Pledges Ch. 05

"Her essay was great as well," Candace said. "I'm sorry too."

Sierra looked around. "Any other comments as to why we shouldn't accept Gwen Adams?"

The Sisters shook their heads.

Sierra continued. "Ok. As for Jalissa Townsend? Her references weren't great at all. In fact, more than one of her professors said that though she gets decent grades, her attendance is spotty, at best. Therefore, I don't recommend that we admit her to pledge. Any discussion?"

"Nope," Miko said. "References are just as important as all of the other qualifications."

Kayla Seyburn raised her hand. "I agree with Miko," she said in her sultry southern accent. Kayla, a graduating senior from Georgia, majoring in Art History, was bubbly and lighthearted, but took her sorority very seriously. Her warm, pecan-colored skin and her pretty, dark eyes sparkled just like the expensive rings on her slim fingers, as she passionately expressed herself. "I can't co-sign her if no one else will."

Sierra nodded. "Any other comments as to why we shouldn't accept Jalissa Townsend?"

Again, the Sisters shook their heads.

Sierra checked her list again and sighed. "Ok. Next up, is Luci Tennyson. And y'all, I'm not sure about Luci. I mean, her grades are stellar. Her references too. But I'm just not sure about her confidence level. Any discussion?"

Tamryn promptly raised her hand. "I vote no. Period. End of story," she said as she reflected on her romp with Luci.

"Why not?" Brandi asked.

Tamryn froze. "Well," she stuttered, "I just don't think she's Rho Sigma Tau material. I don't trust her. She seems like the type to sleep with someone to get what she wanted. You don't want someone like that in the Sorority, do you?"

Sharon Edison, a sophomore Secondary Education major snorted and tossed her long, brown hair over her shoulder. "Tamryn, you're way out of line. Luci's too timid to do something that bold. And she doesn't seem to be sneaky at all. You're just blowing smoke as usual," she said, her hazel eyes blazing at Tamryn's accusation.

"Besides," Donyelle added, "what Sister would sleep with a potential pledge? That's grounds to get kicked out of the Sorority permanently. I mean, a little fooling around with actual pledges is ok. That's within the rules. But sleeping with a potential? A girl that hasn't been bound by the pledge code yet? What kind of nutcase would risk expulsion for a cheap lay?"

Tamryn sat dead silent.

"Anyway, let's get back to Luci," Ebony Ngena said in her regal Senegalese accent. "I agree about not taking her this year but I'd let her apply next year."

Monica interjected. "She's in my Organic Chemistry class, so I see her often. I like her too, but I just don't think she's ready. I vote for a 'not yet.'"

Sierra smiled. Monica's compassion always impressed her. She thought about Jana's suggestion to keep her eye on Monica to see if she'd make a good President for next year. So far, Monica was passing the all the tests with flying colors.

Sierra held up her hand. "Ok. Let's wrap this up. Any other comments as to why we shouldn't accept Luci Tennyson?"

No one else spoke.

"Ok, ladies. Let's take a vote. All those in favor of accepting the first four potentials, Roxanne Baker, Nadia Coleman, Michelle Erwin and Kara Scott, please raise your hands."

The vote was unanimous.

"Ok. Looks like we're all in agreement. Those four ladies will now be invited to our Private Tea and Interview session. It's scheduled for this coming Thursday at 7pm. We'll have it here at the House in the upstairs library. In the conference room."

Sierra paused before continuing. "Tomorrow Lina and I will personally deliver their Private Tea invitations. And if all goes well with the Tea and with their interviews, we'll make sure to hand-deliver each of their official application packets. They'll have just over a week to send them back to us."

She paused again to let Candace catch up with her note-taking. "Now, once the four ladies fill out the official application, they'll need to submit it along with their official transcript and their check for the intake fees. Once I have everything back, Lina and I will look it over. If all of their packets are ok, we'll send them to our National Office for their review and certification. Depending upon how fast Nationals gives their approval, we could have our brand-new Pledge Class by Thanksgiving."

All the girls started cheering.

"Ok, ok, ladies," Sierra laughed as she held up her hand. "We're almost done. Now for the bad news. As for Gwen and Jalissa? All in favor of dismissing their applications?"

All the Sisters raised their hands.

"Ok," Sierra said. "And as for Luci? All in favor of dismissing her application for now, but allowing her to apply again in the future?"

All but Tamryn raised their hands.

"Ok," Sierra said. "Because it's never easy to send the rejection letters, I'll handle those personally." Then she looked around. "Is there anything else?"

