by Sherry Soule
I scooted forward, my fingers clutching the armrests. “I know! And let me just set the record straight—it’s not me. I’ve never had any type of sexual disease, and I’ve only slept with two guys in my life,” I said in a rush, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“I won’t humiliate you by asking for proof. But then it means someone has it out for you,” Jade said, sitting back and crossing her slender legs. “Have you made any enemies on campus?”
I shook my head. “Not that I’m aware of.” Tension stiffened my posture and made my jaw tight. I flexed my fingers, trying to draw the stress away from my muscles and calm down. “This wasn’t a hazing tactic?”
Jade snorted. “Oh, hell no. Zeta Beta likes to keep things classy when it comes to hazing our PNMs. Don’t worry, I’ll do some snooping. It might be one of the other pledges, and if it was, then that is unacceptable behavior.”
The weight upon my chest lifted. “I’m relieved you guys believe me.” I kept my voice steady, even. “I’ve already contacted the editor-in-chief of Beaumont’s paper, and he said that they’d send out an official retraction and personal apology about the rumor in the next online edition.”
“Good. And we want to believe you,” Brooklyn said, “but unfortunately some of the other Zeta Betas might need more convincing. A few members are claiming that you lied about why you transferred colleges, so they think you’re lying about this, too. We may have to put your bid to a vote because of this rumor.”
Claire didn’t say a word. Her disturbing stare remained focused on something over my shoulder, as if she couldn’t stand to look at me.
I groaned. “Is this really going to hurt my chances on getting into Zeta Beta?”
Jade remained quiet a moment. “Honestly, I’m not sure yet.”
Claire blinked and her unfocused gaze shifted to my face. “Zeta Beta is all about innocent until proven guilty, but rumors like this cannot be associated with our chapter,” she said in a low, almost ominous sounding tone.
My heart pounded against my ribs. I rubbed my chest, then asked, “A-are you saying that I should de-pledge?”
“No,” Jade replied. “Not officially. At least not yet…”
“One of the TAs told me that you’re failing a class this semester.” Claire’s accusing blue stare found mine for several terrible seconds, then shifted away again. “Zeta Beta has high standards, so I suggest that you start studying your ass off or you’re not getting a bid from any sorority.”
How the hell did they know I was failing my European History class? They must have “eyes and ears” everywhere in this school. I’d have to watch my back.
Jade sighed. “We’re going to discuss this with the alumni and get back to you on our decision, Serena. But don’t do anything rash like dropping just yet.”
A small amount of tension left my body. I still had a chance.
“Thanks for understanding,” I meekly said.
Brooklyn stood and smoothed her clothes. “Now, who’s ready to party? After this discussion, I need a drink. Or five.”
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
Without a word, Jade and Claire stood and strolled into the foyer. I trailed behind them. Were they kicking me out already? Brooklyn flung open the front door and Claire shouldered past me onto the porch. Jade ambled through the doorway and down the path to the sidewalk where she stopped beside Claire.
“Um, well, thanks for hearing me out,” I said and turned to walk out the door.
Brooklyn laid a hand on my shoulder to stop me. “You’re not going anywhere, PNM. We have to make an appearance at Kellan’s frat party tonight. His fraternity is Gamma Alpha Delta, or GAD for short, where you got Claire’s purse.”
“Move it!” Jade demanded. “I need to find Kellan before some drunk frosh tries to hit on my man.”
Brooklyn and I stepped outside and she closed the door behind us. Thank the sorority gods I had decided to wear a totally hot Elie Saab dress and my supercute Steve Madden flats.
Still, I hesitated. Unsure a frat party was such a good idea after that STD rumor. I couldn’t endure more ridicule.
“Are any other PNMs going tonight?” I asked.
“Nope. Just you,” Brooklyn said, skipping down the steps. “Don’t stress. No one would dare say anything to you with us around. Trust.”
Well, that was a small relief. But how could I be sure it wasn’t another set up?
“Serena, come on. There’s a margarita with my name on it,” Brooklyn said.
