Fraternity by Robbins Alexandra

Author:Robbins, Alexandra [Robbins, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-02-04T16:00:00+00:00

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Jake had a squirrely feeling in his stomach as he got out of the car at the edge of the woods. It had been a three-hour drive to the middle of nowhere. Now he and Ty watched as the brothers searched through the brush for the hidden trail that was supposed to lead them to their campsite. They could see late-autumn snow on the mountaintops in the distance. They had lost cell reception on the drive.

Eric tried to defuse the tension. He wore short bike shorts, a punishment from the brothers for some minor infraction. “Yo, Jake, time me to see how long it takes me to get one of my balls out the bottom of these things.”

Finally, Z, decked out in full camping gear, motioned to the group. Their heads bowed to avoid looking at him, the pledges followed him through the woods into a clearing with a fire pit. Z told the pledges to set up their tents quickly because they needed every minute of the next three hours before sunset to chop wood for the fire.

Some of the Big Brothers helped the pledges chop down an enormous dead tree. As a sophomore taught him how to wield an axe, Jake thought, I kind of feel like a man. In groups of 10, the pledges, aching and dirt-streaked, carried heavy sections of the tree to the fire pit. Because they were not allowed to wear gloves, their hands were blistered and bloodied.

At dusk, the brothers started a blazing campfire. Z instructed each student to share one thing he wanted the chapter to know about him. Most of the pledges offered a version of how grateful they were to be there and how they looked forward to getting to know the older brothers. Sam earnestly said he was thankful “to know the meaning of brotherhood now, after all the stuff we’ve been through.”

The brothers focused on different matters. “We have the potential to become a top-tier fraternity,” an impassioned sophomore said. “But we have to create more relationships with sororities and get more involved.” The last brother to speak was Daniel, the chapter VP. He made fun of Sam’s comment. “You don’t know the meaning of brotherhood yet,” he said, laughing at the pledges. “None of you do. But that’s a good thing. Because it shows that you guys are in for a lot, if you get through Hell Week.”

That wasn’t the first time Jake had heard a brother use the caveat. “If you make it through” was a frequent disclaimer. “If you can become a brother.” As if Hell Week were so grueling that after the 11 prior weeks of pledging, a pledge could either drop or be dropped, just like that. Jake dreaded Hell Week—especially because the pledges would have to sleep at the house. For now, though, a more urgent fear overtook him. While he was enjoying bonding with his chapter via hard work instead of hazing, he didn’t think that was all that the brothers had in store for the pledge retreat.

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