Obligation, page 9
Carissa smiled. Wiggles was her sister’s long-haired, polydactyl cat, and he was a judgmental, temperamental furball on a good day. He wanted love and attention on his terms, and if anyone tried to force love on him when he didn’t want it, he’d draw blood. But Carissa loved that stupid cat regardless and always jumped at the chance to watch him.
Carissa: Hell yeah I do! I love me some Wiggles snuggles.
Cayla. LOL. Dork.
“Who’s that?” Tiffany nodded at Carissa’s phone.
“My sister. She needs me to cat sit for her next month.” Carissa slid her phone into her back pocket. “You can come with. I know Cayla won’t care, and it might be nice to get out of the res hall for a few days.”
“Count me in.” Tiffany laughed.
The Theta Omega Pi house came into view. As was normal on a Friday night, Greek Row was bustling—houses lit up like Christmas trees, music blaring louder than a rock festival, and throngs of people making their way from house to house. But, for once, TOP wasn’t throwing a party, and for the most part, the house wasn’t filled with people.
Carissa and Tiffany walked inside. The rest of the pledge class was already there, sitting in a circle on the floor in the main room. At least they’d been instructed to dress comfortably, and everyone had followed that directive, most of the girls in sweats or yoga pants and oversize hoodies.
“Oh, good. You made it.” Mallory waved at them to join the rest of the ladies. She was dressed similarly to everyone else, which was a momentary shock to Carissa. She’d never seen Mallory look so relaxed.
Carissa sat cross-legged next to Ella, and Tiffany sat on Carissa’s other side.
“Great, now that you’re all here…” Mallory clapped. “We’re co-hosting the homecoming bonfire with the Beta fraternity. They’ve already agreed to handle the logistics of the fire, safety measures, and the mandatory donation to attend.” She stood in the middle of the circle and turned slowly to include all ten girls in her speech. “We’ve agreed to supply a variety of drinks and s’mores.”
“Don’t worry—we’ve already purchased all the supplies,” Amber interjected. She, too, was dressed down in a pair of fuzzy pink and purple pajama pants and a simple white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail.
Mallory nodded. “The homecoming bonfire is one of our biggest fundraisers of the entire year, which means we’re going to need all hands on deck.”
Carissa had zero issues with pitching in to help however she was needed… except for the fact that she knew Danny was going to get angry with her. Again. She’d promised him they’d go to the game and bonfire together, and now she’d have to change the plans. Again.
A big part of her had hoped she’d be able to prove him wrong, to show him that she could still make time for him while also pledging TOP, but every single time something like this happened, he gleefully gave her a smug, “I told you so.”
“So, we’ve listed all the different jobs on folded sheets of paper.” Mallory grabbed a bowl from the fireplace mantle. “Each of you will draw a job, and that will be your responsibility tomorrow night.” She made her way around the circle, holding the bowl low enough for each person to reach in and snag a slip of paper.
When the bowl finally reached Carissa, not many slips remained. She snatched the first one her fingers touched, pulled it out, and unfolded it. A single word was written across the paper: S’mores. Okay, that didn’t sound too bad, though she had no real idea what this job entailed.
“Okay, where are my drink girls?” Mallory asked.
Tiffany and another pledge—Vanessa—raised their hands. Disappointment settled on Carissa’s chest with the knowledge she wouldn’t be working with Tiffany. But that was one of the TOP traits: always look for ways to expand your horizons. Carissa figured getting to know new people was one way of expanding her horizons.
“Great! You two sit tight for a few minutes. You’ll be working directly with me.” Mallory smiled, then glanced around the circle again. “Okay… who’s working on S’mores?”
Carissa raised her hand. So did a girl named Georgia Rose. Carissa had only spoken to Georgia Rose once before, briefly, but she had seemed really sweet.
“Ladies, please go with Amber.” Mallory motioned to Amber.
Carissa stood and followed Amber from the room, Georgia Rose close behind. Amber led them into the dining room. The ridiculously large table was covered with dozens upon dozens of bags of marshmallows, boxes of graham crackers, and packages of chocolate bars.
