America 1982-Chapter 81 - 4: Girls Are Only Attractive to Me When I’m Bored

Tommy Hawk was barely considered a rich second-generation in his past life. Fraternity parties, birthday parties, singles parties, mingling parties, he had attended so many he’d lost count. Tricks like single-handed bra unhooking, birdie golf, and human straw challenges were nothing new to him after the wildness of those parties.

From the moment Eric revealed the purpose of his visit, Tommy guessed that the fraternity antics of the ’80s were nowhere near as varied as what college students got up to in 2022, so he promptly showed Eric some standard moves of a 2022 fraternity member.

A single-handed bra unhooking contest made Eric from 1983 think it was an impressive new trick at the party. If Tommy from a U.S. college in 2022 were to tell him about something called a human symphony concert, who knows if his jaw would drop in amazement.

"This trick won’t be much of a thing to pull off on your own girlfriend—it requires both skill and stamina. Back when we practiced, we did it in front of other couples. After unhooking the bra, we’d sprint away from the boyfriend’s pursuit. It was also a good way to exercise," Tommy said to Eric in an instructing tone, "Plus, unhooking your own girlfriend’s bra has no thrill. Try the way I suggested, and I guarantee your adrenaline will surge, better than any thrill weed could give you."

Eric stared at Tommy for a good while, then calmed his emotions before continuing, "Wow, I read that you come from a rural place like Warwick City in Rhode Island. I didn’t expect that high school life in the American countryside has become so exciting nowadays."

"The more barren the land, the more tenacious the life that springs from it." Tommy clinked his beer can against Eric’s and said with a smile, before turning to address the three temporary model guys, "Beers in the fridge, help yourselves, don’t be shy. And please, get dressed. Also, tell your favorite lingerie brand sorry for me; as of today, they’ve lost a customer. I swear I’ll never let my girlfriends wear that brand again."

One of the three guys said, while grabbing a beer, "Don’t take it to heart; we also nicked these from a sister sorority we’re on good terms with."

In his previous life, Tommy had heard of the great reputation of SSD. The Boston University he attended had a SSD Chapter. SSD was one of the largest national white fraternity organizations in North America, with Chapters in over two hundred universities across the United States and Canada. Established in 1885, by 2022, its members had given rise to two Presidents of the United States, fourteen Governors, and five Nobel laureates, not to mention countless celebrities in other fields and industries.

Despite these guys dressed in women’s lingerie and laughing like idiots today, don’t be surprised if in a couple of decades they turn into solemn politicians, solemnly telling the American people to respect women.

After taking a sip of beer, Eric said to Tommy, "I have to say, your parties and playbook are impressive. You’ll be busy Friday night. I think many fraternities will be interested in you, wanting to chat and see if they should extend you an invitation."

"I’m quite devoted, though. Even though Stanford has seventeen fraternities, only two have caught my fancy: SSD and VSA. I like the madness of play when relaxing, and the dedicated hard work when serious. I prefer to be friends with people who are self-disciplined," Tommy remarked.

Having come to Stanford University for his studies, Tommy naturally did his research and preparation. Although he wasn’t as thorough as Jason, who even knew the signature dishes of every campus restaurant, he had a framework in mind for student organizations and a general plan for his four years there. Joining a fraternity to expand his social circle as a country boy was an important part of it.

"You’ve got good taste, White Robe Society and Phoenix Society, without a doubt, are the two finest fraternities at Stanford University. For now, SSD is ranked third, and Phoenix Society is first," Eric acknowledged with understanding nods.

The White Robe Society is the unofficial name of SSD because the official colors are white and green, and the members wear white robes similar to the Ku Klux Klan for certain activities such as recruitment or other secret ceremonies, hence the nickname.

The Phoenix Society is the informal name of another national fraternity organization, VSA, founded at Yale University in 1845. It splintered amidst consolidation with other fraternities at Yale in 1864 but phoenix-like, was reborn in 1900 into a national organization. Since their badge features a phoenix, they are referred to as the Phoenix Society.

As for why Tommy isn’t considering the second-ranked DTS fraternity at Stanford, it’s mainly because it’s more traditional and conservative, only admitting Christians, and as a Catholic like Tommy Hawk, unless ready to convert to Christianity, he shouldn’t even dream of receiving an invite.

