Fair-Weather Friends (3 page)

“So you see them shake their butts on stage, now all of a sudden you want to be a member?” I asked.

Camille exhaled loudly like I was really frustrating her. “It's not that at all. I mean, I'd been seeing them around school and stuff but I never really paid them much attention. But after they brought down the house at that step show, I just started talking to them.”

“And let me guess,” I interrupted, rolling my eyes. “You now think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread?”

Camille folded her arms across her chest, pouting. “Why you gotta be so negative?”

I just stared at her. “Camille, get real, okay? You watch these girls perform one time, and now they're supposed to be all that and a bag of chips.”

“It's about more than being in step shows. They do stuff in the community and everything.”

Camille was really getting on my nerves. “As if we need to do any more in the community. Hello!” I pointed down the street toward the middle school. “We're getting ready to go do community service right now. We don't need to join a sorority to do that.”

“Jasmine, all I'm saying is think about it.”

I let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Okay.” I paused a
minute and put my finger to my head like I was thinking, then looked at Camille. “Thought about it, and the answer is still no.”

“I don't know, Jaz,” Angel chimed in. “It might be worth looking into. I kinda like the Thetas.”

Camille broke out in a huge smile. “And the good thing is I called Alexis last night and she's game. Even Tameka is in.”

“Well, y'all can be game without me because I'm not tryin' to be in a stupid sorority.”

“Why does it have to be stupid? Huh, Jasmine?” Camille asked.

I rubbed my eyes. I knew Camille. She was not going to let up on this issue. I know I have gone along with a lot of things, but this whole “let's join a sorority” thing? I definitely wasn't feeling it.

“Why do they have sororities in high school anyway? I thought that was just for college,” I snapped. “The whole idea is dumb.”

“Girl, please. High school sororities are everywhere now. And they're the thing to be involved in,” Camille said.

“Oh, so now we need to be in a sorority to prove we somebody?” I looked at my watch, then down the street, wishing Alexis would hurry up.

Camille stuck out her bottom lip. She could be so spoiled sometimes when she didn't get her way. “You make it sound so crazy,” she finally said.

“That's because it is!”

She was just about to say something else when C. J., this chocolate-skinned boy I used to have a crush on, walked up. He was dressed like Kanye West in a bright orange vest, white T-shirt, and white pants. He actually looked really cute, although I'd never tell him that because he used to call me Grape Ape when we first met because I was so tall. But now he'd caught up to me in height and had the nerve to flirt with me. Still, I wasn't giving him the time of day.

“What's up, ladies?” He turned toward me. “Hey, Jasmine. You lookin' good today, girl.”

I rolled my eyes. C. J. had been playing games since I first met him. One minute he was calling me names, the next he was mackin' like he wanted me to be his girl or something. I didn't have time to play games with him. He made me sick. Sometimes. If only he wasn't so dang cute.

“Whatever, C. J.,” I muttered.

“We were just telling Jasmine why she should join the Thetas,” Camille said. I knew what she was doing, trying to get C. J. in on the push to get me to join, and I couldn't appreciate that.

“Oh, that's what's up,” C. J. said, a big grin crossing his face. “I can see you as a Theta Lady. You're hot just like them. But I don't know if you joining is such a good idea.”

Camille frowned. “And why not?” she asked.

Even I was a little curious as to why he'd said that.

C. J. stroked his chin. “Because if Jasmine becomes a
Theta, I'm gon' have to fight the dudes off and I'll never get a chance.” He stepped closer to me, his gaze burrowing into mine. “So I guess I don't want her to join for selfish reasons.”

“Oh, gimme a break,” Camille playfully groaned.

I couldn't help but smile, even though I was trying not to. I was also trying not to let my butterflies show because I didn't want C. J. to think he had my nose all wide open and stuff.

“Well, I gotta go. I have to get to band practice,” C. J. said. “I'll talk to you later, Jasmine.”

“No, you won't,” I replied. He just smiled like he knew one day he'd break me down. Like that would ever happen. At least that's what I told myself.

We watched C. J. walk off just as Alexis pulled up, yapping away on her iPhone. She was the only person I knew who had one. Shoot, she was the only person I knew who could even afford one.

“Hey, girls,” Alexis said, ending her phone conversation.

We all spoke and Camille immediately began filling Alexis in as we piled into her BMW. She, of course, was completely into trying out for the Thetas.

The three of them giggled incessantly as we made our way toward the middle school. I really had tuned them out until I heard Camille say, “Even C. J. thinks Jasmine should be a Theta.”

I popped back into the conversation. “Like I care what C. J. thinks.”

“You know you care,” Camille teased. “And just think how cute he'll think you are wearing that pink and white,” she added.

I sighed and stopped fighting. Maybe it was seeing C. J. Maybe it was just Camille finally wearing me down. Either way, I found myself saying, “Fine, I'll go check out the Thetas. But I'm not making any promises.”

Camille squealed as she threw her arms around my neck and tried to hug me. “Yes! This is going to be so cool!”

I pushed her away. “Get off me!” But she could tell I wasn't mad.

She laughed then said, “I promise you won't regret this.”

Camille just didn't know. I was regretting it already.

“I
so cannot believe I'm doing this.” I stared at myself in the mirror in the girls' bathroom. I had to admit that I was looking pretty cute in Alexis's black designer suit. The suit would probably swallow her now since she'd dropped six dress sizes, but it fit me perfectly since she'd had her housekeeper Sonya take it in. Shoot, it actually looked good on me. The skirt was a whole lot shorter on me that I imagine it was on Alexis but it still looked like it was made for me.

“I'm just glad you agreed to go,” Camille said, fluffing out her spiral curls.

“It's not like you left me much choice,” I mumbled. “You dang near put a gun to my head.”

