Lessons in Love (21 page)

Entering the house, the girls were absorbed into the heart of the party. All around them were students dancing, making out and generally having an amazing time. A guy who Alex had never seen before passed a drink to both her and Ashley. Alex went to take a sip from it, but Ashley stopped her.

“Sniff it first,” Ashley instructed.

“Why?” Alex was now having to shout to be heard.

“It might have a roofie in it.”

“Can you smell those?”

“I can,” Ashley answered proudly. “Living in L.A., it’s kind of an essential skill to have if you want to party on Sunset.”

Alex nodded numbly as Ashley smelt both drinks before nodding and giving her approval. Having never really drunk beer before, Alex had no expectations. She’d once taken a sip of her father’s unattended drink when she was younger but thought it tasted horrid and failed to see the appeal.

Taking a delicate sip from her plastic cup, she noted that the taste hadn’t improved since she had last tried it.

“It tastes better by the fourth or fifth one!” Ashley laughed, taking long gulps from her own drink.

The girls wandered deeper into the house. Alex was surprised by how nice it was inside. It was really homey, with a large kitchen and comfortable living room. She had no idea that students lived in such comfort.

“So this is a fraternity house?” Alex asked as they stood in the kitchen, coyly watching the party unfold further ahead of them. It was quieter at the back of the house, so they could talk more easily.

“Yeah, Gamma Delta, I think.”

“Umm.” Alex drank more of her beer.

“It’s basically an exclusive club,” Ashley explained, sensing that Alex didn’t know much about the Greek system.

“Are you going to join one?”

“A sorority, well, yeah.” Ashley nodded. “I’m a legacy. My mom was in Kappa Pi. You should pledge with me; it’d be fun!”

“I don’t know.”

“Seriously, it’s awesome. My mom always talks about her sorority days and her sisters.”

Alex thought of her own mother back in their trailer in Woodsdale, which felt a million miles away from the plush fraternity house she was currently standing in. Alex looked around, taking in the mahogany furnishings in the kitchen, the tiled floor beneath her feet. She felt like she was finally where she belonged, no longer restricted to the bottom rung of the social ladder.

“Sure, why not?” Alex smiled.

“Great. I’m sure they’ll love you. Did you cheer or anything in high school? They love to take cheerleaders.”

“I was head cheerleader at my high school.”

“Fabulous! Then they’ll definitely take you!” Ashley beamed. “Now let’s go have some fun!”

****

Three beers later and Alex started to feel a bit worse for wear. The music had blurred into one long, monotonous song, and all around her were people either drunkenly swaying or passionately making out.

She’d lost Ashley. About an hour or so ago Alex had headed upstairs to go to the bathroom. The liquor in her system meant that it took her longer than it usually would have, and by the time she returned to the living room where they’d been sitting together, Ashley was gone. Since then Alex had wandered the house, half looking for her friend and half just meandering around in a drunken stupor.

Just when fatigue was calling for Alex to return back to the comfort of her bed in her dorm room, she spotted the back of a familiar-looking head in the middle of making out with someone. Her manners dulled, Alex tapped the head on the shoulder, and Ashley turned to look up at her friend.

Ashley giggled cheekily at having been caught making out with a guy. Alex briefly glanced at the guy; he was blond with blue eyes and perfectly chiselled cheeks. He was definitely cute.

“Alex, this is Brad,” Ashley offered by way of introduction. “He’s a lacrosse player,” she added proudly.

“I’m going to head back,” Alex said, her speech slurred.

“Okay, yeah, me too.” Ashley untangled herself from a disappointed-looking Brad and stood beside her friend.

“Want me to walk you girls back?” he offered with a cheeky spark in his eye.

“No, we’re fine,” Ashley answered with certainty.

“You sure? Campus is quite a walk from here.”

“Maybe next time.” Ashley threw him a flirty smile.

“Okay, well, you’ve got my number.” Brad smiled.

Ashley gave him a small wave and then pulled Alex out of the house into the cool night air.

On hitting the fresh air, Alex suddenly felt extremely sick.

“Oh, wait, no you don’t.” Ashley propped an arm around Alex to hold her up. “No being sick. Not on your first night, it just won’t do.”

“I can’t believe you were making out with that guy!” Alex laughed as she hobbled awkwardly against her friend.

“He’s hot, isn’t he?” Ashley grinned.

“I’m tired.”

“Me too.”

“I like being a schudent.” Alex was struggling to pronounce her words.

“Yeah, me too. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun together.” Ashley smiled.

****

Alex grimaced and recoiled beneath her blanket as sunlight seared against the back of her eyelids.

“Rise and shine!” Ashley ordered, her voice unnaturally sharp.

“What, no!” Alex protested, pulling herself into a protective ball.

“Sorry, Sleeping Beauty, but we’ve got to be at the Kappa Pi house for ten. We’re pledging today, remember?”

