Five fraternity houses were lined up in a row, so we split up into five squads of ten. Each squad moved efficiently and quickly, wasting no time. At each house, a Delta Beta sorority sister whipped out a can of whipped cream and sprayed in huge letters a single word, spread from border to border. In the morning, the whipped cream would be dissolved. The remaining women sprayed the contents of their water guns along the lines of the whipped cream. The liquid was clear and lightweight, but it wasn’t pure water. It was water with a whole lot of salt in it. Jane called it a ‘solution,’ and I agreed that it was solving a problem. By the time the salt water had faded the grass, the first frost would make the results faint, if not invisible. As the winter progressed, the salt water would kill the grass and when spring returned, the message carved out in the salted grass would be clear to even the most drunk fraternity brother.
DON’T.
MESS.
WITH.
DELTA.
BETA.
If anyone called the police about that next April, well, I’d deal with Lieutenant Hatfield myself.
*
The ladies of Delta Beta relaxed over mugs of hot chocolate, laughing and giggling and reliving the Dirty Dozen techniques that had been employed by almost everyone. How Becca had thought for sure she’d seen someone looking out the window at the Alpha Kappa house and had dived behind a bush. How Christina had accidentally shot Asha in the bottom with a load of salt water and Asha had retaliated with a spray of whipped cream. The leftover cans of whipped cream were held high, there was a cheer and more whipped cream was sprayed into steamy, fragrant mugs.
Maybe the fraternities would prank us even harder next year. Maybe teaching the chapter to fight back wasn’t the best example I could have set. Maybe we should have found a more ladylike way to make our point, as Leticia Baumgardner and Mary Gerald Callahan would have liked.
But as I sat there and looked over the chapter, I noticed how, in one evening, their bond had strengthened, ties had been formed and memories had been made, even after we had been continually tested and knocked down. Maybe our sisterhood would survive just fine after all.
Glossary
Actives members who have been initiated into a sorority and enjoy the full benefits thereof, e.g., voting, best seats at chapter meeting, coldest beer at the fraternity party
Bid day the last day of Rush, when women receive their bids (or invitations) to join a sorority. A day of celebration, with a welcoming party, matching shirts and corresponding fraternity parties
Big sister an older member assigned to mentor a younger member (Little Sister). Duties may include relationship counselling, academic advice, holding a Little Sister’s hair back whilst puking tequila after a fraternity party
Chapter the semi-independent sub-unit of a national sorority at each college or university
Chapter room a designated meeting room at the sorority house, the central location for all meetings, rituals and pillow fights
Chapter meeting an all-member meeting held traditionally (and almost universally) on Monday nights. Also known informally as ‘chapter,’ attendance is required for all members, it may last several hours and members must wear pin attire. See also: the least favourite activity of sorority members
Chapter Advisor an alumna member of the sorority who serves as an adult supervisor of chapter officers, enforces sorority rules and (unfortunately) never attends fraternity parties
Chapter President the elected leader of the chapter, a woman of exceptional character, high academic standards and aspirational hair
Deb socially acceptable nickname for a member of Delta Beta sorority; also shorthand for debutante, a woman of grace, beauty and sparkling wit
Fraternity an organization of men, founded on universal ideals of brotherhood, binge drinking and getting laid
Freshman a student in their first year of university, still has high school-sized thighs but socially clueless
Interfraternity Council the overseeing organization of a university’s fraternity chapters
Junior a student in her third year of university, is often found at the campus gym, on the treadmill
Kegger a type of party whose principal feature is a beer keg of the cheapest beer available
Letters the Greek letters of a sorority or fraternity. When a member is wearing their ‘letters’ they are easily identifiable by others and are held to a higher standard of conduct
