The Alpha Bet

by Stephanie Hale

  My curfew was seven o’clock. Not like I had any one trying to make hot plans with me or anything, but even if someone had tried, Mom’s mandatory curfew would have made it impossible to have a life. I slice through the second pair of panties with a vengeance, my temper flaring when I think about how Mom’s paranoia stunted my emotional growth and maturity.

  When all the other girls my age were getting their first bra, I begged my mom to buy me one that I spotted at the mall. She blew me off. I attempted to make my own out of shoestrings and gauze pads, but it didn’t quite hold up. She never wanted me to grow up.

  I was furious just remembering how I felt that day. Before I even realize what I’m doing I have a pile of cut-up cheer panties sitting on the metal bench outside of the lockers. They are covered with tufts of black and white fur and I realize that in my fury I’ve accidentally cut off parts of my fake fur. Oops. Thinking about Mom’s over protectiveness makes me crazy.

  I get to work stuffing the panties back into the lockers. I’m hoping they are one size fits all because I don’t remember which ones go where. I’m just putting the last pair back when I hear the door open and several high-pitched voices coming toward me.

  I start to panic trying to figure out how to get out unseen. The only place to hide is some empty lockers but there is no way I can fit inside one of them with this costume on.

  “What the hell are you doing in here?” A vicious-looking brunette says as she rounds the corner. Four more similar looking girls appear behind her back. All of them are eyeing me as I imagine a hungry lion would in the Serengeti.

  “I got lost,” I say, holding my hooves out to my sides, hoping I look confused.

  “You’re so pathetic. How many times do I have to tell you that we aren’t going to let you on the squad?”

  I try to sidestep the brunette, hoping I can just make a run for it. Her cronies block my view of the exit and glare menacingly into my eyeholes. I have a feeling this is going to turn out very badly.

  “Get her, girls,” the brunette demands. The female pride of cheerleaders surrounds me like I’m the weakest in the herd. This is worth way more than three letters. In a swift move that I wouldn’t have thought myself capable of on a good day, let alone wearing a giant smelly zebra head, I pounce onto the metal bench towering a good foot above them. I know I can’t jump high enough to clear them so I decide to take a more direct approach.

  I dive at the two closest to the exit taking them by surprise. As I am flying through the air, I think my sneak attack is brilliant. But then I remember Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Gravitation and that what goes up, must come down. I hear the thud but am pleasantly surprised not to feel much pain. I don’t think the two girls I landed on can say the same. They are writhing around, moaning. I scramble to my hooves and bolt out of the locker room.

  “Get back here, you crazy pachyderm,” one of the girls yells.

  It takes everything I have not to turn around and correct her. Doesn’t she know that calling a zebra an elephant is the equivalent of saying humans were alive during the Jurassic Era? Maybe the cheerleader stereotype isn’t that far off after all.

  I fly out of the locker room only to run smack into someone. All I see is blonde hair go tumbling down. I keep running afraid that the cheerleaders are close on my hooves. I feel guilty about not helping my casualty up though.

  “Jesus, kill me why don’t you?” I hear the blonde scream down the hall. I stop and turn around to see Sloane brushing herself off. What in the world is she doing here? Then I remember that she has tasks, too. The Alphas must have more in store for the Zetas. I’m just glad my tasks are over. And not only did I just get three more letters but I got to knock Sloane on her butt as a bonus.

  I bust through the doors and out into the bright September afternoon. I’m immediately broiling and I have to find a place to get this head off before my body temperature rises to a dangerous level. I can already feel my thirst mechanism kicking in and I would guess that I have already sweat out close to a pound of water. It is critical that I get my hands on something with electrolytes in it, pronto.

  I’m getting a bit dizzy so I disappear behind a few large oaks on campus. I strip off the costume and shove it into a large plastic bag I stuck in the pocket of my shorts. I feel better immediately but I still need something to drink. I figure Susie, Brittney, and Juliet will be glued to the campus television channel that is broadcasting the football game live. They’ll see I completed my tasks so I don’t need to hurry back to the Alpha house.

