Chapter 27

Observing Melisa and Rachel, it was easy to understand why they were attracted to each other. They had a lot of things in common: blonde hair, light colored eyes, the same age, Electra complexes, and a marked preference for sledgehammers.

The biggest difference I perceived was Melisa's impetuousness versus Rachel's patient casting of a web.

I was sitting in the dining hall studying the sorority sisters across from me Friday night. Janet and Doris Alex were staring at them also. The sisters were doing a really bad job of hiding the fact they were watching my every move. They wore the look people at a zoo might, if the lion's cage door was wide open but the five hundred pound kitty was too busy watching them to notice; sudden movement could be tragic.

Alyssa sat down and there was almost an audible sigh among my watchers. Doris Alex, Janet and I turned to what everyone was hoping would be the mouthpiece to the bad news. The sisters obviously wanted to witness my reaction but none were brave enough to tell me themselves.

"What's going on?" I asked Alyssa.

"You don't want to know," she said in a strange tone of voice.

I could not help noticing that her food came nowhere near my tray.

"Why do people say that when it's fairly obvious someone does want to know?" I asked her half-seriously.

"Okay," she said carefully. "I don't want to be the one that tells you."

"They seem to think you're the best one to tell him," Doris Alex said pushing Alyssa.

"I don't want to be the one that tells you," Alyssa repeated looking into my eyes.

Doris Alex opened her mouth but snapped it shut when I turned my head towards her. Whatever development they were eagerly waiting for me to discover was serious enough for the sorority rumor mill to grind to a halt at the feet of the Sibling sisters. I nodded to Alyssa and finished my dinner. The sisters did let out an almost audible sigh of relief that time. I guess watching a lion eat someone up close is fascinating, but not if you are within paw's reach and kitty looks really hungry.

"I'm sorry, David," Alyssa said as I walked away from the table.

I headed to the library with Doris Alex. Our logic professor had challenged us to solve a difficult problem and offered to count it as an A on the final. Doris Alex thought it was silly to check if the problem was in any philosophy books since that was not solving it. I pointed out that an A would require showing we understood the problem and the solution, so it was possible that an extended research project might be what our professor had in mind. Doris Alex stared at me for a second and then took off running. In our experience, logic professors were a little loopy; the one teaching our class was no different making my theory at least plausible. Doris Alex and I spent three hours digging through books until we confirmed my suspicion. The problem and its solution were too prevalent in the texts for anyone at our level to solve in a semester; no one at my level at least, I would not have bet against Doris Alex. She gave me a tight hug for having identified our professor's game. We breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of one less final. It would not have made a big difference to me but Doris Alex appreciated the extra time at the end of the semester. Since she had classes I could barely pronounce, I blithely assumed there was gratitude headed my way.

I walked her to the sorority house and waved goodbye as she stepped inside. Alyssa and Doris Alex finally came up for air on Tuesday morning, but had spent every night together so far. Unlike Melisa and Rachel, nobody took their new relationship seriously and even the sorority sisters were waiting for me to jump into bed between the two girls.

I stepped into my house and thought about leaving without acknowledging Rachel's surgical strike. I figured it would only be worse the next time so I turned into the living room.

Rachel was on the couch straddling my ex-roommate, the Tau brother. They were so deep into their liplock that it would have taken cranes to separate them.

I walked past them into my room.

Melisa was sitting on my bed looking like someone had told her the nuclear missiles were in the air, without the mad need to get one last fuck in. I put my bookbag down and stood in front of the windows. I felt her decision to speak but stopped her with an upheld palm. It was five minutes before she built up the courage to try again.

"She's gone by Monday morning," she said decisively.

I turned to look at her. Her tone was not what I expected. Her eyes were hard as she looked at me.

"I gave her permission," I told her before turning back to window.

"You what?" she nearly screamed.

"I gave her permission," I repeated.

"There is no way you can tell me you would allow anyone from outside into this house!" she said standing up.

I spun to face her.

"Rachel lives here, doesn't she?" I asked.

Melisa bit her bottom lip.

"She has a right to treat this like her home," I said.

"This is not her home," Melisa said harshly.

"It's not her house," I corrected.

I closed my eyes and pushed my fingers against them until I saw spots. I knew I had to cut the Siblings off before they got carried away.

"Tell the other Siblings that I gave Rachel permission to do this," I ordered.

"With him?"

Not what I meant, but Melisa was not feeling reasonable.

"Does it make a difference with who?" I asked.

"YES!" she screamed.

"So you'd rather a different Tau Brother?"

"NO!" she screamed and then took a deep breath to calm herself.

"She's gone by Monday morning, David. I promise," she said with resolve.

I looked at her. Had her decision been for me, I would have stopped it. The tears in my First's eyes were for herself though. As coldly as Melisa tried to manipulate Rachel what lay between them was not a river that flowed in one direction. Rachel had crossed the line of my edict; it had not been her intention so I remained bound by my word but Melisa was not thinking about me at the moment. I wondered if the girls meant to hurt each other and disguised it as actions for or against me. It was an arrogant thought, but both had blindly executed plans fraught with collateral damage.

"Okay," I said with a nod.

"Don't do this, David," Melisa said suddenly.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Be angry, yell at me for bringing her in here, walk out there and beat the fuck out of him," she urged. "But please don't just stand there and do nothing."

"I'm going to Susan's house," I said and walked past her out of my room.

Rachel and my ex-roommate were no longer on the couch. I stopped to listen; I had not heard them leave but I could not hear them on the first floor.