Eros

Chapter 20: Sorority

After that one day, the one where Eros had waited for her in her car, Angie hoped that he would find her again.

Was she ever wrong.

Days turned to weeks and here it was Memorial Day. One week of school left and she hardly spoke to Eros. She would look at him in class, deciding it a bad idea to go out of her way to be super early and leave super early. But never once did he look her way.

In the thick of crowds, she'd feel his presence. Strong. Overwhelming. Asphyxiating. But no. He was never, ever around.

Feeling sullen, Angie toted her pack to the very spot she saw Eros so long ago in this very spot after his first day of school. Those days felt so light. So happy. So free. She knew she'd changed and she missed her clueless self. She was so beaten now.

"Angie, is it?"

Angie lifted her chin from her musing. The girl who had jammed her toe in the hospital door towered over her in her slender glorious self. Her white smile spread and she batted her long, black lashes. Her posse stood behind her with honest smiles.

Angie suddenly felt ugly next to this girl who could be a model.

"We, you know, me and the girls? Have been thinking to invite you to join DeltaSigmaPi, you know? Look," she took a deep, audible breath, her lip gloss burning Angie's eyes from the sun, "we are terribly, terrible sorry for what happened." Her mouth dropped into a bulging pout, her eyes sad. "We didn't know you were with Eros, honestly. Right, girls?"

Angie grimaced. Never once in he entire lifetime, had girls like them spoken with girls like Angie. Never. It felt awkward, staged, fake. What was she to think of all this?

"What I mean," she lowered herself to the same bench Angie sat on. "Oh, is it okay that I sit here? You weren't expecting anyone, were you?"

Angie shook her head, still unable to speak. She didn't dare wonder what her motive for joining their sorority would be.

"You see, it's like this—we—our sorority, you know? Well, we feel so, so, so very guilty and we want to make it up to you, don't we girls?"

"Yes, we do!" they moved closer, their eyes begging.

"Look I know you don't have to answer us right now, but we have an opening just for you. We could use your talents. I've seen just how savvy you are in calculus and we need to up our points for scholarships. We can all put our heads together. I'm stunning with history, Tia's awesome with science, Lay is impossible with—what is it, Lay?"

"Uh, history?"

"Yeah, she rocks in history. You see? There are more of us at the home that could use your talents to help pull this off—we are like so close and we only have a week left. Could you think about it please?"

Angie slouched and gazed down at her hands. Too many, so many emotions drove her to distraction. She turned to the girl when she saw her long, pink nails graze against her arm.

"We are having a party in your honor this weekend since there's no school Monday—thank goodness—and we really, really, I mean really want you to come. No pressure okay? Look, here's our number and an app if you decide to join."

She stood up and turned to leave. "Oh!" she said, snapping her fingers, her bangles singing like thin crystal. "I forgot, we have this limo thing, you know? Just call and we'll have you picked up. See ya."

She vanished just as suddenly as she appeared, her crowd of followers with her.

* * *

"I don't know."