Family Ties.

Taj Robinson

He was a good guy, so why did he always end up on the short end of the stick?

Heartbroken. Alone. Standing by on the outside watching everyone else enjoy their college years. It was supposed to be the best time of his life.

Taj thought he had something special with Sherry Donovan, and then she broke his heart into a million pieces. Sure, he knew she was heartbroken over her ex who lied and cheated on her, and maybe it was too soon to stake his claim on her. But Sherry was everything he wanted in a woman.

Sexy, simply beautiful, smart and focused, and an incredible body. She had the body chicks liked to call thick, or as he liked to call it, just the right size. He did not discriminate on body size, but there was something about curves on a woman and meat on the thighs. Did something to him every time.

Sherry was amazing. He'd fallen in love with her quickly, and that was his first mistake. Secondly, he should have noticed that she did not feel the same way. He was too wrapped up in her, making her happy, enjoying her in every way. He praised the ground she walked on, another mistake.

She was cheating on him the whole time with her ex.

Every time he thought about it he became sick to his stomach. Why? Men were supposed to be the ones that did things like that, sleep around, and cheat, not the woman. Not the woman he loved.

Now it was another school year, he was a senior, but he was not looking forward to the year. Sherry was gone. Half his fraternity was gone, there was only him and his Little Bro Brian. He was not extremely close with the new member who pledged solo last year, but they had developed a brotherly bond. Currently, the two shared a two-bedroom house.

So far, judging by the few days since they moved in before the start of school, Brian was not lacking in female companions. Every morning he saw a new one sneaking out, and every night there was a new girl to meet. Though he was sure some of the girls he would never see again.

That was not his style, never had been. What was the point of sleeping around with dozens of girls? If he found the right one, he would be plenty satisfied.

Was he looking for another woman to get him through the pain? Maybe he was not ready. He would not force it for sure, and this time take the time to develop feelings and let her develop feelings as well.

"Yo! Frat! Bruh!" Brian screamed out at him as he lay comfortably in bed under his covers. Today was the first day of classes and he was not ready.

Brian barged into his room, no knocking, saw him still in bed, and threw a shoe at his head.

"Yo, neo, what I say about the order of power in this house?"

"And what I tell you about getting some pussy? You need some in your life."

"Don't you get enough for the both of us?"

"Naw man, naw. Never enough."

"I coulda had some in here, that didn't stop you from knocking."

Brian chuckled. "Man, I didn't hear a bitch screaming all night, so I know you're still thirsting. Anyway, I just kicked my flavor of the day out, 'bout to head to the yard. You need to get yo ass up, early bird catches the worm."

"I'll hit up with you later." He rolled over in his bed, not ready to start his day.

"Yo, we giving them hell this year, frat?"

"You know it!"

When he finally dragged himself out of bed and prepared for the day, he checked his socials. Semi-stalking his ex, he saw that she was at her new job teaching in Chicago at a Junior High. He imagined how many of the young boys would have crushes on their teacher.

"Aaaa!" He yelled out at no one, shaking his head to clear it.

No more thoughts about Sherry for the day. Or for the week. Or at all. He was over her, it was done. He had to get out of his funk and live life as his LB stated.

Soon as he made it to campus, he hit up the Student Union and grabbed two egg, sausage, and cheese biscuits, two hashbrowns, and orange juice from McDonald's. Neither he nor Brian cooked, they barely shopped, fast food was life.

"Ugh! Boy, you gonna get sick eating that food!" his homegirl from high school Daysha Waller said, tossing her bag on his table and helping herself to the chair beside him.

"You coming to cook breakfast for me every morning?"

"Hellll to the naw!"

"Then shut it!"

Daysha was not the one to be played with, but he loved their friendship. They lived down the street from each other growing up but were not that close in high school. When they found out they would be going to the same college, they connected more as friends and hung out a lot when they arrived at Illinois State University.

Bloomington-Normal, Illinois was a far cry from southside Chicago. No dodging bullets, no slangers on every corner, no police sirens every night. He loved his city and was not ashamed of it, but getting out and attending college was always his dream. A single parent of three, his mother did not have much to offer while he was there, but he knew if he worked hard enough he could help his mother get out of that rough neighborhood.

