Letters by Her [Book 2]

Chapter 8

"Congratulations, girls." Taylor Patterson smiled sweetly at the eight girls lined up before her. She was wearing a mint green and pink check dress, the colors of Kappa Pi. Behind her the rest of the sorority looked on, all of them wearing the exact same dress.

Each girl looked immaculate, from her makeup to her hair, even down to her toenails, which would be painted in either the obligatory pink or green, or even a combination of both. Image was very important within Kappa Pi.

"You have survived pledging and can now be welcomed into the Kappa Pi fold as sisters." Taylor's smiled broadened as she delivered the good news to the girls before her. Dusty stood nervously next to Ashley. They were both wearing a plain green version of the checked dress that was the uniform of the initiation ceremony.

For the past three months both Dusty and Ashley had struggled to balance their heavy college workload with all the parties they wanted to attend and their pledging duties. Not that the pledging part had been that time consuming. Mainly they judged them upon their grades.

That, coupled with a number of occasions where they had to go and help at sorority events, was all it had taken for them to become fully fledged Kappa Pi's. They could now remove their pledge pin and wear the necklace bearing the sorority's Greek symbols, which they were presented with.

"I'm so excited," Ashley buzzed. She flashed Dusty her perfect smile, pleased that they could share the experience together. Before they were given their necklaces, each girl had to take a vow pledging allegiance to the sorority. It was all a bit alien to Dusty. It was an even more intense process than joining the cheerleading squad had been, and she'd thought that was bad enough.

Between the vow and the whole pomp of the ceremony, it was clear that being a sister in the house was taken very seriously. "Welcome, sister." It was the Kappa Pi president, Casey, who placed each precious necklace upon the new members of the sorority. "Our house is your house." She smiled kindly at them, and Dusty wondered if the moment was bittersweet for her, as they could only move into the house once all the seniors moved out at the end of the school year.

For a while yet, Ashley and Dusty would remain in their dorm room, but they had already been told that they could continue to be roommates within the sorority house, which excited them both. Dusty couldn't wait to move in.

The house was so lavish and pristine that it reminded her of her old home and made her feel even more connected with the girl she had once been. It was hard to believe, as she stood on the hardwood floor, a bright gold necklace belonging to an elitist group hanging from her neck, that back in West she lived in a simple trailer.

Once the formalities of the ceremony were over, the girls dispersed and chatted among themselves while served pink and green cocktails in martini glasses. "I'm so glad we both got in." Ashley beamed, fiddling with her new necklace between her polished fingers. She'd opted for a pink shade to compliment her dress and maintain the theme of Kappa Pi.

"Yeah, it's so exciting," Dusty agreed, still glancing around the house in awe. "My mom and dad can't wait to meet your over parents' weekend." Ashley giggled. Parents' weekend was just a few weeks away and was an event run by the college to give anxious parents an opportunity to come and check on their off- spring while not being overly intrusive.

They were welcome guests that weekend rather than overbearing mothers and fathers. "Is your mom coming?" Ashley asked. "Probably not." Dusty sighed, knowing there was no probably about it.

Despite the lavish life she was now embroiled in, circumstances hadn't changed back home. Both her mom and Dust were still in the trailer, still struggling to make ends meet. Dusty tried to push the thought to the back of her mind.