The night before Halloween at UCLA was nothing short of electric.
Every fraternity and sorority on campus was pulling out all the stops, as if they'd completely forgotten the tragedy that struck during the Serpent Society's initiation two months ago.
Well, people can be pretty forgetful sometimes.
Tonight, the Medea Sorority's club was absolutely packed. The sorority president had invited a famous Los Angeles male stripper troupe to perform—dressed as bunny boys, no less.
This drew the attention of most of UCLA's female students, along with a few guys with particular tastes. Since the Medea Sorority's party was open to all, the club was bursting at the seams.
The sorority had to station people at the entrance to limit the crowd—basically, one person out, one person in, unless you were a Medea member.
Roy, honestly, was itching to leave. As a straight-as-steel guy, why would he want to watch men strip?
And, to top it off, because of his ridiculously perfect physique, some sorority girls mistook him for one of the dancers.
Never underestimate how bold women can get. When the vibe's right, they turn into absolute beasts.
Don't believe it? Just look at male idol concerts—those screaming fangirls down below are practically a pack of werewolves!
Luckily, Roy had four female bodyguards with him tonight.
Thanks to Jennifer, Nidhi, Ashley, and Mary, Roy's virtue was mostly safe, though he still got groped a fair bit.
Honestly, Roy felt like without those four, he wouldn't have made it out of the club standing upright.
Pushing through the crowded dance floor, Jennifer led Roy to the second floor of the club. This area was exclusive to full-fledged sorority members, a haven for those who didn't want to deal with the chaos below.
Watching the dance performance from the second floor was… well, even more eye-searing.
The girls up here were a bit more composed. Even though Roy's Captain America costume showed off his flawless physique, they didn't swarm him for a feel.
At most, they'd come over to flirt or slip him a note with their number, completely ignoring the four gorgeous women by his side.
Jennifer and the others couldn't exactly block that kind of approach.
Roy's shield was stuffed with little notes. The shield, by the way, was actually his Leviathan Axe transformed and painted in Captain America's colors.
But the second floor wasn't Jennifer's final destination—the third floor was.
The top floor of the Medea Sorority's club was reserved for the sorority's elite or special guests, so it was much quieter, with only about a dozen people.
From up here, you could look down on the wild, chaotic scene below.
"Caroline Nielsen, I've brought my boyfriend. What's your move now?" Jennifer said as soon as they reached the third floor, her demeanor shifting like a warrior stepping into a gladiator's arena.
Caroline Nielsen was a short girl, even shorter than Ashley by a few centimeters—and that was with heels on.
She lounged on a couch, flanked by two shirtless, muscular Black guys standing behind her, looking like stereotypical movie villains.
The club's lighting was dim, and if Roy didn't have dark vision, he might not have even noticed them.
"Oh? Morgan, you got Steve Rogers as your boyfriend?" Caroline quipped.
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"He's Roy Black, not Steve Rogers," Jennifer shot back, tilting her head high with unmistakable pride.
Roy could tell what Jennifer was up to. She was clearly here to show off her boyfriend.
Caroline gave Roy a surprised once-over. Even with the Captain America mask, his chiseled jawline and overwhelming masculinity were undeniable.
Compared to Roy, Caroline suddenly thought the two guys behind her looked like weaklings.
A flash of jealousy crossed her face.
"Is that so? Roy Black? What, some male model from a nightclub? He sure looks the part," Caroline sneered.
Jennifer's temper flared at that.
If Caroline had just insulted her, Jennifer might've responded with some sharp sarcasm. But dissing Roy? That was a declaration of war.
"Caroline Nielsen, you'd better apologize to Roy!" Jennifer demanded.
Caroline crossed her arms, smirking. "What? Did I hit a nerve?"
At that moment, another girl on the third floor chimed in. "Roy Black… isn't that the name of this year's Sydney Olympics boxing champion?"
Caroline's smug grin vanished instantly.
"That's right! Roy's the heavyweight boxing champion of this year's Olympics!" Jennifer beamed, practically glowing with pride. She'd probably been dying to announce to the world that Roy Black was her boyfriend.
Folks, can you imagine?
Having such an incredible boyfriend but not being able to brag about it—can you picture how hard that was for Jennifer?
Suddenly, all eyes on the third floor were on Roy.
Other sports aside, boxing was huge in America, and that championship carried serious weight.
A barrage of suggestive comments came from every direction, making Roy's face darken.
"Wow, a world champion! No wonder he's so ripped!"
"I haven't tasted a world champion yet. Wonder if it's different from other athletes?"
"Morgan, can you lend me Mr. Black for a few days? If you do, I'll back you today!"
…
Roy felt like he'd stumbled into a den of female rogues. Did the sorority girls always play this wild?
If Jennifer could hear Roy's thoughts, she'd probably say, "Yup, they're that wild."
How else did Jennifer pick up those new tricks she showed off at the villa? She learned them by observing at the sorority club.
Seeing everyone cozying up to Jennifer, Caroline grew visibly annoyed.
"Hmph! World champion? Just a guy who punches for a living. No different from those dancers downstairs," she scoffed.
Jennifer stepped right up to Caroline, locking eyes with her in a direct challenge.
"Still better than that guy you've got! He's probably not cutting it anymore, huh? That's why you're parading around with these two everywhere!" Jennifer shot back, gesturing at the guys behind Caroline.
The word "black" made the two men bristle, but they didn't dare act out. This wasn't their turf.
"How dare you say that!" Caroline shrieked, jumping to her feet.