“Your job actually starts right now.” Amber giggled. “We need to make single serving baggies of s’mores.” She opened a box of sandwich baggies. “In each bag, we put a full graham cracker, broken neatly in half so it fits, two marshmallows, and half a chocolate bar.” She demonstrated as she spoke.
“How many do we have to make?” Carissa asked.
“All of them,” Amber said with a nod. “I’m going to label each baggie with our letters and a price sticker. Everyone who pays admission gets one free S’mores. We’ll sell the rest.”
A sense of overwhelming impossibility crashed down on Carissa. She’d be here all night with as many supplies as were piled on the table. There had to be enough stuff to make at least a thousand or more S’mores.
“Um…” Georgia Rose raised her hand. “May I make a suggestion?” Her voice was low but melodic, a perfect combination of sweet and shy.
“Of course.” Amber’s smile was warm and encouraging, and Georgia Rose straightened a little.
“We should create an assembly line so this will go quicker. Like, you start by labeling each baggie,” Georgia Rose said to Amber, then turned her attention to Carissa. “We’ll start prepping the food, making piles so when the baggies are ready, we can just stuff and seal.”
“That’s a great idea,” Carissa said with genuine enthusiasm.
“Really?” Georgia Rose’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe Carissa had just complimented her.
Carissa nodded. “Yes. I think you’re right. Having a process will make this go faster.”
“I agree,” Amber said. Her gaze bounced from Carissa to Georgia Rose. “Love the teamwork and support I’m seeing here, by the way.”
Georgia Rose beamed, and warmth spread through Carissa. Knowing she’d made a good impression on Amber lifted Carissa’s mood. Amber pulled out a chair and sat. Carissa and Georgia Rose did the same, and the three of them began the monotonous task of prepping, dividing, and stuffing S’mores into baggies. They worked in silence for a while, each of them finding their own groove.
“This is actually kind of fun,” Georgia Rose said. “I mean, in a calming sort of way.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Carissa tilted her head.
Since she started this task, she hadn’t once thought of Danny or their argument tonight—or the inevitable fight they’d have tomorrow night. Her thoughts were blissfully quiet.
“So, Georgia Rose,” Carissa broke a chocolate bar in half and stacked the pieces in a pile in front of her, “where are you from?”
“Georgia.” She sighed. “I know. I know,” she said with a heavier sigh. “My parents thought it would be cute to name me after the state I was born in. That alone is bad enough, but they just couldn’t stop there. They gave me another first name. Rose. After the state flower.”
Carissa laughed. She couldn’t stop herself. But then she cupped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat. “It’s really not funny. Georgia Rose is a beautiful name.”
“No, it’s okay.” Georgia Rose giggled. “It really is funny. I hated it when I was younger and kids picked on me for it, but now… Well, it’s a great conversation starter.”
“True.”
“Carissa is a great name, too. How’d your parents come up with that?” Amber asked as she carefully affixed a TOP sticker to the front of a baggie.
“They didn’t. At least, not intentionally.” Carissa tore open a new package of candy bars. “I have a twin brother. We were supposed to be Cory and Carrie, but someone at the hospital misread the paperwork and listed Carissa on my birth certificate. My mother loved the name so much she decided to keep it.”
“Wow. That’s a way better name story than mine,” Georgia Rose said.
“Does your brother go here to HFU, too?” Amber asked.
Carissa shook her head. “No. Much to my father’s horror and displeasure, my brother is attending a trade school about half an hour away. He wants to eventually start his own welding shop doing custom jobs for cars and stuff.”
“That’s cool.” Georgia Rose nodded, dropped two marshmallows into a baggie, and sealed it. “Do you live around here?”
This girl sure was full of questions, but talking did help pass the time faster, and truth be told, Carissa was enjoying the easy back and forth. Playing Twenty Questions with Georgia Rose was a million times better than fighting with Danny, or awkwardly semi-flirting with Bradley.
