Chapter 7 Renn meets the Boys

Thalia POV

Finding the dormitory room wasn't as easy as I thought. Staring at the key card in my hands, I squinted my eyes trying to make out what's left of the partially faded number but it was useless. I hadn't noticed that the room number was faded. How was I supposed to get into my assigned room now?

I stopped in front of a room that looked like it had a '2' and a '4' on it. Those were the only numbers that the card showed clearly, so this was my only chance at finding my room.

I knocked on the door and it opened a second later. But the guy standing there definitely didn't look like any of the regular squad boys I’d seen earlier. They were the team we played the scrimmage with earlier.

He was massive but wasn't as tall as Evander. He looked down his nose at me, his eyes sizing me up from my messy hair down to my oversized jersey, a mocking smirk spreading across his face.

"Well, look what crawled out of the trash," he scoffed, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe like he owned the place. "Hey guys, check it out. It's the little rookie from Levi's. Did you lose your mommy, kid?"

I rolled my eyes at him as two more guys stepped up behind him, wearing the exact same tracksuits and matching arrogant expressions. I folded my hands under my chest as I shoved the key card in his face.

“Do you guys know where the Levi's assigned room is?” I asked, not wanting to entertain the banter they were craving.

For a second, they didn't say anything as they exchanged a knowing look. One of them whispered something which made them all burst into laughter.

"Wow. Levi's really must be running low on budget if they’re recruiting toddlers this season. He sounded like a squirrel," the second one snickered, crossing his arms over his chest.

My jaw clenched as I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. I was mentally exhausted today and the only thing that had lifted my mood was Miss Heaven and the warm bath I had earlier.

"I'd worry less about my size and more about your defense, big guy," I shot back, forcing my voice into the deepest bass voice I could manage.

The guy's smirk completely disappeared, his face turning an angry shade of red. Before he could step out into the hallway to do anything about it, I turned on my heel and walked away, ignoring the curses they threw at my back.

I still couldn't find the right room and it was less than five minutes before the proctor comes inspecting. I decided that I was going to head back to Miss Heaven's office. I knew she was going to scream once again but her office seemed like the only place I found peace since I got into this academy.

“Renn?” A voice interrupted my thoughts as I halted. Turning backward, I sighted the person that called out my name. He was wearing the same jersey as me and I recognized him from the pitch earlier when we played. Even though he was one of the players that laughed at me, I was grateful that he showed up at this time.

“What are you doing here? Did you get lost?” he asked, and I nodded, walking closer to him. A smile broke out on his face as he stretched out his hands.

“Come with me… I'll take you to our room. My name's Toby Musk,” he said as I took his hand.

“Let me guess… your father is Elon Musk?” I teased, and we both laughed.

“No! But if he was, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Come on man, the whole room has been expecting you.” He patted my back and collected my bag as we both walked down the hallway. Finally, something was going my way!

I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to survive in this academy with Evander under the same roof. The thought alone made my stomach twist. That boy had a real talent for getting under my skin without even trying, and thank God his arrogant ass lived upstairs in the penthouses. He was the last person I wanted to stay in the same room together with.

“We're here,” Toby pushed the door open, and the sound of loud music and laughter hit me instantly. The room was a total disaster. The boys were having what looked like a pillow fight and the beds were all displaced. Sitting right in the center of the floor was a video game controller and half-drunk soda drinks.

Hey guys… Renn is…” Toby couldn't complete his sentence as he gasped in shock. The pillow fell down right in front of me after landing on my face. I closed my eyes in frustration, caging the anger that was slowly building up.

My eyes caught a familiar face in the room, a large grin plastered on his face as he stuffed popcorn into his mouth. They still hadn't noticed that we were at the door. It was Zephyr, and he was strangling one of the boys for a soda drink. I always knew boys were rough but I didn't expect it to be this bad.

“Guys, decorum,” Toby shouted, finally gaining their attention. For a while, they paused staring before they finally burst into a loud cheer.

