Star Crossed (Closed for Aussie_Wolf)

[papillon24]

"I do not mind somewhere off campus. Eating at the commons gets old." she stood and stretched a bit before gathering her notebook and coffee tumbler from where they sat on the bench. "Lead the way" She gestured to the pathway that led from the courtyard.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason smiled at her and gathered his things up as well and threw them into his backpack. "You know I have plenty of room in this thing if you want me to carry them," he said indicating her things. He waited for her answer and then set off for their destination.

It was not going to be a long walk but it would still be an idea to talk to pass the time. "So I think we got off on the wrong foot a little back there and I am sorry, it was entirely my fault, so brunch is on me. It is the least I can do for a damsel in distress anyway. I know how difficult those equations can be when you are tired. All those numbers and facts blurring together into a jumble inside your brain. It is pretty useless to try and study at a time like that you will never retain it anyway."

He smiled at her. "Now being rested, having a nice meal and pleasant company that will cheer you up and make you ready to take on the world," he laughed. "You will be able to learn it all in no time. Of course I am available any time to help you out with any other problems you might have. Just you wait and see."

By the time he was finished they had arrived at the place. It was a corner shop with tables out front in a quiet little back street. It hardly got any traffic and it had magnificent trees lining the paths. "This is the place. Sit down, they even have waiters here. Just look over the menu and remember whatever you want, I am paying."

 

[papillon24]

"You know I have plenty of room in this thing if you want me to carry them,"

“Um, thanks. Sure that would be lovely.” She handed him her notebook and coffee tumbler

"So I think we got off on the wrong foot a little back there and I am sorry, it was entirely my fault, so brunch is on me. It is the least I can do for a damsel in distress anyway. I know how difficult those equations can be when you are tired. All those numbers and facts blurring together into a jumble inside your brain. It is pretty useless to try and study at a time like that you will never retain it anyway."

She smiled as they walked and talked. “Its not completely your fault. I am not completely myself if my routine is interrupted. Yesterday and all week messed up my head for studying. Not don’t get me wrong. I love being part of the sorority, and I love my sisters dearly, but this costume party means a lot to the school and this was my year to be in charge of it. It was a lot of pressure.”

In no time they had made it to the little shop. It was nice, quiet and had great outdoor seating. It was cute. She could smell bacon and coffee wafting from the door and it made her mouth water and her stomach growl. She did not realize she was as hungry as she really was.

“I have never been here before.” She took a seat at one of the small wooden tables outside. It was warm and she loved the smell of fall in the air. A waitress soon came to take their order. Glancing at the menu she ordered a plate of Chicken waffles with extra gravy an Marmalade Whiskey Sour. The waitress gave a strange look

“Ma’am, I’m just letting you know, that plate is large.”

“That’s ok. I’m hungry” she turned back to Jason “I may not look like it, but I eat a lot. I love food. It’s why I work out as hard as I do” she let out a little laugh

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason laughed with her although he did glance appreciatively at her figure. "Well I have to tell you, whatever you are doing it is working very well. You look terrific if I may be so bold, and besides it is good to find a woman who is not afraid to enjoy their food. I am so tired of girls who only eat a little yet you can hear their stomachs grumbling from five blocks away. If you are hungry, eat, then get some exercise in, that's my motto."

Jason ordered the big breakfast and a large tropical punch. "Going to have to put in a extra few hours at the gym as well, but it is nice to treat yourself occasionally," he smiled at her. "So how did your party go," he asked her. "I assume everything went well as you are up this early and not dealing with any disasters," he chuckled.

 

[papillon24]

The server came back with their drinks. She took a quick sip letting the burn of the whisky and the sweetness of the citrus help her brain to settle down.

"Well it did go well. The board of directors that showed up were quite pleased with it and a few new scholarship prospects got to meet with them. I don't think the house cleaner was very happy though with the extra mess. Although I left her a larger than usual bonus tip before I headed out. So that should help out. As for disasters. I'm not sure what that might entail."

She stopped as the food came out. The server had not been lying. The plate was huge. Two gigantic waffles and a whole quarter fried chicken. The smell of it all was too much.

"Excuse me for a second. This looks too good for me to be polite about it." She pulled a piece of chicken from the quarter and ripped off a piece of the waffle and dunked both in the country gravy that soaked the plate and shoved it into her mouth.

