"Congratulations, girls." Taylor Patterson smiled sweetly at the eight girls lined up before her. She was wearing a mint green and pink check dress, the colors of Kappa Pi. Behind her the rest of the sorority looked on, all of them wearing the exact same dress.
Each girl looked immaculate, from her makeup to her hair, even down to her toenails, which would be painted in either the obligatory pink or green, or even a combination of both. Image was very important within Kappa Pi.
"You have survived pledging and can now be welcomed into the Kappa Pi fold as sisters." Taylor's smiled broadened as she delivered the good news to the girls before her. Dusty stood nervously next to Ashley. They were both wearing a plain green version of the checked dress that was the uniform of the initiation ceremony.
For the past three months both Dusty and Ashley had struggled to balance their heavy college workload with all the parties they wanted to attend and their pledging duties. Not that the pledging part had been that time consuming. Mainly they judged them upon their grades.
That, coupled with a number of occasions where they had to go and help at sorority events, was all it had taken for them to become fully fledged Kappa Pi's. They could now remove their pledge pin and wear the necklace bearing the sorority's Greek symbols, which they were presented with.
"I'm so excited," Ashley buzzed. She flashed Dusty her perfect smile, pleased that they could share the experience together. Before they were given their necklaces, each girl had to take a vow pledging allegiance to the sorority. It was all a bit alien to Dusty. It was an even more intense process than joining the cheerleading squad had been, and she'd thought that was bad enough.
Between the vow and the whole pomp of the ceremony, it was clear that being a sister in the house was taken very seriously. "Welcome, sister." It was the Kappa Pi president, Casey, who placed each precious necklace upon the new members of the sorority. "Our house is your house." She smiled kindly at them, and Dusty wondered if the moment was bittersweet for her, as they could only move into the house once all the seniors moved out at the end of the school year.
For a while yet, Ashley and Dusty would remain in their dorm room, but they had already been told that they could continue to be roommates within the sorority house, which excited them both. Dusty couldn't wait to move in.
The house was so lavish and pristine that it reminded her of her old home and made her feel even more connected with the girl she had once been. It was hard to believe, as she stood on the hardwood floor, a bright gold necklace belonging to an elitist group hanging from her neck, that back in West she lived in a simple trailer.
Once the formalities of the ceremony were over, the girls dispersed and chatted among themselves while served pink and green cocktails in martini glasses. "I'm so glad we both got in." Ashley beamed, fiddling with her new necklace between her polished fingers. She'd opted for a pink shade to compliment her dress and maintain the theme of Kappa Pi.
"Yeah, it's so exciting," Dusty agreed, still glancing around the house in awe. "My mom and dad can't wait to meet your over parents' weekend." Ashley giggled. Parents' weekend was just a few weeks away and was an event run by the college to give anxious parents an opportunity to come and check on their off- spring while not being overly intrusive.
They were welcome guests that weekend rather than overbearing mothers and fathers. "Is your mom coming?" Ashley asked. "Probably not." Dusty sighed, knowing there was no probably about it.
Despite the lavish life she was now embroiled in, circumstances hadn't changed back home. Both her mom and Dust were still in the trailer, still struggling to make ends meet. Dusty tried to push the thought to the back of her mind.
Each time she thought of them there, she was overwhelmed with guilt.
A part of her felt she should have stayed in West, should have gotten a job and helped support her family.
The only things that silenced such thoughts were the chaos and volume of the various campus parties that Dusty and Ashley frequently attended. "Congratulations, girls." Casey came over and smiled at the roommates. Dusty took in her blonde hair, poker straight face, and green eye makeup—the exact same shade as the green in her dress.
Next to her, Dusty felt like a mess, her own hair in a messy bun, her makeup not matching, and her nails still an electric blue from when she'd last painted them. She feared that she'd never truly fit into the mold of their world. "Thank you," Dusty and Ashley chimed in unison.
