The Alpha Bet

by Stephanie Hale

  I crumple onto a leather chair, laughing. Thank god I had my new underwear on. I hear what sounds like a warrior cry come from the foyer then the front door slams and the Omegas are gone.

  “You look positively guilty,” Jentry says, collapsing in another chair across from me. The skin around her mouth is red and splotchy from Ron’s goatee whiskers.

  “I just gave Charlie my underwear,” I laugh.

  “I should have known you’d pack a spare pair. I bet you were a kick ass Girl Scout, GK.” She laughs.

  “I didn’t give him a spare pair,” I tell her trying to keep a straight face.

  “Oh my God, I’ve created a monster,” Jentry laughs.

  “He is the most amazing kisser. Not that I have anything to compare it to besides Aimee, but that doesn’t really count,” I babble. As soon as I realize what I just said I slap my hand over my mouth in shock. Jentry is sitting straight up in the chair looking serious.

  “Don’t tell anybody I just told you that,” I whisper, petrified that someone is going to find out that I accidentally told Jentry about one of my tasks.

  “I know you really like this guy, GK, but you need to be careful,” Jentry warns, not even hearing my slip about the K task.

  I should have known that Charlie was too good to be true.

  “Does he have a girlfriend or something?” I ask, feeling devastated already.

  “This is about you, GK, not him. You’re underage and he could go to jail if you, you know,” she whispers.

  I bury my face in my hands and wonder what Google would tell me to do about all this mess I’ve gotten myself into.

  ****

  Two days later, I’m heading across campus practically giddy. It is the first day of classes and I can hardly wait to get somewhere I feel comfortable. The only thing that would make this morning any better is if I had my trusty backpack. Jentry made me trade it in for a leather messenger bag, completely ignoring my ergonomic argument about shoulder strain.

  Campus looks so much different with everyone here. I got used to wandering around, taking in the weathered brick buildings, and not thinking about plowing into someone. Today the sidewalks are packed with fellow students looking sleepy while wearing Ipods, drinking coffee, and straggling to class. I’m so glad that I thought to map out the route to my classes so that I’m not trying to find my way to unfamiliar buildings with these crowds. I make it safely to Mason Hall without incident.

  I sneak in the double doors behind some guys I recognize as Omegas. I immediately think of Charlie, and start wondering what he did with my underwear. Before I know it, I’m forced into a giant throng of students headed down a long corridor. I start to panic, realizing I’m in the middle with no chance of escaping. Slowly students start to drop off as they dart into classrooms off to the right and left of the corridor. Before long I’m alone, most people having already found their assigned classrooms. I pull out my class schedule scanning for my room number. I can’t believe I was so focused on finding my way to the building that I never even considered that the inside of the building would be impossible to manage. My schedule says that Organic Chemistry is in Schroeder Auditorium. Auditorium? I’m starting to panic because no one else is around but I haven’t heard the bell ring yet so I should be okay.

  I fly dangerously down the hall, knowing that I am taking my life into my own hands. I round the corner only to be faced with another gigantic hallway. I notice two blondes twirling their hair and chatting by a drinking fountain.

  “Excuse me? Can either of you tell me where Schroeder auditorium is?”

  The girls turn in my direction and I see the huge Z’s across their T-shirts. Zetas. Their eyes immediately lock onto my Alpha pin. Uh, oh. I start to back slowly away. I recognize one of them from the locker room incident.

  “Oh, sure. You just take these stairs,” one of the Zetas says, pointing to a staircase. “And go up two flights of stairs. It will be right on your left.” They smile brightly and I realize they don’t recognize me without my zebra head.

  “Thanks,” I yell, bounding up the steps. I feel a little guilty about the whole mooning incident after they were so nice to me. I don’t have time to worry about it though because I have to get to class. I make it to the third floor only to find it deserted. They lied to me. Of course they did. How could I be so naïve? I sink down into an empty chair next to a dark office. I don’t bother to try and stop the tears from running down my cheeks. I feel so lost.