I hurried after her and joined the other girls walking briskly down the street toward the Gamma Alpha Delta house at the end of the block. Professional party girl and my big, Brooklyn, gave me a few pointers on the way, like refraining from laughing at a frat guy’s less than stellar dance moves and getting drunk so my feet wouldn’t hurt in heels.
Role model material!
When we reached the mansion, laughter, conversation, and music boomed from the open windows. We strolled into a living room full of scantily clad bodies. I took a deep breath and stepped into the insanity. The atmosphere held a festive vibe, as if no one had a care in the world or an exam to cram for the next day. I gazed around the room at the people chatting and downing drinks around us. The stench of stale cigarettes and spilled beer almost made me gag.
Pushing past three couples dry humping in the dance area, I followed single-file behind the Zeta Beta sisters toward the kitchen. Was this a frat party or a freak-a-thon?
A hip-hop song blared from the speakers, the bass thrumming in my chest. Five frat guys chatted in a corner with a group of giggling coeds, completely unaware of the amount of liquid spilling from their drinks. The kitchen appeared less crowded and with the open sliding-glass door, it was easier to breathe.
A tall guy with wavy black hair stood behind a bar mixing drinks. “What’s your poison this evening, ladies?” he asked.
“We’ll have shots of cherry vodka with Red Bull chasers,” Jade said, and he poured the clear liquid into four shot glasses, then placed two cans beside them.
I wasn’t much of a drinker, but as they say, ‘When in Rome.’ I lifted a glass, downed it, then took a gulp of Red Bull. It actually tasted pretty damn good. The three girls did the same.
Jade ordered us another round, then announced, “Time to mingle, girls. I’ll catchup with you later. I need to find my man.”
Jade pressed through the partygoers, leaving me with soft-spoken Claire and party-girl Brooklyn, who did two more shots. Then the three of us did as Jade had commanded and socialized with other Zeta Beta sisters and various GAD frat boys. Claire wandered off to scold a Zeta Beta sister for some inappropriate PDA while Brooklyn and I chatted with a guy in my art class.
After doing another shot, Brooklyn dragged me into the dance area. I was hesitant at first since I hadn’t gone out in a long time, but Brooklyn’s energy gave me a small rush and we boogied until we were both sweaty and panting. To my surprise, I was having a blast. We stopped dancing and went to cool off in the kitchen.
“I totally was killin’ it on the dance floor!” Brooklyn patted her sweaty forehead with a napkin, then took a big swig of Red Bull. “Serena, you’re like a blonde bombshell of fun!” she exclaimed.
I laughed. “Thanks?”
Her gaze swept over the room like taking a mental inventory of the available man candy. “Damn, there are a lot of cute guys here tonight.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess…”
My thoughts went straight to Cole, who obviously wouldn’t be invited to a Gamma Alpha Delta party since they were rival fraternities.
“I need to pick out a new boyfriend,” Brooklyn said, like she was shopping for designer shoes.
I gazed around the room and only saw horny frat boys who were attempting to hump anything that moved.
“I’ll be right back,” Brooklyn said. “I gotta pee.” She pushed her way through the crowd and vanished.
Twirling my hair, I awkwardly walked around
until a really tall guy approached me.
“Hey, cutie. Have we met? I thought I knew all the hot freshmen,” he said, slightly slurring his words.
I glanced around the room. “Nope. And I’m not a freshman.”
“In that case, you’ve been hiding your hot self from me. Even drunk I think I would remember meeting a pretty girl like you. Are you here with anyone?” he asked, leaning in closer, and actually sniffing my hair. “Damn. You smell great.”
“Yeah, I’m here with my friends.” I craned my neck around him. Where was Brooklyn? Slobbering frat boys weren’t my thing.
“You wanna dance?”
“Ah, no thanks. Nice to meet you.” I marched in the direction that I’d seen Brooklyn go and found her near the bar doing another shot.
“Saw you chatting with Ethan Reynolds,” she said, placing an empty glass on the counter. “He’s pretty popular. You interested? Because I could totally hook you up.”
“No thanks. He’s not my type.” I leaned closer to Brooklyn. “What’s the deal with the Zeta Beta hating on the ATO frat?”
