Gregory Girls Gone Wild - Chapter 34: Chapter 34

The glow on the phone screen was the only light in the narrowly crooked, lonely west block of campus. Rainey walked quickly towards her destination, vigilant of her surroundings. She was armed with a dagger knife, a pocket knife, and a brass ring, but she was still on edge. The further she walked from campus, the more she felt like she was being followed. She doubled back a few times and checked out a couple alleys. From the corner of her eyes she thought she saw a shadowy figure, but as soon as she blinked, it had vanished like a figment of her imagination.
She was glad when she arrived at the address on her phone. It was a large Southern style frat house, with six pillars, a grand porch, and a gated rooftop. She knocked on the door, which was oak red, and a pair of eyes appeared. Rainey jumped back, startled.
The pair of eyes blinked. She looked closer. They were being broadcasted on a TV monitor attached to the door. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"What would you do if you saw a Warbee in the woods?" a computerized voice asked.
"Uh—" Rainey was at a complete loss. There must have been a password that Ethan had neglected to tell her.
Damn it, Ethan.
The eyes fluttered shut.
"Wait!" Rainey exclaimed. She racked her brain. War bee. Is that an animal or something? I've never heard of it. Maybe it doesn't matter. What would I do if I saw a War bee? War bee...warbee...sounds familiar...simple...childish even...
"I've got it!" Rainey said, pounding on the door again.
The eyes reappeared on the screen. "What would you do if you saw a Warbee in the woods?"
"Beware."
The door swung open mechanically. Rainey grinned. That had been easy.
It was dark in the hallway initially. A hum of subdued activity filled the air. As Rainey's eyes adjusted, she saw that there were glow in the dark arrows on the floor. She followed the arrows to a large corridor where more than fifty people were congregated near a small stage. There were black banners on the walls with red feathers printed in the middle. The crowd mostly consisted of frat-style bros that Rainey avoided at all costs, but she was surprised to see several women mixed in. One woman who was covered head to toes in tattoos sat on a rug, one leg propped up.
"Welcome, brothers!" a man on the stage announced on the microphone.
Rainey grimaced at the cringe-worthy word brothers. The tattooed woman suddenly looked at her, noticing her reaction. She made a face and shrugged, as if to say: douchebags, right?
Surprised that someone had noticed her in the crowd, Rainey smiled slightly at her and then returned her attention to the stage. The man was wearing a black mask that covered his nose and mouth. Rainey noticed that many others in the crowd wore identical masks, as if to hide their identities. Perhaps she should have done so as well. She examined the man closely. The voice was familiar—she realized that the man on the stage was Sam Stabbings.
"Thank you all for coming tonight!" he said easily. "It's been a while since our last large group meeting, but I know that you all have been reporting to your small groups actively."
So there's small groups, Rainey thought. Of course, a group like this, with its ties in organizational crime, can't afford to risk weekly meetings. She was in luck that Ethan had invited her to the large group.
"To our pledges: congratulations on joining our illustrious and selective club! Many of you are in completely separate parts of campus life, whether you're in STEM or liberal arts, or whether you're business students, student workers, or even professors. That doesn't matter anymore!" Sam shouted. "You were selected because you're like us! The people society neglects, the underdogs that society kicks for sport! You're here because you don't want to be treated like crap anymore. You belong with us now. The people around you are like your family. Trust them with your life!"
The crowd burst into applause. Rainey was astonished by the thunderous roars of approval. She looked at a blonde guy who gave her a thumbs up, then at the tattooed woman again, who smiled at her.
It was a pep rally, in non-technical terms, rather than a meeting. As Sam rallied on about the importance of their 'group' and 'family bonds' and the 'denigration' of society, people cheered and seemed largely affected—some were weeping from the power of his rhetoric. Rainey noticed that he used vague terms and never mentioned things like 'Phoenix Kings' or the 'Dean', rather replacing them with words like 'brotherhood' and the 'enemy'.
"Powerful stuff, isn't it?" Rainey turned around and saw that the tattooed woman was behind her.
"Yeah, I guess," Rainey admitted.
"I mean a lot of it is bullshit but it's dressed up bullshit, you know," the woman said, grinning. "I'm Stella, by the way."
"Rainey."
"You're a pledge." She said it like a fact, rather than a question.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Not in a bad way. Are you in a small group yet?"
"I don't know," Rainey shrugged. "I'm not really into this whole..." She gestured at Sam shouting on stage, spitting passionately at members unlucky enough to stand in the first row.
"I get it. He can come across as a narcissist."
Sam ended his speech with a low bow and the crowd erupted into cheers. People began dispersing, finding people that they know in other rooms. There was a loud sound from another section of the house. Rainey flinched.
"What was that?" she asked, nervous.