  The campus is mostly deserted as I head toward the student center. I stash the costume behind an overstuffed couch in a corner of the student center. I scan my student ID to pay for a lemon-lime Gatorade, unscrew the top and don’t stop guzzling until I’ve ingested the entire twenty ounces.

  “Remind me never to challenge you to a drink-off,” Charlie’s voice says from behind me.

  I spin around dibbling the last few drops of Gatorade on my pink tank. I try to quickly brush them off but they have already penetrated the material. My stain stick has been getting a workout lately.

  “Oh, I just came from a run,” I say, trying to sound convincing, knowing my hair must be a mess after being stuck in that head.

  “You should come sit down. Your face is pretty red,” he says, looking worried.

  “It was kind of an intense workout,” I say, not completely lying. A bunch of deranged cheerleaders chasing you would get anybody’s heart rate up. I move over to the couch and sink into the cushions. Charlie sits down on the section next to me.

  “I thought everybody was at the football game,” he says.

  “I’m not much of a sports fan,” I admit, noticing a flat screen televising the game behind Charlie’s head.

  “Yeah, me neither,” he agrees. “Are you looking forward to classes starting on Monday?”

  “Actually, I am.” It’s been nice to have time to acclimate to college life and meet new people but I’m ready to flip open a new notebook and fill it with exciting knowledge. Learning is my comfort zone and after this crazy week, I’m ready to get back to it.

  “Is it completely nerdy to admit that I look forward to seeing the class syllabus for the first time?” Charlie laughs, hiding his face with his hands.

  “Me, too,” I agree whole-heartedly.

  We chat easily for a few minutes until I notice the cheerleaders gallop onto the field for the half-time show. The sound is muted but I can tell the music has started by their synchronized movements.

  “Good game, huh?” Charlie asks, turning around to see the television. Right then the cheerleaders spin around and bend over, giving their viewing audience a little more than they expected. The channel immediately cuts to a commercial.

  “That’s something you don’t see everyday,” Charlie snorts.

  I can’t control the huge grin that breaks across my face knowing how pleased the Alphas are going to be.

  ****

  Later at the house, the sisters are all abuzz about the Zetas. Most of them have figured out that the Alphas were behind it even though the task has never been mentioned.

  “That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen,” Juliet gushes.

  “Cheerleaders, panties, zebra,” Brittney chants as she tears down the C, P, and Z papers from the great room walls. I love watching those papers come down. We leave the great room and wander into the kitchen.

  The rest of the sisters are crowded in the kitchen fixing snacks and giggling excitedly about the Zeta prank. The active sisters can’t openly praise me because of the secrecy of the tasks but several of them have patted me on the back, squeezed my arm, or given me a thumbs up sign.

  Jentry winks at me over her turkey sandwich but looks exhausted. I search around for Sloane, feeling a tad guilty about plowing into her, but I don’t see her.

  “Where’s Sloane?” I ask.

  “Oh, the poor thing ended up having the stomach flu. She’s been holed up in her dorm room since last night
,” Lindsay says sympathetically.

  I’m about to raise my eyebrows at Jentry to tip her off that Sloane lied to the sisters when I realize this could be part of a task. Maybe Lindsay is lying to us so that Sloane can complete a task. I would look like a tattle tail if I said something about seeing Sloane today. I grab a chip and stuff it in my mouth instead. Besides, I’m looking forward to a nice, drama-free evening with the sisters.

  My cell phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to see a text message from Sean. Something tells me it is going to be a comment about the cheerleaders. Dad and Sean never miss a McMillan game. His message reads: 911. Mom on way.

  I drop my cell phone on the ceramic tile and I’m pretty sure I don’t have to lie about the camera not working anymore.

  Chapter Eight

  “She’s trying to ruin my life,” I whine to Dad. Thankfully I caught him on his cell phone before they could leave.

  “I know she’s a tad bit overbearing sometimes Grace, but you are only sixteen,” Dad reminds me, as if I need reminding that I have this huge underage secret hanging over me. “She just wants to make sure that you are exactly the way she left you.”

