Masked

Chapter Eight

After another day of long lectures, I rushed back to my dorm to get ready for the Meet the Greeks event. Apparently I couldn't just go in a t-shirt and jeans. I needed something to make me stand out. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to stand out to them though. I didn't even know the first thing about Greek life.

"Marsai, there you are! Come on, we're gonna be late!" Athalia exclaimed as I walked through the door.

The second thing I learned about Greek life is that a lot of people want to join, so events like this get packed. If you weren't first in line, your chances of getting a good spot where they, meaning the Greek chapters, could see you or you see them.

I quickly changed into the outfit Yaël put together for me. I had to borrow some stuff from her again since my closet quote-unquote "lacked style". I personally think my array of t-shirts and jeans were perfectly fine but to each their own.

Athalia and I ran over to the Quad to head into the student center. They were holding the event in the large ballroom. When we entered, there was already a bit of a line, but we were definitely among the first 20 people there.

"Oooh, this is so exciting!" Athalia squealed.

"I didn't know you were that interested in all this. Do you know who-," I began but Athalia immediately shushed me.

"Sorry Mar. Another rule about Greek life is that you never reveal who you want to be with. Word spreads fast and it could be the thing that stops you from getting in," Athalia warned me. I nodded though I was still a bit confused. I didn't let the thought bother me too much.

I looked behind us and realized the line had gotten much longer than before. There had to be at least 100 people in the line now.

"Welcome! We'll be letting you enter the ballroom shortly! Please stay in line for your safety and ours. Thank you!" shouted a tall man in a letter jacket. He walked away before I could guess which organization he was in.

Soon the line began to trickle into the large ballroom. Athalia and I were in the front row near the sororities.

"Great, we got a perfect spot. Are you excited?" she said softly. I shrugged uncertain of what was about to occur.

We waited for about 20 minutes before the actual presentation began. It was amazing to see the different strolls and steps that were performed and learn about the beginnings of each chapter.

After the performance, we were given a chance to walk around and talk with each of the chapters. Athalia and I spotted Jules and immediately ran up to her.

"Hey, you two! Did you enjoy the performance?" Jules asked with a wide grin.

"You ladies looked amazing up there," Athalia complimented. I nodded in agreement.

"Thank you! We put a lot of hard work into it. Hey Mar, if you're interested, we're having a couple of events in the future as part of our Chapter Founders week. I would love to see you there," Jules informed me as she handed me a flyer.

It was a week of events themed around the movie For Colored Girls. I looked over the flyer at the time of the events.

"You look really cute by the way! I gotta go, we're strolling again," Jules exclaimed as she walked towards her sorority sisters.

That's when my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I took it out to see who texted me and my heart dropped.

Phoenix: hey, wyd?

I looked up at Athalia with a smidge of panic in my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Phoenix texted me. Athalia, what do I do? I don't know if I should be involved with him anymore."

Athalia then gave me the most disapproving look. I closed my mouth like a child who was just scolded.

"Now we've already told you that Phoenix is harmless. According to Liliana, he hasn't put this much interest into somebody since he transferred here. Just see where things take you. Who knows, maybe you'll end up together. Either way, it's not the end of the world," Athalia reassured me as she rubbed my shoulder.

I sighed and looked down at my phone. I just needed to get over this fear of the unknown. I came to college to experience an unsheltered life, yet here I was trying to continue my sheltered life.

Me: I'm about to leave the Meet the Greeks with Athalia

Phoenix: yall should come thru. Me, Dante, Hachi, and Tati finna watch a movie at Hachi's place.

"You wanna go watch a movie at Hachi's place? Phoenix invited us. Dante and Tati will be there too," I asked her as we walked out of the ballroom.

"Ooooh, Dante? Count me in," Athalia slightly gushed while I tried not to roll my eyes.

"Still can't believe you did that with him," I mumbled in disbelief.

"Aye, no judgment. That might be you and Phoenix one day," she giggled while I tried not to let my anxiety levels rise.

"Come on let's head over to Hachi's!"

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"Hey, Mar! Hey Athalia! Grab a drink and find a spot. We're watching IT," Tati exclaimed from the couch as we entered the apartment.

On the kitchen counter, there were a few sodas and beers. Phoenix was in there as well popping some popcorn. Our eyes met for a few seconds, but I broke off the eye contact and grabbed a soda. I found a spot on the floor next to Athalia and opened my soda. However, before I could even get a sip, I was being pulled up onto the couch.

"I'm not a fan of horrors, so you'll be my shield," Phoenix whispered in my ear. I sat there somewhat frozen as I was half seated on his lap and the couch.

About halfway through the movie, I got to use the bathroom. I was about to go back to the living room when Phoenix stopped me at the bathroom.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Phoenix whispered.

"What about the movie?"

"If you really want to finish it, we can watch it in my room another day."

He pulled me in front of him and nudged me towards the front door.

"Hey, catch ya'll later!" Phoenix exclaimed, opening the front door. We were out the door before anybody could protest our exit.

"So, um, where are we going?" I asked hesitantly.

"My room."

A quick five-minute walk to the dorms and we were outside of his dorm. I could feel my nerves rise the closer we got to his room. He opened his suite door to a pitch-black room.

"Your roommates aren't here?" I asked quietly.

"Jovan is probably out with some girl. Lucian is probably editing something in his room," he replied, closing the door behind us.

He walked over to his bedroom door, unlocked it and gestured for me to go in first. I took a breath and walked in. He had LED light strips lining the room glowing in a soft bluish-purple color. I sat on the same spot of his bed from the last time I was here.

"So, um, what do we do now?" I asked immediately regretting opening my mouth.

"I'm glad you asked," he answered, lifting my head by my chin.

The lights in the room turned red and my back was suddenly against the bed.

Ahhhh hell.