I don't know what I'm drinking, but I know it's bitter and I have to hold my breath while I sip it. The metallic taste of copper flakes peeling off of the cheaply painted third-place trophy cup I'm drinking from isn't helping.

The trophy isn't mine – it belongs to Liam, another Briar College kid in a different weight class – but each of us that competed are expected to chug from his cup until he says otherwise. It's been twenty seconds already, and I haven’t heard otherwise! – instead, Liam and the rest of the room are just standing around half-naked in their homemade togas and grinning back at me.

I hope they aren't noticing the wetness building up in my eyes.

I try to take it slow, but before I know it I'm tilting the cup nearly upside down and realizing it's empty. The room erupts into cheers and hollers. I feel a familiar weight clasping down on my shoulder, and then the cup is out of my hands and being held up in the air above my head.

"To Liam!" Michael shouts from behind me.

Red plastic cups jut into the air all around the room, like a string of Christmas lights being pulled taut from wall to wall.

"To Liam!" the room yells back.

I take advantage of everyone momentarily burying themselves in their cups to cough into my arm and wipe nascent tears from eyes. My throat is on fire, and my cheeks are burning up. I'm not sure if it's from the alcohol, the draft blowing up my linen toga, or Michael's hand still resting loosely on my shoulder.

"You did good, Gretzky." He's speaking quietly. "For a novice."

He's being generous. I did terribly. Out of four bouts, I lost three. Two of them ended in a pin within the first minute.

The last bout I won by submission – but only because my opponent got a leg cramp in the middle of my hold.

Still, I got through the entire tournament without a single instance of visceral embarrassment, so I just nod back in agreement.

"I better go hide this trophy before Liam tries to fill it up again. I don't think you'll survive a second round."

Michael steps away and takes his hand with him. Immediately, I feel alone in a crowded room.

"I think you're wanted out back on the deck!" he shouts back as he disappears into another room.

I try to follow after him to ask what he's talking about, but Liam steps in front of me blocking my way. His arms are crossed, and he has a devious smirk across his face.

"The Man, the Myth, the Adam – thou didst drank from mine cup!" his words are slightly slurred.

"I, uh, didst," I reply while trying to sidestep around him.

Before I can, he unfurls his arms and wraps them around my shoulders pinning my arms to my side.

"Welcome to the brotherhood, Gretz!" He whispers and lifts me straight up off of the ground in a bear hug.

My legs flail a bit before he puts me back down.

"Thank you," I eke out.

Again, I try to step around him, but he grabs my shoulders and flips me around to start pushing me in the opposite direction.

"Come on Gretz, we've got rituals to perform!"

I have no idea what he's referring to, but I'm glad Michael took the trophy cup away. He was right about not surviving another chugging ceremony.

We make it to a sliding glass door that leads to the second-floor deck of the house we're all partying in. It belongs to some Briar alumnus with too much money and patience for debauchery. Liam slides the door open and pushes me onto the deck where a few of the other freshman are shivering in the chilly night air.

Liam runs to the edge of the deck and shouts down to the students below.

"Clear the pool! We have cubs to baptize!"

I hear a few cheers and the smacking of waves as people exit the pool that's apparently sitting below the deck.

Liam flips back towards the few of us standing awkwardly behind him.

"Alright kids, it's time to strip down, jump, and emerge as new men! Only then can you aspire to echo the greatness of your superiors, like yours truly." Somehow Liam's slur is gone, and he's bowing grandly.

"The greatness of third place?" the boy next to me retorts snarkily. We all laugh, including Liam.

"You can dream, Frankie." Liam's voice drops down to a serious tone again, "Now strip boys."

A few of us exchange confused looks. Frankie turns back to Liam.

"We're not wearing underwear."

Liam laughs.

"None of us are!" He lifts the front of his toga and flashes us.

I turn my head as soon as he does, focusing intently on calming my heartbeat. But like someone saying 'Don't picture an elephant', of course the image of his body is all I can think about.

Frankie and the other boys mutter to each other and shrug. Then they start undoing the knots of their togas.

I turn towards the sliding glass door, "You know, actually I really have to pee first."

I take a step towards the door, but Liam lurches forward and grabs my wrist.

"Nuh-uh, Gretzky. No escaping this. You can pee in the pool."

He pulls me forward ahead of the rest of the group.

I look over the edge of the deck, and sure enough, there's a below-ground pool just within hopping distance.

Someone clears their throat behind me, and I look over my shoulder.

Some of the boys are already completely stripped down, cupping both hands over their junk. I see a few dark patches of hair poking out from behind their hands, and slivers of skin peeking between their fingers. Frankie is holding his toga in front of him, and the boy to his right is standing proudly bare, with both hands folded behind his head.

There is a crowd of faces gathered at the glass doors behind them, chucking at the naked boys' backsides. A few phones are out taking pictures and, in all likelihood, videos. I turn my attention back to the pool, pushing aside the image of my shivering, naked teammates aside as best I can. I step up onto the edge of the deck.

There is a crowd gathered below, too. And more phones pointed upward at me.

I decide that I'd better get this over with quickly before I have a… situation.

I slip the knot of my toga off my shoulder and drop it down to my ankles so I can step out of it, covering myself with one hand. Another round of cheers and a few apish hoots break out behind me.

I kick my toga off the deck onto the ground below so I'll be able to climb out and put it back on once I get out of the pool.

Then I take a deep breath and launch myself from the edge before I can back out.

On the way down, all I can think is I hope the water's cold.