The pledges didn't know why Sister Barb called a meeting in the middle of the day, and they worried it couldn't be for anything good. Everybody sat at a table in the food court, waiting for Barb. They fidgeted and squirmed, mostly because Barb showed up late. When Barb saw them, she laughed.

"Relax, I'm not here to bring bad news," Barb said as she sat at their table.

"I thought maybe you were going to tell us we had another morning run," Claudia said.

"Oh, you do. We're not letting you off that hook."

"Dammit," Claudia grumbled.

"Language!"

"Sorry, Sister Barb."

Barb looked around to ensure no one was listening, which intrigued the pledges more. Then, Barb leaned in close and whispered. "I had an idea because Hailey needs a break. If the sisters ask, you didn't hear this from me, but I think you should skip tonight's club meeting."

"We can do that?" Kennedy asked.

"You can, but don't let the sisters catch you."

"What happens if they do?" Hana asked, looking worried.

"You don't want to know," Barb replied. "Make sure you're all together and leave no one behind."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? We've been screwing up a lot lately. Maybe we shouldn't piss the sisters off more," Claudia said, glancing toward Shawna at the ice cream counter. She was busy serving a customer and too far away to hear, but she still made Claudia nervous.

"It's up to you, but Hailey could use the night off. She's had a rough week," Barb shrugged as she stood to leave. "I'll let you decide. See you tonight—or maybe not."

Once Barb disappeared, the pledges left the campus center to discuss their plans. They huddled beside the statue near the fountain and whispered.

"I don't think we should do it," Claudia said.

"Sister Barb wouldn't have told us about it if they didn't want us to do it. It's a test," Kennedy said.

"Which means the sisters are guaranteed to come looking for us," Chloe replied.

"Oh, no," Tamara said, looking scared. "I've got play practice tonight. They'll know exactly where to find me, and I can't leave until it's over."

"And I've got a meeting at the Malloy office until 5:00," Hana said.

"We'll have to find a way to sneak both of you out without getting caught," Kennedy said.

When Claudia heard this, she smiled, which confused everyone else. They looked at her questioningly. "I changed my mind. This is cool. It's an adventure. Look it at like a game where we try to evade getting captured," Claudia explained.

"You didn't want to do it a second ago," Kennedy laughed.

"Yeah, but you sold me on it," Claudia shrugged. "We need a rendezvous point in case we get separated."

"Let's meet up at my apartment," Kennedy replied.

"No, the sisters would think to look there. How about Lenny's Diner on the other side of town? We can all have a celebratory dinner once we've escaped," Claudia suggested.

"I like that," Hana said.

"Good. Now, let's go back to the dorm because it's freakin' cold out here!" Chloe said, wrapping her arms around herself.

As they walked away, no one noticed Shawna watching from the door of the campus center with a wicked grin.

***

After Shawna's shift at the ice cream counter ended, she headed straight for Felicia's dorm room. Shawna knocked and leaned against the door frame to wait for her. Felicia opened the door to see Shawna's grinning face.

"Come on, Squeaks. We're going pledge hunting," Shawna said, adding a goofy laugh. "What? You don't like my Elmer Fudd impression?" she asked when Felicia stared at her.

"That's what that was? And I thought I was bad at impressions," Felicia laughed.

"Ooh, somebody's a sassy pants today. Are you coming or not?"

"Of course. Let me get my coat."

"Cool, but you're driving. The pledges would recognize and hear my car from a mile away," Shawna replied, earning a groan from Felicia.

Felicia donned her coat and hurried to catch up, but she ran into Shawna because Shawna stopped. "Let's check their dorm rooms first. We might catch some of them by knocking on their door."

"They wouldn't be foolish enough to answer."

"Wanna bet?" Shawna laughed. She turned and walked four doors down to Chloe's room. Shawna knocked and stepped to the side. Felicia quickly followed suit when she realized what Shawna was doing. They waited, but nobody answered. Felicia swore she heard movement. Then, Shawna knocked harder. This time, she lowered her voice and said, "Police! Open up!"

"You can't impersonate a police officer," Felicia whispered.

"It's not like I'm wearing a fake uniform or badge," Shawna replied, waving a hand. It didn't matter because they still received no response. "Let's try Claudia's room," Shawna said after waiting a few seconds. They took the stairs and arrived at Claudia's door. Shawna knocked to the rhythm of "Shave and a Haircut" but didn't finish it. She watched expectantly, only to fail again. "She either has an iron will or isn't there. No one can resist completing that," Shawna said.

"I don't think we'll get any this way," Felicia replied.