Daysha had a similar upbringing, but she did not like to talk about it much.

"So..." Daysha had something to say, but she liked to take dramatic pauses. "Are y'all having a line this semester?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. Now she was asking about his fraternity business? Epsilon Upsilon may be small and newer than the Divine Nine Black Greek organizations, but they still followed rules, traditions, and secrecy.

"Girl, now you know better than to ask that."

"I'm just asking cuz..." There was that dramatic pause again. "You know if the MAXS are having a line?"

Now, this was interesting. Daysha never once said she had an interest in pledging anything, especially not Mu Alpha Chi, his ex's sorority. MAXS were the Eps sister organization, so if Daysha wanted to pledge, they would have a sisterhood/brotherhood bond like never before.

"I'm sure they are," he told her. "Why?"

"Do you still have it in good with Sherry Donovan? Can you put in a good word for me?"

And just like that, he was thinking of her again. Why would Daysha ask that? She knew Sherry dumped him at the end of last semester. She knew he spent the summer working hard, driving himself to sickness, so that he would keep his mind free from her. He never once talked to Sherry over the summer.

"Daysha, you're my girl and all, but you know I can't do that," he said, slurping down the last of his juice. "Besides, you're a shoo-in, if that's what you want. And I got you when things get rough while you're on line. You're my girl."

She smushed him in the head "You better!"

He never had any attraction towards Daysha that was romantic. He believed she felt the same way. Just friends. She was cute, he supposed, just not his type. This year she wore her hair loud and purple, although it could be weave, a wig, or her own hair, he never knew. She wore bright green long nails that looked as if she could torture someone with them. Long false lashes that were a bit too much for him, but otherwise no make-up on her ebony brown skin.

Five feet two inches tall, and with a slim build, she did not have the curves he was interested in. Also, their personalities would never mix.

Daysha pulled out some kind of healthy protein bar to eat while he finished his sandwich and wondered what kind of fatty, cheesy goodness would be his lunch. His mother never cooked healthy, whole foods growing up, he had no idea what that was like. She cooked whatever they had, and bologna sandwiches, cheez whiz with saltines, and Spaghetti-Os cold straight out the can were lifesavers.

He had never seen a baby carrot till attending college. Vegetables came out of cans, any other kind he knew nothing about. Daysha grew up the same but was on some type of health food game since attending college.

"So you and Brian-"

She cut him off before he could even finish his words. "No, and no, just no!"

Daysha was one of the girls Brian ticked off his list in the last few days, but he figured neither one was down for a committed relationship. Was not his business and he planned on staying out of it.

His business was going to be finishing his last year of college with decent grades and having some kind of fun before he went into the real world. He would do it alone or with someone by his side, it didn't matter to him.

Brian Reeves POV

"Oh, Brian! You fuck so good!"

Never shy about getting it in when he could fit it in, bending over Brenna Martin in the back of his dad's hand-me-down Dodge Caravan was no thing. Tinted windows so no one could get their free porn on. Her screams of passion were an extra bonus to anyone walking by the van parked in the Student Union parking lot.

Brenna was the one Black girl on the dance squad at ISU, and she was only one of many he fucked over his two years at ISU. Brenna was always good for a quickie. She didn't mind it anytime or anywhere.

He had twenty minutes to get to class so he had to hurry up. He arched her back, hit it a little harder as she came on his tightly sheathed length. He kept a supply of condoms and wet wipes in the ride for moments like this.

"You good?"

"Mmmm." She tried to kiss him but he held her off.

"Come on girl, you know I ain't down with that." He hated kissing unless it was with his girlfriend.

"When can we do this again?"

He handed her a bunch of wet wipes to clean herself as he disposed of the condom out the window and began wiping himself.

No need to double back to her this week, he had many other flavors to choose from.

"I'll hit you up when I wanna see you again."