  That’s the problem. I’m nothing like the way she left me. Just a week ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of bonding with the most popular girls on campus. Today, they’re my sisters.

  “Even Sean misses you,” Dad says, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Now I know you are full of it,” I laugh.

  “Seriously, Grace, it’s not the same around here without you. I guess instead of you being homesick, the rest of us are homesick for you.”

  Okay, so I was a bit nostalgic for our family game night the other night, and it would be kind of nice to see my family, if only I knew that my mom wouldn’t completely freak out by my new appearance. And, of course, there is no way I can tell her about the Alphas.

  “I’ve made some changes,” I admit. I figure I’ll let Dad do my dirty work and tell Mom about the enhanced version of me, that way she’ll have some advance notice.

  “I’m not going to want to hear this, am I?”

  “I cut my hair, got contacts, and I don’t wear anything with elastic anymore,” I charge forward, feeling good that I am finally being honest.

  “The only thing that matters is that you feel good about yourself,” Dad says sweetly.

  “I do, Dad. I really do.”

  I hang up from Dad and scour my dorm room for Alpha affiliations. I shove my Alpha tank top and a picture frame that one of the sisters made me in the bottom of one of my drawers. I’m trying to find a hiding place for a picture of Jentry and I together at the Alpha-Omega party the other night when she walks in.

  “You look scary,” she says, dropping her book bag near her desk. “And way to be sneaky,” she adds, grabbing the box cutter off my bed. It must have slipped out of my pocket.

  Oops.

  “I will have you know that I did not cut myself once today,” I reply, proud of myself.

  “Well, that’s something.”

  I hide my Alpha pledge pin inside an argyle sock. This must be like the cardinal Alpha sin but my mom isn’t naïve enough to think it is just an innocent accessory.

  “Nobody is going to steal your Alpha pin, GK,” Jentry says, rolling her eyes.

  “My parents are coming to take me out to dinner.” I tell her, sitting down to do my makeup.

  “Holy crap! Why aren’t you totally freaking out right now?” She asks, jumping around the room.

  “I already told my dad about my makeover and it’s not like I’m going to volunteer that I’m pledging a sorority,” I say, surprisingly calm.

  “Wow,” Jentry says, shaking her head, “They aren’t even going to recognize you and it won’t have anything to do with your hair and makeup.”

  “Besides…I thought maybe you could come with us.” I plead giving her my best puppy dog eyes. I nearly stab myself in the eye with eyeliner in the process.

  “Oh, hell no,” she shouts.

  “Please. I’ll totally owe you,” I plead.

  “What about the Alpha sleepover?”

  “We’ll be back with time to spare. It’s just dinner. My parents will treat,” I singsong.

  “Is your pervy little brother coming?” She smiles.

  “You think he would miss a chance to drool over you?”

  “It would be kind of fun to mess with him,” she ponders. “I’m in.”

  “Yay! Okay, I already have it planned out. We’ll go find a restaurant off campus so that we won’t run into anybody. As long as neither one of us slips and mentions the sorority, or that your mom is actually alive, we’ll be golden.” It’s the perfect plan. What could possibly go wrong?

  ****

  “Dang, sis. You look smokin,” Sean says, quickly moving his eyes from me to Jentry. She pinches his cheek playfully.

  I hold my breath waiting for my parent’s reaction. Surprisingly, my mother doesn’t look like she’ll be needing a paper bag to breathe in and out of. My dad is grinning like a maniac behind her so I know he approves. A tear slips down my mother’s cheek and I contemplate running back to barricade myself in my dorm. What if she thinks college is having a negative impact on me and makes me come home? There is no way I would survive after my brief taste of the outside world.

  “Hi, Mom,” I say apprehensively.

  “Grace Kelly,” she says quietly. “You look gorgeous.”

  Huh? She grabs me up in a hug before I can fully process her approval.

  “You’re having a good influence on her, Jentry,” Mom says, backing out of our hug but not taking her eyes off me. Jentry seems to beam from the compliment.