“I was born and raised in Harmony Falls, so I’m a true California girl. Right now, I live on campus with Tiffany, in Dory Hall.”
“Hey, I’m in Dory Hall, too,” Georgia Rose said with the innocent excitement of a child. “What floor?”
“Four. You?”
“Six.”
“If y’all make it into TOP, you can apply to live in the house with us next year,” Amber said.
“That would be awesome,” Carissa said.
She now had a new goal to work toward—get approved to live in the Theta Omega Pi house next year. While Dory Hall wasn’t awful—the building was fairly quiet for the most part—Carissa hated communal, residence hall living. Too many people she didn’t know all vying for the same spaces and resources… At least in the TOP house, she’d know everyone. Living here would be like living with all her best friends.
Carissa, Amber, and Georgia Rose spent all night stuffing baggies with S’mores and talking. Carissa wished Tiffany had been able to be part of this, because she would love Georgia Rose. Carissa would have to make sure she introduced the two; then they could invite Georgia Rose to hang out with them. Their friend group desperately needed more females anyway.
Finally, a little after midnight, they stuffed the last baggie. Carissa yawned so hard tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She momentarily rested her head on the table, exhaustion taking over her body. She could fall asleep right there if allowed.
Amber stood and stretched. “Thanks for your help.”
Carissa nodded. “Yeah, this was actually a lot of fun.”
Well, the repetitive motions weren’t fun, but hanging out with Amber and Georgia Rose was fun. They were both smart, funny, likable young women, and Carissa had a renewed determination to become part of this sorority, to have a lifetime of sisterhood with these girls.
“Wanna walk back to the res hall together?” Georgia Rose asked, her tone slightly hesitant.
“Yes,” Carissa said. “I hate walking alone.” She laughed.
Together, Carissa and Georgia Rose left the Theta Omega Pi house and walked at a brisk pace toward Dory Hall. Walking at night always made Carissa nervous, and despite the fact that tons of people were wandering around campus—most of them leaving a Greek party—she continually glanced around, hyper-aware of her surroundings.
As soon as they were safely inside their residence hall, Carissa said goodbye and promised to visit Georgia Rose’s room soon. Then, Carissa trudged up to her room. A sliver of light shone from beneath the door. Was Tiffany still awake?
Carissa unlocked the door, pushed it open, then froze.
Chapter Thirteen
“Danny?” she asked, stunned. Her gaze darted around the room.
Tiffany sat on her own bed, Garret beside her. They both glanced up and smiled. Did they decide to have a small impromptu party and forget to tell her? She slowly closed the door and dropped her keys on the shelf above her bed. She set her phone up there, too, but not before checking the time—12:24 a.m.
“Hey, babe.” Danny rolled off her bed and hugged her, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I felt terrible about earlier, so I thought we’d come over and surprise you. Hang out for a bit.”
Carissa nodded, still too stunned to speak. Not that she wasn’t happy Danny had gone out of his way to surprise her like this, but a heads-up would have been nice. Why hadn’t Tiffany warned Carissa, especially when Tiffany knew about the recent turmoil in Carissa and Danny’s relationship?
“How long have you been here?” Carissa finally asked.
“A couple hours.” Danny shrugged and moved back to her bed. “What took you so long?”
Blinking the exhaustion from her eyes, Carissa rubbed her hands over her face, fighting the urge to yawn again. “I had to stuff baggies with stuff to make S’mores. It’s for the homecoming bonfire.”
“Tiff told us your sorority is co-hosting the event,” Garrett said. “The money raised is going to charity, right?”
“Yep,” Tiffany said. “And I guess this is TOP’s largest, most successful fundraiser of the year. It’s a pretty big deal.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re done helping.” Danny clutched Carissa’s hand and tugged her down to sit next to him. He curled his arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer, and kissed her temple. “Tomorrow, you’re all mine.”