All fresh, he moved up to the front of the van. He looked in his mirror and checked that he was still that fly guy, then ran his fingers through his shoulder-length locs. He was good-looking, that's why he kept the ladies. Eyes the ladies loved, light brown color, smooth butterscotch skin, blemish-free babyface, not too shabby body. He stayed in shape by playing ball with friends several times a week. Sometimes he lifted weights, but he was not regular with his exercise other than playing ball. "Walk me to class Brian?" She hadn't even got fully undressed, so she was dressed fly in a new flowery dress just like that. She was fine, he could not lie. That pretty-type girl that knew she was fly. Long hair down her back, all hers, slim and shapely body, pecan brown skin, and a perfect face that attracted all types of fellas. Brenna could get anyone, he felt blessed she liked fucking with him.

"See, I need to hurry up and get to my class cuz like, it's the first day and err'thang I gotta be on it, ya hear me," he said in his most eloquent St. Louis country grammar slang, those hard Rs on err'thang.

Don't let his country talk fool you, he was an honor roll student through and through. Graduated third in class at Parkway South Sr. High School, only point zero, zero, two from Salutatorian. That's why his Epsilon Upsilon Big Brothers named him Boy Genius.

Super intelligent, he started school a year earlier than most, at four years old. So he graduated high school at seventeen and started college. He was a junior but only nineteen now. His birthday in October, he wished he was turning twenty-one, but twenty was a big deal too. He had done everything there was to do anyway. He grew up drinking alcohol like it was nothing, sneaking it from his father's stash who never missed it.

"Okay baby, bye," she said and left.

Girls were crazy when they thought they owned you because he laid good pipe. It was just sex, he wasn't into catching feelings. When they started to get clingy he had to drop them. Brenna might lose her spot. He had to walk at a brisk pace to make it to the Chemistry building. Early morning lab and he was ready to put in some work. He made sure he grabbed his white lab coat to cover his new Epsilon Upsilon shirt, something he was fond to showcase every day.

His parents were not Greek so they didn't get it. His older brother was in

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and that wasn't him. He found what he needed freshman year and pledged soon as he was eligible sophomore year. Now a junior, it was better than he ever imagined. He already attended Alumnae meetings during breaks and he liked what he saw. Their brotherhood was strong. He immediately bonded with his Big Brother Taj as if they knew each other for years. They may be opposites, but that's what made them get along.

Taj was a sappy romantic, and though he believed in love, he didn't see why that needed to stop the fun. He was young, hot, and ready to fulfill his fantasies.

Long as J'Nae Thomas knew after graduation he was marrying her. J'Nae and he had been together since the summer before his junior year in high school. J'Nae was a transfer student that moved to the neighborhood over the summer. He swooped in that day and made her his. They have been together since.

She was a year younger. She had strict Christian parents and they forbade her from having sex. So he made do with girls who knew how to keep quiet. After graduating and leaving for college, J'Nae gave him the go-ahead to live it up. Long as she never found out, so he made sure to not flaunt any around her or even flaunt the ladies around campus.

After J'Nae graduated, she stayed at home and went to Maryville University not far from where they lived. He liked that his girl was still wholesome and waiting for him for their wedding night.

He did love her. She was a different type of girl. Gorgeous beyond words, there was no denying her beauty. She also had his back for whatever, even from the start. People did not understand how he could be a brainiac, play football and basketball in school, and still be a wild child. J'Nae understood him, loved him, and held him down.

Divorced parents, split between the two, he went to live with his father, and his older brother stayed with his mother. Because of that dynamic, they were not close. His brother was only a year older than him, just as smart, but quiet, not athletic and to himself.

He was always the life of the party wherever he went.

"He-ey Brian!" one of his homeboys from Parkway South shouted out when he sat at the lab table. He liked getting the lab classes out the way early, so a nine o'clock class that lasted two hours was no big deal to him.

"Yo, what's good?" Though Timothy Foreman was white, he had been down with him since he transferred in the middle of freshman year at Parkway South High. Wearing thick dorky glasses, skinny as a string bean, he struggled to make friends. He was one of few Black kids at the school and very few in advanced classes. He was a freshman taking sophomore and junior-level classes. Already young for his grade, now he hung with even older kids.

But Timothy was only a year older. He would not have any friends if Tim had not allowed him to hang with him and his crew. They both decided on Illinois State University and roomed the first year, though that tested their friendship.