"It's a real privilege and honor to be a Kappa Pi," Casey continued, her tone becoming less serious. "I know it's fun to party, and as long as your grades are good, we will turn the other cheek. But don't go getting a reputation, we won't tolerate that here." Then Casey smiled sweetly and left to congratulate the other new initiates.
"A reputation." Ashley gasped in her wake. "A reputation for what? Having fun."
"I don't know," Dusty mused, pursing her lips. "I suppose we do go out a lot." They partied at least four nights a week. Dusty had acclimated her body to survive on barely any sleep and relied heavily on energy drinks and protein bars to get her through her classes. But they were only having fun, and surely there was nothing wrong with that? As long as it didn't get out of hand and affect their studies.
"She's just uptight because she's a senior," Ashley said. "We've got our college lives ahead of us, living in this beautiful house, and she's going back to whatever shithole she's from." Ashley remembered Dusty's own meager existence back home and turned bright red. "I didn't mean—" she blurted, but Dusty smiled reassuringly at her friend.
"She's bitter to be leaving. I would be too," Dusty admitted.
"Yeah, shame we can't stay in college forever."
"Hi, girls." Taylor came over, clouded in a mist of vanilla scent, and smiled broadly at them both.
"Hi, Taylor," they chimed together.
"Hope you enjoyed the ceremony. Kappa Pi is all about maintaining our traditions."
"It was very nice," Dusty offered kindly.
"So, not long until you can move in. Of course, there's just the small matter of your dues, and then you're good to go."
"It's all taken care of." Ashley smiled.
"Great." Taylor seemed relieved by this and excused herself to go mingle with more of the girls. "What are dues?" Dusty enquired as they stood nursing their cocktails, reluctant to drink them too quickly beneath the judgmental glare of the older members of the house.
"Just house stuff." Ashley shrugged.
"What sort of stuff?" Dusty pressed further, having never heard the term before.
"Like fees for living in the house." Ashley sighed. She'd hoped she wouldn't have to mention it to Dusty but also didn't want to keep the truth from her friend.
"Fees?" Dusty felt panicked by the word.
"Dusty, don't worry, like I told Taylor, it's all taken care of."
"So what, you paid for me?" Dusty felt tears prick at her eyes, and her cheeks became hot.
"Don't get upset."
"I'm not upset. I..." Dusty didn't know what to say. She was upset. She was upset because she felt ashamed. She was ashamed that she needed someone's charity to exist in this world. It made her feel like she didn't belong, like she hadn't earned any of it.
Panicked, she put down her glass and fled the house. Ashley was in hot pursuit, calling after her. After running for about five minutes, Dusty stopped, panting heavily, and waited for her friend to catch up with her.
"There's no need to be upset, Dusty," Ashley panted. "Ash, I just—I wanted to feel like I'd earned this, like I belong here."
"You do."
"No, I don't." Dusty's voice caught in her throat as she stifled a sob.
"You belong here, Dusty, just as much as anyone else does." Ashley embraced her friend and held her tightly.
"I don't," Dusty cried into her friend's shoulder. "I can't afford to be here."
"But I can afford it for you," Ashley told her. "And I want you here. I wouldn't even want to be in the sorority if I couldn't be in it with you."
"I don't want to be your charity case." Dusty sniffed.
"And you're not." Ashley placed her hands on Dusty's shoulders and held her friend at arm's length, looking her square in the eye. "Dusty, you got dealt a really, really shitty hand. If your dad was still around, don't you think he'd do anything to make sure you got what you wanted? He'd have paid for you to live in the house in a heartbeat, and you know it."
"Yeah, but..."
"But your dad got shot. Because life isn't fair. So you haven't got anyone on your side like that anymore, anyone giving you unconditional support. But I'm here, and I can help if you'll let me. Don't go on punishing yourself over your dad, Dusty. It was no one's fault, just a tragic twist of fate."
Dusty cried harder, and Ashley pulled her back into her, holding her tightly as she shook with her sobs. "Thank you," Dusty breathed between her flurries of tears. "Anytime," Ashley told her sincerely.