Manny POV

He was going to do better because he did love Laila.

He would not look at another girl, no matter how many approached him, and he was definitely done with Shamiya.

"So what are you guys' first topics for your new activity?" Taj asked them while they were having their monthly chapter meeting.

While on line, he and Jordan came up with the idea to have something similar to what the ladies of Mu Alpha Chi were doing, monthly meetings focusing on the men on campus dealing with issues, especially the Black male student. While MAX's Sister Circle meetings were for all the female population at ISU, he and Jordan wanted to focus solely on the Black males because they were often overlooked.

Except for joining a Black fraternity, there was nothing else solely for Black male students to just sit back and chill. They were calling their meetings Brother's Keeper meetings, as they each had to look after each other while there on campus.

And they could not have it at Taj and Brian's place. Sure, it was a nice-sized house, but unlike the MAX house, it was not an on-campus residence. Thus they would be responsible for liabilities. So they reserved a private meeting space at the Student Union, where they could get loud and speak freely.

"Let's just talk about how to study, keep our grades right, and the importance of-"

"Boring!" Brian shouted out to him.

Why did his bro have to do him like that? What was wrong with talking about something they were in school for?

"Okay, then how about we do something like a career fair, discussing jobs in related fields of major and-"

"Boy, you're trying to bore them and not bring them back," Brian said. "They don't need to come to us for that type of talk, there are older, wiser adults on campus that can help with that, now am I right, Taj?"

"True. We have to offer them something more so we can help facilitate the discussion, without bringing in outside help."

"Then I don't know. Maybe we should ask the ladies of MAX how they get a full house every meeting."

Brian scoffed at him. "And I can't believe you're my special little brother thinking like this. Do you think we picked you two because you can't think for yourselves? Run to someone else to do the work you're supposed to do?"

"We're still new," Jordan said. "Maybe the two of your can come up with something better, we came up with the idea of the meetings."

"Correct. You came up with the idea! You come up with the topics, plain and simple," Taj said to him.

He looked at his friend, and Jordan looked at him. If they couldn't talk about school, grades, or careers, what else was pressing in the minds of the young guys on campus?

"Sex!" he blurted out.

Brian jumped up. "Oh yeah! Now we're getting somewhere!"

Taj nodded in agreeance. "But make it more specific. What about sex? Safe sex? Random sex? Hookup sex? Multiple partners?"

"Why must guys cheat!" Jordan gave Manny a knowing look, but he was not going to give his homeboy the satisfaction of outing him like that.

"Oh neo, you going to be stepping on some toes with that one," Brian said.

Taj laughed. "I think he just broke your toes."

So with that as the topic, they pushed out the details and invites to the meeting that would be later that week. He did not think many of the "brothers" on campus would willingly meet up in a room and talk about why they cheat.

They had to turn people away.

Taj and Brian greeted everyone at the door. There were even members of other fraternities there. And some ballplayers. Football and basketball team players. Lots of the freshmen on campus too. They had so many guys they had to steal sits from another room, without going over the max amount of people allowed in the space.

He and Jordan were sitting up front at a table, but he was getting nervous to have the spotlight on him. What did he know about this topic? Little to nothing. He had his first sexual experience a few weeks ago. He cheated on the first girl he ever had sex with. He was a cheater, it didn't matter how many times or why he cheated, he was now forever branded a cheater.

"Bro, I got this, don't out yourself," Jordan said to him. He opened up his tablet in front of him and typed away. "I have some conversation starters."

"Yo, thanks to everyone for coming to our first Brother's Keeper meeting. We didn't know all y'all wanted to sit around a room like this, we would have done this long ago," Taj said. "I'm Taj Robinson, President of Epsilon Upsilon Fraternity."

"And I'm Brian Reeves, Vice President of EU. And just because you attend one of these meetings does not mean you have to have an interest in joining, that's why we invited the brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, the Kappas, Sigmas, and Thetas."

"Our two neos will facilitate the discussion at hand, and hopefully we can leave here with...I don't know, some kind of understanding on why we...yes, we, do what we do. What's the topic again, Brian?"

Brian grunted, "Cheating. Neos, take it over." His prophytes stood opposite sides of the rooms, as there were no chairs for them.

This would be the first time he talked in front of a crowd. He sang before a crowd many times, but this was different.

"How many of you have ever cheated before?"

He did not think any would admit it. Why would they? It was not a topic to brag about, For Some guys, sleeping around was just in their nature, but cheating on someone you called your girlfriend was a different thing.

So he raised his hand first. Technically was not outing himself, it was not admitting he cheated on his current girlfriend. Brian raised his hand next. Then Jordan. Taj only grinned  and shook his head

A few others proudly held up their hands before even more slowly slid their hand up. Not all of the room, but a good majority had their hand up.

"Hands down, and for the noncheaters, hands up for me, I want to see something," Manny said.

