Three

 

Lance woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a new determination to come up with the most challenging and creative ideas for the pledges that the frat had ever seen. He drank three cups of coffee before leaving the house, and barely made it to his first accounting class on time.

 

“Whoa, you look like hell,” AJ observed as they passed each other on campus later that morning.  Lance said nothing, simply grabbing AJ’s sunglasses and plastering them on his own face before passing by him.  “Only because you’re hung over will I not kick your ass!” AJ called after him, chuckling.

 

“Mind telling me what happened last night?” Lance’s biology partner asked. Lance had already taken his science credit, but he liked science, so he used it as another elective.  His partner, a journalism major named Micah, knew that Lance was gay and had no problem with it.  “You look like hell.”

 

“That seems to be the consensus lately,” Lance said, removing AJ’s glasses. “I had a rough night.”

 

“Ah, wild orgy night at the old frat house?” Micah teased. Lance glared, then winced.

 

“Something like that. I got a little upset, and when I get upset I drink, and I can’t hold my liquor, so, there ya go.”  Lance pulled out his notebook.

 

“You okay?” Micah asked.

 

“I will be.”  Lance clicked the top of his pen and looked towards the professor.

 

 

 

“I have some ideas.” Lance shoved a paper at AJ and the other members of the committee.

 

“These are good,” AJ said, reading them over. “You really think these guys will do all these?”

 

“If they want to be in our frat, they will,” Lance replied.

 

“You do remember that everything we ask of them, WE have to do?” Rick said.

 

“Not ALL of us. We can divide things up…I know AJ will do number one, and you can…” Lance began.

 

“No, AJ is not doing number one. Not alone,” AJ interrupted. “You do it with me.”

 

“Aje,” Lance whined.

 

“No.  Get JC in on it, too. He’s still a student.”

 

“Fine,” Lance snapped.  He stood. “We agree on this list, then? If no one has anything else, that is.”  Everyone nodded. “Cool. I have to study.”  Lance picked up his notebook and headed for his room.

 

“Wanna tell me what happened last night?” AJ said, hot on his heels.

 

“I have to study,” Lance repeated.

 

“Why did you get shitfaced?”

 

“AJ…”

 

“Lansten…” AJ said, leaning in Lance’s doorway with a smile.

 

“I’d rather not say. Let me just say that I don’t think a few of our pledges will make it through, that’s all.”

 

“I hope not. That Nick was a hottie…and I’d like to initiate him myself.”  AJ gave Lance a wicked grin. Lance rolled his eyes and went into his room, closing the door.

 

 

 

“You’re kidding. The talent show?” JC asked Lance. “You volunteered me?”

 

“Actually, AJ did,” Lance said, smiling pleasantly. “I would never do that to you.”

 

“No, but you’d do it to your pledges,” JC said. He sipped at his coffee and stared across the dining hall, not really seeing anything. “The talent show.”

 

“What are you two doing to your pledges?” Joey asked, plopping down. “Anything nasty?”

 

“Yes. VERY nasty. One of their challenges is the talent show. They ALL have to participate.”

 

“And you were going to bust on the talent show?” Joey said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Now, Joe, we know that you work with it every year,” Lance began.

 

“Don’t sweet talk me, Bass,” Joey snapped. “You think the talent show sucks?”

 

“Not the show, per se, just the talent,” JC said.

 

“Yeah.  You really pick some losers, Joe,” Lance said.

 

“I don’t pick anyone. That’s all we get,” Joey grumbled.

 

“Well, this year there will be comic relief, if nothing else,” Lance said.

 

“And since brothers must participate in the challenges, Lance is going to be in it, and has volunteered ME to be in it with him.”  JC smacked Lance on the back of the head.

 

“Ow!”

 

“I’ll make sure and let Kirkpatrick know,” Joey said. “We can always use some REAL talent.”

 

“Wait a minute. Who?” JC almost spit out his coffee and Lance began to laugh.

 

“Chris Kirkpatrick. He’s a psych professor, I think.  He’s helping to kinda run things.  Guess he’s into music.”

 

“Yes, he is,” Lance said, totally amused. “He teaches music psychology, right, JC?”

 

“I can’t perform in front of him,” JC moaned.

 

“You could perform ON him,” Lance and Joey said together.

 

“You two are sick puppies.” JC got up and stalked off.

 

 

 

“The talent show?” Nick Carter’s voice rose about an octave. “We have to perform in the talent show?”

 

“Does that idea make you want to stop pledging?” AJ couldn’t keep the hope from his voice.

 

“No,” Nick said immediately. “It’s just…we’re so busy…with the team and all.”

 

“We wouldn’t want to interfere with the basketball team, now, would we?” Lance said sarcastically.  AJ stared at him.

 

“Is there a PROBLEM with the fact that we’re on the team?” Justin Timberlake said. “I mean, I thought we cleared this all up.”

 

“We did,” another brother said quickly. “Everyone’s welcome.”

 

Lance looked at the ten young men who had decided after the party to become official pledges of the fraternity. “We wanted to broaden your horizons in every way possible. I know that some people see homosexual men as stereotypically artistic, and it’s not true.  As long as you do your best, that’s all we want.”

 

“What happened to good old fashioned pledge challenges, like panty raids or something,” Justin said with a grin. “I could get me some panties quick.”

 

“You could get panties by going upstairs to a few of the bedrooms,” a brother said, and everyone laughed.  “Sorry, Justin.”

 

“Out of curiosity, I have a question,” Lance said suddenly. “How many of you are bisexual?” Justin, Nick and two other men raised their hands. “Of course.  Okay. Thanks.”

 

“Do you care WHAT we do in the talent show?” Nick asked.

 

“We’d prefer it to be rated PG at the most,” AJ said. “Unfortunately.”

 

“No, we don’t care,” Lance said. “You can drink milk and squirt it out your eyes, or smash beer cans on your forehead or something.”

 

“Um, okay.” Nick looked confused.

 

“Never mind.”  Lance looked down.

 

“I see a wide variety of majors here.” Rick scanned down the list in front of him. “Some, of course, are more work than others. If ANYTHING we ask you to do is going to seriously interfere with your class work, let us know. We’re not trying to get anyone kicked out here.”

 

“We just don’t want to let everyone in,” Lance mumbled, staring at Justin and Nick.  AJ elbowed him.  “Okay, I have a lab to work on. Anything else?”

 

“Are YOU doing any of these challenges?” Justin asked.  Lance glared at him.

 

“As we stated earlier, one or more of the brothers will be participating in everything on that list. It’s only fair.”

 

“I asked about YOU.”

 

“I’ll be in the talent show, if it’s any of your business.”  Lance gave him a saccharine smile.  “Are you planning on talking to ALL of your brothers with this lack of respect?”

 

“I give what I get,” Justin replied.

 

“Okay, meeting’s over.” AJ shoved Lance out of the room before he could say anything else. “Lance, you’re being a dickhead.”

 

“Sorry. He rubs me the wrong way. His kind don’t belong here,” Lance said.

 

“Lance!”

 

“Don’t ask, Aje.” Lance went up to his room. 

 

Four