"People get rowdy after our meetings," Stella smiled. "Let's go to a quiet area. I know just the place."
"Thanks, but I'm not really supposed to be here," Rainey explained. "I'm looking for my friend, or not really my friend...I thought he'd be here tonight."
"Maybe I can help you look for him?" Stella suggested.
Rainey searched the crowd with her eyes, but she saw no signs of Ethan. Shrugging, she followed Stella past the kitchen and east corridor and into a huge four bed bedroom. She was shocked to see people graffiti-ing the walls and breaking the lamps.
"Why are they destroying this place?" Rainey asked, astonished.
Stella sized her up, her blue eyes serious. "Why not? Some people find destruction...therapeutic." She flexed her arm, as if an old wound was bothering her. Rainey noticed a dragon tattoo wrapped around her sleeve, disappearing past her shoulder.
"Yo, guys, get out of here!" Stella ordered to the guys destroying the room. They grumbled but dropped their tools obediently, throwing Rainey dirty looks as they stepped outside. Rainey was surprised. Stella must be a pretty big deal.
"I thought only dude bros were Phoenix Kings members," Rainey said.
Stella scoffed. "No, they're just the flashiest members, unfortunately." She picked up a mallet, admired it, and then hit the opposite wall as hard as she could.
"Woah!" Rainey stepped back. Who the hell was this Stella?
"Try it. It's fun," Stella removed the mallet, leaving a sizable crater in the wall.
"No thanks."
Stella hit the wall again. "Haven't you ever heard of blowing off steam?"
"Is that what the Phoenix Kings is about? Blowing off steam and destroying things?"
"It's about—" Stella grunted, kicking a desk aside. "Repairing the hole that society ripped into you. It's about recognizing that you need something else other than what the world can give you. Rainey, I spotted you in the crowd tonight because I saw something in you that we share."
"Yeah, what's that?" Rainey muttered, absently kicking at a misplaced floorboard.
"You're angry." Stella handed her the mallet. "You have every right to be. You go to this piece of shit university. Just for tonight, I give you the freedom to face the sources of your anger. One time pass only."
Rainey hesitated. "Will I get in trouble?"
"Not a worthy question for a member of the Phoenix Kings."
Rainey held the mallet loosely in her hand. She felt her muscles tighten. "I'm. Not. A. Fucking. Member. Of. The. Phoenix. Kings."
She slammed the head of the mallet into the wall.
CRASH.
Fury coursed through her body like a shot of tequila. She thought of Ethan, who was the reason she was here tonight, and who had almost killed her last semester.
CRASH.
Dean Perry and his obvious lies.
CRASH.
Her mother who had happily kicked her out for her boyfriend.
CRASH.
Mariah who didn't care about her mother, or keeping their family together.
CRASH.
Stupid Danika who was straight.
CRASH.
Fiona, her girlfriend, who was staying up late to hear news of the Dean's meeting.
Rainey faltered, lowering the hammer. She had destroyed the wall. Stella whistled, after having ripped off the remaining floorboards.
"Here, rockstar." Stella threw her a can of black spray paint.
Jaw tight, Rainey scrawled the walls and the furniture in black scribble. She sprayed until the room looked Vampire Gothic and the air smelled like a toxic waste dump. Stella pulled her out, coughing.
"Nice job, Rainey," Stella said. "You're a natural."
"Rainey!"
Among a throng of guys ripping apart a mattress, Rainey saw Ethan waving at her. He jogged over, narrowly avoiding a patch of electrical wires sparking out of the wall.
"I thought you wouldn't come," Ethan panted. He didn't look particularly happy to see her, or Stella. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, pointing at Stella. "Don't you have a propaganda speech to write for our dear leader?"
"I was just leaving," Stella raised her hands. "Didn't know Rainey was your friend."
"He's not my friend," Rainey protested.
"Good," Stella said easily. "You could do better."
"What was that?" Ethan glowered, but Stella walked away, vanishing down the hallway.
Rainey shook her head, trying to get rid of the energy buzzing inside of her.
"What are you doing hanging out with her?" Ethan charged.
"What's wrong with Stella?" Rainey asked, irritated as always with his bullishness.
"She's a handler," Ethan said. "A scavenger with a liking for gold." He looked at her closely. "She probably did a number on you, huh? Juiced you up with some Phoenix King pride!"
"No," Rainey shot back. She thought back to Stella's words. Was that why Stella had been hanging out with her? She had been handling her?
"Probably for the best," Ethan continued. "You need to grow out of the whole 'too good for us' act. At least, you're separated from your dumb sidekick, or sidechick, or whatever the hell your relationship is nowadays."
