Palm South University Box Set

Welcome to Palm South

Cassie

Palm South University. A small, private college tucked away in a shady haven right near the beach just south of Miami.

When Mom and I took the tour around campus, I knew without a doubt this is where I wanted to be.

The longboarding opportunities alone made me giddy, and the Bio-Med program sealed the deal.

But now, standing next to my high school best friend staring up at a large house with Greek letters that mean absolutely nothing to me, I’m wondering if this was the right choice.

This campus is crawling with walking, talking Barbies.

“Are you sure we should do this?” I ask Paris, twirling a strand of my fiery red hair around my finger as she runs a small brush through hers.

It isn’t even noon yet and we’ve already been getting curious looks from the other new members in our breakout group.

Redheads are like unicorns, and seeing two of them attached at the hip like Paris and I are is always a mystical sight to anyone who’s not us.

We’ve spent the past four years in high school trying to convince people that no, we aren’t sisters, and I had a feeling we’d be having that same conversation here.

At this point, it might be easier to just nod and go along with it.

“Um, duh,” Paris says, rolling her eyes.

“Why else did we come to college if not to live it up in a sorority? Hello,” she draws out the word and starts counting on her fingers.

“Parties, boys, lavish events, boys, study groups, boys. Need I say more?” She pulls her long red locks over one shoulder, showing off her delicate collar bone.

She’s always been extravagant, which aligns with her name perfectly.

Her parents must have known what they were doing when they named their baby girl after the most fashion-savvy city in the world.

Even now while most of the girls are in shorts and nice shirts trying to beat the Florida heat, she’s in a designer sun dress that’s only knee-length but I know is heavy enough to make her sweat. Yet somehow, she’s not.

I laugh at her comment, but shift uneasily.

I was excited to rush, but judging by the girls we’ve met so far, I’m not sure the sorority life is for me.

We’ve already visited the Zeta Pi Alphas and Delta Beta Gammas.

To be honest, I can’t really recall anything specific about either because they were so much alike that they’re blurred together in my brain.

Both of them were stocked with beautiful blondes and brunettes with exactly the same body build and no interest whatsoever in anything that doesn’t involve booze or boys.

And don’t get me wrong – I like both – but college is more than just parties and dates to me.

I’m going to be a doctor, and this is where my journey starts.

I open my mouth to voice my uncertainty, but before I have the chance I’m cut off by our group leader clapping her hands together.

“Okay!” she squeaks, her rosy cheeks and big green eyes bouncing along with the dark chocolate curls in her hair.

“Kappa Kappa Beta is almost ready for us. After this, we’ll take a lunch break and meet up with the other new members before visiting the last two houses this afternoon.

Any questions so far?” Silence. “Are you enjoying Spirit Day?!” Cheers.

From everyone but me, that is. I just tuck my hair behind my ear.

Just as the screams die down, a cheer erupts from inside the house.

All the potential new members, sans me, cheer back.

After a few rounds of the cheering back and forth, a tall, long-legged girl steps outside.

She’s beautiful – smooth, creamy skin and exotic features, almost like she stepped out of a tequila ad.

Her smile reveals perfect teeth as she clasps her hands in front of her hips.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” she says, her voice polished and polite.

“My name is Siomara and I’m the president of KKB.

I know you’ve already been to two other houses today and you’re probably feeling pretty overwhelmed.

” Some girls nod and Siomara smiles in return.

“I hope you can relax a bit with us before lunch and just enjoy the conversation. Each of you is different. I know some of you will end up running home to other houses on this block, but some of you will soon be my sister. Regardless of which side of the coin you land on, I’m looking forward to getting to know you.

And,” she adds, smiling wider. “I have forty-two other sisters who feel the same.”

Siomara steps to the side as the double doors open and reveal a group of equally beautiful girls dressed in various shades of teal and orange, Palm South’s school colors.

Every girl is smiling, cheering, and clapping along with an upbeat pop song as we walk through the doors.

A perky blonde steps up to me as I enter, smiling as she laces her arm around mine and leads me through the house to a room that I assume is normally a family room.

There’s a large flat screen TV on the wall opposite a beige leather sectional and photos hung up all around the room.

They’re all of sisters in various settings ranging from community events to the beach.

The first thing I notice is that the girls in the photos all look different from one another – a stark contrast to the girls in the other houses we’ve been to this morning.

It’s refreshing, and I feel myself relax a bit as the bouncy blonde guides me to have a seat at one end of the sectional.

“Hi,” she says loudly, trying to speak over the rest of the noise as she takes the seat next to me.

With their forty-two sisters and the twenty-seven girls in my potential new member group shoved in one house trying to speak to each other, it’s a little loud, to say the least. “My name’s Erin Xander.

” She holds out her hand and I take it in mine, shaking it firmly but not too hard.

“Cassie McBee.”

“Pretty name!” She smiles wider. She has a classic face – rounded, but with well-defined cheek bones. Her large mocha eyes shine and I feel like I’ve known her forever even though we just met. “Welcome to the KKB house. How has your morning been so far?”

Erin seems friendly, but I know any minute now the shoe will drop and she’ll start talking my ear off about things that probably don’t matter to me. “Not too bad, I guess.”

She frowns a little. “Well, hopefully by the time you leave here you’ll have a different answer to that question.” She crosses her legs, leaning in. “So, tell me a little about yourself, Cassie.”

Wow. This is the first girl who’s asked about me instead of just rambling on about how great her sorority is. “Well,” I cross my legs to mimic hers. “I’m from Phoenix, I just moved here two days ago with my best friend, Paris.” I point to Paris across the room.

