Memory 4 ♡ Brand New Sorority

I rushed home with the same funny walk a person got when they were in dire need of visiting the restroom. For some reason I couldn't shake off the fact that I was rattled, and I offloaded all that energy on scrubbing every surface of the apartment while listening to my best friend's band. But even loud rock wasn't unable to prevent my mind from wandering.


When I'd been a sophomore at Trinity, my roommate had been expelled from school. Her name had been Jessica Ashford, and her crime had been to have kissed another girl on a dare. She and I had never been close, but I thought it was bullshit that only she would face any sort of repercussions despite the fact that it had been the victim who had dared her. After she left, there had been an uneven number of girls in my class, which meant I'd be alone in a dorm room meant for two.


It had been wonderful. Jess had been a bit of a control freak who wanted everything organized and neat, and I had no patience for that. I figured I'd now be free to keep all my things strewn about every surface with no accountability but my own. Except things weren't as blissful. Soon after the rumors started. Nobody liked gossiping about other people's business better than the kids who attended Trinity, so naturally someone figured that if Jessica was a lesbian, then by the fact that I shared room with her must have meant I'd been corrupted.


First of all, how dare they. Jess was bi.


Second of all, just because we shared space didn't mean I automatically morphed who I was because of who she was. Or got her into me. Or for that matter, got into her. It was the same kind of homophobic, shitty logic of a guy who was afraid of even being in the same space as someone gay, thinking that automatically made them attracted to him. No, people had tastes of their own.


I was even lonelier after she left, especially when the bullying begun. At first I let everything slide, hoping that if I didn't show any reactions they'd grow bored and leave me alone. Instead it got even worse, until at some point a couple of girls stole my clothes while I was showering, hoping to humiliate me. They ended up with a bunch of bruises and I landed in detention as punishment for giving them their new looks.


That was where I met Page, her boyfriend, Jace, and his roommate, Miguel. They'd been busted for sneaking out of the school grounds during class hours but they'd liked my story much better and even though they were seniors, they invited me to have lunch with them. I remembered giving them a polite non-answer, but they found me at the cafeteria and sat with me anyway. That day and the next, and the next, and every day until they graduated.


They'd been lifesavers to me, a point of brightness in an otherwise gloomy school environment. Especially Page. She'd been the one to see my fascination with fashion and ask me why I didn't convert it into a career. It'd got me thinking a lot that year. Did I love it because I'd grown up seeing my mother embellish herself with exclusive pieces of clothes and jewelry? Was it because I wished they'd suit me?


"I don't know," she'd told me one afternoon as we sat on the grass. She ran her fingers through the green blades and said, "Why don't you create something and see how that makes you feel?"


She was the first person I made a piece of clothing for, the reason I knew I wanted to do what I did.


I hadn't been as close to the boys. Jace was always with his girlfriend, and had no option but to get used to me tagging along. He was nice and friendly, but at times I could feel his frustration at not being alone with Page as much as he wanted, which was why I tried to make myself scarce as often as I could. As soon as he realized what my efforts were all about, he grew more of a liking to me.


It had been more complex with Miguel. He had probably been feeling like a third wheel that way since before I came into the picture, and taking advantage of the distraction I provided he dived right into the dating pool at Trinity and rumor had it, outside of its walls as well. If that didn't keep him busy, his little sister Charlie did. She was in my class and I'd tried to steer clear of her since freshman year. It wasn't just rumors that she was somewhat unstable and anti-social and far too much for someone like me to deal with. She really was. Being in the social proximity of her or her brother gave me anxiety, until one day she told me I was cool in her books.


"Thanks?" I asked, wondering where the sudden compliment came from.


She shrugged the shoulder from where a large gym bag hung from its strap. "Miguel said you punched two bullies. I could give you some pointers on technique for next time."


I let out an uncomfortable laugh. "I'm really hoping there's never a next time."


But it wasn't like we'd become friends after that, or Miguel and I. We'd been friendly, but that was it. For the remainder of the school year I hung out with Page and Jace and looked at the Bernal siblings from up close, even though it felt like there were miles between us.


I'd been really sad when the seniors graduated and wondered if maybe it'd be an opportunity for Charlie and I to develop some sort of friendship, but she'd transferred abroad for the first half of our senior year. It was her empty spot the one that Vera had taken, and I'd been so thankful for that turn of events. Vera and I got along much better than I would have with Charlie, someone I had nothing in common with other than vaguely knowing her brother.


