Trial of Skin

Brett turned to the left in the alley behind the sororities and the two of them crept through the darkness. Krista's senses felt heightened by the situation. Her eyes locked on every flit of some night insect, her ears perked with every distant car horn or shouted laugh.

The brothers and sisters are out there somewhere. I hope Brett is paying attention.

They moved from sorority row and skirted the shadows around the square in front of the student union. Even at the late hour, students hung out in front of the brightly-lit fountain, chatting and skateboarding, but as near as she could tell, they weren't seen as they slipped behind the union itself.

They had taken two steps into the shadows when Brett grabbed her arm. Krista froze and let her voice fall to a whisper. "What?"

Brett pointed across the square. Krista stared in the direction he pointed.

The Kappa and Epsilon in their yellow shirts, loitering on the far side of the fountain, were hard to miss. A gentle breeze caressed Krista's bare skin, reminding her of her nudity, and she felt suddenly, horribly vulnerable. She watched the brother and sister for a moment but the pair didn't move. "Do you think they saw us?"

"They didn't come our way and I don't see them on their cells or anything so I am going to guess not. We should keep going."

"Yeah."

Krista pondered how much time had elapsed but since neither of them had a phone or a watch, she had no way to know. She guessed it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. Plenty of time but it's only going to get harder from here.

They scurried across a darkened parking lot and along the side of Randall Hall, the main administration building. They were almost to the far corner when harsh laughter erupted, very near. She grabbed Brett by the arm and yanked him into the hedges lining Randall. Twigs scraped her bare skin and the breath left her lungs when Brett collapsed on top of her. The warmth of his skin burned into hers. "Shh," she hissed. "Don't move."

She could see no more than six inches of space beneath hedges, so all Krista could discern was three pairs of feet emerging from around the building's edge. All three paused not fifteen feet from where they laid. "Where'd they go?" a male voice asked.

Brett froze.

"I don't know," a high-pitched female voice answered. Krista recognized it as Jackie Duvall and bit back a curse. The athletic African-American girl was a perfect choice of Epsilon to be in pursuit of hers and Brett's streamers. "Wyatt and Colleen said they were coming this way."

"Oh, speak of the devil," a third voice, also male, said. Louder, it added, "You see them?"

"No," echoed a voice from the direction they'd come.

"Double back," the first voice said. "They might have gone around the north side."

"You think they left the campus?" the other male asked.

Jackie laughed. "What, run buck-naked into downtown? Aside from getting disqualified, they'd get picked up by cops. I don't know about your boy but our pledge is smarter than that."

"He's an asshat," the first muttered. "I knew he'd be a fuck-up in the scavenger hunt. Who loses their whole pack?"

"Shut up, Val," the second man said.

Jackie laughed. "Sounds like you boys got a beef. Get over it and get your mind on the game. I'm going around front to link up with Colleen and Wyatt." Krista saw Jackie's feet trot around the corner and out of sight.

There was a sound of a hand smacking skin. "Hey!" Val said. "What the fuck was that for?"

"I told you I'd get the pack from Brett to give your dipshit brother a better chance but I also told you to keep your fucking mouth shut about it."

"I didn't say anything. Like Jackie knows what I meant."

Krista tensed. With Brett laying on top of her and their bodies pressed together beneath the bushes, his cock had started growing and now pressed into her hip

The other man growled. "I don't care. Nobody has ever gotten zero items. Keep talking about it, and people are going to start asking questions--and if the committee figured out I took his pack, they'll kick me out. I'm not taking that fall for you."

"You got a big mouth, Dave." Krista saw the feet square up in front of each other.. Val's voice seemed to be coming from the black sneakers, not the yellow ones. "Maybe I'll go ahead and let the campus cops know it was you and not me driving drunk when that car rammed the streetlamp. That would fuck up your scholarship, wouldn't it?"

Dave mumbled, "You said if I did this, we'd be even."

"And I meant it. So shut up, okay? Jackie didn't know anything. Nobody knows anything."

"Fine. Let's just get through this."

"I'm gonna walk back the way we came," Val said, "just in case they evaded the others."

"I'm gonna move over a street."

The feet departed, moving in separate directions.

When they were out of sight, Brett whispered, "They're all over the place. What should we do?"

"First, you can get your boner out of my side."

"Oh, sorry." He shifted. "Better?"

