The Alpha Bet

by Stephanie Hale

  Chapter Four

  I don’t even take the time to change back into my rush clothes. I ignore my ringing dorm phone as I slip on a pair of tennis shoes, grab my purse, and before I know it, I’m back in front of the Alpha house. Unfortunately, the adrenaline rush I was being fueled by ran out about halfway across campus. Now all I’m feeling is pure fear.

  Can I really lie my way into the Alphas? Surely they have people to check stuff like this and they won’t just take my word for it. The idea of being busted by the Alphas makes me nauseous, but not nauseous enough to turn around.

  I pound on the door with my fist. To my surprise, Sloane throws it open. Her million-dollar smile falls when she sees its me.

  “No one here ordered any geek, so why don’t you run along,” she hisses, moving to slam the door in my face.

  “Pledge Masterson, who is at the door?” Lindsay’s voice booms from behind Sloane. She comes into view holding a diet Coke.

  Pledge Masterson? That means she got one of the coveted pledge spots. How can the Alphas not see how horrible Sloane is? This must mean I’m too late to try and get into the house. They already have their two pledges. I should just turn around and go back to my dorm before I make an even bigger fool of myself. But I don’t. My feet stay rooted to their spot, it’s almost as if they too know they belong here.

  “What are you doing here, Grace Kelly?” Lindsay asks, curiously.

  “I forgot to tell you something earlier,” I say, kicking the threshold nervously with my tennis shoe.

  “Come on in,” Lindsay says, holding the door open. I slide into the foyer, quickly realizing how underdressed I am. Lindsay doesn’t seem to notice my thrown together outfit.

  “We’re not mad about the frame, Grace Kelly. Accidents happen. Marjorie was out of line for pulling you from rush,” she says, surprising me.

  “She was?”

  “Definitely. The Alphas gave you full consideration when choosing our new pledges. But...” She tosses her blonde hair over her shoulder nervously, obviously not wanting to finish her sentence. “Our quota was two pledges and there were thirty-three prospective pledges. It was really tough to choose this semester. I’m sorry, Grace Kelly, but you didn’t make the final cut.”

  I hear a snicker come from down the hallway and I don’t need to guess who it is. Won’t Sloane be surprised when the Alphas make an exception for a third pledge?

  “Lindsay, there’s something I forgot to tell you earlier,” I say, biting on my lower lip to keep it from quivering. I haven’t had much practice lying and it doesn’t help that I’m starting out with a doozy like this.

  Some of the other sisters start wandering into the foyer with curious looks on their faces. At least I think they look curious. Who can tell with this bandage over my eye? My palms are sweating as Lindsay stands there waiting patiently for me to tell her the biggest lie I’ve ever told. I nearly chicken out when Jentry rounds the corner with a mocktini in her hand. She beams from ear to ear when she sees me.

  “I’m an Alpha legacy,” I blurt out. Jentry eyes widen and she nearly chokes on her drink.

  “What do you mean?” Lindsay asks, clearly confused.

  “My aunt, Edwina Fay Brighton, is an Alpha,” I explain, hoping she’ll get it this time because I feel like I might be struck down in this foyer if I have to repeat it again.

  “Oh my God! Edwina Fay is your aunt?” The redheaded sister with the braids practically screams. She grabs hold of her uniform shirt and rips it open. The buttons go scattering across the marble foyer. “I love Edwina Fay,” she screams, pointing to the T-shirt she is wearing underneath her uniform. My faux aunts picture is plastered across the redheads chest with the saying, ‘Edwina Fay is my home girl’.

  “Edwina Fay was one of the Alpha founders. She’s the most successful Alpha in our history,” Lindsay says, stunned.

  And here I thought the lady had a quaint little makeup business. Great. Leave it to me to pick the alpha Alpha to be related to. I’m going to be so busted.

  The other girls start to swarm around me. I’m getting dizzy only being able to see out of one eye.

  “That’s why your skin is so beautiful,” a sister says, reaching out to touch my cheek.

  “Could you get us a discount on makeup?” Someone asks from behind me.

