𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑, r.c.

𝐨𝐧𝐞

CHAPTER ONE | DON'T LOSE YOUR KEY
"Hey, Benji. Have you seen Randall?" The tall blonde turned in his desk chair, a book in hand as he looked at the girl.

"He's down the hall helping some freshman." Arden thanked the boy before stuffing her hands in her pockets and making her way through the hall of rooms, before she heard his voice. She quickly peaked her head around the corner, careful not to make noise as she listened to the two.

"You lose your key, it's seventy five bucks to replace it."

"Or you can just start picking the lock when you come in instead of paying seventy five dollars for a small piece of brass. Just don't lose the key, okay?" The tall brunette whipped his head at the sound of the blondes voice, the freshman looking at her with a smile on his face. Randall looked down at his feet, shaking his head and chuckling as the girl leaned against the door frame. The freshman looked back at Randall, seeing the upperclassman's features soften, a smile on his face. "Hi, Arden Macauley. Everyone calls me Denny."

"Jack Morton." The boy walked over to Arden, holding his hand out for her to shake, which she happily did before the both of them turned back to Randall.

"Oh and here is your welcome package. It's got your map of campus, complete with with all male, female, and non binary bathroom locations. There's a bunch of coupons."

"Which you'll never use." Randall nodded his head in agreement with the girl before going back to the freshman.

"There is a rape whistle and a 'How Not to Rape' pamphlet. Any questions?" Jack shook his head know, his eyes skimming over the package as Randall made his way over to Arden, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

"Nope, but if you need a hand with anything, don't hesitate to ask." The two chuckled at the younger boys joke, Arden turning to Randall.

"I think he's doing your job better than you are."

..........

"Cmon, we're just gonna say hi, Den." The tall boy dragged Arden to the two, a smile on his face as he spoke. "Man, will you two sleep together already?" The girl, who Arden knew to be Alyssa Drake, looked at the boy and then to Arden, a smirk on her face. The two girls had classes together, having the same major so the two would always run into each other and become aquatinted with one another.

"Could say the same about you two." Arden scoffed and pulled her hand out of his grip, chuckling.

"He wishes." Randall quickly scoffed, holding his hand out towards Alyssa.

"Hi, I'm Randall Carpio, and you are?"

"Leaving. I'll see you in class, Arden. Oh, and by the way, everyone knows the order is fake news. The library doesn't even have a basement." With that, the girl quickly walked away, leaving Arden, Randall, and Jack, who looked pretty defeated.

"Ouch, architecture burn."

"Cmon boys, let's go grab a beer."

..........

"For you, princess." Arden glared at the boy as he placed her glass of beer in front of her, knowing she hated that name, looking at Jack with furrowed brows. "You're over twenty one, right?" As Arden took a sip of her beer, she watched as Jack almost said no, clearly not getting it. "Kidding, I don't give a shit. Denny, we always cheers."

"I needed a drink, leave me alone." Randall rolled his eyes as Jack thanked him, the three of them taking drinks.

"Look man, I wouldn't take her rejection too hard. You never stood a chance." Arden practically choked on her drink, placing the glass down as she wiped the area around her mouth with a napkin, glaring at Randall. "What, she would've bailed the second she had seen his Star Wars bed sheets." The girl chuckled, shaking her head, making three freshman look at her, the girl giving them the finger.

"I'm not interested in her." Arden scoffed, shaking her head at the boy, knowing damn well he had asked her to dinner not even twenty minutes ago. He quickly looked behind him at the three freshman, making Arden and Randall look at each other, brows furrowed.

"You into him or her?" The Macauley girl smiled, butting into the conversation, pointing to the group with Randall.

"Or the other him?" Jack quickly jumped towards them, using both of his hands to push theirs down, trying not to draw attention. "It's okay, Jack. We'll support you and whoever you choose to love." The Morton boy just glared at Arden as she smiled, leaning in towards the two.

"What do you guys know about the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose?" Arden and Randall looked at each other before Arden began to smile, laughing at the boys question.

"That's just a story people tell to get kids like you to pick this school over Harvard or Penn. It's a crock of shit, Morton." The two upperclassmen's laughed with each other, Randall's arm draping over the back of Ardens chair, Jack making quick note of it.

"I think they may have been recruited, and I'm trying to figure out what they have in common."

"Besides being elitist assholes? Hi." The boy waved at the short girl standing by the two boys as she gave him a disgusted look in return.

"Hey, a lot of good people are members. Michelle Obama, Warren Buffett, Oprah."

"You know who's also supposed to be members? Bad people, like Benito Mussolini, George W. Bush."

"Oprah." Randall smiled, pointing towards Arden and nodding in agreement.

"For two people that don't believe, you guys sure know a lot about them." Arden quickly took another sip of her beer, shrugging her shoulders before she set her glass down.

"I'm Wikipedia smart. Look, even if they do exist, I wouldn't get your hopes up." Jack looked his for a moment, his brows furrowed in slight confusion, asking the Carpio boy why that was. "They want sheep. You've got a mind of your own."

"Yeah well, who wouldn't want unlimited power? Thanks for the beer." The boy set his now half empty glass on the table, standing up to leave before turning to the two. "See you guys around." Arden and Randall watched carefully as Jack walked out of Blade and Chalice before turning to each other.

"It's a solid maybe on Morton. He's got potential but he seems to be interested in a different cause. Maybe we aren't the right people for him." Randall shrugged his shoulders, downing the rest of his beer, placing it back down on the table.

"No, I can see him being one of us. Last one up pays?" Arden placed her glass on the table, turning her head to turn Randall's attention away from her. "What are we looking at?" The boy moved his gaze off the girl, giving her enough time to slip out of her chair and stand by the door, a grin on her face before he could notice. When he turned back, he was met with an empty seat and a very happy looking Arden Macauley. "I didn't even say go. That's not cool, Den." Arden softly chuckled as she leaned against the booth closest to the door.

"Quit complaining and walk me back to the house."