Chapter 5
GREEK ROW PARTIES TEND TO BE OVERWHELMINGLY PACKED, the crowd overflowing into the backyard and loitering around the common areas of the houses.
Especially when it comes to big events like the one they’re having tonight.
The Valentine’s Day party is the one that everyone wants to attend, even though you must purchase a ticket in order to get in. It’s pure madness.
It also means that this stupid plan of keeping an eye on Carmen and Cerys is complicated.
The urge to force them to leave campus before the party even starts lingers in my system, but still I find myself standing in line in front of Kappa’s main doors, waiting to buy my entrance to a night that promises mayhem and disaster.
There are two tables, one on each side of the door, where some of the Kappas are selling the tickets and giving out wristbands.
Through the open doors, I can see pink neon lights shining, creating a tunnel leading to the backyard where the party takes place.
Usually, sorority parties tend to be outside because no one wants the hassle of having people sneaking into their rooms, especially when it comes to drunken idiots wanting to find a place to hook up.
The last thing you want is to go to your room and find a random couple fucking on your bedsheets when you’re dead tired.
At least that’s how Kappa’s policy works.
Parties are contained in the backyard unless the weather conditions don’t allow it.
But if you don’t count the hurricane season, the weather here is typically nice.
Like today, even though it’s mid-February and winter isn’t over yet.
The night is chilly, but not cold enough to need layers and layers of clothing, which means I’m comfortable standing outside in just my jeans and a long-sleeved green shirt.
“Next!”
The line moves forward and I’m glad it’s my turn.
Glancing around to check if there’s anything suspicious, I take two steps and stand in front of the table covered with a pink cloth.
There are four boxes of colored wristbands, and each box is labeled with a description.
From what I’ve gathered, the party is a take on a stop light party: the green bracelet means you’re ready to date; the pink one means you only want a one-night stand; the red one means you’re taken.
And the white one means you’re up for anything.
I consider my choices and look up to the girls manning the entry desk, only to see the two people who can’t stand my presence: Sophia and Zelda.
Increíble.
“Oh, it’s you,” Zelda mumbles with disdain. “We’re sold out.”
I glance at the full boxes of wristbands.
“Really?”
“Tickets sold out a week ago,” Sophia chips in. “Guess you can’t ruin this party now.”
“I’m a Kappa alumna; I don’t need a ticket.”
Lying to them is almost too easy. Mainly because there are too many sorority rules regarding alumni and legacies. A lot of crap, if you ask me, but it surely comes in handy when you deliver the words with confidence.
“Mabel, I know you like to impress everyone with your Spanish, but it has no effect on me. I took Spanish in high school,” Sophia announces and purses her lips.
What on earth is she on? I haven’t . . . Then I catch on to what she means, and I blink in shock.
“Alumna is Latin,” I mumble in response.
Sophia rolls her eyes.
“My point stands. You’re not invited.”
“You’re wrong,” I point out. “Bethan invited me.”
Zelda gasps. “She did not!”
“Why would we believe a liar like you?” Sophia retorts, with a faint squint of her eyes.
“Why don’t we call her? We’ll see who ends up being called a liar.” I arch a brow, daring her to tell me otherwise.
Both Sophia and Zelda stay silent.
Something I learned while being a Kappa is that the girls who are overly committed to the sorority have a deep dread of breaking the rules or destroying their reputation in front of figures of power.
Bethan becoming president of the Kappas puts her at the top of the pyramid, and while Sophia and Zelda can’t stand me, their fear of being seen as troublemakers is something they can’t allow.
I won this round, and I can’t help but preen a little, raising my chin in triumph.
“Mabel!” Leighton calls out to me, as excited as she was earlier today. Her blonde hair is curled up with a little braid hanging at the side of her face.
Next to her, Elodie smiles timidly, glancing at Zelda and Sophia from the corner of her eye. Almost like she’s too scared to contradict them, but still being the nice girl she’s always been. “It’s so lovely to see you again. I’m glad you stayed!”
Leighton gives me another hug, and I suppress the need to push her off, only because being mean would get me kicked out of here.
I can’t afford to lose my access to Kappa when I’m trying to keep an eye on Carmen and Cerys tonight.