Timothy pledged a fraternity his freshman year, which meant he was allowed to come to school a week early for their "Rush Week." That meant he had to deal with his Big Brothers harassing both of them over the months of his pledge process. They would knock on the door all hours of the day, and have him doing the dumbest things that affected how he had to move. And once he became a full-on brother, the partying was nonstop.

He decided to save their friendship and having a single room the next year was best. When he decided to pledge Epsilon Upsilon though, Timothy had his back, helping him with anything he needed, including hiding out in his room. Pledging a fraternity by himself, he knew was one of the hardest things he would ever have to do. It was worth it.

"How's J'Nae?"

"J'Nae is good, stop asking about my girl. We straight."

"I can't believe she lets you fuck around on her."

"She doesn't let me, she doesn't know. She knows she's the only girl I have feelings for, so any other chick is just a hookup."

"Man, I want to be you just for a day," Timothy said. Timothy was super smart as well, that's how they bonded in Honors Biology freshman year. Timothy only slightly beating him out, he was their Salutatorian. If it was not for Brian's competitive nature, he wouldn't have been that close to the title. He was happy his friend earned it, number three was not that bad of a position to be in. Tim was not as smooth with the girls. He never got rid of his nerdish looks over the years, whereas Brian became the man during the summer after his freshman year. He bulked up, he made the basketball team, got rid of his glasses, and wore contacts and suddenly, all types of girls wanted his attention.

Timothy still wore glasses, still was super skinny, and was the least athletic person he knew. Since joining a fraternity, he earned some cool points and had a few girls give him attention, but he still was not on

Brian's level.

"You could not handle me for a day." Brian rubbed the top of his arm, showing him his brown skin. "The shit this skin evokes."

"I don't see color."

"You need to. I'm Black, been Black, gonna stay Black. That's why I have to work ten times harder to get halfway where you are." He focused on the professor and the class was about to start. The one thing he did not have in common with Timothy was how he felt about race. Timothy thought it was cool he had one Black friend, whereas Brian said he needed to get out more and make more friends that were not strictly white. He had other white friends. From high school, the ones he met since starting ISU, he was just a friendly guy that everyone got along with.

Timothy never dated a Black girl, had a crush on a Black girl or even thought to look at a Black girl that way. Not knocking his preference, because he felt love for his sisters, but white girls could get it too. His first couple of girlfriends before J'Nae were white. He had only white friends till he arrived at ISU.

He joined the Black Student Union and met lots of guys with the same interests and background as him. At predominately white college institutions, the Black community had to stick together. BSU made his college experience eye-opening.

And joining Epsilon Upsilon connected him to a brotherhood he strongly needed. There was no stopping him now.

MANNY POV

Emmanuel Watkins hated school. If it was not for his parents demanding he attend college, he wouldn't have.

Not that he made bad grades, he made good grades, but he always felt it was a waste. He already knew what he wanted to do and that was to be a singer. He did not need a degree to do that.

He needed to be in the right place at the right time. In college, he had to focus on passing tests and writing papers. Getting along with a roommate he did not know or even want to know and obey whatever some pimply-faced RA said to him.

His freshman year he hung on by the skin of his teeth. The only high point was joining the Gospel Choir and getting mostly all the solos. He had the voice, there was no denying it.

But he wanted to sing more than just gospel.

He needed a break, that's all. No one knocked down his door to sign him, so back to school he was.

Same dorm, different roommate. Since he had not made any friends last year, and his parents were not willing to pay for a single, he had to get whatever random roommate was assigned to him. Last year. Tommy Get-High-All-Day Morgan was his roommate. Their room smelled like Snoop Dog's cave 24/7. He shaved his pubes sitting on his bed and left the clippings on the floor for days. He took a shower maybe once a week and was a white boy with dread locs and bad body odor.

There was no way he would get a worse roommate.

His parents left after they helped him move in his things. His mother helped him put things away and get the place situated while his father went on about staying focused and being a good little Christian. His father was a pastor at their church and any time was the right time for a sermon to his only child.

His mother did wonders to the small, traditional-style dorm room. That meant two small twin-sized beds, two hard, wooden desks with chairs, two small closets, and a small sink with a mirror above it. His side of the room was loaded with things, and he hoped his roommate did not mind that he brought his TV down.