Moo nickname for a member of the Mu Mu Mu sorority. See also: bimbo, tramp, ho, trashy ‘ho
Panhellenic Council the overseeing organization of a university’s sorority chapters
Pin attire proper clothing to be worn while wearing a sorority pin (or badge), in order to show respect to the pin. Acceptable clothing includes business dress or church-appropriate clothing. Unacceptable choices are tshirts, shorts, jeans, or anything that would be worn to a kegger
Pledge a new member who has not been initiated, may be subjected to stricter rules regarding conduct and appearance; must attend new member education classes wherein she learns the history and rules of the sorority, such as driving actives to fraternity parties
Pledge year the first year of membership before a pledge is initiated and becomes an active
Rush the week of a formal sorority membership selection process that involves rounds of ‘parties’ at each house. Also known as ‘recruitment,’ the process is highly intense and results in lifelong grudges and possible diagnoses of PTSD
Rushees the women who are going through Rush, hoping to find their lifelong sisterhood
Senior a student in their fourth and final year of university; a person of much wisdom and experience, and weight loss advice
Sisterhood the true, life-affirming friendship found only between women
Sophomore a student in her second year of university, fifteen pounds heavier than freshman year
Sorority an organization of women, founded on universal ideals of friendship, moral standards and super cute accessories
Sorority creed the inspirational mission statement of the sorority
Sorority crest a pictorial representation of the sorority ideals and history
Sorority Executive Council the national leaders of all of the chapters of the entire sorority
Sorority house the heart of any chapter, where members may live in a dormitory-like setting and indulge in late night binges of ice cream and pillow fights
Sorority motto a condensed version of the sorority creed, a useful mantra to meditate on and inscribe in email signatures
Sorority row the neighbourhood where sorority houses are conveniently located together, to facilitate rush and Panhellenic pranks
Standards and Morals the set of rules governing acceptable conduct, established by each sorority. May include important rules such as no smoking and drinking in letters
Sutton College Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs)
Alpha Kappa Fraternity
– Nickname: Alpha Kaps
– Notable Alumni: Ty Hatfield
Beta Gamma Zeta Sorority
– Nickname: Beta Gams
– Known for: Powder Puff football prowess
Delta Beta Sorority
– Nickname: Debs
– Founders: Mary Gerald Callahan and Leticia Baumgardner
– Symbols: honeybee, yellow rose
– Colors: black and yellow
– Jewel: Topaz
Eta Epsilon Fraternity
– Nickname: Eta Eps
– Known for: Being wealthy, pretentious prepsters.
Epsilon Eta Chi Sorority
– Nickname: Epsilon Chi
– Known for: Getting their MRS. degrees
Lambda Alpha Sorority
– Nickname: Lambdas
– Known for: Being good girls with impressive collections of shot glasses
Mu Mu Mu Sorority
– Nickname: Tri Mu, Moos
– Known for: Being hopeless, trashy disasters
Omega
Omicron Rho Fraternity
– Nickname: Omegas
– Known for: Legendary end-of-semester keggers
Kappa Kappa Kappa Fraternity
– Nickname: Trikes
– Known for: Engineering and math expertise
– Notable alumni: The man who invented calorie free sweetener.
Acknowledgments
For an American who loves British humor, it is a thrill to be published in the U.K. I want to thank everyone who has made this possible; my agent Cassie Hanjian, Rachel Clements, Marshall Yarbrough and the team at Waxman Leavell. At Harper Collins UK/ Avon Maze, I am indebted to Kate Ellis, Natasha Harding, Anna Thomas, Helena Sheffield and the terrific staff of book-loving professionals there.
Personally, the Sorority Sisters mysteries would not have been conceived without the support of my sisters everywhere, whether they are of blood, bond, or accident. New and old friends, at home and abroad, you each inspire me to write stories of friendship and, yes, murder. Shine on, sisters.
Disclaimer:
All names and identities have been changed to protect the fashion-challenged.
Grace Hendricks is about to have
an experience she’ll never
forget…
What do you do when you end up in a seedy Amsterdam club with only a pole for support? Grace is about to find out …
Perfect for fans of Tracy Bloom.
Click here to buy now.
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