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for a response. Rick could just about see steam coming out her ears. Even though she was slightly smaller, his posture brought them eye to eye.
    “I understand,” he answered, despite his emotions.
    “Good!”
    Miller spun on a heel and strode toward the office. On the way, she peeked into the seclusion room through the window. Rick could hear no sound from inside. Apparently, everything met with her approval because she nodded and continued her militant march down the hallway.

Chapter Six
    Monday morning, Jake Scarberry stepped into the frat house living room. They’d really been at it this time and trashed the place. Clothes, including underwear, decorated the floor and furniture. A purple T-shirt swung from the slowly revolving ceiling fan. Beer cans and bottles littered every surface. Balled-up bottle wrappers had been made into spitballs and shot at the ceiling. It’d take a week to get them all cleaned off. What had he done to deserve this?
    He flung open the broom closet. Might as well get to work. Maybe the noise would wake all the still-sleeping frat-boys. On the floor beside the vacuum was a life-sized blow-up doll. She had blonde hair, a pink cupie doll smile, and a blue polka dot bikini. He reached out to move it, bracing a hand on the vacuum handle. What was that? His fingers came away covered in slime. He sniffed it—petroleum jelly. Jake gave his hands an irritated swipe on a rag hanging from a shelf. That’s when he noticed the note gripped between the doll’s hands— had fun last night, thanks for the blow . Sure, it was humorous, but the vacuum was going to require major cleaning before he could use it.
    He snatched the sign and stormed across the room, anger swelling like mumps before he reached the Fraternity President’s door. It was the only bedroom on this floor. He banged on the door. No sound. He pounded again…and again…until an annoyed grunt came from inside.
    “Open the door!” Jake shouted in a voice that echoed throughout the frat house.
    Several moments later, the knob turned. The door opened a crack.
    “Glen, we gotta talk.”
    “Yo, man, I was…”
    Jake jammed a toe in the crack of the door. “Now!”
    Glen opened the door. He wore just boxers, in a colorful psychedelic pattern that hurt Jake’s eyes. Glen raked his fingers through his tousled hair, then brushed a forearm across bloodshot eyes. “Charlie, what’s the matter, dude?” Glen asked around a yawn. “It’s early. We had a huge beer bash last night. It was so awes—”
    Jake shoved the sign into Glen’s chest. “Is that when you guys fucked with my cleaning supplies?”
    Glen squinted at the paper, realized it was upside down, and flipped it so he could read it. Then he frowned, pushed around Jake, and padded barefoot to the broom closet. “Hmm,” was his only response as he examined the doll and vacuum.
    “I have three houses to clean today, but now I have to spend hours cleaning off that goop before I can use the damned thing!”
    Glen straightened up and shrugged. “What do you want me to tell you, Charlie? We’re in college. We like to have fun. Can’t you just laugh it off?”
    “Look.” Jake wondered why he was rationalizing with a kid more than half his age and hung over. “I laughed it off when you guys plastic-wrapped the toilet seats during Homecoming and I had to clean piss and shit off the floor for a week.”
    Glen wasn’t able to suppress a smile.
    “I laughed it off when you guys replaced all the glass cleaner with paint. It cost hundreds of dollars to replace the window—out of my paycheck, by the way!” Jake truly hated dealing with these kids. He sucked in a breath and got hold of his emotions. “I even let it go when you used my maintenance cart as a chariot for Greek week and I came in on Monday to find three wheels missing.”
    “Yeah, it was a hell of a year.” Glen’s grin widened.
    Jake wanted to shake the kid. “Point is…how much crap are you and your buddies