There’s too much at risk, so I let her hug me for an uncomfortable ten seconds before she lets go and Elodie steps closer.
She seems to defy Sophia and Zelda and moves to the table asking, “What color do you want tonight, Mabel?”
“Oooh, pick green!” Leighton encourages.
“Wait, unless you have a beau back in LA. I condemn cheating. Last month, Patrick—you remember Patrick, right?—he cheated on Courtney with a Sigma, and it was devastating for her. All the Kappas swore to never allow cheating. Girls have to stick together.” She nods and lifts a hand to her face, pressing her index and middle finger against her lips before holding them in front of me.
My brows knit together. What on earth am I supposed to do now?
After being clear of the Greek life for a year, every interaction I’ve had today seems alien.
To think I once lived here and inhabited the same space as these girls is a haze in my mind.
Though, to be fair to myself, I only ever applied here because Carmen pressured me.
She wanted to have insider information for when she finally got to join Kappa, so I dutifully did it because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.
Although, I must admit, not everything about living here was terrible.
I had great moments with the girls. I met some amazing people through the Greek life, so I can’t really antagonize all of them.
As ridiculous and stereotypical as they might be, I can’t fully hate the Kappas. Well, as long as I don’t count how mean and terrible they were to Cerys.
Elodie raises her brows at me expectantly.
Que jodienda.
A lie prickles the tip of my tongue, yet I can’t force it out of my mouth.
They would never know it’s a lie. All my personal social media is private, and I made sure to remove anyone who wasn’t from the inner circle, so it’s not like they would know the truth: that I come home from work and binge-watch silly romcoms because that’s the only source of romance in my life.
Besides, I’m only here for a brief time.
Lying is the best scenario for my plans.
Faking a relationship could mean I wouldn’t be approached by people tonight, but it also means Danny might see it and get the wrong idea.
Not that that matters. He has no romantic interest in me and I’m sure as hell not looking for romance tonight.
Especially not with someone who already made it clear that wouldn’t happen.
But still . . .
“No beau. And no cheating,” I say, kissing my fingers and pressing them against Leighton’s in complicity.
“Mabel being unable to keep a man, what a shocker,” I hear Sophia say to Zelda in a stage whisper. There’s no hiding that she intended for me to hear it.
I bite the inside of my cheek, suppressing the urge to flip her off.
Instead, I turn to Elodie and decide that taking advantage of the fact that she’s being nice to me is helpful. I seek her advice by saying, “I don’t know what to choose, if I’m honest.”
She clasps her hands together over her chest, beaming gleefully while presenting the options to me.
“It’s never too late to meet the love of your life,” she reminds me, pointing at the green ones. “You could never go wrong with a hook-up. We all need to blow off some steam sometimes,” she suggests, lingering on the pink ones. “And if you’re unsure, white is always a smart move.”
I give the colors a once-over, considering my options.
Green, pink, white.
Available, down to fuck, not sure.
Finding a date was never part of my plan when I decided to travel here.
No, I just wanted to grab my sister and run like hell.
But as the hours pass by and nothing seems to happen, my paranoia has simmered down.
Everything around here seems normal. Too normal.
Almost as if a force from above cast a mindwipe spell and made everyone forget about last year.
If it weren’t for the letters still tucked in my backpack, I wouldn’t think there was any reason to worry.
The obvious choice would’ve been red, but not only did I just admit to being as chronically single as I was when I was here, but it will also limit my interactions with people all night.
Yet I can’t bring myself to choose pink either.
The thought of having random frat guys approach me at this party makes nausea roll in my stomach.
No, I don’t want a random hook-up. Not with the history linked to this place, and certainly not when I know I won’t go through with it.
There’s only been one person with whom I could see myself taking that step, and the chances of that happening are incredibly slim, so . . .
White is tempting, but it could still make guys get the wrong idea about what I’m trying to do here. My brain briefly drifts back to Danny’s nearness at the pool house. I can almost feel my blood pressure rise when I recall the way he softly caressed my face.
I lose control when it comes to him.
Danny disarms me.
“Green.” The word slips out before I can change my mind. “I want the green one.”