Taj and a few others raised their hands. He called on his fraternity brother.

"Taj, why have you never cheated?"

"No reason to."

"Not even if you're being cheated on?" someone shouted out. "Man, if she can, Imma do it."

"What sense does that make," Taj said. "Just break up and move on."

"So you must think you're better than the rest of us, that have cheated."

"No, never said that. I can't control the next man any more than you can control me. I'm not God to judge you. But if you're with someone....in a relationship...you obviously care enough....why?"

"Because I want all the pussy I can get!" someone shouted out to laughter.

Jordan raised a hand to calm them back down. "Let's get into these points I have from my research and discuss. One reason men cheat is a lack of intimacy in their current relationship. Discuss."

"Men want it more," someone said. "It's a known fact men are more sexual than women."

"Bullshit!" Brian stated with arms crossed over his chest. "Women want it just as much as we do. Believe that!"

"Yeah, the lil hoes on campus. The ones passing out ass like Skittles," one of the Alphas said. "And we can name names and I bet theirs all some common denominators."

"Good point. And I know for me, my girl ain't out there like that. But I still gotta get mine."

That was not his issue with Laila. Laila was very intimate with him. They made out a lot, and the sex was nice. He could get what he wanted from her, why had he cheated?

Jordan went on. "Another reason is men lose attraction to their mate. Like, at first she's sexy to you, and now...you lost that fire you had."

"My girl gained a lot of weight freshman year," one of the footballers stated. "I wasn't going to break up with her because of that. She's still my girl, but damn, a small waist and a tight ass is sexy."

He could not believe someone was that shallow when it came to the female body. That was not his issue either. Laila was smoking hot to him. In fact, he found her more attractive than any other girl on campus, definitely hotter than Shamiyah.

"Boy, get your life on that one," Brian said. "Of course looks matter, but I hope you with your girl for more than her looks."

"Yo frat, give us another one," Taj said.

"Hypersexuality." He paused to see if everyone understood. "Basically addicted to sex."

That got a lot of the guys talking amongst themselves.

"That must be the majority of y'all," Taj said with a chuckle.

"Hell, no!" a guy in the back stated. "Sex good as fuck, but I ain't addicted to it. I raised my hand I'm a cheater, but technically I'm not. I just don't wife down these hoes. I'm forever single. Slide in, give them the D, then slide right on out."

"Then that needs to be a topic for another meet-up. Why sleeping around is cool?" Taj said. "Why can't we guys focus on one girl in a committed relationship?"

"What kind of question is that?" the guy said. "Have you even had sex? It's the best thing since cable TV. Fuck that, because it's better."

Everyone laughed in the room.

"Alright, I have another one," Jordan said, "The man wants to check out of the relationship."

"I can understand that," it was the superstar ballplayer Frankie. "Every relationship is not the end game. Hell, we're all still young, right? It's a whole new world out there, I want to explore my options."

Everyone knew he was hooked up with the MAX Lark, so he did not know if he was outing himself or what. He wondered if that's what it was with him and Laila. No, he did not want things to be over. They were still new. He was eager to find the reason why he did it.

"How about this one? To satisfy your ego."

A couple of nods, but no one said anything at first. Then a guy sitting near Brian stood.

"Have you ever been with someone and she's the only one you've ever been with? You don't want anyone else, but then you doubt yourself, feel insecure Like you're not enough. And then another girl gives you attention better than your girl has." He looked at Brian, and Brian nodded to him. "It's not worth it guys. I almost lost my girl, my daughter...everything. If you're lucky enough to find the girl that is right for you, it's not worth it."

Damn, that was deep. He thought of his relationship with Laila so far. She could be the one, how would he know? He hoped it never got out what he did.

"Revenge," Jordan said, reading from his tablet. "I think someone said that earlier. She cheated on you, so you cheat on her. Now how does that solve anything?"

"Feels good!" someone shouted out.

"I save the last one for a reason." Jordan glanced at him. "Immaturity. Young, feeling yourself, think you know what you don't know. Ship, speak on that."

Why did he have to put him on the spot like that?

"Maybe that's it for me." He took a moment to think about it. "Young, from a church background, my father didn't talk about things like this with me. He for sure gave me enough condoms to last a lifetime."

A few chuckles from the guys.

"But for real. Cheating is wrong, whatever the reason. Guys, we have to do better. And I know, I know, girls do it too. Don't make it right. We as men, have to do better."

As for him, he was done.

A/N: I had to include the guys getting in on some of these topics. I don't even know if all those reasons run true or not, but I did research it and picked the top ones. I don't know about anyone else's college experience, as for me, we were all getting it in. "Sneaky links" may be a new term, but back in the day, it was "creepin'" like TLC sang about.

I loved writing this Brother's Keeper meeting so much, I think I want the next chapter to be another discussion.