“Renn,” Zephyr called out as he rushed towards me. Toby closed the door behind me as we walked in.

"Welcome to the crib, man. My name is Max,” one of the boys introduced himself. He wasn't as tall as the others, we were probably the same height but he had a bulky, muscular body that made him look taller than he was.

“Alex is the name,” another one said, falling on the bed. Toby dropped my bag in one of the wardrobes and came over to join us over at the center where Zephyr had forced me to sit beside him.

I looked around the room and noticed some of the other players were not present. It would make total sense if they were given other rooms, especially since Evander was the captain.

“Where are the others?” I blurted out, unable to keep myself from asking.

“Well, they don't stay in the dormitory. I also don't stay here, but I came specifically tonight because I promised that you were going to perform the welcome ritual. I take it very seriously, Renn" Zephyr explained, and I stared at him like he had gone crazy.

“I am not going to pull down my shorts. That's crazy,” I cried out as I tightened my grip around my shorts. These guys were absolutely crazy!

“I figured that out, so we decided another way of welcoming you into the brotherhood,” Alex countered.

“What's that?” I asked curiously.

Alex slid off his bed and walked over to a small fridge, pulling out a bottle of clear alcohol and a stack of plastic cups.

"Since you managed to duck out of the locker room ritual today, you don't get off that easy. This is the standard rookie initiation. Time for the shots ritual."

"Gotta see how much  you can hold, kid," Max grinned, gathering around the small wooden table in the center of the room.

I had never had a single drop of alcohol in my life. But looking at their expectant, friendly faces, especially Zephyr, who was already pouring the clear liquid, I knew backing down would instantly ruin my chances of blending in. I needed to be one of the brothers if I wanted to survive here. Out of everyone at this academy so far, Zephyr was the only one who had been consistently welcoming and friendly to me.

As he handed me a cup, I couldn't help but notice his features up close. He was shirtless, his dark hair falling perfectly messy around his face, and despite the rough athlete vibe, he was crazily attractive. He had a relaxed, effortless energy that made it incredibly easy to be around him.

"Fine” I grumbled, stepping up to the table and grabbing a cup. "Line 'em up."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Zephyr cheered, clinking his cup against mine. I noticed he had a cozy, dark grey cardigan resting over his shoulders, looking completely relaxed compared to how intense everyone else was at this academy.

I nodded, mentally preparing myself. You can do it, Thalia! Pouring the drink down my throat, a groan escaped my lips.

Holy hell. It burned down my throat like fire, making my eyes water instantly. I coughed, my face twisting into a grimace as the boys erupted into loud cheers, slapping my back playfully.

"Not bad, rookie!" Toby laughed.

One shot quickly turned into three, and by the fifth one, my brain was completely spinning. The room felt incredibly warm, the sound of their laughter felt fuzzy, and my vision blurred around the edges.

I was completely light-headed, but for the first time since arriving at Levi's, the anxiety in my chest faded. It was actually a fun night.

The room slowly became quieter as the night went on. One by one, the boys started losing the energy they had been carrying all evening. Max was the first to collapse onto his bed, mumbling something about how he could beat everyone in the video game tomorrow. Alex wasn't far behind him, dropping onto his pillow without even bothering to remove his shoes.

Toby was still laughing about something Zephyr had said, but even his laughter became weaker with every passing minute.

I sat against the headboard, staring at the ceiling while the room spun slightly around me. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this relaxed. For the first time since entering Levi's, I wasn't thinking about my disguise, my father's death, Evander's threats, or whether someone was going to discover the truth.

I was just Renn. I was one of the boys, at least for tonight. Zephyr eventually stretched across his bed with a loud yawn.

"Goodnight, Renn."

"Goodnight," I muttered. I pulled the blanket over myself, the loud snores of the boys filling up the room.

I finally let my drowsy eyes close, drowning slowly into darkness.