  “Grace Kelly?” A familiar voice asks, bending down in front of me.

  “Lindsay?” I ask, swiping at my cheeks furiously. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m Dr. Brown’s T.A. this semester, which basically means I run to his office for him thirty times a day,” she explains, rolling her eyes. “Let me guess. The Zetas told you your class was up here?”

  I nod pitifully.

  “Those bottom feeders are famous for doing that every year. Just ignore them. Is something else wrong?” She pries.

  “College is so intimidating. I just wish I knew what I was doing. And I think I miss my family.” I open up.

  “Freshman year is tough for everybody. I went home every weekend for the first four months,” she admits.

  “Really?” I can’t imagine self-assured, Alpha president, Lindsay being homesick.

  “Yep, and I was eighteen, not sixteen,” she says, stopping my heart. I meet her eyes and she smiles.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” A million thoughts are rushing through my mind. The biggest one was wondering if the Alphas were going to kick me out of the sorority.

  “It’s okay. I probably wouldn’t have told either.”

  “Are you going to kick me out of the sorority?” I ask, holding my breath.

  “And cut loose the only child prodigy on campus? No way.” She laughs.

  “What about the sisters?”

  “You can tell them when you’re ready.”

  She gets to her feet and pulls me up. I feel lighter just knowing that I have one less secret to hide.

  Lindsay helps me find Schroder (which is actually pronounced Schrater, just to trip up frogs like me) Auditorium. I can’t believe it when I see three hundred other people seated and waiting for the instructor to pass out the syllabus.

  Lindsay also reminded me that there are no bells in college, so technically, I’m late. She also reminded me that in college no one really cares if you come to class. This is going to take some getting used to.

  I slide into the top row trying to bring as little attention to myself as possible.

  Someone passes me a crisp, white syllabus and I run my palm over it lovingly. I’m finally back in my element. The professor tells us that we aren’t babies anymore and can read through it on our own time then immediately starts lecturing. I retrieve a notebook from my bag along with a number two pencil. I flip open the notebook and breathe in the scent of the fresh paper. The familiarity of these supplies has an almost Zen-like effect on me.

  “I put your panties in a very special place,” a voice whispers in my ear. I push my pencil down so hard that the lead breaks. So much for Zen. I look over into Charlie’s dimpled, smiling face.

  “I almost stabbed you,” I bluff, tossing the broken pencil into my bag and retrieving a fresh one. I can’t help but notice the number two pencil tucked behind Charlie’s ear. I really want to ask him if he derives the same amount of satisfaction as I do watching his pencil waste away over the semester from all his hard work, but I don’t.

  “You’re awfully hardcore, Grace Kelly.” He laughs, flipping open his notebook to a page filled with the three steps of free radical halogenation. I can’t help but be jealous of his neatly drawn diagrams with their perfectly straight labels. Even if I had taken the time to work ahead, mine never would have turned out that good.

  “Pay attention,” he teases, focusing his attention back to the professor. I try, but he smells so good, even better than my notebook. As our professor describes the
initiation phase, I can’t help but picture Charlie and I as the two free radicals spinning around each other, just waiting for a reaction to initiate things. I guess I could just lean over and kiss him. You can’t get much more reactive than that.

  I notice Charlie flipping to a blank page of his notebook. He jots something down then slides it over my direction and bumps my shoulder with his. I try to ignore the sparks that are popping under my sleeve where he touched me. His paper says, ‘Wanna study tonight?’ I nearly knock my own notebook off in shock. Organic Chemistry, Charlie, and me? Could there be a better threesome? I get ready to scribble down an eager ‘Yes’, when I remember that I have to be at the Alpha house tonight. Bummer. I write ‘Busy’ but offer him a smile. He cocks his head to one side examining me then turns his attention back to the professor.

