maryallison
TMF Novice
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2006
- Messages
- 74
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[Inspired by those of you who liked the Do Not Enter Room]
I had been pledging the Delta Phi sorority for two weeks, and each day's task had been just a little more intense than the last: singing during lunch in the crowded commons, then telling a professor he was wrong about his pet theory, then joining a student protest in favor of Saddam Hussein. Little stuff. My night at the fraternity party was a mistake - it got out of hand - but even that was not so terrible. I kind of liked the attention from all those strong, confident hands, and nobody tried to ....well, you know.
So there were just two days to go before the sorority made its choices. The original group of twenty girls was down to eleven, and I was pretty sure I would make the final eight. We had to serve a dinner at the sorority house, and prove our worth with an obstacle course, but I had it in the bag. And best of all, when I became a member some of those delicious guys at the frat house might call me up.
I got to the sorority about six o'clock. Half the other prospects were there, and I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the last girl to arrive would probably be punished. Isn't that always the way during initiation? We filed into the kitchen, where each of us laid out a plate of deviled eggs or tuna salad or a jello with those little orange slices in them. No one wanted to look too eager. Other girls soon showed up, and, when the last two girls came together, we all saw that one of them had forgotten to bring a dish. By six thirty we heard the rustle of members in the dining room, and, when the president's bell ringed we carried out assorted goods out.
There was a murmer.
"What's she doing here?" someone whispered.
We all looked at the girl with no plate.
"I...uh, I was taking a test and ..."
"Not you." the president interrupted. She looked in my direction.
There was silence.
"You left the frat party two nights ago without permission."
She WAS talking to me. "Uh, no ma'am, I was there," I said.
"I took a roll call. Everyone had stayed but you."
"I was upstairs. I was kept up there by two of the frat brothers."
The other girls started to look away from me, and the members glanced at each other with frowns.
"I'm sorry," the president said. "You're out."
What? That couldn't be. "I really was there, ma'am. I was there long after everyone else was gone."
This caused even more whispering and disbelieving glances.
"Of course you did." The president's sarcasm was withering.
"Ask anyone. I mean at the frat. I was there."
"Why did you stay in a house full of men, without permission?"
"They forced me to stay. They...uh...they..." I couldn't tell the whole story!
"Well, I'm sorry. You obviously don't want to be a part of this sisterhood. Lying is intolerable."
"I'm not lying. Honest."
(murmers.)
"You don't want to be with us badly enough, it seems. Not enough to leave the party on time. Not enough to get permission to stay."
"I really, really want to join. They made me stay."
The girl with no dish spoke up. "Ma'am, may I speak?"
The president hesitated. "Go ahead."
"I know I don't have a dish tonight - I just forgot that I had to bring one - and I know I should be punished.......but at least I 'm honest about it."
"Oh you little whore!" I shouted, then slapped my hand to my mouth. Too late. Too late. I turned to the members. "I-I-I'm so sorry, ma'ams. I -I..."
"Quiet."
"I really was at that frat house."
"Silence." The president turned to the other members.
I glanced at the girl with no plate, the girl who had goaded me into shouting. She kept her mouth supremely tight.
The president turned back to us. "One of you must be expelled tonight."
"Yes, ma'am," my rival said quickly.
"Uh, yes," I added.
"We will decide after dinner." With that the members reached for chicken legs and spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, and the clink of silverware and glasses and bracelets striking against plates filled the room with the sound of constant, mechanical giggling. Each of the other pledges stood by, hovering, ready to pounce into service if the slightest signal came. A member's hand barely touched her half empty glass before three pledges offered to pour her more wine. A plate was empty and whisked away in a flash. I peered at my rival, who had brought no dish but suddenly posed my greatest threat, and she stared back at me, and the two of us were lost in thought and plots when the president's voice rang out, "Are you daydreaming?"
We both looked at her.
"No, ma'am," the girl with no plate chimed in.
"No." (oops. dammit!) "I mean, 'No, ma'am.'"
"You two seem to want to settle this right now. Okay, we'll decide." We glanced at each other again (ever so quickly) wondering what would happen, and who she would choose, when the members all got up and walked purposefully into the living room, taking up positions as the president pulled couches and love seats at an angle. The furniture formed a square - like a boxing ring. My rival and I merely followed the crowd, and when all the members and pledges stood around the ring, glancing inside, my rival took the hint a little faster and stepped between the couches. I had to follow. What did they want? My rival seemed to know already, because her fingers curled into a fist and opened again, like a man expecting a sudden payday, and soon enough I heard the president utter her decision....