“Move it, STD skank,” a redhead said under her breath, and then a boney shoulder hit me hard from behind, shoving me out of the way.
I lost my balance and stumbled, crashing into two guys holding full drinks that splashed all over my clothes. Then I staggered forward and fell to my knees on the hardwood floor, banging my hip against a table that held a bowl of onion dip that slid off the edge and landed on my boob like a giant blob of oozing brownish puke.
For a moment, I knelt beside the table unable to move or speak. With my eyes downcast, I sensed everyone gawking at me.
Ground. Open. Now.
Okay. That wasn’t my shining moment. Time to leave Beaumont and move to a different state.
“Are you okay?” Brooklyn asked, touching my shoulder.
“Yeah…I’m fine,” I lied.
Slowly I stood, with my face turning ten different shades of red. The entire party seemed to come to a halt. Almost everyone in the room either stared or snickered.
Nice to meet you. I’m Serena DuPont, the clumsy coed who just made a total ass of herself.
My cute dress was coated in stinky stains and soaked with beer. Both of my knees stung, the skin scratched and bleeding. I blinked back tears and swallowed hard.
“It’s gonna be all right, Serena.” Brooklyn steered me toward the back of the room, then quickly led me to a quiet corner. “Holy crap.” She examined me from my wet shoes to stained dress. “Don’t lie to me. You’re so not okay.”
I swiped at a lone tear. “It’s no biggie. I’m good.”
“Shut up. You’re obviously not fine. Your outfit is totally ruined and you’re bleeding.”
“No shit!” I snapped, then quickly added, “I’m sorry. I just want to leave—”
“Stop it.” Brooklyn shook her head. “Do you know that bitch that bumped into you?”
“No, but I should go,” I said.
“I said stop it,” Brooklyn said, holding my hand and giving my fingers a quick squeeze. “Hmmm, I wonder if that’s the evil person who started the STD rumor.” Her gaze softened when she noticed the tears in my eyes. “And a Zeta Beta doesn’t run away just because she made an ass out of herself.”
“But I’m not a Zeta Beta sister,” I whispered.
“Not acting like this you’re not.”
Jade and Claire suddenly appeared and stood on either side of me.
“We saw the whole thing go down, and you shouldn’t leave,” Jade said. “That Psi Theta bitch smacked into you on purpose.”
“It was Roxy, right? That girl has a stick up her butt,” Claire said, and I caught the hint of a smirk on her lips.
“Now let’s get you cleaned up,” Brooklyn said, winking at me.
Jade pulled out her phone and texted someone. “What size are you? A six?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
“We’ve got your back, PNM,” Brooklyn said with a soft smile. “Zeta Betas look out for one another. When a sister needs to be rescued, we’re there to save the day.”
I sighed. “There’s no need—”
“Don’t make me scold you,” Brooklyn warned. “Sororities like Zeta Beta represent real sisterhoods.”
“The Calvary is almost here,” Jade said, patting my shoulder.
My brows furrowed. “Who?”
“Come with us, PNM,” Claire said.
I followed the Zeta Beta trio down a hallway to the front door, which opened to reveal Raven with a duffel bag.
“I got here as quick as I could,” Raven said, panting.
“Thank you, Raven,” Jade said.
“What is all this?” I asked, glancing at the four of them.
“PNMs like you and Raven are given assignments. Such as party foul emergencies like your recent accident,” Claire explained. “Now go get cleaned up and we’ll see you in ten minutes.”
Brooklyn elbowed me toward Raven, who clutched my hand. She speedily led me into a bathroom at the end of the hallway.
“Righto,” Raven said, locking the door and inspecting the hot mess that was now me. “Jade mentioned that you scuffed up your knees, so sit down.”
I perched on the edge of the toilet while Raven unzipped the bag, removed a first-aid kit, then knelt in front of me, and cleansed my wounds.
“What the hell happened?” Raven asked.
“I’m not sure. Some girl bumped into me. Okay, more like barreled into me like a Russian tank at ramming speed and then I went flying. Ouch!” I flinched when she applied antiseptic to my raw skin.