  As much as I love learning about molecules and their complex relationships, my mind keeps floating back to the sisters and my relationship with them. Lindsay was so cool about my age. I wonder if I could tell her the truth about Edwina Fay and she would understand? I want to be honest with the sisters but I can’t stand the thought of being kicked out of the sorority. I just can’t take the chance of telling them I lied about being a legacy.

  “A dollar for your thoughts,” Charlie says, holding out a crisp one-dollar bill.

  “Huh? What?” I ask, noticing that everyone around us is already standing up and collecting their stuff. I can’t believe I completely spaced out during my first lecture.

  “You just looked so deep out there that I didn’t think a penny would get me much.” He laughs easily then jams the money back into his cargo shorts.

  “I guess I’m still adjusting to college.” I slip my notebook into my bag and carefully tuck my pencil into a side pocket.

  “That pin looks good on you,” Charlie says, admiring my Alpha pledge pin. I reach up to my collar and spin the smooth gold pin between my fingers. I wonder if I will ever get used to being an Alpha? Maybe I shouldn’t until all of my tasks are completed.

  “Thanks,” I say nervously, just remembering the bombshell Jentry laid on me the other night about Charlie getting in trouble for dating me. The last thing I want to do is stop our flirtation, if that’s what it is, but I also don’t want Charlie getting into trouble.

  “See ya around,” he says casually, hopping over me. He exits the auditorium, his tanned muscular legs taking the steps two at a time. Sigh. That’s one free radical I’d love to collide with.

  ****

  A few days have passed but the memory of Charlie’s legs bounding from the auditorium haven’t.

  “What am I going to do?” I ask Jentry, while emailing my paper for English class to my instructor. If only my situation with Charlie was as easy as my assignments have been so far.

  Jentry is sitting cross-legged on her bed bent over her Psychology book like it is the most fascinating thing she has ever read. She has a pile of neon-colored highlighters next to her and every so often she will grab a specific color and highlight her text. I’ve never understood how outlining words in a different color helps people learn better, but to each his own I guess. She is concentrating so hard that she doesn’t even hear me. I decide to leave her alone and boot up my laptop.

  I pull up the Omega website just so that I can see Charlie’s picture. In the picture he is sitting on the roof of the frat house proudly sporting the horseshoe-looking symbol for Omega on his bare chest. I used to think that girls who spent all their time drooling over guys were just lower on the evolutionary food chain than normal people, but now I kind of get it. Blowing Charlie off is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I thought about just telling him the truth and letting him decide for himself, but I figure the less people who know about my age, the better. I successfully dodged him yesterday in chem. lab but it wasn’t easy. Thankfully our lecture is in the auditorium so it will be much easier to hide from him.

  My computer chimes that I have a new email so I toggle off the Omega website to my email program. The highlighted sender’s name is Anonymous. In the subject field it says, ‘H, D, and S’. I click on the email to open it and all it says is ‘third floor library, Wednesday, eight pm’. Thank goodness I have two days to rest. I never realized how much the tasks, classes, and all the extra curriculars for the sorority would take out of me. Not to mention the extra time I have to spend on my hair, makeup, and clothes now. But I guess it is a small price to pay to be an Alpha.

  I delete the top-secret task email and move on to the next one, which is from Sean. There is no subject. When I double click to open it, my screen fills up with a picture of me kissing Aimee. In giant bold letters underneath it says, ’12 hours left’. I really thought Sean was kidding about the blackmail. Like I don’t have enough to worry about.

  “Who took that?” Jentry shrieks from behind me.

  “That would be my disgusting troll of a little brother,” I admit, spinning around in my chair to face her.

  She puts her hands over her mouth in horror but her eyes are laughing. “That midget is truly diabolical. You better give him what he wants.” She laughs.

  I avert my eyes and get very busy straightening the pens sitting in my plastic Alpha cup.

  “Oh, no. Why do I have the feeling that I’m part of his little scheme?” She asks.

  “He would never show Mom,” I say, knowing that my voice doesn’t sound believable even to myself.

  “But if he did…” she trails off. “What does he want?” She sighs.