"If you tell Danika that I came here tonight I swear I'll—"
"Please," Ethan scowled. "Does it look like I want to be on the receiving end of one of Danika's self-righteous retaliations?"
"Good," Rainey said, relieved. "Because I'm your boss now and I can seriously hurt your chances at a promotion."
"Can you?" Ethan said sourly. "That's news to me, bitch. Congratulations on your first meeting, by the way. You're really in the club now."
"What do you mean?" Rainey said, feeling acid hit the back of her throat.
"Check the school newspaper tomorrow," Ethan said, grinning ferally.
"Why? What's going to be in it?" Rainey was nervous. "Is it because of the article on the Dean's award?"
Ethan shrugged. "Where's the fun in spoiling the surprise? See you, loser. Try not to be too gay, unless I'm around with a camera."
He walked away, bumping fists with anyone he saw in the way. Those who returned his fist bump did so reluctantly, with many pushing him aside rudely. It took Rainey a couple of false tries to find the exit. She didn't see Stella as she was leaving; it was like she had disappeared.
Rainey walked back in the pitch-black dark to her apartment. She rubbed her neck, feeling the cold wind press itself against her bare skin. So that was a Phoenix Kings meeting, she thought. A little anticlimactic. Some douches...some interesting people...like Stella. If people like Stella were in the Phoenix Kings, Rainey thought, then was the group really irreparably evil? She unlocked her apartment door. Well, they did steal her sister's car at the beginning of the year. Not to mention, attacking her and Danika as a pledge initiation. She'd have to remember the dangerous bits, moving forward. Today, however, left her quite a bit to think about.
Student of the Year, she thought. That has a nice ring to it.
"Welcome home," Mariah said. She was watching TV alongside Fiona.
"How was it?" Fiona asked eagerly, sitting on her knees. "You're back later than I thought."
"Yeah, I took a walk," Rainey lied. She felt guilty but there was no point worrying her girlfriend about the meeting. It wasn't like she was going to be a part of the Phoenix Kings forever. She'd be out as soon as she gathered enough money to forfeit her membership.
She kissed Fiona absentmindedly and made her way to her room.
"Wait, come back," Fiona said, pouting. Rainey took off her coat quickly and inserted herself in between the two of them.
"How did it go?" Mariah asked.
"It was alright," Rainey said, allowing Fiona to rest her head on her chest. "A lot of talk, a lot of flattery. You're looking at the new Student of the Year."
"What?" Fiona leapt up.
"You dickhead!" Mariah exclaimed. "Student of the Year? How'd you manage that?"
"I don't know. I guess the Dean likes the way I put myself in danger."
"He sounds insane!"
"That's wonderful, Rainey!" Fiona said. "Student of the Year would look so good on your medical school application!"
"What about Girlfriend of the Year?" Rainey tapped her nose. "I think I deserve that award."
"No, I think I do," Fiona kissed her cheek, delighted. "For staying up so late for my girlfriend."
Rainey caressed her chin.
"I deserve Girlfriend of the Year more than the two of you," Mariah grumbled.
"What's up with you, Grumpy?" Rainey inquired, breaking off another kiss. "Where's Grumpy's Boyfriend?"
"Nakir's 'studying'," Mariah used air quotes. "Because he has an 'exam' that's worth forty percent of his grade, which is more important than having 'sex' with me."
"What an ass."
"Don't you have an exam?" Fiona asked, concerned. "I thought you and Nakir signed up for the same classes."
"I do," Rainey said. "I studied beforehand because I knew I'd be busy tonight. But, it's a hard test. I'm planning on waking up early."
"That's why you major in Liberal Arts," Mariah said smugly.
"Or Fine Arts," Fiona added.
Rainey shrugged. "You girls have it too easy."
"Hey," Fiona raised an eyebrow. "It's hard work rewatching Heathers."
"Winona Ryder is a babe," Rainey agreed.
A second later.
"Ouch. I was joking!"
Later at night, Rainey lay awake, while Fiona was asleep in her arms. Her mind was working overtime with theories about the Dean and the Phoenix Kings. Both meetings had surprised her, in their own way. Stella had surprised her too.
But no matter how unusual or impressive the Phoenix Kings had seemed tonight, she still couldn't see herself a part of a group that called itself a brotherhood. That was so lame. She looked down at her sleeping girlfriend. She liked being around other girls, simple as that.
Her phone vibrated.
Danika
how was outback steakhouse?
Rainey frowned.
Filling. Definitely need to work out like before to lose the steak weight.
Danika
funny.
Rainey
Whats funny
Danika
that you called what you did working out
Rainey snorted. She hoped Danika never found out that she went to a Phoenix Kings meeting. Her ass would be kicked until Spring Break. Finally feeling the brunt of the day's exciting events, she shut off her phone and drifted off to sleep.