At least it wasn't loud.

I sighed and closed my eyes, pulling my legs up to lay my head on my knees.

"You need to sit right, if the airbags deploy, it'll hit your legs and smash your knees into your face."

"So don't wreck," I mumbled.

"I am careful, but that doesn't mean other people aren't assholes. Sit up, Sut."

"Sutton to you."

"Sit up! Feet on the floorboard!"

"My feet don't reach the floorboard," I told him miserably. "Just leave me alone, my head hurts!"

"Sit up and I will."

"Why do you care? Maybe I'll die if you wreck, then you can stop being such an asshole."

"Or you could just stop being such a supreme cunt."

"Fuck you, Noah."

"You wish."

"Nightmares maybe."

"Fuck!" he growled, yanking his phone out and putting it to his ear. "What? What the fuck is so fucking important that you are blowing me up when you know I'm driving? ... So?!? ... I'm fucking driving Cicely, you know I don't text and drive or talk on the phone and drive! ... I don't fucking care! ... No, she's still with me, you said everything. ... So start without her! ... I don't give a FUCK, Cis, figure it out! Jesus fucking christ, how did you function before you met me? ... No, don't wait up, I'm not staying the night. I'm dropping her off then leaving. ... It's not about that, I have practice at 5 AM. ... I don't care what the rest of them are fucking doing! How many times do I have to tell you that what they do doesn't have any bearing on what I do? ... I'm hanging up now, don't call me or text me again before I get there. ... Because, Cis, when I am done driving, I will fucking be there in front of your fucking face! I am dropping that rush off with you! Do you understand it now? How that works? I'll pull up to POP house and turn off my fucking truck and be done driving? When I fucking get there? ... It means I won't text you when I get there because I will fucking be there! Jesus, Cis! Be glad you're fucking pretty," he snapped, then hung up the phone with a snarl.

"You're such an asshole." I told him, crossing my arms.

"She's an idiot."

"So why date her if you hate her so much? And she can't help being stupid, you can help being a dick to her."

"What do you care, she already hates you anyway."

"Doesn't mean I want to see you abusing her."

"Abusing her," he snorted. "If only you fucking knew."

"What's that mean? That a cry for help? She secretly abuses you? The 250 lb basketball player who has to duck to walk into most doors and she abuses you?" I asked in a whiny voice, making fun of him.

"No. She has a fucking daddy kink and wants me to spank her. All the fucking time."

"Do you?" I asked curiously, a little shocked at this tidbit of information. I'd never met anyone with a kink before. Or even anyone who had sex regularly outside of Josiah and he never talked about it. Not to me at least. Not even when I'd asked.

Noah shot me an incredulous look, then looked back at the road as he blushed. "I... sometimes? Not as hard as she wants me to and she gets pissy about it. She wants me to actually hurt her."

"And you won't?"

"No, I won't fucking hurt her," he told me angrily. "Not more than to talk down to her like she likes and degrade her like she wants me to. Nothing physical."

"She wants you to talk to her like that?" I asked in disbelief.

"Some girls get off on it."

"Do you like talking to her like that? Is that a thing for you?"

"No," he told me coldly, looking away as he turned up the radio again.

Sighing, I waited a moment, then eased the volume down again. I said nothing, knowing he'd done it to make me stop asking questions. When we were finally in town, I spoke again, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Do you have one?"

"One what?"

"Kink."

"Why do you care? And if I did, why the fuck would I tell you?"