The Sorority

14/September

USER: ♡DaisyChain♡ 🏳️‍🌈
INSTITUTION: Mathers University, USA

📋 "I Joined an Elite Sorority!" 📋

A thousand words spiraled through my mind as I stood in the courtyard of Mathers University - anxious, excited, nervous, determined - but none of them could really accurately describe the whirlwind of emotions I was feeling. I brought my hand to my collarbone, feeling for the outline of the heart-shaped locket I wore under my floral shirt, pressing it between my fingers like I always did when I didn't know what else to do. The cool touch of the silver, even through the thin fabric of my shirt, brought me peace. 

The courtyard was crowded. Rows upon rows of stalls, each representing a different club or society, were organized under a large white canvas tent. Students - most of them freshmen like myself - flitted here and there, talking to each other and to student representatives, many carrying armfuls of flyers and leaflets. I was surrounded by people who all seemed to have more of a clue than me. 

I had never felt quite so small as I did in that moment, standing under the imposing arches and monumental columns. Beneath my feet, engraved stone slabs bore the names of the university's most famous and successful alumni, as if to remind me that I could never measure up to their legacies. Up until that moment, I had felt so certain that I had made the right decision in coming to Mathers, but now I wasn't so sure. I wasn't a brilliant academic or a coming-of-age protagonist. I was a little girl in over her head. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I wasn't there to measure up to anyone. My gaze drifted across the quadrangle, searching for somewhere, anywhere, that I could go other than here. As I did, I felt the strange sensation that someone was watching me, a feeling more concrete than my own nerves and paranoia.

At the side of the courtyard, under the overhanging balcony of the hall above, a group of girls stood half hidden in the shade. As I looked around uneasily, I noticed that they were looking at me. I wrapped my arms around myself and pulled my lower lip nervously between my teeth. One girl leaned over and said something to a blonde in a deep red dress and black tights, who seemed to think for a moment before nodding in affirmation. Both of them started walking towards me, and I looked away, trying not to make it obvious that I had been staring. Not that it mattered, since they arrived in front of me moments later.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" the blonde girl said. She looked me up and down, taking in the apparent signs of an overwhelmed freshman. "You look a little lost."

I forced myself to laugh a little. "Is it that obvious?" I said.

The girl laughed as well, a light sound like tinkling silver bells. "A little bit, yeah," she admitted, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Daisy," I said, "Daisy Donovan."

 "I'm Candice, and this is Megan. We're part of Venefica." 

A slight close-lipped smirk made its way onto my face, but I quickly turned it into a bright cheerful smile. I had heard of Venefica before - you can't have a conversation about Mathers University without someone bringing them up. They had been established as a sorority the year the university was founded and, over the years, they've built up quite the reputation. Every girl who ever joined Venefica went on to achieve success, wealth, and renown, and their list of alumni includes senators, CEOs, designers, and (if I'm remembering correctly) the university's current Dean of Humanities.

Candice smiled at me, flashing perfect white teeth. "Do you wanna come to lunch with us?" 

Needless to say, I was a little surprised. On the surface, she and I appeared to have nothing in common. Sure, we're both blonde but, while my hair is dirty blonde and wispy, hers looks like it was made of strands of spun gold. I'm certainly not as skinny as her either and, unlike me, she doesn't have glasses that cover half of her face. Whatever the reason she wanted me to join them, I was grateful nevertheless. I was kidding myself thinking I had anywhere else to go. When my choices were between going with them and sitting by myself in the library, there was no contest.

So I agreed, happily. Candice and Megan led me back to the group they had come from and introduced me to each of the girls in turn, before we walked as a group to a nearby cafe. They all seemed really excited to get to know me - it was actually pretty refreshing, if a little overwhelming. They asked a whole bunch of questions; like what my major is, how much I like going out, what my family's like back home, if I have a boyfriend or any close friends. I answered each of them, feeling completely out of place. I'm not like them. I can't lay claim to a famous surname; the only thing my mother was ever known for was a criminal record about a mile long. I didn't belong there, not with them. But if any of the girls were thinking of me that way, they certainly didn't show it.

That being said, I still certainly wasn't expecting it when, after the girls had shared looks and whispers, Candice leaned over to me and said - 

"Daisy, sweetie, we'd really like you to join us."

It was a little unexpected, but I wasn't complaining. For some reason these girls, who were all cooler than me in every single way, actually wanted to hang out with me, and I wasn't going to pass up that opportunity. So I said yes, and Candice clapped her manicured hands and gave me an enthusiastic hug. I can't help but feel like maybe this whole thing is going to be easier than I was expecting. Maybe I actually had a shot at success myself.

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