  “Naked pictures…of you.” I tell her, disgusted. How Sean and I came from the same gene pool is beyond me.

  “I’m not doing nude for anybody but Playboy, but I’ll give him a couple of shots of me in my bikini. That should tide him over,” she says, moving toward her dresser.

  “You really don’t have to do this. I mean, you’ve done so much for me already.” I plead, feeling horribly guilty.

  “I do have to do this. I can’t imagine being here without you,” she grins, slipping into her bikini. “Let’s do this,” she says, handing me her digital camera.

  I am going to owe her so big for this.

  ****

  It’s Wednesday morning and I am skulking around the edges of the auditorium looking for Charlie. Luckily I’m here before he is, so I choose a seat in the farthest corner away from where we normally sit. I tuck my hair into the ball cap I borrowed from Jentry and hunker down into my seat. I know I should just talk to him but I don’t think I could look him in the eyes and tell him I didn’t want to see him anymore. I figure if I blow him off long enough, he’ll lose interest.

  I peek over my shoulder to see Charlie at the top of the auditorium looking around. He shrugs and takes a seat in our normal row. He tucks his hair behind his ear while removing a notebook from his backpack. I’m glad I’m sitting down because just that simple gesture practically makes me swoon.

  I flip open my notebook determined to give my full attention to Professor Pike. Between my Alpha tasks, keeping Mom off my back, Sean’s blackmail, and just keeping up with this new look, which requires way more maintenance than I ever would have thought possible, I don’t have time for a boyfriend. I’m not even going to think about Charlie anymore. Satisfied with my decision I write today’s date at the top of a fresh notebook page and ready myself to soak up some new chemistry knowledge.

  “How many elements are in the periodic table?” Professor Pike’s voice booms over the auditorium.

  “One hundred seventeen,” several voices yell out. I grip the edge of my desktop to resist the urge to scream out. Surely someone else in this room knows that element one hundred eighteen, while it hasn’t existed for more than a few milliseconds, does exist after being created by American and Russian scientists.

  “Come on, people,” Professor Pike grumbles, obviously disgusted. I swear I could almost hear crickets chirping outside, the auditorium is so quiet. I squirm around in my seat restlessly. A girl next to me eyeballs me probably afraid I’m about to ha
ve an accident. I can’t help it though. It is physically painful not to answer Professor Pike’s question. How can no one know this? Do these people not have www.dailyscience.com bookmarked? The word is just about to escape my lips when I hear someone else yell something out.

  A garbled answer echoes through the otherwise silent auditorium.

  “Was that English?” Professor Pike responds.

  “Ununoctium is the one hundred and eighteenth element,” Charlie yells out, unclenching the pencil in his teeth.

  I don’t hear how Professor Pike responds to Charlie’s correct answer because I have melted into a puddle of girl drool in my chair.

  ****

  Later than night, I’m sitting alone at a table on the third floor of the library engrossed in my American Government text when I hear several ‘psst’s’. I look up to see three of my sorority sisters peeking around the corner gesturing me to follow them into a restroom. I slam the fat textbook closed, shove it in my backpack, and sneak off to find out what my next tasks are.

  I knock quietly on the restroom door and someone pulls me into the dark bathroom. A dead bolt locks behind me then the lights are flipped on. These girls aren’t playing around.

  “We’ve been wronged and we need your help,” Jessica says, escorting me to have a seat on a closed toilet seat in the handicapped stall.

  “He told us we were stupid,” Mari says furiously. I don’t know who they are talking about and I don’t know Mari very well, but I heard her spouting baseball statistics the other day, and anybody with a mind for memorization like that is far from stupid.

  “Who is he?” I ask.

  “Dean Stone,” Allison finally pipes up, her cheeks flushing just saying his name.

  “The dean of this college, Dean Stone?” I ask, hoping I’m confused.

  “He’s a pompous ass and we hate him. He is always insinuating that the Alphas are a bunch of airheads,” Jessica rants.