Southern Gentleman's Club

Where It Began...

15 years ago; Fall
Eastview University

Joy stared at her fall schedule one more time. Okay, this says Taylor Hall, she mumbled with a focused frown on her face.

"You look lost, suh?" an equally short girl with strawberry blonde weave stopped and looked her up and down.

"I mean..."

"Quinn Johnston. You new?"

"Yeah, freshman." She looks down at her lanyard.

"I can tell, Joy Washington." Quinn reads the name tag.

"What?"

"Take that damn lanyard off." She flips it playfully. "Don't want nobody to know what it is. And put this damn schedule in your purse. Take a pic on your phone."

"While you clockin me...what are you?"

"Freshman." Quinn chuckles playfully. A shadow casted over them suddenly to suddenly stop the conversation.

"Sheesh, don't be a bitch Quinn." Her friend, Alexis, slung her arm around the other freshman girls. "Class bout to start anyway."

"I was just tryna get suh together before we pull up on these upperclassmen."

"Chyle, visible lanyard or not, they can smell our fresh asses a mile away." Alexis makes a quick head nod toward the group of guys posted outside the door of Taylor Hall. "One thang bout me, I never been intimidated by no shit like this."

"You're crazy."

"And kettles are black." Alexis shrugs. "Where I'm from, niggas been clapped for far less than this." She leads the trio in the building without so less than a glance behind them. If they did, they'd know they'd made every man, senior or freshman, break their necks to get a better look.

The heavy mahogany colored door slammed shut behind them. "Word on the street is, you're gonna be the Miss Freshman." Quinn waits get the tea.

"I don't know anything about that. I left my pageant days behind me." Joy waves her hand dismissively as they find the English lecture hall. "That's why I came to Eastview University in the first place."

"Uh huh..." Quinn leads them down a loud corner. "Damn, do these folk ever go to class!" she pretends to cover her ears.

The school welcome team were in the middle of the hall giving a cheer with a small section of the marching band drumline. "Like..."

"Reminds me of home!" Alexis catches the beat in a twerk.

"Ma'am!" Joy covered her face to smother her laugh.

"Girl, throw some ass real quick! No pageant rules roun hea!" Alexis pulls on her arm. Joy gives in to the peer pressure for a moment.

"Throw ass!" Quinn is fanning her on.

A pair of crisp heels come clicking their way purposefully. Joy is in full twerk mode. A woman clears her throat. "Joy Washington."

The way the person says her name makes her stop mid booty lift. The trio of girls turn around to the reigning Miss Eastview in sash and crown holding a paper.

"Uh...eh heh." Joy furrows her eyebrows. "What have I done to warrant this visit?" she asks.

"I expect to see you all at the SGA interest meeting tonight. 6:30 pm sharp."

"Whew, pressure on you ain't it?" Alexis blurted.

"All of you." The queen reiterated before walking away for good.

"Who she talking to like that?" Quinn looked the immaculately dressed student representative in distaste.

"She talking to us." Joy held the flyer up. "And she means it."

"It's yo fault Miss Teen USA nshit. Let's get to class." Alexis rolled her eyes with a headshake.

Meanwhile, Chance and Mykel Minnelli sat at the dummy wall and watched the activity go on around them. They'd been on campus since the summer semester. "I guess it's lit." Kel shrugged.

"I mean, it's aight. What you tryna do?" Chance looked at his brother and lifted an eyebrow.

"Shit, I'm done with classes for the day." He answers. "I might go to this lil tech expo they got going at the Business Administration building later though." Mykel holds up a flyer.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Could I interest you in possibly coming to an SGA interest meeting tonight? 6:30." The SGA president walked up to them. "Gives you something...productive to do." He looks at the rest of the occupants of the wall in mild disdain.

"Aight." Chance takes the flyer. Mykel declines.

"And may I ask, your names?"

"Chance...Minnelli." He lifts an eyebrow. The older man swallows in muted shock. "Nice ta meet ya prez." Chance and Mykel hop off the wall at the same time with a smirk.

"Don't know why he shocked. He been knew who we were." Mykel shakes his head.

"Let these folk have their moment bruh." Chance throws an arm around his brother.

After classes for the day and more school spirit at the cafeteria, the girls showered in the dorm to go to the meeting. Joy chewed her lip. All she really wanted to do was fulfill her Teen USA duties and call it a day.

Alexis and Quinn find seats in the crowded room. Joy slides in a vacant seat just behind them. The meeting has yet to start but everybody was already mingling.

Chance slides in by himself. He sees a vacant chair next to another person, so he makes a beeline for it.

"Chance Minnelli." He introduces himself before taking a seat. His voice, although raspy, is clear. Almost musical. He is not from here, Joy thinks while taking him in. Wow.

"Joy." She doesn't look up at him long though. Now she nervously puts her hair behind her ear. The young man sits next to me in the common area of the union. Joy decides to find her courage and look up again. His cologne tickles her nose. A comforting smell.

"I didn't see anybody else sitting here." He shrugs. "This lil bih blowed aint it."

"Oh. Alright." Her blush is hard to miss. Beautiful, Chance thinks. "Yeah, the queen made us come."

"Nuh...must be they thang round hea. The Prez invited me."

The pair engage in a conversation, learning more about each other than any of the other members at large in the room. Sucking themselves into a world where only they existed.

Just as they'd forgotten where they were, the current SGA president called attention. The meeting starts.

"And this..." the guy gestures to this Chance person. He stands. "Is our top member at large." The next in line to ascend the SGA president's path. That was all a set up on the dummy wall. Chance didn't believe that he'd been chosen simply because he'd never made an effort to be known like the other guys in the room. Most of which were working too hard to schmooze the room before the meeting started.

"And my personal choice for Miss Freshman, current Miss Teen USA Joy Washington." Current Miss Eastview motions for her to rise. Joy's eyes widened as the crowd clapped louder.

The current title holders raise eyebrows when they realized they were becoming acquainted with each other at the same time. Just like they'd been as freshmen...

The stakes had just been raised even higher.