Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)

Chapter 3 by marianparoo marianparoo

Does she decide to attend the party?

Yes

"I will accept your invitation. For a little while."

"Great! It's about four blocks; you want to walk or drive?"

She doesn't want to be that far from her car at night, but doesn't want to give that as the reason. "I've walked enough in these shoes for today. We'll drive."

It's a very quick trip; it's late enough that the commuters have already left, but still too early for serious party traffic. The Phi Upsilon house turns out to be at the end of frat row, with a curved driveway leading to the front door. Jimmy directs Marian up it, to where another pledge is waiting as a valet. He opens her door for her as soon as the car stops. She reaches for her purse as she steps out, but Jimmy is holding it and already emerging from the other door. As the valet rolls her car around the corner, he offers her his arm and escorts her through the front door.

Stepping inside, she realizes the house isn't quite what she expected. It's cleaner, for one thing, though the clear plastic tarp covering most of the front room suggests that's a difficult state for them to maintain. For another, there don't seem to be many party decorations, though it seems most of the frat members are here. The door closes behind her with a loud clunk, which gets most of their attention. The rest look up when Jimmy clears his throat and calls out, with none of his former shyness, "Hear ye, hear ye! Esteemed brothers of Phi Upsilon, it is my great pleasure to present to you, our honored guest for Staff Appreciation, the assistant college librarian, Miss Marian Dewey!" There is a shout of approval and a general clinking of beer bottles, and she is ushered deeper into the room. Someone offers her a beer; someone else suggests, correctly, that she'd rather have a white wine.

After a few minutes of being introduced around the room - to so many boys she can't even pretend she'll be able to remember their names; few of them were looking her in the eye, in any case - she's getting her bearings, and notices a few things.

First, the valet took her car so quickly she didn't get a chance to hang onto the rest of her keys.

Second, even if she had, she wouldn't have them now, because Jimmy never handed her purse back and seems to have disappeared.

Third, the promised buffet seems to be absent.

Finally, she seems to be both the only staff member and the only woman present.

She decides she needs to find her purse and leave, but so many of the frat boys are so much taller than her that she can't see who's in charge (she's sure she was introduced to their president at some point), and doesn't realize she's being herded across the tarped room until she finds herself being offered a seat in a high-backed chair next to the fireplace. She attempts to decline, but a boy on each side takes her by the arm and sits her down, gently but inexorably. They release their grip but continue to stand close.

A round of "sssshhhh" spreads quickly, until the room is silent and all eyes are once again upon her. One of the boys steps out of the crowd to stand in front of her. "Welcome again, Miss Dewey. If you're comfortable, we can begin the Staff Appreciation now?"

"Actually, I'd---"

"Excellent. Now then... as our guest, whose staff would you like to 'appreciate' first?"

Marian stammers. "This... isn't what I expected..."

He offers her an exaggerated frown. "No? How can we make things better?"

What does she complain about first?

Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)