Sister Circle✔️

36. Too Chill

LARK POV

Her name was Bennett...not really...but she was not in it.

When she was called to session and was told not to meet with Essence first, to come alone, she knew something was wrong. She called Essence anyway, and the girl did not answer her phone call. She texted her and she ignored her.

Never attending sessions alone, she was nervous about what was about to happen. Another test for her. They were supposed to think as one, no "I" just "we." Now she was going to show up all by herself and they would kick her off line.

Soon as she walked into the MAX house, she felt like the air had changed. The same room she had been in many times, but something was wrong.

One lone chair sat in front of the ladies. She did not know what to do so she stood there awkwardly.

"You can have a seat, Lark," Jill said to her.

She sat and waited for them to say something.

"I don't know if you heard anything, but Essence Watkins will no longer be a part of the process for intake. You can destroy anything you have with her information and-"

"I'm sorry, what?" was all she could say. "Sorry, Dean Big Sister Jill, am I hearing you right?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Jill calmly said.

"Did you know?" Sherry asked her.

"Know what?"

"About her and Donte."

Now she was confused. "Her and Donte what?"

"That they were...sleeping together," Sherry said. "You can tell the truth, we won't take it out on you."

Her mouth dropped open. Donte and Essence? She figured they knew each other because they were from the same small city, but sleeping together? The girl always said she had only been with one guy. So was Donte the one guy?

OMG! Her line sister was sleeping with the President of MAX while they were on line? They dropped Essence, and now they were going to drop her. She had no words. Something she had wanted for the last three years was about to get taken from her and it was not her fault. How could she have trusted Essence with something that means so much to her?

"Big Sisters, I promise I did not know. Essence barely told me personal stuff about herself, and when she did, it never made any sense."

"I believe you," Zavrina said, then stood up. "And that's all we are going to say about that. Come on Spec, let me take my girl shopping. Today is a new day."

Well, that was out of the blue.   

Since Zavrina did not have a car, they took her car and headed to the mall. She did not know what she was supposed to feel about Essence. Was she allowed to ask questions?

"How did your guys find out about Essence?"

Zavrina sighed. "We do not need to talk about that girl. In fact, no sorority talk okay. Just me and my Spec, and having fun and bonding."

She was good with that.

She spent lots of money, ate a quick lunch, and had lots of fun with Zavrina. They did not talk about Essence or the sorority. They discussed everything but that. They talked about her sisters and how they were excited about going off to college, and they talked about Zavrina and her plans for law school. She could not imagine more school, but Zavrina was good at school and making good grades so good luck to her.

"After graduation, I'm done," she told her as they left the mall.

"What about graduate school?"

That was funny. Zavrina had jokes.