  “Could we, like, meet her?” Another asks, nearly making me faint.

  What have I gotten myself into? When the Alphas find out the truth I’ll be laughed off the campus. I’ll be living back home enrolling in community college, sans stylish clothes and makeup, before the week is out.

  “I’d love for you to be a pledge, Grace Kelly. But I thought the Alphas could only have two pledges?” Sloane asks so sweetly that her voice is practically dipping honey. In my nervousness I hadn’t seen her slither back into the room.

  “This certainly changes things a bit,” Lindsay says, clearly flustered. “Of course, I’m going to have to check things out with National tomorrow. The sisters and I are going to have a lot to discuss.” She looks stressed and I feel bad for making this hard on her. She has been so nice to me.

  Nationals? This means that I have about ten hours before Lindsay finds out the horrible truth. What will she think of me when she realizes I lied to her? What if Jentry isn’t allowed to keep rooming with me once the Alphas find out what a fraud I am? What have I done?

  “It would be so fun having you on board, Grace Kelly,” Sloane adds, interrupting my nearly full-blown panic attack. She immediately starts gnawing at her fingernails like they are corncobs. I still can’t believe that such a perfect-looking girl has such a revolting habit.

  “Legacies are given priority. So someone could lose their bid,” Lindsay says, ominously. I’m very careful to avoid Sloane’s eyes as she spits a nail in my direction.

  ****

  “Holy shit, GK. You just told the mother of all lies. You realize that, right?” Jentry whispers as we sit side-by-side on her bed. We’re being very covert just in case Sloane has her ear plastered to our door, which I wouldn’t put past her. “I’m so proud of you,” she says, grabbing my shoulders.

  “Why? For being a big fake? That’s nothing to be proud of,” I say, the guilt of my lie finally kicking in.

  “This is huge. You went after something you wanted. You didn’t care if somebody told you that you couldn’t have it. Of course, you’re going to crash and burn like nobody’s business tomorrow after Lindsay calls Nationals, but for a few brief hours, you’re every geeky girl’s hero,” she finishes, getting a little misty-eyed.

  “Gee, thanks. I think.” I try not to think about tomorrow but my stomach starts churning remembering Lindsay’s request that we all return to the house at eleven in the morning.

  “You might have actually pulled if off if you wouldn’t have picked the CEO of the most successful cosmetics company of all time. Oh, God, I can’t stand it. GK, you should do stand-up,” Jentry dies laughing while rolling off her bed.

  “How in the world would I know anything about makeup? I just wore eyeliner for the first time three days ago.” I point out in a useless defense. Nothing I say is going to stop the fit Jentry is having. Despite my nervousness over my demise with the Alphas, I can’t help but realize the irony of the legacy I chose. Couldn’t I have just looked at one more Google search? I start cracking up just watching Jentry roll around on the floor holding her stomach.

  “So, I met a boy today,” I say, finally, after she has calmed down a bit.

  “Ooh, do tell. Is he hot? Well hung? Come on, give me details.” She laughs.

  “Well, it was dark, but he looked really cute. I hit him in the forehead with my shoe,” I giggle.

  “NO!” Jentry screams with laughter. I nod and she just starts cracking up all over again.

  “Then I saw him again later and he helped me pick up the tampons I was carrying in my purse,” I laugh.

  “He actually picked one up?” She asks amazed.

  “Yeah.”

&n
bsp; “He’s totally into you. Guys are scared to death of feminine hygenine products, it’s like their Kryptonite. Yep, he’s into you.”

  I hear something outside our door and I jump off the bed and put my finger to my mouth gesturing for Jentry to be quiet. I am so going to bust Sloane for spying on us. I fling open the unlocked door ready to pounce.

  Instead, I practically head-butt a portly campus security guard standing outside our door with his fist raised, ready to knock.

  “Are you Grace Kelly Cook?” He asks grumpily.

  Did the Alphas change their mind and decide to have me hauled in for breaking their picture frame? Did Lindsay already figure out that I lied?

