“Colin has a point. Lambda Theta Chi is just as responsible, if not more.”
“That’s why the Lambdas will be fined half of the repair costs.”
Charlie had given me a threatening look to be quiet, but I couldn’t help myself. “What if I cover the Sigs’ part of the repair?” I still had some money saved up from my summer job at the gym. “Will you award the prize money then?”
The councilman at the end of the table looked at me like I’d just offered to buy him a drink at an open bar. “No. There’s no way we’re going to give an award to a house that started the fight. Any award money left over after the cup is fixed will be donated to the Greek scholarship fund.”
My pulse thudded. Fuck. Why the hell had I retaliated? If I’d just let Madison throw that mud at me and not fought back, I’d have come away a hero. I slunk farther down in my seat, stewing. This was so much more her fault than mine.
“The council has also decided to place both Lambda Theta Chi and Sigma Phi Alpha on probation for a year,” the councilwoman said, taking a dramatic pause, “and suspend them from competing in the tournament for the next five years.”
The crowd had been quiet up until now. There were gasps and instant chatter as people voiced their opinions to their friends. Some spoke directly to the council, either telling them this was too harsh, or it didn’t go far enough.
I sat motionless as I processed it, but a girl in the front was on her feet and put her hands out, trying to get people to be quiet so the council could hear her. Was she the Lambdas’ president?
“There’s got to be a better option,” she said. “Don’t punish the entire house because of one,” she searched for the right phrase, “bad apple.”
“Tiffany’s right,” Charlie said. “Five years because of one person’s mistake? And it’s not like the Lambdas and Sigs were the only ones involved. Half this council was there, throwing mud just like everyone else.”
I nodded, but then froze. Was he considering me as the bad apple?
Tiffany said it like Charlie was missing the point. “I don’t even care about the tournament.”
“Of course not,” Jorge whispered to me. “The Lambdas have never won.”
She put a hand on her hip. “It’s the probation I’m objecting to. We can’t afford not to participate in rush week in the fall.”
Charlie’s posture stiffened, and although I couldn’t see his face, I imagined he had an expression that screamed, ‘oh, shit.’ Because without rush week, it meant it’d kill our chances of attracting pledges next year.
Tiffany’s tone was direct. “Like I said, there has to be another option that doesn’t potentially kill my sorority’s future all because one girl made a bad choice.”
The councilwoman eyed her critically. “You want to make a suggestion?”
It was surprising how quickly the answer came from her. “Remove the bad apple.”
“Tiffany,” Madison bolted up to her feet, “what are you doing?”
“It’s the best solution.” Tiffany kept her eyes on the council and her back turned on Madison. “Hold the individual responsible, not the entire house.”
I had to hand it to her. She was ruthless, selling out her sister to save the organization. The place had gone quiet again, and even though she was across the room, I’d swear I could hear Madison’s pulse thundering all the way over here. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, like she couldn’t find any air to breathe.
“But,” she said in a powerless voice, “that’s where I live. Please don’t do this.”
“If we go that route,” one of the councilmen said, “remember there were two individuals responsible for starting the fight.”
His gaze landed on Charlie, and my mouth went dry.
My heart stopped.
They weren’t just considering kicking Madison out, but me too. In fact, they looked at my house president now to sign off on my eviction notice.
“So,” he spoke slowly, like he was trying to delay the inevitable, “our option is probation and tournament suspension, or . . . eject Colin from Sigma Phi Alpha? No other sanctions will get imposed if we do that?”
The council members glanced at each other to see if they were all in agreement, which they seemed to be.
The councilman on the end leaned closer to his microphone. “The school would have to approve our ruling, but yes.”
“All right.”
He didn’t even think about it, or how Sigma Phi Alpha was my literal home. I glared down at him and climbed out of my chair, which was extra difficult because of the knife he’d stuck in my back.
I was a legacy.
My father, grandfather, and two of my uncles had been Sigs. It was one of the only things my dad and I had in common. If I told my parents I’d gotten kicked out, that was it. The final straw for them, and I could kiss college goodbye.