It was amazing. One of the best she had ever had, besides her auntie's version of it.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason smiled. It was good to see a woman who actually enjoyed her food and ate with relish. His own breakfast arrived and as usual everything looked great. The eggs were cooked to perfection, just before they turned hard and still runny. The bacon was crisp but not crunchy and the sausages here were of a spicy variety he loved. The owner also knew he was a regular so his plate was overflowing with mushrooms, fried tomatoes and he had extra toast.

For a few minutes there was no talking at the table and the only sounds were the chomping of food and the pleased smacking of lips and licking of fingers. Finally after their initial hunger had been satisfied, they began talking again in between bites of food.

"So I assume you must have had a date to this party? Who is the lucky guy if you don't mind me asking."

 

[papillon24]

Jasmine waited a moment to answer. She had just taken a huge bite. Quickly she swallowed.

"Um. I didn’t have a date. I never have a date at these things. I'm too busy. I'm always in charge of the event at hand and that leaves very little time for myself at the party. " She set her fork down on the plate so she could continue talking without shoving another bite in her mouth. "Although I did have some great conversation last night, which is rare for me"

Jasmine took a drink. "Have you ever been to any of the parties on greek row?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason smiled remembering the party but he did not want to give away his identity just yet.

"No I am afraid I have not been invited to any just yet. I am only a Freshman after all so I am supposed to be studying you see. I do belong to a Fraternity but they keep me busy doing the regular things any new freshman has to do."

He smiled at her, "So who was this mystery person you have been talking to? It must be someone special for you to mention it."

 

[papillon24]

“A fraternity huh?” He did not seem like one to be part of the Greek system. Most of the Houses only accepted athletes or the rich. “Well, I do remember those days of hazing. Pledge week was crazy for me. Makes me cringe thinking about it."

Jasmine thought of the night before and how smoothly the party had gone off

“The person…” She smile as she thought of her masked street rat. The conversation of Jazz and Whiskey. “Oh, I just met someone last night. Very interesting conversation and company. It was refreshing in this day and age where it is all beer pong and pizza.”

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason smiled as he remembered his conversation with her. Indeed it had been a good night. It had been good to talk with someone who knew about Jazz, Whiskey and proper dancing. If only he had not had to rush off and disarm everything, he could have stayed and talked with her all night.

"Ahh yes, the obligatory Beer pong and pizza," he smiled. "Oh and don't forget the Toga parties and chugging contests." he shook his head and sighed in resignation. "What is the world coming to when those seem to be the highlights of campus life? Luckily I have my studies to keep me away from the rowdier things, but a freshman's life is not his own."

He looked at her and smiled. "It must be nice to be beautiful, smart and not a freshman. I just can't believe you are single. There has to be someone in your life surely?"

 

[papillon24]

“Nope.” She stated almost to forthcoming. “There just is not any time for dating. I have to maintain my grade point average to keep my scholarship. It’s the only way I was able to come to college.” It was true. She had nice things, designer even, but her parents could not afford tuition. Scholarships were her way in. Most of her nice things were really well made knock offs or things her rich sorority sisters had given her second hand so that she would fit in with the image of the house. ”And then there are sorority duties.”

“Plus there really is no one interesting enough…” She took a pause as she watched him. He was more enticing than most. Probably because he was not your typical jock trying to get into the panties of every freshmen co-ed on campus. “….yet.”

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason was surprised. He would have never picked her as a scholarship student. She looked more like a rich kid than a girl on the cusp of being kicked out if she didn't keep her grades up.

Now he was really impressed and more intrigued than ever. How did this Beauty do it? He knew she was an excellent student, well she had to be at least good to stay in school and he doubted she was the type to want to be just 'Good'.

She ran extracurricular activities and was polite to everyone, including street rats, he smiled to himself, and she was not studying basic classes. Now he had found out she did have her eye on someone as well. He hoped it was him, or his alter ego from the other night, but maybe a final question. Still if she ever found out what fraternity he was from... Well there went all his plans.

"Ahh so you do have your eye on someone. I knew it," he clapped his hands in triumph. "A woman like yourself could not be a total study freak. So who is the lucky guy?"

 

[papillon24]

"Well, that's actually an interesting question. " She rolled up her napkin and set it to the side of her plate. The food had been great and she had finished almost everything on her plate shy of a few bites of the waffle. Jasmine then went to finish her drink as she thought back on the night before.

"I actually just met this someone last night at the party. I thought it would be funny to dress as Jasmine, you know the princess from Aladdin? Well, it just so happened Aladdin showed up and well, we just ended up talking all evening."