  “Yes, I’m Grace Kelly,” I smile, hoping to win him over.

  His stubble-covered face doesn’t register any emotion. He pulls a black walkie-talkie looking thing off his shoulder and speaks into it. “The subject is accounted for,” he says.

  “Ten-four, Bob. Tell her to call her mom so she quits calling campus security,” another male voice crackles out of the walkie-talkie.

  Bob raises his eyebrows unpleasantly at me and stalks off down the hallway. I shut the door and crumple into a ball of humiliation onto our dorm floor.

  “Your mom gives new meaning to the word controlling,” Jentry says, half-laughing.

  “I can’t believe she called campus security. She’s on a mission to destroy me no matter where I go.” I shake my head while dialing my home phone number.

  I calm Mom down by lying and saying that I slept through both phone calls. There was no way I was going to tell her about rush. She’d probably call in the National Guard. I made her promise to never call campus security again or I wouldn’t come home for Thanksgiving break. We bartered over how many times a day she could call. She finally settled on one call a day but unlimited emails. Jentry sat shaking her head and laughing through the whole conversation. I’m positive she thinks my entire family is whacked because her mom hasn’t called her once since she’s been here. I ease myself down into my covers and turn myself in Jentry’s direction. She has her hair fanned out on her pillow with just one of her Ipod ear buds in.

  “I bet your family really misses you,” I say, trying not to be too obvious.

  “Highly unlikely,” Jentry responds, pulling out the ear bud.

  “What are they like?” I prod.

  “The polar opposite of your family,” she says, rolling over in her bed.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I laugh.

  “You’re really lucky, GK. I know it doesn’t always feel that way but you really are.”

  Her comment is laced with such sadness that I don’t know how to respond. How could her family not completely treasure her? I know I do.

  “Besides, you’re my family now,” she says, flipping back over.

  “Sisters.” I agree. I can’t believe how close I’ve gotten to Jentry in just a few days. I almost can’t imagine college without her. And I know that no matter what happens tomorrow, she’ll be there for me.

  I’m nearly asleep when a bolt of panic runs through my body. What if, by some insane chance, I get into the Alphas and Jentry gets kicked out?

  Chapter Five

  The next morning I’m sitting next to Jentry around the cherry wood dining table at the Alpha house. I’m so nervous that my knees are knocking against the bottom of the table and all the other sisters keep looking around trying to figure out where the noise is coming from.

  “Just be cool,” Jentry whispers, laying her hand gently on one of my legs.

  She’s right. What’s the worst that can happen? Oh, that’s right, I could become the laughing stock of the entire campus when Lindsay reveals that I lied about being a legacy. I don’t even know why I came here. I should run back to the dorm as fast as I can and never leave my room again. I move to get up just as Lindsay walks in. The whispering from the other sisters ceases immediately. I scoot around in my chair trying to get as comfortable as possible. I might as well enjoy the last precious moments I have left in the Alpha house.

  I wonder if the Alphas would have more respect for me if I just stood up and told the truth? Lindsay clears her throat before I can muster the courage to speak up.

  “Good morning, everyone,” she begins. “I’m very happy to announce that we do not have to say goodbye to either of the pledges that we so carefully chose last night.”

  Jentry clasps my hand for support as all of the sisters look at me with confused looks on their faces. Sloane looks relieved and immediately pulls her fingers out of her mouth. She will love it when Lindsay reveals to the other sisters that I lied.

  “I’m also ecstatic to welcome a new pledge,” Lindsay babbles excitedly. Jentry squeezes my hand as Lindsay’s words make it from my ears to my brain. The route is much slower this morning than normal. “Sisters, please welcome our newest pledge, Grace Kelly Cook.”

  Cheers erupt all around the table as I sit stunned. How did this happen? Jentry reaches in to hug me and the moment our eyes meet, I know. Her secret phone call she placed this morning. At the time, I thought it had something to do with her family. But now, I have no doubt, she had single-handedly made it possible for me to be an Alpha. I squeeze her until she squeals.