She was the one losing her cool, not the guys.
"How dare you!" she repeated.
Some things everyone knew but didn't say out loud. Caroline knew it too, but saying it was crossing a line.
It was like the emperor's new clothes—fine until someone points it out, then it's a massive embarrassment.
In her rage, Caroline couldn't hold back and swung to slap Jennifer.
Jennifer had been waiting for this. She'd positioned herself close to Caroline precisely to provoke her into losing control.
If Caroline threw the first punch in front of everyone, she'd break sorority rules, putting her in the wrong. Jennifer could claim self-defense.
And with Jennifer's current physical prowess, there was no way Caroline could land a hit. It was like baiting a fish with a straight hook.
Jennifer grabbed Caroline's wrist like a vice, pinning her in place.
"Everyone saw that, right? Nielsen threw the first punch," Jennifer said coolly.
The dozen or so Medea Sorority elites watched with keen interest, none stepping in to mediate. They were all quietly eating popcorn, metaphorically speaking.
Then, Jennifer delivered a sharp slap to Caroline's face, leaving her stunned.
"You—you dare hit me!" Caroline stammered.
The two guys behind her stepped forward, looking ready to act.
Roy took a step forward, staring them down. "This is between the women. If you want a fight, come at me."
The two exchanged a glance. Hitting a woman would look bad, but fighting Roy? No way.
Their muscles were just for show—big but useless in a real fight. Against an Olympic heavyweight boxing champion? They didn't stand a chance.
Jennifer released Caroline's wrist, choosing not to escalate further.
"Nielsen, I've won the bet. From now on, you bow your head when you see me, got it?" Jennifer said.
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Caroline fuming and screaming.
"Useless! You're all useless! Why didn't you help me?!" Caroline yelled at the two guys.
"Miss, she's a lady!" one of them protested.
"Then go beat up that pretty boy! What's all that muscle for?!" Caroline snapped.
She probably didn't know that muscle size has little to do with fighting skill.
Plenty of heavyweight boxers don't even have defined muscles, but they're tough as nails and hit hard. They'd wipe the floor with these gym bros.
Roy and the others didn't hear the rest of the exchange—the club was too loud.
But Jennifer was practically floating with joy as they left, her steps light as air.
"Jennifer, feeling good?" Roy asked.
Jennifer nodded, then suddenly pulled Roy into a deep kiss, only letting go when she was completely out of breath.
"I'm so happy today!" she exclaimed.
Then she explained why she'd brought him to the sorority.
Caroline Nielsen had been giving Jennifer a hard time ever since she joined Medea, probably because Jennifer was gorgeous but came from an ordinary background.
So, Jennifer made a bet with Caroline to prove herself—by bringing an impressive boyfriend.
It sounded childish, but what else do you expect from a bunch of spoiled sorority girls raised in luxury?
"I've been dying to slap that woman for ages. That felt amazing!" Jennifer said, her face lit up with uncontainable glee.
"So, where to next?" Roy asked, glancing at his watch. It was only 8 p.m.—four hours until midnight. Plenty of time.
"Hmm… the sorority's kinda boring tonight. How about we just wander around campus?" Jennifer suggested.
Then Nidhi piped up with an idea. "We could go to Santa Monica Beach. I saw on a forum there's a cosplay event tonight. Our outfits are perfect for it!"
Everyone agreed it was a great plan. The five of them left the Medea Sorority and strolled toward Santa Monica Beach.
UCLA's campus wasn't too far from the beach—a half-hour walk, tops. Along the way, they used Mason's digital camcorder to capture the girls' vibrant energy.
They passed plenty of people in wild costumes.
Passersby with cameras couldn't resist snapping shots of Roy's group, dressed as an Avengers squad. Their looks and charisma were so striking, they seemed like comic book characters come to life.
By the time they reached Santa Monica Beach, they had dozens of Polaroid photos.
The photographers were kind enough to give them a few as keepsakes, and everyone was having a blast.
As they arrived, fireworks were lighting up the beach.
Santa Monica was already a major LA tourist spot, and on Halloween Eve, it was packed to the brim.
Families were out in full force, with kids running everywhere.
Roy's group quickly found the cosplay event Nidhi mentioned, set up near the Santa Monica Pier. A bunch of comic book fans had reserved an area for cosplay.
The place was crawling with superheroes.
There were at least a dozen Captain Americas, though none had gear as legit as Roy's—his shield was the real deal.
The five of them had a blast, and time flew by.
Suddenly, Roy spotted a familiar figure and decided to sneak up for a scare.
"Sultana, big sis!" he called out.
Sultana, who was on duty, jumped. "Ah! Roy? What are you doing here?"
"It's Halloween! Why wouldn't I be here?" Roy grinned.
Sultana rubbed her temples. "You're right. I'm probably just frazzled from work."
Jennifer, Nidhi, Ashley, and Mary came over to greet Sultana. They'd all met before and were familiar with each other.
"Sultana, you look exhausted," Roy said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. She clearly hadn't slept well in a while.
Sultana sighed. "Halloween's always like this. It's prime time for supernatural incidents, so the FEA's swamped. But once this rush is over, things calm down, and I might even get a vacation."
Roy nodded. Holidays meant fun for most people, but for some agencies, it was crunch time.
"Alright, Sultana, we won't keep you from your post. Call me if you run into any trouble!" Roy said, pulling out his phone to gesture.
He glanced at the screen and saw a bunch of missed calls—some from Lilith, some from Ella, and the most recent one from Dalia.
[Insert photo of Sultana]