No one spoke.

Sierra smiled. "Ok, ladies. Meeting adjourned."

~~~

The next afternoon, in a small dorm room in Robinson Hall, Mickie and Roxie lay comfortably in Roxie's bed.

Roxie was on her back while Mickie lay next to her, cuddled up close. Mickie gently stroked Roxie's dark brown locs and twisted them around her fingers.

Without warning, Mickie leaned down, pressed her soft lips against her lover's and kissed her deeply. A passionate heat surged through Roxie as she parted her lips for Mickie's forceful tongue. They kissed for several long, delicious moments as they loved and cherished each other's touch.

Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. Groaning, Roxie crawled out of bed and flung open the door, exasperated.

She was surprised to see that no one was there. However, a large, pink envelope lay in front of their door.

When the realization hit, Roxie squealed with joy. "Mickie!"

Snatching the envelope up, Roxie excitedly opened it. She quickly read the letters inside, then jumped onto the bed and grabbed Mickie in a tight embrace.

"We're in, Mickie! We're in!" Then Roxie paused. "Well, we're not in yet. But we're invited to their Private Tea! Isn't that great?"

"That's fantastic," Mickie said as she slid her hand underneath Roxie's top and fondled her stiff nipples. "But it's not as great as you."

Roxie blushed as a raw, erotic heat flooded her body. "Thank you, baby," she said as she squirmed under Mickie's ministrations. "But we really need to celebrate. This is a real accomplishment."

"I agree," Mickie whispered as she pressed her lips against Roxie's earlobe.

"I'm serious," Roxie giggled as she reveled in the ticklish sensations her lover arose in her.

"I'm serious, too. I think we should celebrate," Mickie said as her tongue slipped out and tickled Roxie's warm flesh. "In fact, I say we celebrate all night long."

~~

Early Thursday afternoon, Sierra sat quietly at her desk. She was studying her list of the seven girls they'd originally selected to pre-apply. She was checking off each name as the decision had been made.

She'd delivered the official Private Tea invitations Tuesday afternoon to Roxanne, Michelle, Kara and Nadia. She smiled as she checked off their names.

On Wednesday, she'd sent out the rejection letters to Gwen Adams and Jalissa Townsend. She hated turning down such sweet girls, but Gwen's grades and Jalissa's references simply weren't up to par. She checked their names off the list as well.

Then she looked at looked at Luci's name. "I need to stop stalling and do this in person," Sierra said as she grabbed her cell phone.

~~~

Lina sat at her desk, trying to complete the Pledge Calendar. Now that they had a tentative pledge list, as Dean of Pledges, her main responsibility was to arrange the various activities and events that the pledges would be involved in.

Throughout their entire membership process, the pledges would be "on line." As such, they would be subjected to various "pledging sessions." In those sessions, the "Big Sisters" – the current undergraduate Sorority members – along with the "Ladyships" – the Alumni members – would test the pledges on their knowledge of the Sorority's History. The pledges would also be required to complete several hours of volunteer activities and were expected to appear at all Sorority events.

Lina was working on scheduling the first set of pledging sessions when there was a knock at the door. When she opened it, she saw Andrea Taylor standing there carrying a thin cardboard box.

Andrea was a junior Communications major and, as such, was very outspoken. She had a short, spiky haircut, and her hair had been dyed reddish-blonde to match her light brown skin. Her eyes were dark and piercing and her jawline was angular, giving her a very severe look. In addition, she never hesitated to give her opinion, even when it hadn't been sought.

As her facial features were quite severe, she kept her body in the same rigid shape. She wore a pink Sorority sweatshirt with just a tiny pair of black satin shorts. The well-defined muscles on her toned legs flexed underneath her smooth, light brown skin.

"Hey Lina," she said as she handed Lina the box. "Here are the copies you needed. I just picked them up from the Copy Center. Candace called and told me to get them for you."

Lina took the box with a smile. "Thanks. I appreciate that. You saved me a trip."

Andrea stood near the door. "Lina, can I come in for a sec?"

Lina waved her in. "Sure." Lina then went to her desk, removed the box top and flipped through the papers. "These are all the copies of the pledge informational packets?"

"I think so. Candace was the one who put the order in. My last class was over that way, so she told me to pick it up before I came home." She went to peer over Lina's shoulder. "What was supposed to be in it?"

Lina continued going through the documents. "Well, full copies of the Sorority History, for one. And the Greek Alphabet. And all of the pledge chants. You know. All the things you had as a pledge."

