The Hazards of Skinny Dipping

Chapter Two

To: amy_monroe@mail.com

From: juliethegreat14@mail.com

Subject: List Complete!

Dear Amy,

I did it. I completed the entire list. They were all easy except for skinny dipping, but I did that, too. I also kind of, maybe, or okay did, hook up with Dylan Bradley. Crazy, huh? He found me skinny dipping, and one thing led to another. I'm not sure what's going to happen when I see him at school—but it was worth it. At least he finally noticed me. I hope you're busy saving people.

Your Favorite Cousin,

Juliet

It was a testament to modern technology that, even though Amy was halfway across the globe in a developing nation, I could send her an email. I pressed send, wishing I could see her face when she found out about Dylan. Of all people, she knew how much I wanted him.

***

I was in a room with a couple hundred other girls, all nervously clutching little envelopes. As much as it resembled a reality dating show, it was actually sorority bid day at Harrison University. After a week of rush events, it was time to finally find out which houses wanted us. I noticed a few girls missing. Supposedly, they called you ahead of time if you weren't picked by anyone. The thought of that should have been enough to make me want to stay away from the Greek system completely, but Amy had convinced me that a sorority was important because it guaranteed a social life. I hadn't exactly been the coolest in high school, so any social life sounded pretty good to me.

"One, two—"

"Wait, are we opening on three or four?" I interrupted my friend.

Cara rolled her eyes. "Let's just open them."

"Okay." I'd promised myself I wouldn't care what house I got, but I definitely had a preference.

"Delta Mu! Delta Mu!" Cara jumped up and down.

I looked down at mine. "Delta Mu." I didn't say it quite as excitedly as Cara, but I was relieved.

"Seriously? Oh my god, we're going to be sisters!" She gave me a hug. Her blonde curls bounced as she jumped.

It was the same sorority Amy had been in, and I had a feeling the letter she wrote on my behalf might have had something to do with my acceptance, but who cared?

"Do you realize how awesome this is? We get to pledge together. My mom said it's so important to have someone you can trust in your class."

"Aren't we all supposed to trust each other? Isn't that what this is about?"

"Yes. Eventually. But, it can get rough."

"Remind me why I'm doing this..."

"You're so funny, Juliet." She took my hand and pulled me along to find out what houses the rest of the girls on our floor got. It turned out we were the only ones in Delta Mu.

Cara and I had instantly hit it off. On the surface, we seemed really different, but underneath her peppy shell was some serious attitude. I had an attitude too, but I lacked the peppy exterior.

Cara wasn't my roommate. I still hadn't met that girl. The rest of the freshman class wouldn't get in for a few more days, but you had to arrive early if you wanted to rush.

Cara and I headed over to the Delta Mu house, completely unprepared for the welcome the active sisters had waiting. You'd have thought we were celebrities or something. They all lined up in matching t-shirts, clapping, with huge smiles plastered on their faces. The line spilled down the brick stairs, making for an interesting climb up to the porch. As we walked through the front door, they handed each of us a shirt.