Line & Verse - Chapters I & II
Line & Verse is a serialized LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story exploring desire, belonging, and the secret world of Southern college fraternities in the ‘90s.
Welcome to the first installment of Line & Verse. Set at a traditional, deeply conservative college at the end of the 20th century, this is a world of tailgates, pledging rituals, and unspoken truths. It’s about belonging and becoming—and the moments that change you in ways you can’t yet name.
Chapter 1: Orientation
Eli after practice, cigarette glowing faintly.
The heat was suffocating, a thick August blanket draping over the rolling Virginia hills. Ethan Harris wiped sweat from his brow as he stepped from his old Cherokee onto the cracked brick sidewalk of Westmore College. He gazed at the row of stately red-brick buildings flanked by sprawling oaks, their shade promising relief that never quite came. He lit a cigarette—a new habit he'd taken up to mask his anxiety—and drew deeply, eyes squinting through the smoke at students hauling boxes and greeting each other loudly.
Westmore had gone coed almost a decade ago, but the place still felt built for men. The quad was thick with handshakes, backslaps, and the casual, sharp-edged banter that made outsiders flinch but here passed for normal. Across the lawn, a cluster of girls from Waverly College in sundresses laughed at something one of the guys assembled around them said, already part of the orbit during Freshman orientation week.
Inside his dorm, his roommate Mark Bennett sat cross-legged on the bed, grinning beneath a mop of sun-bleached hair.
“You must be Ethan,” he said easily. “I’m Mark.”
Ethan nodded, forcing a smile.
“Yeah. Good to meet you.”
Mark leaned forward conspiratorially.
“Planning on rushing? My brother Eli’s a junior in Delta Chi. It’s the best house on campus—pretty much a guaranteed good time. They have a reputation for parties that go later and stranger than anyone else’s. Drugs are as common as beer, and the seniors run a place off-campus called the Annex. Only brothers and the lucky few ever get invited there.”
Before Ethan could respond, a figure passed their open doorway. Ethan’s breath caught at the effortless swagger of the guy who paused outside. Eli Bennett stood tall, lean muscles visible beneath a faded lacrosse jersey, sun-streaked hair damp with sweat. He raised an eyebrow and smiled casually at Mark.
“Welcome to paradise, boys,” Eli drawled, his voice warm, southern-tinged confidence radiating.
His gaze flicked briefly over Ethan, causing a tightening low in Ethan’s gut that he refused to acknowledge. Eli tapped a cigarette from behind his ear, lit it smoothly, and walked away without another word.
Ethan exhaled shakily, realizing he’d been holding his breath. Mark laughed, oblivious.
“That’s Eli. Kind of a campus legend. He used to be on the lacrosse team, but quit last year to ‘enjoy his last two years.’ Whatever... ”
The rest of the afternoon was a blur of unpacking boxes and dodging overly cheerful upperclassmen offering directions. Ethan explored the campus aimlessly, trying to memorize building names. Everywhere, students were leaning against trees or sitting on the steps of buildings, cigarettes dangling casually from fingers as they laughed like they belonged here.
Ethan standing off to the side at the bonfire, cigarette glowing faintly.
That night at Delta Chi’s welcome back party, Ethan stood awkwardly by a roaring bonfire, cigarette in hand. Around him, freshmen mingled nervously while upperclassmen laughed easily, sharing inside jokes. The flames threw sparks into the humid night, and the smell of beer and campfire clung to everything. Ethan's gaze drifted repeatedly to Eli, silhouetted by the firelight, cigarette glowing between his fingers, features sharp yet inviting.
Eli’s head tipped back as he laughed at something a brother said, and Ethan felt that same twisting in his stomach again. He shifted uncomfortably, aware of how much he wanted to be closer, of how much he wanted to be noticed.
When their eyes finally met across the flames, Eli’s expression softened slightly, unreadable yet intense. Ethan’s pulse quickened, and he hastily dropped his gaze, taking another drag to steady himself. Whatever this was, he was determined not to let anyone—including himself—see it.
When Eli moved past him toward the fire, the air shifted—something faint, clean, and warm. Ethan couldn’t place it then, but later he’d realize it was the smell of Eli’s laundry, the kind of scent that lingered after the person left the room.
Later, lying in his dorm bed, the sounds of laughter and music drifting faintly through the window, Ethan stared at the ceiling. He could still see Eli’s face in the firelight and feel that strange knot in his chest. He told himself it was nerves.
It had to be.
Chapter 2: Welcome Back Party
A smoky, crowded fraternity house interior.
That first week was chaos. Ethan navigated a relentless whirlwind of handshakes, small talk, and forced camaraderie, cigarettes providing his only steady companion. He gravitated towards Delta Chi’s towering columns and stately porch, its aura of tradition both intimidating and appealing. Mark introduced him to brothers and pledges alike, all of whom seemed larger than life.
The Delta Chi house was buzzing that night. Music thumped from enormous speakers, Dave Matthews blending into classic rock, the smoky haze inside thick as fog. Ethan held a lukewarm Milwaukee’s Best, silently grateful for something to occupy his hands. Everywhere he looked, there was noise and movement: guys tossing footballs across the lawn, girls in sundresses laughing too loudly, upperclassmen commanding the room with easy confidence.
He was acutely aware of Eli, casually leaning against a wall near the kitchen, holding court with several fraternity brothers and a few girls from a nearby college. Ethan's eyes traced Eli’s confident posture, the way his shirt pulled taut against his shoulders, the casual yet intentional movement of his hands as he talked. Eli seemed untouchable, the kind of person who belonged effortlessly anywhere. There was something deliberate in the way Eli looked at him - not quite judgement, not quite curiosity. More like he was weighing something in his mind.
“Ethan,” Eli called suddenly, catching him off guard. “Come here.”
Ethan hesitated only a moment before moving forward slowly, heart racing. Eli's eyes held his, a faint smirk playing at his lips. He offered Ethan a cigarette, fingers brushing briefly during the exchange, sending a jolt through Ethan’s chest.
“You seem tense,” Eli said softly, close enough now that his voice felt intimate, meant only for Ethan. “Westmore week getting to you?”
Ethan shrugged awkwardly, eyes fixed on Eli’s mouth.
“Just getting used to everything, I guess.”
Eli nodded slowly, eyes searching Ethan’s face for something unspoken.
“Stick with us. It’ll get easier.”
The words were nothing, really, but the way Eli said them made Ethan’s throat tighten. He nodded quickly, afraid his voice would betray him. Eli turned back to his friends, breaking the moment. Ethan stepped away shakily, needing air.
Eli offering Ethan a cigarette, their fingers brushing under the porch light.
Outside on the porch, the cooler night air did little to settle him. He lit another cigarette and leaned against a column, watching the silhouettes of students moving around the yard. He felt completely out of place yet inexplicably tethered here now. He thought of Eli's brief touch, the way his gaze seemed to see something Ethan didn’t want anyone to see.
He stayed outside for a long time, smoking in silence, telling himself that his reaction to Eli was just admiration. But when Eli stepped onto the porch later, cigarette glowing softly, and gave him that same unreadable look, Ethan knew he was lying to himself.
Next time on Line & Verse:
Ethan’s next invite takes him deep into the Virginia woods to a secret farmhouse known asthe Annex, where brutal hazing rituals and unspoken hierarchies rule. What he experiences there will leave him changed—and bind him to the fraternity, and to Eli, in ways he doesn’t yet understand.
Chapter 3 drops next week.
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