"Yes."

"I can't help it. I'm laying next to a sexy girl, so my body responds."

She tried not to snort too loudly. "You're a horny college student with your dick pressed against a live naked female. Of course you got wood."

He chuckled. "Probably."

"Don't change the subject." Krista peered under hedges but saw no one. "I'm guessing Val is that big brother of the other pledge you mentioned."

"Yeah. I didn't have much interaction with Dave until he took my scavenger hunt pack but sounds like they're in it together." He took a deep breath. "Krista, I think we have to split up."

Even though she'd been half-expecting--and fully dreading--Brett's decision, his words still hit her like a blow. "You're going to abandon me?"

"That's not what I meant. I... look, by the sounds of it, there are at least five or six of them on this side of the campus, between us and Kappa. Maybe more. I'll make a break for it. I can get them to chase me."

Indignation flashed. "Is this supposed to be some white-knight bullshit, giving yourself up for me?"

"Not quite." His voice was amused. "I'm here on a track scholarship. Eight-hundred meters and full mile are my best races. I can outrun them. They'll only catch me if they corner me."

"Oh." Realization dawned that he could have left her at any time, like Bri Tanaka had done to her partner. But he didn't, he stayed with me. "If you can outrun them all, why didn't you leave me before now?"

"You carried your weight in the hunt, Krista. I fucked up. I owe you that... and I could tell at dinner that you're a pretty good person. I'd hate for you to lose out on Epsilon because of my bullshit with the frat. Let me be their rabbit. Don't worry, I'll be fine. If there's a bunch of members screening Kappa house, I will try to draw them off and clear a path for you."

"I told you, I'm not very fast."

"You're going to have to do your best, and keep your eyes open." His voice was firm. "But you can do it."

"Okay."

"All right. Give me twenty seconds and if it's clear, run. Don't stop."

Brett made to scoot under the hedge but Krista grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips. She peeled the ski mask up and kissed his palm. "Thank you."

He touched her chin. "Make it count." Then he was up and moving. Krista got a single glimpse of his pale, toned ass moving around the building before he was gone. Shouts rose and she heard the distant pounding of feet.

Fear tickled her gut but she pushed it away. I can do this.

She watched while she made her silent count. Seeing nothing, she eased from beneath the hedge and took off.

A roar from behind drew her attention. She glanced over her shoulder and quailed at the sight of a yellow-shirted Kappa sprinting her way. Her eyes flicked to his shoes. Black.

Val.

She turned and ran as fast as she could, dodging around parked cars. Two students, caught up in necking on a bench, looked up as she ran past. "Holy shit, look at that!" the man said.

"You pig!" the girl responded, and then their words were lost.

She glanced behind and grimaced. Val was gaining on her and was close, far too close. Krista cut to the left and stumbled, only barely avoiding a fire hydrant. She dodged between two cars but not before Val's desperate lunge. His fingertips scraped against her hip. Val's motion carried him past her and he tumbled to the ground.

Krista looked down and fought back the urge to scream. Her pursuer had stripped a streamer, leaving her with one.

Shit! Last chance!

Another glance back told her Val had recovered and was coming on again, a wicked grin on his face.

Krista's lungs already heaved and the muscles in her thighs had started to ache. He's going to catch me. Despair filled her as visions of being in Epsilon flickered. Too much time on the couch, not enough time in the gym, I--

She spotted a group of five or six guys coming up the sidewalk and inspiration struck. Krista veered toward them. "Help me!"

Their eyes fell on her, widening. "Whoa!" one said.

"That guy in the yellow shirt stole my clothes! Don't let him hurt me!" She ran past.

She didn't look back but there were sudden shouts and a yell of pain. She risked a look and saw a wriggling body in a yellow shirt buried beneath a bunch of flailing arms. Even in her breathless state, she laughed. Serves you right, asshole.

Another nerve-wracking minute brought her to the edge of Vine Street. She'd made a good approach; the frat house of Kappa Omicron Kappa was only half a block away, with its brightly-lit porch. She spotted Isabelle and several other sisters she recognized lounging on the porch, along with several of the Kappas. None wore yellow shirts.

Despite the late hour, cars whizzed past, many filled with yelling half-drunks. Students crowded the sidewalks, talking and laughing.