“Don’t be a baby.” She placed three Band-Aids over the cuts. “I was at my study group when I got the call. So annoying. All this kissing Zeta Beta ass and these lame recruitment tasks suck butt.”
I nodded. “You got that right.”
From inside the duffel bag, Raven pulled out a pair of cute boyfriend jeans and a cropped black Gucci top, and passed them to me. “Put these on.”
I changed clothes and smiled. The Zeta Beta girls were amazing to come to my rescue like this. Raven helped me touch up my makeup and brush out my hair. She even spritzed me with a citrus body spray to get rid of the gross onion dip stench.
A loud knock rattled the door. Over the party’s thumping music, Jade shouted, “Open the door!”
Raven unlocked it, and the door wrenched open to reveal Brooklyn, Jade, and Claire waiting in the hall.
“You clean up nice!” Brooklyn exclaimed.
I hated when people said that. But still…the Zeta Beta sisters had literally saved me from that type of awkward humiliation that can scar a college girl forever and label her a big stinking loser. Again, that swell of wanting to belong filled my heart. Everything about Greek life just seemed so awesome. It was moments like this that had me buying in to the whole aggravating, ass-kissing pledge game.
Jade squeezed my arm. “Feeling better?”
I nodded. “Yup. Thanks to you three.”
When we reentered the party area, I could tell that the mini-makeover had succeeded by the looks people cast in my direction. I held my head high as I stood among the Zeta Beta trio where I belonged. This sorority didn’t simply give off a vibe of friendship. Being a Zeta Beta meant something to these girls. They were sisters.
But in my heart I knew it might mean making a choice between my new friends and Cole…
And now I was back to feeling like stale beer rolled in onion dip.
OMINOUS THREATS
The following Friday in art class, I helped Jade with her painting, through the approval of the professor, and jade seemed grateful for the assistance.
“Thanks, stalky,” Jade said, cleaning her brushes. “I can’t afford to fail this class.”
I set my on canvas aside to dry. “No prob. But please stop calling me stalky.”
Jade nodded slowly with a tight smile. “I’ll do my best, Serena. And I admit taking this course is a lot more fun with you in it. I gotta get to my
next class.” She hurried out the door in a whirl of tangy Hypnotic Poison perfume, which seemed like the perfect scent for the tougher-than-nails ZB leader.
I hoisted my messenger bag higher on my shoulder as I left the building, and the moment I stepped outside, Claire walked out from the alcove.
“Hello.” She clutched a couple of textbooks to her chest. She wore a black Calvin Klein silk jersey T-shirt dress and draped around her neck was a sheer lavender scarf, the ends of which hung over her chest and grazed her stomach. The sun highlighted her chestnut-colored curls. “How was class?”
“Good,” I said. “Do you take any art classes, too?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I am more into literature. I’m taking an advanced Intro to Fiction-Writing course this semester.”
“That’s cool.”
“So...making friends?” she asked.
Not sure my chatty roommate, the ZB trio, or bitchy Raven count as friends yet.
“Sort of,” I said.
Great. Now I sounded flaky. Maybe there was an ‘Intro to Making Conversation Course’ I could take for the socially awkward.
“How’s your dorm?” she asked.
Okay, this was getting weird.
“It’s…fine,” I said.
“What about guys?”
Claire had obviously been sent on a reconnaissance mission. My brain instantly flashed on Cole and the smooth plastic of the ring against my skin.
“Well, I have met this one guy,” I admitted.
“Cole Prescott,” she said flatly.
I blinked in confusion. “H-how did you know that?”
“I noticed you talking in the quad between classes once and he sat with you in the caf the other day. You two looked…cozy.”
Claire stepped closer to me when two girls—clearly good friends—entered the arts building, laughing and talking. A deep ache snapped through me. Being alone was starting to really suck.
“Do you like Cole?” Claire asked.
“He seems okay, but I don’t usually date players,” I said, although my pulse raced at even the mention of his name. Cole was hot, no doubt. And charming and witty. But he was also a major player, and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to get involved with a guy like that.