Carissa cleared her throat. She hadn’t told Danny that she was expected to help at the bonfire tomorrow night, and he was not going to be happy once she did tell him. She couldn’t put this off a second longer, and telling him now, with their friends in the room, would lessen the chances of Danny losing his temper.
“Actually…” She scooted away and angled her body to face him. “I have to help out at the bonfire. We both do.” She shot a pleading look at Tiffany.
Danny was silent for a moment, his face reddening. “You promised we’d spend tomorrow together.” His voice was low and tight but controlled. “We’re supposed to go to the game, then the bonfire. Together.”
“And we will.” She reached for his hands, clasping them in hers. “I don’t have to do anything during the game, so we can still go as we planned. And we can go to the bonfire together, too. I’ll just have to hang out near the S’mores table.”
“I’ll be serving drinks all night,” Tiffany said, then shrugged. “We all have to do our part.”
“So, is this how it’s going to be from now on?” Danny stood, arms crossed. “You constantly canceling our plans because TOP needs you? Always having to share you with them, even after you promised to be with me?” He pointed at himself.
“C’mon, man. Chill,” Garrett said, a hint of emotional exhaustion in his voice. “They’ve just begun pledging. Once they get in, things will calm down. Give ‘em a break.”
Carissa gave Garrett a grateful smile. Danny may not listen to her, but he always seemed to respond positively to Garrett.
“You just don’t get it,” Danny snapped and turned his attention to Garrett. “How would you like to have to constantly share your girlfriend with a bunch of other girls?”
Garrett smirked. “Sounds like a party to me.”
“You’re such a pervert.” Tiffany laughed and smacked him, causing him to laugh, too.
He rubbed his chest where she’d hit him. “I’m a guy. What do you expect?”
“Make all the jokes you want, but this isn’t funny to me.” Danny shook his head, then leveled an angry stare at Carissa. “Just one night, Carissa. One night where you don’t have to cancel or run off or throw a tantrum and ruin things.”
Her eyebrows shot up, and the energy in the room shifted from semi-light to wholly uncomfortable. Between lack of sleep, an encroaching headache, the stress of everything she had to do, and her conflicted emotions for both Danny and Bradley, she’d had enough.
She stood and yanked open the door. “Get out.”
“Excuse me?” Danny said, stepping closer to her.
“I said, ‘get out.’” She stood firm, refusing to back down. “I’m tired, Danny. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow is going to be even longer. I need to sleep, so please, leave.”
“Are you kicking Garrett out, too?” Danny sneered, and the vein in his temple began to throb. A clear indication that he was about to go full-on nuclear.
“Yes, actually, I am.” Carissa glanced over her shoulder at Garrett. “Sorry, but you need to go, too.”
Garrett climbed off Tiffany’s bed, hands up in a show of surrender. “No need to apologize. I get it.” He smiled tightly at her before stepping out of her room.
Guilt stabbed at her chest. Garrett hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, he’d tried to defend her, to diffuse the brewing storm between her and Danny, and her way of thanking him was by kicking him out of her room. But if she let Garrett stay and made Danny leave, things would be a million times worse.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” she said to Danny.
“Whatever.” He dismissed her with a wave then stomped out of her room.
She exhaled forcefully, her body slumping with all sorts of exhaustion—physical, mental, emotional.
Garrett gently rested his hand on her arm. “I’ll talk to him, okay? Things will be fine.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, though the gesture was more out of habit than genuine emotion.
“See ya, Tiff.” Garrett waved at Tiffany, then disappeared down the hall after Danny.
Carissa closed the door and rested her head against it. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. When she’d left the sorority house, she’d felt great and was looking forward to tomorrow. Now, she couldn’t care less. If she had her way, she’d crawl under her covers and stay there until Monday.
“Hey, wanna tell me what’s going on?” Tiffany asked, her voice full of compassion.
Groaning, Carissa turned around. “I don’t know. I just… snapped.”
“Yeah, I noticed. But why? I mean, aren’t you happy that Danny wants to spend time with you?” Tiffany tilted her head, her question curious and not at all accusatory or judgmental.