Krista paled. Am I really going to walk out there naked in front of all these people? She thought of Brett running for his figurative life and her resolve hardened. Damn right I am. She trotted into the street.

The reaction was instant.

Whistles, catcalls, and shouts sounded all around her. Guys stared and not a few girls did too. A light flutter passed through her head, along with the giddy thrill of being at the center of attention.

Focus!

She hurried across the street and up the walkway to the porch. Sounds of merriment and partying sounded from within. The officers stood as she approached.

Krista half-expected someone to jump out and grab her last streamer at any moment but no one did. She mounted the steps and stopped before the assembled members. "Pledge Guillard reporting."

Isabelle strode to her, a broad smile on her face. "Damn, girl, you made it."

Sisters crowded around her, offering her congratulations. Someone draped a robe over her shoulders and pulled the sash, hiding her from hungry eyes. She doffed her ski mask, taking a deep breath as the cool evening air washed over her sweaty skin.

Monique hugged her. "Welcome to Epsilon, Krista."

Krista smiled, fighting back tears. Monique's voice held none of its normal disdain. It was also the first time the pledge master had used her first name.

"Come in and have a drink," Isabelle told her.

Brett... "I think I want to wait out here for a few moments, see if my partner makes it."

"No problem." Isabelle patted her shoulder. "I'll wait with you." The other officers settled in as well.

She sat next to her president and watched the street. She spotted a pair of yellow-shirted Kappas, who met across the way, spoke for a moment, then split up again.

They haven't caught him yet.

Krista's breathing slowed and her aching muscles grudgingly began to unwind but she couldn't relax. The discovery that she was actually worried about Brett and hoped that he would make it came as a surprise, and not just because of his potential sacrifice. When he'd said he figured at dinner that she was a good person, Krista realized she'd thought the same. She found him funny and charming, and he was certainly easy on the eyes. In a lot of ways, he reminded Krista of her old boyfriend Jake.

She blinked and shook her head. There would be time to sort that out later. She stood and moved to the porch rail.

Movement to her left drew her attention. Krista leaned over the rail, squinted, and her breath caught in her throat.

Amid hoots and hollers from the passersby, Brett sprinted across the street, with two yellow shirts in close pursuit. Krista could tell right away that he was limping but it only seemed to slow him enough to allow the others to stay close. He leaped and slid his bare body across the hood of a car, hit the sidewalk, and hauled ass toward the porch.

Krista clenched the porch rail with both hands. "Come on, Brett!" She glanced the other way and saw a furious Val coming from the other direction. The frat member's shirt was torn and he was covered in dirt.

Those guys worked him over pretty good.

She opened her mouth to scream a warning but Brett saw the guy coming. Val slowed. His position between a line of cars and a low fence cut Brett off from the porch and Brett hesitated. Val smiled, knowing Brett couldn't get past him without risking his streamers but by being in the path, he was allowing the pursuit to catch up.

Brett made a stutter-step to one side and as Val moved to follow, spun in the other direction and darted past. Val lunged and came away with one streamer but Brett was past him. Val tripped over his own feet. The other chasers charged past him, almost on top of Brett.

Krista held her breath.

Brett staggered up the path to the porch and all but leaped toward it just as Jackie reached him. Her hand shot out and snagged his last streamer. Brett's hand fell on the porch right as the streamer popped loose.

Photo-finish, she thought. Krista glanced at Mike Collins, the Kappa president, who wore an indecipherable look.

Jackie stood, dusted herself off, and tossed the streamer on the porch. She helped Brett to his feet. "Nice chase, handsome. Guess we'll see what your boys say." She patted his rear end, smiled, and sauntered inside as if the issue no longer mattered to her--which, Krista admitted, it probably didn't.

Brett took a deep breath. "Pledge Wilkinson reporting."

No one said anything.

"Did I make it?"

"Hmm." Mike glanced at his other committee members, none of whom looked convinced.

"Hell, no." Val staggered up the sidewalk. "Jackie got him before he hit the porch. I got his other streamer. He's out." He glared and pointed at Krista. "This bitch is out too."

"How do you figure?" Isabelle asked, from where she leaned against a porch support post.

"She cheated."

"How's that?"

"She told a bunch of guys I attacked her." Val wiped a smear of blood from his cheek. "They kicked the crap out of me, else I would have had her."

Isabelle laughed. "I say she came up with an innovative solution."

"She cheated! She used violence."