“Oh, stop being a drama queen. I simply explained to you all the reasons why you should consider joining the Thetas.”

I added some MAC Lipglass, then responded. “Yeah, like you're their personal recruiter or something.”

“Well, I'm just glad she got you to warm to the idea,” Angel said.

“Yeah, we have to agree that we're all in this together or none of us are in it, okay?” Alexis said.

Camille and Angel nodded. Me? I just grunted, but I guess they took that for a yes because no one gave me a hard time.

“Does that little all-in-it-together pact include Tameka?” I smiled slyly, knowing that it probably should but it didn't. Even though we were cool with Tameka, we really could take her or leave her.

“Yes, of course it does,” Camille replied. I could tell she was lying.

“Where is Tameka anyway?” Alexis asked.

“She had tutoring so she said she's going to meet us there,” Camille answered.

Alexis shrugged like it didn't really matter.

Angel put the last of her makeup into her purse. “Wouldn't it be great if we all made it in?” she said as she made her way over to wait by the door.

“What do you mean
if
? ” Camille asked. “Don't you mean
when
?”

Angel and Alexis giggled. On the other hand, I still wasn't feeling this whole idea. There was something about the sorority girls that just wasn't sitting right with me. But I guess it was too late now. We were getting ready to go
into the interest meeting, and I'd already promised Camille that I would fill out an application.

“Come on, the meeting starts in five minutes,” Alexis said, looking at her watch. She took part in a work-study program at her school that allowed her to skip her last two classes and go to work. Those people at her school should've known she wasn't working anywhere. But I guess you can do stuff like that when you're rich: Alexis came straight here so she could be on time for the meeting. Work wasn't even an afterthought for her.

“Do we really need to be the first ones there?” I asked as I headed to the door. “Dang.”

“Would you stop complaining and come on,” Alexis said.

We filed out of the bathroom and into the classroom where the Thetas were having their meeting. The room was packed with a bunch of wannabes so I guess I didn't have to worry about being one of the first ones there. Tameka was already seated in the front row. Talk about being excited. You'd think she was about to win the lottery or something the way she was cheesin'.

I recognized a lot of girls from around school. I had no idea any of them were even halfway interested in being in a sorority. But I'm sure they were saying the same thing about me.

“I'm going to need you to lose the attitude,” Camille
leaned in to me and whispered as we walked to the back of the room.

I caught myself. I didn't realize I was scowling with my nose turned up.

“I'm cool,” I said. I really was going to try and have a good experience. Since my girls were so excited about it, I was hoping I would warm to the whole idea. And who knows, maybe it would turn out to be okay.

The meeting got under way and we played a couple of games to break the ice and get to know one another. The games were actually fun. One of them required us to introduce ourselves to someone new and find out something unique about them.

After about ten minutes, me and most of the other girls had loosened up and we all were having a really good time.

I almost died when Tori Young walked to the front of the room and introduced herself as the president of the Theta Ladies. I could hang it up. Tori couldn't stand me. I couldn't stand her. I had a better chance of getting struck by lightning than getting accepted. I almost got up and walked out. Camille must've known what I was thinking because she squeezed my hand.

“It's no big deal,” she whispered.

“For you, maybe. You know she hates my guts.” I shook my head. “I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this.”

If Tori hadn't already begun talking, I probably
would've gotten up and left the room. But since she was, I stayed put.

After Tori finished, another girl named Lynn got up and started talking about their history, when they were started, and the purpose of the group. Another girl followed her and talked about how the sorority wasn't all about stepping and dancing and how they tried to focus a lot on doing community service. Camille shot me an “I told you so” look. I smiled back at her and I could tell she was glad to see me relaxing a bit.

I had put Tori out of my mind and was now focused on Mrs. Lane, an English teacher and the Theta advisor. She was telling us about how we didn't have to worry about hazing, because it was against their rules. Thank goodness, 'cause I definitely wasn't with that.

“So, are there any questions?” Tori asked after they had all finished with their presentations.

A girl in the front row raised her hand. “Yes, I'd like to know if being in your organization will help me get into a sorority when I get into college.”

Tori smiled like she was used to people asking that. “We aren't really affiliated with any of the national college sororities, but we do have a lot of the same ideas and principles. And we'd like to think we're sort of a training ground to prepare you for when you
do
get to college,” she replied.

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, the girl nodded.

Tori took a few more questions, including one from this girl who was known around school as Funky Mona because she always smelled like rotten fish. I could tell from the look on Tori's face that Mona had about as much chance as I did of ever becoming a Theta Lady.

After the question-and-answer session, we all got applications to fill out. Tori walked over and personally handed me mine.

“Jasmine, I know we have a rocky history,” she sweetly said. “But I want you to know that's all in the past. And I hope you don't let that keep you from deciding to apply to our wonderful organization.”

I know shock was written all over my face. I never would've expected that from her.

“Ummm, thanks,” was all I could reply.

She flashed another smile before walking off to talk to some other girls.

“See, if that's not proof you need to be a Theta, I don't know what is.” Camille had crept up behind me and was now grinning widely.

I playfully rolled my eyes. Maybe Tori had changed and this wouldn't be so bad after all. Camille looked like she wanted to scream for joy when I sat down and began filling out my paper.

“So, now what?” I asked after we all turned in our applications and were leaving the meeting.

Camille smiled. “Now we wait for our invitation to join, then we become Theta Ladies.”

I sighed, trying not to burst her bubble. She seemed like she had this all figured out. But my gut was still telling me things weren't going to go as smoothly as Camille had planned.

M
y eyes scanned the note in my hands. I'd found it stuffed inside my locker. It read:

Meet at Brentwood Park. Seven p.m. sharp! Wear black clothes and white tennis shoes!