At the mention of the night before she noticed a glint in his eyes. she was usually good at reading people but he was harder to read. But something about the way be spoke and asked questions seemed very familiar.

"Why is it you are so interested?" She raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason knew he had been caught out. When it came to women he had a tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve and to not being able to disguise his feelings. When she had mentioned the night before and how Jasmine and Aladdin had talked most of the night, he had remembered as well and half smiled with a glint is his eye for just a second. It had been enough though, he had seen it on her face.

"Why is it you are so interested?" She raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

He had a choice, come clean and hope for the best, or wimp out and brush it aside. Well he had never been accused of doing things the easy way.

Putting on the accent he had used as the street rat he smiled at her. "Why Princess, can't a street rat find out a little about you? Have to know if I have a chance you know."

 

[papillon24]

"Why Princess, can't a street rat find out a little about you? Have to know if I have a chance you know."

Jasmine was stunned as he spoke. He was her Aladdin? The only man who had been able to hold her attention for more than a few moments. How could this possible be

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?" She exclaimed "You should have told me sooner" She blushed as she thought about how she had kept mentioning him to him, yet had been slightly rude to him.

"And the lamp, with the flowers? How did you.." The questions just rolled though her mind

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason blushed at her question. "Well I was embarrassed at how I had to run off and leave you at the party and then you were to tired when I returned to really continue our conversation. I couldn't just leave it like that now could I? I had to make a gesture that would have you thinking of me for at least a few more days and what woman does not like flowers?"

He smiled at her and then answered her unspoken question. "As for how I got them into your room, well they do not call me a street rat for nothing Princess. It was child's play for one such as I to get them there."

He avoided the whole topic of seeing her while she slept and the breaking and entering. The romantic gesture sounded good, The reality sounded a little more stalkerish or at least worthy of calling the Campus cops on him.

He glanced at her. "So did you like them Princess? I did not know your favorites so I just picked an assortment."

 

[papillon24]

“Well, it was very sweet, albeit I’m still baffled at how you got them up there.” There was not a light in his eyes that was not there before. She recognized it from the night before.

“I just wish you would have told me before.” She crossed her arms and leaned on the table. “so you much tell me. Which house are you a member of? I don’t recognize you from our allied Fraternity Delta Phi. But you are science major. So maybe Theta Zi?” she smiled. It was nice to get to know someone other than her sisters or the chauvinistic brothers of Delta Phi.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason was hoping this question was not going to come up, especially so early but he guessed he had to tell her the truth.

Sighing he looked down and then back into her eyes. "Actually I am a Kappa Theta, but please don't hold that against me," he pleaded.

He again switched to his street rat voice. "After all if a Street rat and a Princess can fall in love what is to say we two can't." He shook his head and continued this time in a more cultured English voice, "Actually Me thinks our story likens more to Romeo and Juliette, and you are definitely more beautiful than the sun," Jason said smiling at her.

 

[papillon24]

"Kappa theta, Ah yes. The rivals. You guys usually try to pull some kind of joke on our party every year as a way to haze your incoming pledges." She raised an eyebrow. "Last year we had so much shaving foam and glitter. I was still finding glitter everywhere till after Christmas."

She followed suit, putting on an a more proper air. "More beautiful than the sun you say?" She smiled as she could not hold a serious tone with him. The gleam in his eyes threw her off.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason's smile grew wider as hers did but then her mention of the hazing ritual caught up with him and he grimaced. "Ah yes, the hazing. Lets not talk too much about that," he said sheepishly looking away from her. He looked everywhere except her face for a few seconds but finally couldn't stand it and looked back.

Looking into her eyes he just felt the need to confess. "Okay Princess I admit I went there with the intention of sabotaging your event." He shook his head. "You should hear the tale the Kappa's spin about the Rivalry between us. I am sure you have a pretty similar story only with your house being the brunt of the jokes. Anyway there were five of us that night but I think only three or four of us made it inside. If our Jokes had gone off you girls would not have been able to live in that house for weeks."

He looked up at her and clasped her hands. "However talking to you I realized we had been fed a line of bull. Oh sure some of it must be true, but I bet the hazing is just something to hold over the freshman until they really join the fraternity in more than just words. However I couldn't do it, so I got hold of all the booby traps and dumped them in the lake. Hopefully they will just think they failed to go off or were discovered. You might help me out by spreading a rumor that some girls found some unusual items and threw them out."

He looked at her and hoped like crazy she was not disgusted with him.

