“These are my line sisters Torian and Loni”—neither girl standing next to her said hello—“our Chapter President, Hayden Grant; Bea, our First Vice President, and Sharon.” Those three didn’t even put up our sign, which was customary when you met a new soror.
“Now y’all, for real, you’re being rude,” Malloy scolded as she turned her back to me and tried to get her chapter sorors straight.
She didn’t have to go defending me. I could hold my own. Shoot, they didn’t want me in their chapter. Well, too doggone bad. I was coming, and what were they going to do about it?
But then, as I saw them continuously staring, I realized they were seriously feeling threatened. They didn’t know me or my heart. I had to make them feel comfortable and let them know I wasn’t trying to mess up their game. So I said, “Hey, I know it’s tough accepting an outsider into your fold, but in my soul let me say I feel like family. I mean, I am your soror. I know a lot of Betas who aren’t really excited about Spanish girls, but trust me, I don’t want the spotlight, and my letters didn’t come easy—I was hazed. I just want us to be cool, all right?”
Bea smiled and stuck out her hand for me to dap. When the other girls smiled as well—I guess now they knew I wasn’t paper—we were cool.
“To me, more importantly than how I pledged is why I pledged,” I continued sincerely. “I plan to make a difference in the community and I love this organization. Just give me a chance.”
All the girls finally gave me a real embrace. I didn’t know where we’d go from here, but I was excited to find out.
1
BENEVOLENT
Yeah, I know I got it going on, and even with all the eyes rolling my way, I’m not gonna feel bad about that. My dark, almond-toned skin is glazed to perfection. My 5’7” body is slim in all the right places. My sassy short do moves the men. I know how to work it. Every guy at this Student Government Association back-to-school party is checking me out, including the fine, commanding SGA President, Al Dutch.
Al Dutch—yes, he wants everyone to use his whole name all the time, saying he plans to run for political office one day and we need to remember him. Al is a lady’s man; he looks, walks, and talks like money! You know the type. The one who’s confident and cocky and always has a sure smile plastered on his or her face, with a no-worry, got-much-loot look in his or her eyes. Al’s that type. His skin glows like he has slept on the best satin sheets and used the finest body oils all his life. All the men wanna be him. All the girls wanna be with him—including me. It was game time, and I was flirting hard.
Western Smith is your typical historically black college with even more bells and whistles. We are rich in history in our great state of Arkansas. We have everything at our disposal—a good football team, excellent academics, amazing Greek life, and great cultural campus events. Western Smith even has a first-rate band—which is the place where I fit most.
I was a drum major my sophomore year. Now that I’m a junior, I’ve switched gears and decided to try something different. Now I’m captain of the dance team. One would think my life is perfect, but my reputation isn’t the best. Though I don’t care what people think or say about me, I know I want to make the line of Beta Gamma Pi. Three years ago when I first came to college, I was at a probate show where the sisters were stepping, and I remember all the excited oohs and ahhs they received from the crowd. It was then that I knew I really wanted to be a Beta. Plus, their sorors in my hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, helped get me through my high school years and because of their scholarship, I was able to attend Western Smith.
After meeting some Betas in middle school, I had researched the sorority. I found newspaper clippings about the five founders, and I’d even taken a tour of the National Headquarters about thirty miles from campus. The more I looked into what the Betas were all about—leadership, sisterhood, education, Christianity, and public service—I knew they were the sorority for me. The whole God thing wasn’t really my thing, but I knew to be a Beta, I had to either clean up my act and hope they would vote me in or cancel that dream altogether.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2010 by Stephanie Perry Moore
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ISBN: 978-0-7582-8159-3
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