"Other people used violence. Report it to the campus police, if you want. None of our sisters raised the first hand." The Epsilon president's eyes narrowed and she stood straight upright, which made her several inches taller than Val. "You don't have any say over Epsilon, Val. I say she met the circumstances of the contest with grit and intelligence. I don't give a fuck about your bruises."

Monique and the other Epsilon officers nodded in agreement.

Val scowled and opened his mouth.

"Val," Mike said, his face a thundercloud. "Don't."

"Fine." He refused to look at Isabelle, who glared at him. "But I still say he's out."

"We're not going to resolve this on the porch." Mike motioned. "Everyone inside."

Someone offered Brett a robe, which he put on, in a slow, mechanical manner, and pulled his ski mask loose. Krista followed him inside, hoping for the best.

As soon as she came in, Ashley ran up to her. Well Krista thought, "ran" is an exaggeration... more of a stagger, actually. She wondered how much the diminutive top-heavy blonde had had to drink.

"Krista, you made it?" Ashely blinked her heavy-lidded eyes and her voice slurred. "Wait, I mean... uhm, did you make it?"

"I did."

"Cool." Ashley placed her hands on Krista's shoulders. "I want us to be friends. You were cool to help me. Maybe we can room together at Epil... Espil... at the house."

Krista smiled. "That would be fun, Ash. But I have something to take care of tonight."

"Me too." She turned and pointed to an inebriated man across the room. Krista recognized him as her Kappa pledge partner. "See that guy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna fuck him into the floor."

"Ash, you're going to puke and pass out."

"Either way, it's gonna be fun. See ya later, buddy." She reeled away.

Krista's eyes sought out the Kappa officers huddled together around Brett. They looked to be interrogating him. Val stood nearby, smirking. She drifted closer.

Mike caught her approaching. "You need something?"

"Yeah, you need to let him in."

"What we do in Kappa Omicron Kappa is none of your business."

Val sneered at her.

Krista's nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. She pointed at Val. "Your boy sabotaged him."

"What do you mean?"

She raised her voice. "I overheard them myself. He had a guy named Dave take Brett's scavenger pack away from him, so he'd score low, because Brett had a run-in with some other pledge."

Mike glanced at Val. "Val?"

"Stupid bitch is lying."

"My ass, I am. Jackie!" Krista waited until the other woman joined them. "We were laying under the bushes behind the student union when you and Dave and Jackie came around the corner. Val and Dave got a little mouthy. Jackie laughed and said she was leaving the boys to sort out their beef, and that she was going to link up with Wyatt and Colleen, who had been coming up behind us." She smirked at Val, who had gone deathly pale. "That right, Jackie?"

"Yeah. You two were in the bushes? Damn, girl, I didn't even think to look there."

"We were less than twenty feet away from you. After Jackie left, Dave and Val argued. Val threatened to out Dave about some car accident he had while he was drunk--crushed a street lamp or something. He told Dave to get Brett's pack so he'd fail the scavenger hunt." She scowled. "That didn't affect just Brett, this dickhead tried to take me out too."

Mike's eyes flicked to Jackie. "You hear any of that?"

She held up her hands. "All I heard was what happened before I left. Can't vouch for anything more than that." She backed away, smiling, then took a drink from another man and turned away.

Val took a step toward her, his fists clenched. "Listen you fucking cunt--"

Brett got between them. "You put a finger on her and I'll knock your teeth into next week."

"Knock that shit off." Mike stepped between them, his hand raised. He glanced at Val. "We'll get to the bottom of this later. If you messed with the Hunt, Val, you and your brother are both out. I'm getting tired of your shit" He shifted his gaze. "On the other hand, Brett, you were in the Trial and it was basically a tie... something we've never had happen. We have to figure this out."

"What's to figure?" Krista cried. The idea that Brett had essentially saved her, and was now facing expulsion, wormed into her soul. Guilt dueled with her sense of injustice. "He was cheated out of a fair chance."

"Life isn't fair, Krista." Mike sighed. "We have no idea if his score would have even been enough to pass the hunt. We have--"

"You want to know if he's a good fit for Kappa, is that it?" A sense of desperation seized her. She was aware that almost everyone at the party had stopped talking and was looking at her. "You want brothers who are daring and exciting--members who have an open mind about sex. You want people who fit in, is that right?"