 

[papillon24]

She was shocked that he had admitted to being part of the prank. The glitter prank from the year before had left her furious. The other girls could just buy new things. Jasmine on the other hand could not. Her nice things were hard earned or handed down to her from her sisters. Most were really well made knock offs as to fit in here in the house. Having glitter infused in all of her belongings was not a situation that was easy to work around.

She loved he sisters and the bonds that she had made, but they cared a lot about things like designer brands and status. Jasmine did her best as well as keeping her grades up. The status and connection of being a Kappa was also a perk. She knew it could potentially lead to a great research gig sometime down the line and a fabulous career.

Quickly she took a breath, knowing it was not him. It was the house and the spin they put on the rivalry that had started so long ago over something so trivial.

"Tell me your side of the story. This should be interesting. I want to know how your house tells this tale. I know its not your fault. It's your senior brothers."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason sighed and ran his hands through his hair before looking at her.

"The freshman haven't been told the whole story yet. The only thing we have been told and it is constantly told to us, is that you girls are the elites of the Sororities. If you make it into your house you are just a rich bitch that looks down on everyone else, dresses for success, only hangs out with the right people and will do anything to stay on top. That includes sabotaging other Fraternities, just like they did to ours back in the day."

He sighed again and looked away. "It is easy to be swayed you know. You are trying to fit in at college in your first year and you have all these respected brothers telling you vague horror stories about this snooty Sorority, and I am sorry but your Sorority does come off that way a bit. Then they point the Freshman at the event and unleash them."

Shaking his head he clasped her hands and smiled at her. "I am just glad I talked to you first and worked all this out and was able to save your party. I think the seniors may wonder what went wrong but you might be able to spread a rumor that you girls found some strange things when you were cleaning up after the party. Then they might suspect the timing failed or the ignition system. One guy did all that so it is possible."

"So tell me how does the story go on your end?"

 

[papillon24]

She kind of felt for him. Jasmine remembered her freshmen year here. The year she pledged to Sigma Kappa the new pledges were required to do all sorts of crazy things. There was a time she was required to sing the house song by the fountain in the quad at one am in the morning wearing a wonder woman costume. There was another where she had to steal a desk plaque from the archeology 101 professor.

"I know how it is, trying to fit in and all. The Sigmas are the Elite of the Elite. Most of them are snooty. Trust me. I live with them. When you are one of the only ones who is here on a scholarship and their parents pay out of pocket its quite the world to be a part of. But we do a lot of good as well. The party last night was to get benefactors and alumni to donate to the scholarship fund. "

Jasmine stood and grabbed her bag. "Come on lets get out of here." She reached back for his hand. "Lets walk and talk. You never know how is listening" She flashed him a wink and a smile.

"As for your pranks, I'm glad you decided not to set them off. We had a philanthropist there with a lot of potential. If he donates it could mean full ride tuition for over fifty students. I'll spread the new about finding them and no one will know the wiser. I'll just say I found some suspicious items as I was managing the party."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason smiled warmly as he reached into his pocket and left a generous tip on the table and then grabbed Jasmines hand before walking away with her. He was surprised at how natural it felt to be walking beside her like this. He enjoyed the warmth of her hand is his and he actually blushed a little as they strolled down the street.

"So you never did tell me what you were told about us. I mean we get vague rumors about how snooty you are, and how you prank and make us look like idiots at every chance you get, plus and I think this is the big one, how you have used your influence to keep our Fraternity off the Greek Council for years." He shook his head at that. Frankly he didn't see the big deal or how they could have achieved that one as it was not a voting system.

"So my Princess," he said, this time in his normal voice and flashing her a wink and a huge smile, "Just how bad a Fraternity have I joined and how much trouble will you be in if we are seen together."

 

[papillon24]

She smiled as his hand and his touch felt comfortable and familiar in her hand. The ease in which hers fit within his. It was perfect. Almost too perfect as they made their way down the nearly empty street. People still inside, recovering from the debauchery of the previous night. She knew there was no chance her sisters would be up yet. All of them were her via their parents and could not get kicked out due to that they could pay their tuition. She had to work so hard to stay here. She had to keep her GPA high enough to keep the scholarship.

"Well. All I have heard of it is that your house started it. Our house council says that fifteen years ago you house pulled a prank that was so bad, most of the brothers got expelled. Our house was the brunt end of the prank. I don’t hear much. I just know it had to do with Satan circle and a live goat and a lot of blood."

She sighed at the idea of someone being that cruel. "So in all essence my dear street rat, If we are seen together there will be hell to pay. At least on my end"