I hadn't thought about them for years. While Page and I kept in touch on the regular, and Jace too, by virtue of the fact that they were still together, Miguel and his sister had fallen completely off my radar. Although the Bernal family was part of the exclusive club of the uber rich in Orlando, Page had told me that lately they had more business in Canada than down here.


That was it, I told myself. What I was reeling from was the surprise of seeing him again in such an unexpected setting. I thought he'd relocated to Canada or somewhere else. Most of the kids from Trinity went to Ivy League schools or even better ones abroad. I never expected to see anybody from those times in town. It was a shock, that was all.


Once I made peace with that, everything else fell into place. I was able to unplug my mind from memories of a past life and finish up the cleaning. A look at my phone told me that Ayrton would be home soon, and so would the applicant.


"There," I said, snapping off the gloves I'd worn while I cleaned up a storm. My back creaked as I straightened myself, and I nearly gave my self a heart failure at how terrible I looked. The exertion had drenched me in sweat and I was as red in the face as if I'd been hung from my legs. This wasn't the first impression I had to give a potential flatmate. I fired off a text to Ayrton and hopped in the shower.


Which was how Ayrton and a girl entered the apartment and caught me wrapped in my towel and drinking directly from the carton of orange juice.


"Shit!"


I ducked under the counter.


Ayr, being the supportive friend he was, burst into a fit of laughter so loud it was a wonder we didn't get any noise complaints from the neighbors.


"Can you both please turn around so I can head to my room and get dressed?"


"Sure thing, girl, it's no trouble," she said. I peeked from over the counter and saw that she'd given her back to me. I was immediately inclined to like her.


A few minutes later we all sat in the living room. I was sure that my face was redder than my hair, but she played it way cooler than Ayr.


"What a first impression," he said, still in the throes of unrequited amusement.


I glared at him. "Not helping." I turned to her. "Anyway, sorry about that. You said your name was...?"


"Becca Masterson."


She offered a delicate hand that I shook. Her nails were perfectly manicured with a cute baby blue polish, fingers adorned by dainty rings with little stars and moons. If anyone asked me, she looked like a model straight out of Teen Vogue, all blonde beauty waves and wide blue eyes. She was cute and feminine in every way I wasn't, and I immediately wanted to ask her if she'd be my model for the semester. But that would probably be creepy.


"So Becca, tell us a little about you."


"Sure." She gave a little smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Where to begin?"


"What do you go to school for?" I asked.


"Journalism," she said at once. "I'm hoping to become a local newscaster. What about you, guys?"


"Film school," Ayr said. "I guess that means you don't have a problem being in front of the camera?"


Even her laugh was twinkling and soft. "Not at all."


"Well then you won't mind it if maybe I ask you for some help this semester-"


"Hey!" I frowned at him. "I was going to ask the same."


"You also go to film school, Addy?"


"Fashion school," I answered her, shrugging. "I'm always looking for new people to model my creations for my portfolio."


Her blue eyes widened. "That sounds fun, actually."


I gave Ayrton a haughty look.


He deflected it by asking her, "So why are you looking for a room? You look like you'd be in a sorority, no offense."


My jaw dropped. "Ayrton!"


"None taken," Becca cut in. "I was a sorority girl, but the Greek life didn't agree with me."


She was smiling, but after I cast a look at Ayrton I confirmed that he didn't believe that was the full story. Still, it wasn't like we could press her about it. We carried on talking about the terms and conditions. Such as no parties or sleepovers, failure to pay rent the last day of the month would mean termination of contract—no ifs or buts. Everybody was to have and wash their own silverware and pots and all other chores would be divvied up with the help of a whiteboard Ayrton had installed in the kitchen. Becca agreed to all the conditions and gave us a couple of references that would certify she wouldn't murder us in our sleep.


A couple of days later after we'd checked her out and confirmed that she seemed normal enough, and we finally had the last member of our brand new sorority. I thought I'd been so clever when I told Ayrton about that, without realizing that the reason I'd never joined one was because of the drama.


And boy, a storm of drama was headed my way.





who here remembers everything the first half of the chapter referred to?


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