Shortly after his parents left, while he relaxed and watched TikTok videos, his new roommate arrived. One look at him he knew he was an improvement. He was more similar to him. He could pass for his brother. Roughly the same height and caramel complexion, while Manny wore his hair a little low, his roommate had a bushy, curly afro in need of a shape up.

Manny dressed in a blue polo-style shirt and khaki slacks and all-black Nikes. His roommate dressed in a white t-shirt, khakis, and all-black Nikes. He hoped they had more in common.

His roommate had two large bags, one he carried over his shoulder, the other a camping-style bag strapped to his back. He dropped the shoulder bag to the floor and tossed the other bag on the bed. He must have more things than that.

"Yo, what's up my man," the guy stated to him, coming over to him sitting on his bed, and gave him a hand dap.

"I'm Manny Watkins."

"Yo, I know, I saw you around last year, but you ain't hang with the bruhs...nothing wrong with that."

He was referencing the fact that he did not make any friends last year and never hung out with any of the other Black students on campus. Sure there were lots of clubs and organizations he could have joined, lots of parties, and even floor mates he could have hung with. He only hung with them during Gospel Choir practice, and even then he was not very sociable. He sat by himself in the cafeteria attached to their residence hall, or he grabbed food and ate back at the floor's common room, but never his room, it was filthy enough thanks to his roommate. "I didn't hang with anybody last year, outside of performing with the choir and-"

"That's right, you can sang! That's what's up." He sat on his bed and started to open the larger bag. "I do a little something-something too...not sing, I dance a bit."

He nodded at him, watching him pull out sheets that were bare-thin and a pillow that had seen better days.

"You have more things you need to go get? I'll help."

"No, this is it."

"Did your parents bring you down?"

"Naw, moms ain't into this college thing, she could care less if I'm here or not. I took the Amtrak train and walked through campus to the dorm, it's cool. Could have been worse if there wasn't a train stop right on campus."

Only two bags? That was all the belongings that were supposed to last him all school year? His parents loaded their minivan with his things, plus he had lots of things in his Toyota Prius. From nice bedding, and extra bedding, to nice hotel-plush towels, enough clothes that it spilled from his closet and dresser. He had to get a storage locker to put more things in.

His hygiene items alone took up a large carry-on size bag of its own. He also brought a large television, laptop, tablet, two boxes of books, and school supplies. Also, he brought down his awards and trophies from whenever he won a singing contest and used them as decoration for his side of the room.

He didn't feel he had a lot. His parents were not rich, they worked hard at regular jobs, his mother was a nurse's aide, and his father drove a bus for the Metro in St. Louis. Because they never attended college, they wanted him to. It was their dream, not his.

"You rode a train in? From where?"

"St. Louis."

"That's where I'm from!" He moved up on the edge of the bed. "I can give you rides back home or whatever, I have a car."

"That's what's up." He pulled out a pair of worn-down Air Jordans. "I need new kicks, but mom could barely afford my train ticket here, so we gotta do what we gotta do. Oh, my bad, I'm Jordan, roomie. Hence the shoes, see, Jordan."

He liked Jordan already, and even though he seemed to not have much, he was happy and cheerful. He didn't let the fact that once he put his sheets on the bed you could still see the mattress phase him. The blanket he had was barely any thicker than the sheets. Yet he made his bed to perfection. He put away his clothes, and his one other pair of shoes and pulled out a small bag of his toiletries.

"Man, you sing, I dance, we should get an act together and pull all the honies."

"What honies?"

"Oh-" Jordan stopped. "I didn't mean to assume, man, if you're not into girls, that's cool. Not my business."

"Huh? I like girls...they just don't seem to like me." He had never had a girlfriend in his whole life, and he was nineteen.

"All the fine women here last year and you didn't get your mack daddy on? You sing! Playa sing, and the panties drop!" Panties dropping, yeah sure. He sang about God and gospel music, which did not get girls thinking about dropping panties. Because he never had a girlfriend, he never had sex either. Something he was not proud of, because he was attracted to girls. Had plenty of naughty thoughts of girls. Had yet to do anything about them.

"Look Manny Fresh, this year is going to be your year. Our year. Hang with me and we are about to do big things."

He had no idea what those big things would be, but he was in.