Erin follows my finger and then turns back, smile still in place. “Awesome! It must be so fun rushing with your best friend.”

“Yeah,” I nod. “It really is. Although, she’s a lot better at this than I am.”

Erin cocks her head a little. “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know, she’s just more into the sorority stuff than I am, I guess. All the girls have loved her so far.”

“Well,” Erin says, leaning back a little. “It may just be that you two are growing up a little already, and maybe not in the same direction. Would you be okay if you ended up in a different sorority than she does?”

That thought makes my stomach lurch. “I don’t know. We moved here together, we’re rooming together , we’re best friends – it only makes sense that we’d be in the same sorority.”

Erin nods. “Yeah, it might make sense now, but don’t let her make this decision for you.

It’s true what they say, you know.” She pauses.

“You end up where you belong. So, follow your heart and don’t worry about what Paris is doing.

If she’s your best friend now, she’ll still be your best friend after rush week – no matter where you end up.

” She smiles and I return the gesture, hoping like hell that she’s right. “So anyway, what’s your major?”

I cringe. “Um, Biology. I want to go pre-med.”

Her eyes grow wide and I wait for it, I wait for the loss of interest, the “Oh no, she’s not here to party? That simply won’t do.”

“That is amazing!” I blanch, but her smile remains intact.

“I’m hoping to go to law school when I finish here at Palm South.

We can be study buddies together!” She giggles and I can’t help but join her, the shock dissipating.

“Oh!” she claps her hands together. “You have to meet my two best friends. You’ll love them. Come on.”

Erin grabs my hand and pulls me through the house, weaving between groups of girls until we reach a large kitchen, complete with granite countertops that remind me of home.

“Jess! Lei!” Erin drops my hand as we reach two other beautiful blondes. Uh oh, here we go. Here comes the we-all-look-alike-and-like-the-same-things. “Meet Cassie. She just moved here from Arizona and she’s a Bio major.”

“I’m Ashlei,” one of them says, reaching her hand out for mine.

She’s slightly shorter than Erin and Jess, but I can tell just from the dress she’s wearing that she must be really into fitness.

Her legs are toned, her arms cut – she’s gorgeous, but I can tell she works hard for it.

“My grandma lives in Arizona. I love it there! Looks like you won’t have to worry about giving up the weather. It’s hot here, too.” She winks.

“Yeah, but no one told me about this humidity.” I point to my hair, which was frizzing out before I even left the apartment this morning. I’m sure it’s a complete mess by now.

Jess extends her hand to me next. “Girl, that’s one of the biggest problems living in Florida.

Don’t worry, we all go through it.” She grins, running her fingers through her long, pin-straight blonde hair.

Hers is a little darker than Ashlei’s and Erin’s is the darkest, but they’re all blonde bombshells.

I can imagine them turning heads when they go out in public together. “So what are your hobbies, Cassie?”

Again, not one of them has told me anything about the sorority.

It sounds odd, but I actually love it. It’s nice to know they’re interested in me as a person, not just in selling themselves.

“I’m really into school,” I offer kind of sheepishly.

“As nerdy as that sounds. And I longboard, so I’m looking forward to coasting around this campus. ”

“I just started longboarding!” Jess yells excitedly. “You’ll have to help me when classes start. I’m a complete mess, but I really liked it.”

“Yeah, it’s not as easy as it looks, but it’s definitely not as bad as skateboarding. I’ll help you!” The loud music starts playing again, signaling that our time in the house is up. Even though I know I could potentially be back tomorrow, I’m kind of disappointed it’s over already.

“Oh!” Erin laces her arm through mine again. “Looks like it’s that time. Let’s head toward the front so you don’t get in trouble for being in here too long.” She winks and I wave to the other girls as we start for the door. Just before we reach the foyer, Siomara waves to us.

“Thanks for visiting us today!”

I wave in return and Erin leans in to yell over the music, “That’s my Grand Big Sister. Basically, she’s my Big’s Big.” She chuckles at my confused expression. “Don’t worry, you’ll catch on. Anyway, she’s brilliant. I’ll have to introduce you next time!”

I smile, hoping there will be a next time.

After the day is over, the sororities select who they want to come back another day as do the potential new members.

It’s all a secret, how the selection process works, but I know there’s a chance I could get my list of houses to visit tomorrow and Kappa Kappa Beta could not be on it. “I would love that.”

Erin offers me one last smile and a slight wave as we reach the door and I file back out into the suffocating August heat. South Florida is beautiful, there’s no denying that, but it. Is. Hot.

I shield my eyes and make my way back to Paris.

I’m so excited to tell her about my conversation with Erin, but before I can open my mouth she rolls her eyes and cuts me short.

“Thank God that’s over,” she mumbles. “Those girls were so boring. And did you see their house? Not even half the size of the Zeta house. Yawn.”

I frown, my mouth pulling to one side. Since when does Paris care about the size of a house? “I thought they were cool,” I say softly. “Nice. Different.”

“I guess,” she says, sighing a little, like she’s too bored to argue.

“Anyway, I’m excited for the Tri Phis after lunch.

They have a swimming pool!” She jumps excitedly and we fall in line behind the rest of the girls marching towards the cafeteria.

As we walk, I can’t help but think back to what Erin had said about us maybe ending up in different places at the end of this week.

My heart aches at the thought and I wonder if I’ll even have the strength to write down a different choice than Paris when the time comes.

She smiles over at me and nudges me playfully and I smile back.

College is about change, my parents have always told me.

My sister said the same thing when she gave me my graduation gift.

It’s about growing, finding who you are and who you’re not.

It’s about daring to live differently than you ever have before.

I wonder if part of that means friendships change, too.