"Well, check with Candace if there's something missing. She's the Secretary. She'd know."

Lina nodded absently.

Andrea stepped back and slid her hands over the back of her tight shorts. She was about to speak when she was suddenly struck by Lina's beauty.

Though she was dressed down, Lina was still quite attractive.

She wore just a simple sorority tank top and a pair of pajama bottoms, but her toned dancer's body still showed through her loose-fitting clothes. Her sandy-brown hair was pulled up into a cute ponytail, but a few tendrils had escaped and fluttered around her face and neck. Her pretty face, complete with expressive eyes and full, luscious lips, made Andrea pause.

Andrea cleared the naughty images out of her mind before continuing. "But there's another reason why I'm here." She motioned to Lina's bed. "Can I sit for a moment?"

Lina nodded as she took a seat at her desk. "Shoot."

Andrea got comfortable on the bed, crossed her legs and then looked Lina in the eye. "So...what's with you and Sierra?"

Lina raised her eyebrows. Andrea, a year younger than her, was outspoken and boisterous, but had never been so forward as to pry into her love life. Lina decided to play it cool. "Why do you ask?"

"Stop trying to play it cool," Andrea said. "You two used to be inseparable. Now I barely see both of you in the same room."

Lina was silent.

Andrea continued. "Now that we're getting ready to pledge some new girls, it's even more important that the two of you are on the same page. So what's up?"

Lina sighed. "It's complicated."

Andrea flashed back to two years ago when she was on line. As a freshman, she was a year behind sophomores Lina, Sierra and the rest of their line, and years behind the other upperclassmen. In Lina's pledge class, Tamryn was too busy to be bothered, while Miko and the other girls were too busy wilding out as new initiates. Only Sierra and Lina had time to counsel Andrea and her line sisters. The pair made the pledges feel better about the pledge process and convinced them not to quit. Andrea was indebted to the two women and noticed a strong bond between them, even back then.

"Lina?" Andrea asked. "Remember when I was on line?"

Lina laughed. "Girl, yes! And you were a handful! Always asking questions. And always at the wrong time! You nearly drove me crazy wanting to know why this, and why that! Why, why, why!"

"Yeah," Andrea chuckled. "But you and Sierra answered every question. Especially when you didn't have to." She crossed her arms. "And who came to get us that one time when the Big Sisters left us stranded after a pledging session? We were all the way on the outskirts of campus, for goodness sakes!"

Lina smiled. "Sierra and I got in so much trouble for that one! We were told to let you ladies walk back to the House. They said it was a 'bonding moment.'"

Andrea uncrossed her arms and legs and stretched them out. "I'm forever grateful for that. And I'm forever grateful for you both."

Lina snorted. "And this is how you repay me? By getting all in my personal business?"

Andrea jumped up, true to her boisterous nature. "Hey! I'm just concerned. The beef between you two affects us all. If y'all aren't working together, then we all suffer! That's not fair to us, and it's not fair to the new girls either!"

Lina fell silent again. Her gaze lowered.

Andrea stared at her for several long moments. "You like her, don't you?" she whispered.

Lina couldn't speak.

"I knew it! I knew it way back then, but I wasn't for sure." Andrea took a seat back on Lina's bed. "Does she know? Does she have any idea?"

Lina shook her head.

"Well, you're gonna tell her, right?"

Lina shook her head again. "No. I'm not."

"Why not?"

"You sure do have a lot of questions. Still."

Not one to be big on relationships, Andrea didn't mince words. "Lina," she began, "let me be straight with you. I'm a free spirit. I love all these girls, and I love them dearly. But I love sex. And I love being with them. Wherever, whenever. So this really isn't the kind of place to form attachments, is it?"

Tears began to form at the corners of Lina's eyes as she shook her head.

Andrea got up and stood behind Lina's chair. She rested her hands on Lina's shoulders and squeezed them gently. "Lina, what's the first thing you told me the night I first crossed into the Sorority?"

"Congratulations."

Andrea laughed. "Funny. Then what?"

Lina sniffed. "Don't get attached. Just have fun. There'll be plenty of time for serious relationships later."

"So you should take your own advice, right?" Andrea squeezed Lina's shoulders again. "Besides, Sierra really ain't the poster girl for fidelity, is she?"

Lina closed her eyes as a searing pain hit her. She rubbed her temples as she spoke quietly. "Andrea? I appreciate you bringing me the copies. But I really need some time alone now. I need to finish up my pledge paperwork, ok?"

