That Boy

All week, Phillip has been forced to interview freshmen girls. I say forced because they have to, but it's not like Phillip minds. Interviewing is a great excuse to start talking to a cute girl. He has this little notebook, and he has to fill out a sheet on each girl he interviews. They're kind of like the slam books that we had in ninth grade. The pledge asks each girl a variety of questions. I

The interview process is supposedly a time-honored tradition. I remember Dad telling me that he met Mom when he interviewed her, but I had always thought maybe he worked for the school newspaper or something.

Now I understand, and quite frankly, I really wish I knew what she said because my dad was a total catch.

Phillip told me the interviewing process helps the pledges get to know their fellow classmates. I pointed out to him, very sarcastically, that if they really were trying to get to know their fellow classmates, they would interview a few fellows. But he just laughed at me.

Of course all freshmen girls, me included, are intrigued by the fraternity system and eager to answer the questions.

Especially from adorable Phillip.

And he is adorable. I mean Phillip has always been a very cute boy, but he seems to be getting even better looking the older he gets. He's leapfrogged the line separating cute from hot and has landed deeply into the hot category. I swear if he keeps this up, I may just have to keep him for myself.

Anyway, I've had to endure sitting by him in the student center, while he does his interviews. I hope I never gush like that over a boy. And some of the answers these girls give. I'm sort of embarrassed by them, and I don't embarrass easily! Sometimes an active will see a girl he thinks is hot and specifically tell the pledge to interview her. The active writes his initials at the bottom of the page, which lets everyone know that he saw her first.

And they say girls play games!

The party is a meet and greet party. Only interviewed freshmen girls are invited. It's held under the guise that they are trying to make their pledges more social, but I really think it's so the older guys can hit on the young, naive, freshmen girls.

As we walk down to the frat house, Phillip is telling me a whole bunch of rules he thinks I need to follow for the evening.

I swear, you'd think he was my father!

I'm half listening and half thinking about the cute guy I met in chemistry class today. Somehow I need to get him to be my lab partner. That would make Chemistry 101 a lot more interesting!

I hear Phillip saying, “Don't go upstairs with anyone.”

“Don't go on any so-called tours of the frat house.”

“Don't drink anything that you didn't pour yourself.”

“Never leave your drink out of sight.”

“Check in with me every half hour.”

I'm bored by Phillip's rules, and my mind wanders back to chemistry boy. I wonder if we get to pick our lab partners or if they're assigned? Maybe by alphabetical order? Shoot, I think, when I realize I still don't even know the cutie's name.

“Are you listening to me?” I hear Phillip ask.

“Uh, of course.” Now what did he just say? “You told me about checking in with you. I'm listening,” I lie. “Please, go on.”

So he does.

On and on and on.

“No getting drunk.”

“No table dancing.”

Like I'd ever do that!

“Don't get into a game of quarters.”

Well, maybe…

“Be wary of the upper classmen.”

No way!

“Stick by me……….”

Boring!

I thought at college you were supposed to abandon all rules. At least the ones you had to follow in high school. My mind wanders back to chemistry boy again.

I can't help it!

Maybe we can choose our chemistry partners based on CHEMISTRY, get it? Of course, I'm not sure if we have chemistry because all I did was smile at the boy, but he did smile back. It's a good start. Now I just need to find out his name and then……..

“Ahh!” I scream.

Phillip stops walking and steps directly in front of me. I awaken from my daydream to collide and then nearly fall over the top of him.

“What are you doing?” I yell at him, as he grabs my shoulders to stop me from falling and taking us both down.

God, he is strong. When I finally marry my prince, I hope he has strong arms like Phillip's. Oh, and great abs too. I wonder if many princes come to school here. Now that would be something useful to put in the student directory and a good recruiting tool, I would think, as well.

Phillip is talking loudly to me.

“What are you thinking about, and why are you spacing off? This is important stuff.” He sighs big at me.

“I appreciate that, Phillip.” He's still holding my shoulders and is totally in my face. I'm half tempted to kiss him, just to throw him off guard, but he'd probably get mad at me, and I don't need that right now, so I don't. “But you know, I'm not exactly the best rule follower. Why don't you just pick the most important one, and I'll do my best?” I say, with a wave of my hand.

He lets go of me, gives me that eye and says, “Fine. You're leaving with me.” He pauses for effect, “Have you got that?”

I nod my head.

“Repeat it,” he bosses.

Being the smart ass that I am, I raise my right hand up, like I'm taking an oath in a courtroom and say, “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I will leave the party with you.”

“Continue.”

I sigh. The boy knows me too well. “Even if there is a cute boy that I would rather leave with.”

Then thinking of a possible loophole, I say, “Hey Phillip, what happens if I don't want to leave the frat house. Depending on how it goes, maybe I'll want to stay.”

Phillip is getting irritated with me, I can tell. I kind of like seeing him a little irritated and fortunately, I seem to be able to irritate him easily. He is usually so reserved.

Shoot!

I just realized that I am also very dumb because I really should have kept that loophole to myself. I may have needed it later.

That's the problem with my mouth. Sometimes it talks before my brain can think.

“God, do I need to get a lawyer just to get you to agree to something? Here it is. JJ, YOU ARE LEAVING WITH ME WHEN I AM READY TO LEAVE. GOT IT?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Jeez, he's my knight in shining armor, whether I want him to be or not.

Phillip and I walk into the frat house and are greeted by two pledges. They are sitting at a table in front of the door and matching girls with their pledge interviews. One of the boys takes a Polaroid picture (I didn't even know those cameras still existed!) of each girl and writes her name on it with a permanent marker. I get my picture taken, we head into the party, grab a beer and stand off to the edge of the party room, chatting and taking it all in. I keep catching a guy starring at me from across the room. Of course, being the terrible flirt that I am, I forget all of Phillip's rules and bat my eyes at the guy. I watch as another guy hands him one of those permanent markers.

What? Is he signing autographs later?

Across the way, I recognize two girls from my history class. A group of us have been whiling away the boring lectures by writing notes to each other about what kind of nasty things we'd like to do to the hot grad assistant. Due to my lack of experience in this area, I can easily say that I'm learning way more than expected in history class.