Even though most fraternity houses at Hargrave had catered meals prepared in their commercial kitchens, The Dead House had a secret weapon; Frederico Sanchez Muñoz.

His parents ran one of the trendiest eateries in Miami and Fred had come to University armed with a recipe book and years of experience in a kitchen.

Sam swore that Fred had been chosen for his ability with languages and the fact that he was on the champion rowing team. I was still pretty sure that his culinary skills were also very much factored in.

Bobo managed the budget and made weekly shopping lists. Sam was a Boston native and had a car for Fresh Market runs. Will was Fred's sous chef, so I'd been assigned to managing the dining room as well as beverage preferences and ordering.

The guys were highly organized and I was loving the feeling of being part of something, instead of just looking in from the outside. Besides, Fred's food was fine dining compared to what they served in the cafeteria.

It was a Thursday night and we were discussing potential candidates for the last slot over dinner. Sam was hell-bent on constructing his ideal mini America inside these four walls.

"We have a few new potentials but only one more spot!" Bobo said, waving his fork. He could apparently find out things about people rivaling an intelligence agency.

"Hussein is Morrocan, Muslim, great at basketball," Bobo showed a picture on his AcuTab.

"Then there is Jaisal. He is a Hindu and on the swim team."

Nobody had said anything. Was this how they had talked about me? How many others had they dismissed before approaching me? Had anyone rejected their offer?

"So, these guys are being selected on..." I asked carefully.

"Hargrave is one of the most inclusive Universities in the country. Members of every imaginable minority have been absorbed into all of the fraternities and sororities," Sam explained. "Those that aren't, tend to automatically stick to their own."

"These guys are outliers or loners. If they are alone by choice, they usually reject our offer," Fred added, pouring himself a glass of water.

"You figured me for a loner?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"Actually, you seemed more overwhelmed by the size of this place," Will said in his quiet voice. "I can relate."

We had caught up on each other's backgrounds over the last few days. We were both small-town kids and grew up on the opposite side of popularity for different reasons.

I was honestly surprised to learn that he wasn't the defacto Prom King because he had High School jock written all over him.

"How about Alexei? Russian American, a self-proclaimed witch, and genderfluid. He's said to have an IQ that surpasses all of the current Faculty."

"Fuck!" Fred said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I vote for that guy!"

"Hell yes!" Sam added, checking the guy's picture.

"I wouldn't mind the guy from India," Bobo said.

"I think that Hussein would significantly add to our diversity," Will commented.

"You are the swing vote, Patrick," Sam said.

"Guys, I am just happy to be part of this weird and wonderful gang. I really don't have a preference."

"Alexei it is!" Sam declared.

I still couldn't get over how this process had been used to bring me here too!

***

Sam had approached Alexei by himself and had been flat-out laughed at.

"I don't appreciate discrimination, dude, not even when it sounds positive," Alexei had claimed.

A second vote had brought Jaisal into our house but he was not so thrilled with Will. The guy had apparently experienced something awful with a sufferer of Type I Bipolar disorder and refused to live under the same roof with another.

We stopped trying for a while until our first social event fixed the issue for us.

Sam had wanted to host our first soiree once we were "complete" but the others had run out of patience.

Bobo was itching for a real American experience; booze, bongs, and babes. Was that really the image that foreigners had of our university life?

Apparently, Fred and I were the only ones looking forward to playing beer pong. Will didn't drink due to his condition.

Sam envisioned a more intimate evening with a few members from other houses. I'd learned that both his parents were Hargrave Law graduates and I surmised that The Dead House was his way of leaving a mark.

Apart from his family's wealth and his sophisticated upbringing, Sam had no exceptional skills or talents. I did have to admit that he was very confident and charming. Plus, I had seen him go from his room to the bathroom in a pair of tight underwear and boy was he packing heat!

Eventually, we compromised on beer pong in the study room after Sam's "cocktail reception". Like, what the fuck?! We had our whole lives to be stuck up but I didn't say anything.

We invited a manageable amount of people so they wouldn't trash the place. Bobo asked me to contribute fifty bucks to his sticky collection jar. I was sure that he was going to buy pot for the bong part of his holy trinity.

***

Needless to say, the party quickly got out of hand.

I was getting more ice for the bar when Will walked in with a dude in a black knee-length skirt, a matching tight tank top, and army boots. He wore purple lipstick and had his jet-black hair tied up in a top knot. He was far from effeminate but had a poise that didn't seem overly masculine either. It was hard to accurately categorize him which was probably the point. Was I even using their preferred pronoun?

"Alexei, this is Patrick Eamond," Will said enthusiastically.

"Hey," Alexei said in a gravely baritone.

I stuck out my hand in greeting.

"Oh, I don't do handshakes," he said. "No way of knowing where that hand has been, especially in a frat house."

I stared at him in shock. Was he for real?

"Dude, I'm kidding," he said, his face breaking into a wide smile. He pulled me in for a hug and smelled my hair. What the fuck?

"Love your shampoo," he said, pouring himself a vodka on the rocks.

Will was grinning at me like a fool. I instinctively understood what he was thinking. Alexei was the perfect fit for our little house of horrors.

"How about we make this a real party with a game of spin Sam's expensive wine bottle?" Alexei said, wiping his brow with the end of his skirt. He flashed us a pair of red polka-dot boxers and toned abs. "There are plenty of handsome girls and pretty boys to kiss."

Holy fuck! This guy was a riot!

Alexei was almost out of the kitchen when he turned around and said, "I'm paying only half the grocery fees because I'm vegan."

"Sure," Will said without a moment's hesitation.

Did this mean that he was joining us?