Andrea nodded as she went to the door. As she put her hand on the doorknob, she turned back toward Lina, now sulking at her desk. "Maybe it's just not the right time?"

Lina didn't answer.

Andrea shook her head as she opened the door and walked out.

Once she was in the hallway, Andrea shut the door behind her and sagged against the doorjamb. "I really would like to see them together," she whispered. "But it'd only cause problems, right?"

She didn't answer as she headed down the hall toward her room. But she couldn't shake the nagging feelings racing through her. As she opened her door, she glanced back down the hallway to Lina's room.

"I didn't say the wrong thing, did I?"

She sighed as she shook her head again, and went into her room.

~~~

Luci sat in her bedroom, at her desk, holding the small black videotape that contained the footage she'd made of herself and Tamryn. She'd been holed up in her apartment for hours trying to decide what to do.

"I can't do this," she said. "I can't give this tape to Jade."

She set the tape on her desk, went to lie on her bed and stared at it from across the room. "I know. I'll talk to Sierra and Monica. The rest of the Rho Sigma Tau's will help me. And once I become a pledge, Jade and the other Mu Lambda's can't touch me because the Rho Sigma's will have my back."

She propped herself up on her pillow. "I probably won't even need the tape after a while. Then I can get rid of it."

Then she remembered Tamryn's sharp words. That she'd never become a Rho Sigma Tau. Never. Luci bristled when she recalled Tamryn's outburst.

"But if I went ahead and showed Tamryn the tape," Luci mused, "then she couldn't touch me either. Plus, Tamryn would be so scared, that I'd be sure to get in. So maybe I should just keep it for insurance? To keep myself safe from Jade and Tamryn."

Luci frowned as she looked at the tape again. "So what do I do?"

Then an idea came to her. "Fuck it. I'll just destroy it. Burn it, even. That way nobody will ever find out."

Then she reconsidered. "No, I'll keep the tape for now. And I'll just show it to Tamryn, but I'll never ever show it to anyone else." Luci smiled and lay back on the bed, proud of her decision.

Suddenly the phone rang. Jumping out of the bed, she ran to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi. This is Sierra Morgan. I'm calling for Luci Tennyson."

Luci broke into a wide smile. "This is she. How are you, Sierra?"

"Fine. Just fine. And you?"

"Great." Luci trembled in anticipation. Was this the call? Was she officially a pledge?

"Good. Listen," Sierra said. "I know it's kind of early, but I need to talk to you, and I'd like to do it in person. Are you free?"

"Sure. That's fine."

"I'd like to come to your apartment if that's ok?"

"Sure. No problem. What time?"

"Actually, I'm not too far away now. Can I just swing by now?"

"Sure. You've got my address, right?"

"Yes. I know exactly where you live. I'll be there shortly, ok?"

"Fine, Sierra. I'll be waiting."

"Ok. Thanks. Bye."

As Luci hung up, she realized that her apartment was a mess. "I need to clean up before she gets here."

Luci scurried around the apartment, cleaning and straightening up everything as fast as she could. Once she was done, she decided to quickly freshen up and change clothes.

Just as she finished, the doorbell rang. Butterflies fluttered in Luci's stomach as she answered the door.

Sierra stood there smiling. "Hey Luci. Sorry for the short notice and sorry to be so cryptic over the phone."

"Hi Sierra. That's ok. Come on in." Luci ushered Sierra into her living room. "Please, have a seat."

Sierra took a seat on Luci's couch. Luci sat in the overstuffed chair across from her with a wide smile on her face.

"Luci," Sierra began, "first, I just wanted to say thank you for applying. I've read over your transcript and I'm so proud of your grades. You're an excellent student. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks." Suddenly, Luci got a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Sierra paused, carefully selecting her next words. "Well, despite your grades and your references, I have some bad news for you. I wanted to deliver it in person rather than by a letter or over the phone."

The blood rushed from Luci's head, making her feel dizzy and faint.

Sierra continued, trying to make this as direct and as painless as possible. "Well, Luci...we've taken a vote. And I'm sorry, but you won't be asked to pledge this year."

Luci's face fell and appeared to crack into a thousand pieces.

Sierra frowned. "The thing is, Luci, while we're totally impressed with your grades, more than a few of the members are concerned about your confidence level. But we want you to take some time and become more comfortable about yourself." She paused. "You have so much to offer. And not only to us, but to others as well."