"Stripfight!"
The other girl lunged at me.
I had been pledging the Delta Phi sorority for two weeks, and each day's task had been just a little more intense than the last: singing during lunch in the crowded commons, then telling a professor he was wrong about his pet theory, then joining a student protest in favor of Saddam Hussein. Little stuff. My night at the fraternity party was a mistake - it got out of hand - but even that was not so terrible. I kind of liked the attention from all those strong, confident hands, and nobody tried to ....well, you know.
So there were just two days to go before the sorority made its choices. The original group of twenty girls was down to eleven, and I was pretty sure I would make the final eight. We had to serve a dinner at the sorority house, and prove our worth with an obstacle course, but I had it in the bag. And best of all, when I became a member some of those delicious guys at the frat house might call me up.
I got to the sorority about six o'clock. Half the other prospects were there, and I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the last girl to arrive would probably be punished. Isn't that always the way during initiation? We filed into the kitchen, where each of us laid out a plate of deviled eggs or tuna salad or a jello with those little orange slices in them. No one wanted to look too eager. Other girls soon showed up, and, when the last two girls came together, we all saw that one of them had forgotten to bring a dish. By six thirty we heard the rustle of members in the dining room, and, when the president's bell ringed we carried out assorted goods out.
There was a murmer.
"What's she doing here?" someone whispered.
We all looked at the girl with no plate.
"I...uh, I was taking a test and ..."
"Not you." the president interrupted. She looked in my direction.
There was silence.
"You left the frat party two nights ago without permission."
She WAS talking to me. "Uh, no ma'am, I was there," I said.
"I took a roll call. Everyone had stayed but you."
"I was upstairs. I was kept up there by two of the frat brothers."
The other girls started to look away from me, and the members glanced at each other with frowns.
"I'm sorry," the president said. "You're out."
What? That couldn't be. "I really was there, ma'am. I was there long after everyone else was gone."
This caused even more whispering and disbelieving glances.
"Of course you did." The president's sarcasm was withering.
"Ask anyone. I mean at the frat. I was there."
"Why did you stay in a house full of men, without permission?"
"They forced me to stay. They...uh...they..." I couldn't tell the whole story!
"Well, I'm sorry. You obviously don't want to be a part of this sisterhood. Lying is intolerable."
"I'm not lying. Honest."
(murmers.)
"You don't want to be with us badly enough, it seems. Not enough to leave the party on time. Not enough to get permission to stay."
"I really, really want to join. They made me stay."
The girl with no dish spoke up. "Ma'am, may I speak?"
The president hesitated. "Go ahead."
"I know I don't have a dish tonight - I just forgot that I had to bring one - and I know I should be punished.......but at least I 'm honest about it."
"Oh you little whore!" I shouted, then slapped my hand to my mouth. Too late. Too late. I turned to the members. "I-I-I'm so sorry, ma'ams. I -I..."
"Quiet."
"I really was at that frat house."
"Silence." The president turned to the other members.
I glanced at the girl with no plate, the girl who had goaded me into shouting. She kept her mouth supremely tight.
The president turned back to us. "One of you must be expelled tonight."
"Yes, ma'am," my rival said quickly.
"Uh, yes," I added.
"We will decide after dinner." With that the members reached for chicken legs and spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, and the clink of silverware and glasses and bracelets striking against plates filled the room with the sound of constant, mechanical giggling. Each of the other pledges stood by, hovering, ready to pounce into service if the slightest signal came. A member's hand barely touched her half empty glass before three pledges offered to pour her more wine. A plate was empty and whisked away in a flash. I peered at my rival, who had brought no dish but suddenly posed my greatest threat, and she stared back at me, and the two of us were lost in thought and plots when the president's voice rang out, "Are you daydreaming?"
We both looked at her.
"No, ma'am," the girl with no plate chimed in.
"No." (oops. dammit!) "I mean, 'No, ma'am.'"
"You two seem to want to settle this right now. Okay, we'll decide." We glanced at each other again (ever so quickly) wondering what would happen, and who she would choose, when the members all got up and walked purposefully into the living room, taking up positions as the president pulled couches and love seats at an angle. The furniture formed a square - like a boxing ring. My rival and I merely followed the crowd, and when all the members and pledges stood around the ring, glancing inside, my rival took the hint a little faster and stepped between the couches. I had to follow. What did they want? My rival seemed to know already, because her fingers curled into a fist and opened again, like a man expecting a sudden payday, and soon enough I heard the president utter her decision....
"Stripfight!"
The other girl lunged at me.