"So, I’ve proved that I didn’t steal any of your secrets, and now can I get back to the party?" Tommy Hawk said to Eric, "There’s a girl waiting to chat with me."

"SSD rarely recruits country boys who are the first in their families to go to college because we’ve found these rookies from small towns are usually not worldly and too timid to cut loose during activities. However, you’ve managed to change my perspective," Eric clapped Tommy on the shoulder:

"If you’re interested, you can come later to the SSD’s recruitment party on Friday night. In the first few hours of the party, I’ll be busy chatting with all the new students. Once I get those bothersome tasks out of the way, we can quietly have a drink or two in the wee hours and talk. I like your character and ability. It’s rare to find someone who, within the first few days of reporting as a freshman, figures out a way to make a buck and then throws their own party for fun. Don’t let me keep you from your romantic dalliance. Have a good time, Tommy, oh, and by the way, welcome to Stanford."

When he got back to the common room, the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed than at the beginning, possibly due to the increased intake of alcohol. Although the three blonde bombshells had left with Eric and the others, some of the freshman girls, adept in dancing, continued to strut their stuff on the tabletops, confidently showcasing their charm and figures to everyone.

Some boys who were fans of disco and breakdancing started to pull off some cool moves on the floor to the cheers of the onlookers.

"Go hit on girls, Jason, leave this to me," Tommy said to his roommate, who had been diligently maintaining order at the party, as he stepped up to the keg.

Seeing Tommy take over, Jason finally moved towards a group of girls.

Tommy lit a cigarette, sat leisurely on the sofa next to the beer keg, and sipped his beer. He hated being alone and enjoyed the warm buzz of people around him. Even if he was just watching quietly from the sidelines without participating, it relaxed him.

"You actually don’t take the initiative to hit on girls?" Julie Dress came over, smiling, "I was sitting on the couch waiting for you to come back and keep me company."

Tommy, as before, freed up the space next to him and gestured for the white and Latina mixed beauty to sit down, then said with a smile, "On the matter of taking the initiative, I have some insights. From what I know, some girls wear purity rings. They might seem open, but are actually reserved at heart. Yet, to have fun at a party, sometimes they’ll tuck away their rings. If you happen to hit on this kind of girl at a party, it can get really awkward, especially when things want to move forward and she tells you she’ll only get intimate with her life partner. Guess how that guy feels? So generally, I don’t rush to hit on anyone. A girl who’s resolved to stay chaste will put her ring back on when she starts to feel tipsy, signaling to the guys to wait until all the girls have shown their true colors before they consider hitting on them. Perhaps that timing is more appropriate."

"That’s quite an eye-opener. Are you really a freshman? You sound experienced enough to teach a course on seduction at Stanford," Julie said to Tommy, "We’ve only chatted for ten minutes and you’ve already revealed so much about your attitude. You don’t mind getting intimate with girls, but you’re definitely not prepared to invest emotions or waste time on them?"

Taking small sips of his beer, Tommy’s face broke into a smile, "Spot on, that’s exactly how it is, Miss Julie Dress."

"That’s not cool at all. No girl likes a guy like that," Julie said with a look of disgust upon realizing Tommy had actually admitted it, "If you’re going to be like that, you might as well call an escort service and have those prostitutes come over for fun."

Tommy looked at Julie, smiling, "Do you know, if not for the fact that freshmen can only live in dorms and that I spent a fortune on hardware, I indeed would’ve rented a villa and thrown a party with a dozen high-class escorts. The restrictions of being a freshman are cramping my style."

"I bet you bought yourself a flashy sports car to take girls for a spin?" Julie guessed, "After all, guys love to drive their first car during university days."

"No, I bought five different brands of personal computers and dozens of legit software packages," Tommy took a drink and said to Julie, "The only reasons I’m sitting here chatting and killing time are, one, to attract attention from the fraternities and two, to wait for the delivery of my hardware and software. Now do you understand why I don’t mind getting intimate with girls but refuse to waste emotions and time on them? Because no matter how pretty a lady is, she’s only of interest to me when I’m bored."