  “The woman at Nationals just couldn’t get over how nice your aunt was,” Lindsay brags. “I think she was a little star struck.”

  “She gets that a lot,” I say, finally letting go of Jentry.

  “Maybe she can come visit sometime,” Lindsay says, looking hopeful. I smile at her, forcing myself to enjoy this moment and not stress about how I’m going to pull off the next four years.

  “Okay, girls,” Lindsay shouts. “Let’s celebrate in style.” Two active sisters come in carrying boxes of Krispy Kremes and gallons of milk.

  Jentry raises her plastic cup of milk to mine in a toast, throwing me a sly wink, as a sister attaches a pink and gold pin to my collar. I try to focus on the compliments and congratulations that are coming my way but I can’t seem to focus on anything but the tiny circle-shaped pin on my collar. It has a white background and it edged in gold with three overlapping pink capital A’s in the middle. I’ve always been proud of the A’s I’ve received before, but this is by far the one I’m the proudest of. I run my fingers gently along the edge of it.

  “You’re going to rub the gold right off that thing,” Jentry teases me.

  I drop my fingers self-consciously and whisper, “I can’t believe you did this.” She holds a finger to her pursed-out lips but her eyes crinkle up in a smile.

  “Okay, girls. I need your attention,” Lindsay says, taking a seat at the head of the table. A sister grabs the empty doughnut boxes from the middle of the table so that we don’t have to struggle to see Lindsay.

  “It is time to explain to our pledges what is expected of them,” she continues. “I’m sure you already know this, especially if you visited the Zeta house, but the Alphas aren’t your typical sorority. We don’t believe in belittling or humiliating our pledges through hazing. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t test your loyalty to us. Loyalty, above all else, is what makes us sisters.”

  The active sisters clap in agreement while Jentry and I exchange a fearful glance wondering how we’ll be asked to prove our loyalty.

  “The three of you,” Lindsay says, addressing Jentry, Sloane, and I, “will be expected to complete The Alpha Bet before your bids, or offers of sisterhood, become active.”

  I tap Jentry on the hand underneath the table to see if she has any idea what Lindsay is talking about. She shrugs her shoulders, looking clueless.

  “The Alpha Bet is a set of twenty-six alphabetical tasks chosen for you, by your fellow sisters, to prove your loyalty to the sorority.”

  It doesn’t sound so bad but I can’t help but notice how serious all the sisters suddenly got. How hard could these tasks be anyway? I’ve already lied to get here and there isn’t much I wouldn’t do at this point to go from geek to Greek.

 
“I’m passing out sheets of paper with your letter on them,” Lindsay tells the actives, getting up to distribute the papers. “Because there are more than twenty-six sisters, not everyone will get to choose a task for each pledge. I have tried to divide the letters as fairly as possible.”

  The sisters clutch their papers to their chests making Lindsay’s next statement no big surprise.

  “No one is to discuss their tasks. Not with each other or outsiders. Do you understand?” The three of us nod our heads like obedient bobbleheads.

  “Three sets of letters will be hung in the great room. When you complete a task, the letter will be removed. This is so the other sisters can gauge your progress. We know that if being an Alpha is what you really want, you will find a way to succeed.”

  Jentry and I raise our eyebrows at each other and let out tiny sighs. Suddenly this sisterhood business seems like really hard work. And to think that classes haven’t even started yet.

  I barely had time to go to the bathroom after Lindsay’s revelation before I was approached about my first task. These sisters don’t mess around.

  “You want me to do what?” I ask, confused about what Jodi, the pixie-looking Alpha, is proposing for my first task. I help her throw our milk cups into a garbage bag.

  “You’re going to be my running partner,” Jodi says, nearly bursting with excitement. My stomach flips at the mere thought of my body moving at a more accelerated speed than walking. This could be very hazardous to my health, and Jodi’s.

  “Jodi, there’s something you should know about me,” I mumble, not sure how to impress upon her the gravity of this situation. I was actually assigned to the equipment room in my high school physical education class. My teachers didn’t want me anywhere near a team sport. I’m terminally klutzy.