A Deadly Sorority (Book #1 Sorority Horrors)

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Guilt weighed on me like a bear pressing down on my chest, suffocating me as I tossed and turned in bed. I couldn't shake the fear that any moment now, the cops might burst through my door and haul me off to jail. The thought circled in my mind like a merry-go-round at the county fair. Then, suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the ringtone on my phone.

Incoming Call: Irvine Police Department

My heart plummeted to my stomach, and a shiver ran down my arms. With trembling hands, I answered.

"Hello?" My voice cracked, nerves bleeding through every syllable.

"Hello. May I speak with Kayla Collins?" A man's voice, stern and professional, echoed through the line.

"This is she," I replied, my stomach knotting.

"Hi, Kayla," he said, his tone softening. "This is Officer Langston. I wanted to update you about Brianna. She's going to be fine. After a thorough investigation and interviews with multiple witnesses, we've determined that her injury was accidental."

Relief surged through me like a wave, washing away the tension in my chest. I exhaled deeply, unable to stop the shaky sigh of gratitude. "Thank you, officer."

"We've also issued a warning to your sorority," he continued, his tone growing firmer. "They are not to repeat this type of initiation. If they want to conduct initiations in the future, they'll need to ensure they're safe and appropriate."

"Thank goodness!" I replied, relief streaming through my voice like water flowing into a river, "I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else in the future."

After a few brief words, we said our goodbyes and ended the call. Officer Langston left with me with a rare sense of calm. A smile wove across my lips as I sank back into my bed. 

Brianna would recover in a few days with the help of some painkillers, and best of all, I wouldn't be spending the night in a jail cell.

Later that afternoon, I got together with my sorority sisters, who reassured me that there were no hard feelings. I thought my dreams of being a sorority girl were over. And it's not that I even wanted to be in the sorority; I just saw it as an opportunity to meet Monique, one-half of the podcasters. Since her sister was in my sorority, what better chance would arise than that?

"Mistakes happen." Sabrina reassured me, "We know you didn't mean any harm." She smiled.

"Thanks for understanding." 

"And we really shouldn't have done what we did." Sabrina said apologetically, "It wasn't the best idea for an initiation."

I kept a low profile over the next few days until one Friday night, Lorena dragged me with her to the bar. We had just finished our finals, and Lorena needed a night out to celebrate. She had sent me a text message earlier in the day, requesting my presence with her at one of the local bars downtown.

Lorena: Let's go to the bar tonight!.. Use our fake IDs and celebrate the end of our finals.

Me: I'm down! 😁

Lorena: Cool! We're gonna be 21 tonight.  🍻 See ya later.

We strolled through the streets of downtown Irvine, looking for a place to celebrate. Because nearly 100-degree weather was predicted, I wore my pink halter dress. Lorena opted for a white mini-skirt with a light green chiffon blouse.

We peeked into various bars as we mingled through the streets. There were so many to choose from, but one in particular caught our eyes as music blasted from the open doors.