  “I missed you guys,” I say, backing out of the hug. Until this moment, I hadn’t really thought I missed anything about home, but seeing the three of them and getting their approval feels even better than it did to escape the deranged cheerleaders earlier.

  We head out to the parking lot to my parents mini-van. Sean not-so-subtly scores the seat next to Jentry. He’s so pathetic.

  “So where do the kids go to escape the dorm food around here?” Dad jokes.

  “I saw a pizza place down the street,” Sean interrupts. I know that he is referring to the same pizza place Jentry and I went to my first night here. The official Greek hangout.

  “Actually, Mr. Cook, there is a stir-fry place I’ve been wanting to try if it’s okay with you and Mrs. Cook,” Jentry pipes up while removing Sean’s hand from her knee. Jentry and I exchange a knowing glance. It is so awesome to have someone who is watching my back.

  “Point the way,” Dad agrees enthusiastically. I lean back into the van seat, relieved to have dodged one bullet. Now if I can just make it through this meal without tipping my mom off that I’ve joined a sorority.

  ****

  “Go easy on the seafood, Grace Kelly,” Mom says, as I continue to pile shrimp on top of the snow peas already in my bowl. “Your grandpa developed an allergy to shellfish late in life.”

  “Mom, seriously,” I warn. Jentry snorts into her hand behind me.

  Mom continues down the buffet, sulking. Her bowl is practically empty. I guess the new me has made her lose her appetite. She makes her way to the table where Dad and Sean are already pigging out.

  “She’s actually handling things extremely well,” Jentry says, gesturing toward Mom.

  “I’m sure the best is yet to come. Eat fast,” I joke. I have to admit that Mom’s reaction was much better than I had anticipated. I just don’t want to get my hopes up. The calm before the storm and all that.

  Jentry and I head over to the table to join my parents. Sean jumps up with a noodle hanging out of his mouth and pulls out Jentry’s chair. I exchange a glance with my parents and we all nearly double over with laughter at Sean’s sudden chivalrous nature.

  I tuck my cloth napkin into the collar of my shirt. I’m not about to take the chance of dropping something down the front of my shirt when I’m trying to show my parents my new sop
histicated self.

  “So, classes start on Monday, huh?” Dad asks, stabbing a baby corncob with his fork.

  “Finally,” I answer between huge bitefuls of shrimp. “I can’t wait.”

  “How about you, Jentry? Are you ready?” Mom asks. I already warned Dad that talking about Jentry’s dead (or not) mother was off-limits tonight.

  “Well, I don’t have a brain like GK, um, Grace Kelly’s so I’ll have to work pretty hard to keep up,” Jentry admits. I put my fork down and look over at her.

  “Not with me as a roommate you won’t,” I say confidently. My brain is already whizzing with different study aids that could help Jentry. I’m glad that I will finally be able to help Jentry after everything she has done for me.

  “You’ve been busy,” she reminds me, throwing me a wink.

  “Never too busy for you.”

  “If anybody can help you, it’s Grace Kelly. She’s definitely the brains of the family.” Dad chuckles.

  “Yeah, no pressure being the sibling of a genius,” Sean pipes up. “All of my teachers keep asking me if I’m going to graduate from high school at sixteen like my sister did. As if.”

  Everything seems to slow down. I watch Jentry drop her fork, as it is mid-way to her mouth. She quickly recovers it and pretends to be extremely interested in her noodles. Leave to Sean to open his big mouth.

  “Why wouldn’t you buy me a bra?” I ask Mom, partly to distract Jentry from learning the truth about my age, and partly because I really want to know.

  “Grace Kelly, what on earth are you talking about?” Mom turns to Jentry and apologizes with her eyes. Jentry smiles uncomfortably and gets very interested in a forkful of rice.

  I’m talking about the day that you and I went to the mall and I wanted a bra and you told me no,” I say louder, refusing to be ignored.

  “Lower your voice, young lady. For your information you asked me to buy you a black push-up bra from Victoria’s Secret. I didn’t really think it was appropriate for a fifth grader,” Mom smarts off.