Alex had a vague recollection of the conversation they’d had about joining a sorority.

“Go shower, and you’ll feel much better, I promise,” Ashley said warmly.

“Can you at least close the curtains?” Alex pleaded.

“No.”

****

Standing in the hallway of the Kappa Pi house, showered and in fresh clothes, Alex didn’t feel all that much better. She felt sick and exhausted all at the same time
, but she was doing her best to focus on the immaculately dressed member of Kappa Pi who was strutting before the line-up of twenty-two girls who had turned up that morning to pledge.

“We are only taking twelve pledges,” declared one girl. She was tall and elegant, with her black hair in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a pleated white skirt and a bright green polo shirt that was emblazoned in pink with the sorority logo. She looked achingly perfect.

“It’s my job as pledge chair to decide who we want,” she continued. She spoke slowly and with confidence.

“So for the next few weeks, it’s me, Taylor Patterson, who you guys need to be sucking up to. The rest of the house doesn’t want your home-baked cookies, flowers or even tickets to the opera. Bribes are forbidden, remember that. At Kappa Pi we pride ourselves on following the rules.”

If Alex had thought that the fraternity house was impressive, then she hadn’t been prepared for the sheer wonder of a sorority house. Everything inside was immaculate. From the hardwood floors to the pristine magnolia walls. Pictures of previous alums were scattered on the walls along with the sorority emblem. It felt like a sumptuous home rather than a student dwelling.

“As you of course know, our previous alumni have gone on to be CEOs of great corporations, media executives, surgeons and congresswomen. At Kappa Pi we want girls who are driven and dedicated in achieving their goals.”

Beside Alex, Ashley stood listening intently. She’d dressed in a blue tennis dress and looked equally as immaculate as Taylor Patterson. You’d never have guessed that Ashley had been out partying the previous night. In comparison Alex felt like a mess. She’d pulled on some jeans and an old T-shirt as Ashley was cajoling her out of their dorm room. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She didn’t look like Kappa Pi material.

Taylor went through the line-up of girls, asking them to state their name, their major and why they would be a key asset to the house.

“What do I say?” Alex whispered nervously to Ashley as other girls in the line confidently introduced themselves.

“Mention being head cheerleader,” Ashley whispered back.

Alex frowned to herself. She wasn’t comfortable using something that didn’t really feel like a true reflection of her as currency to gain access to the sorority. She wanted to do things at Princeton on her terms.

“And you,” Taylor was now standing before Ashley, having already assessed her outfit and given a nod of approval.

“Ashley Castennetta, majoring in political studies, and I’m a legacy.”

“A legacy, nice.” Taylor gave another approving nod.

“And you.” She stood before Alex and waited.

Alex took a quick intake of nervous breath. “Alexandra Heron, majoring in mathematics, and I’m a classically trained violinist.”

“Violin?” Taylor smiled slightly at this. “I played cello.”

She moved straight on to the next girl, leaving Alex unsure if she’d done enough to impress the pledge chair and gain access to Kappa Pi.

“You play the violin?” Ashley whispered, sounding impressed.

“I used to,” Alex answered modestly.

“Awesome.”

Taylor’s decision about the twelve girls who would be allowed to pledge was both swift and brutal. She called a dozen names, the girls whose names she didn’t call had to leave immediately. Alex felt as though she were a part of some daytime reality show. There were even tears from those who didn’t make the cut.

But both Ashley and Alex had made it through. Ashley squeezed Alex’s hand with excitement as they stood in a now much smaller line.

“So you will be our pledges,” Taylor welcomed them. “Despite what you will undoubtedly hear around campus regarding rush, we don’t make our pledges suffer. If you keep your grades up and attend our social events, chances are you’ll become a part of the sorority officially before spring.”

Some of the girls clapped excitedly at this.

“Remember that as much fun as college life is, not to lose focus on your studies, as they are, after all, the reason you are all here,” Taylor told the younger students sagely.

Finally dismissed, Alex realized just how tired she was. As she and Ashley began to walk back towards campus, she yawned and stretched, desperate to get back into her bed. It was infinitely more comfortable than the bunk she’d been sleeping on in the trailer.

“I need a nap,” Alex noted sleepily.

Ashley didn’t respond; she was busy texting on her phone.

“Who are you texting?” Alex asked.

“Brad.” Ashley giggled girlishly. “Fancy going to a party tonight?”

****

Alex awoke to find her head throbbing and her mouth as dry as sandpaper. Stretching out from beneath the covers, she found that her entire body ached, each limb protesting every time she moved it.

Groaning, she forced herself to sit up and try to get her bearings. Bright light filtered in beneath the curtains, and she could already feel that the air outside was hot and heavy. Glancing round, she fixed on the alarm clock beside her bed and was shocked to find that it was eleven in the morning.