"Probably not, but we know where Tamara and Hana are. Let's go after Hana first since Tamara will be busy for a while. Do you need gas? I'll pay," Shawna said as they left the dorm.

"No, I need a new car," Felicia replied.

"Okay, we'll go shopping next weekend."

"That was a joke, Shawna. Don't buy me a car."

"Aw, but I wanna," Shawna pouted.

Felicia wasn't exaggerating. They arrived at a beat-up old piece of junk. Her car had rust, dents, and three missing hubcaps. Felicia's grandfather gave it to her on her 16th birthday, and she has driven it ever since. Despite its appearance, Felicia loved the car.

The door creaked as she opened it, and Shawna mimicked the sound with a laugh. However, the joke was on her because she had trouble opening her door. "It sticks whenever it gets cold," Felicia said, pushing from the inside. Shawna almost fell over when it swung wide. "Sorry," Felicia cried.

"It's okay. Nobody saw that, right?" Shawna asked as she buckled her seat belt.

"Saw what?" Felicia responded and started the car. It took two tries.

"Um, Fellion, how long has that light been on?" Shawna asked, pointing at the check engine light.

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"It came on the other day. I don't have the money to fix it right now."

"You know you can always ask me for help."

"I know, but I don't like doing that."

"Let me guess. Your mom won't pay for it?"

"I didn't tell her. She's mad enough at me right now."

"Why?"

"I accidentally said your name during a phone call the other day."

"Ooh, how did she react?"

"The same as always. She told me to stay away from you. That's when I asked you to the Hootenanny," Felicia grinned.

"Look at my little rebel," Shawna said, rubbing the back of Felicia's head. "That's my girl. Let's go catch some pledges and pray this car doesn't die on us."

***

Hana had trouble standing still while Eve measured her for an outfit. She felt silly standing there with her arms extended as Eve stretched the measuring tape, and Ben watching her didn't help.

"Please stop moving, Hana," Eve said.

"I'm sorry," Hana replied. Ben gave her a reassuring smile, which helped calm her. It provided a stark contrast to Eve's stern, gray-eyed gaze. She didn't smile often, and she loved to give orders. Hana wasn't sure she liked her, but Eve was her manager now. However, Hana had other things to worry about. She glanced over her shoulder for the hundredth time.

"Relax, Han. They'll have to check in at the front desk before we will let them back here. We'll know if your club sisters arrive," Ben said. "I'll make sure you make your great escape," he added with a chuckle. He found the entire thing amusing, but he promised to help nonetheless.

"It's all nonsense if you ask me. I don't get pledging or sororities," Eve muttered.

"KMA is a social club," Hana replied, earning a frown from Eve. She didn't like corrections. Hana made a mental note about it.

"And do you have to wear that all the time?" Eve asked, pointing at Hana's pledge pin.

"Most of the time," Hana shrugged.

"You will remove it during shoots."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, you can move now," Eve said, standing up. Hana heard her back pop as she rose. She watched Eve rub a sore spot. Eve was around ten years older than Ben and Hana, but she sometimes reminded Hana of her grandmother.

"Are you excited for your first shoot?" Ben asked.

"I'm so excited I might pee myself," Hana said, immediately regretting it. Her eyes widened, making Ben laugh.

"Well, don't do that. Eve might get mad. Besides, we don't do that kind of photo shoot—until you've been here at least five years," Ben said, and Hana joined his laughter. The moment of levity almost led to a kiss, but sadly, someone interrupted them.

"Hana, there's somebody to see you," the receptionist said.

"Uh oh. They're here," Hana told Ben.

"Go hide in my dressing room," Ben said, nudging her toward the door. He watched her disappear just in time to see Shawna and Felicia round the corner. Ben recognized Shawna from earlier in the year. Unfortunately, she also remembered him.

"Oh, hey. It's the meatball," Shawna said. "Long time no see. I heard you started dating one of our pledges. Is she around here?"

"She left early."

"Her car is still in the parking lot."

"It broke down. One of our models gave her a ride."

"Are you lying to me, Fabio? If you're lying for Hana, I'll consider that a strike against her. You wouldn't want her to not get into the club, would you?" Shawna asked, getting close to Ben while loudly chewing gum. She made him step back.

While she spoke, Felicia searched the studio for Hana. Ben watched her out of the corner of his eye. She ventured near his dressing room door but didn't open it. "I'm not lying," he said.

"Yeah, right. You're a terrible liar. Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, I'll credit you for standing up for your new girlfriend. That's admirable, but I'll remember this," Shawna said, turning to leave. "Come on, Squeaks."

***

Meanwhile, Hana looked around Ben's dressing room while she waited. It was a small room with a closet full of clothes, a dresser, and a table full of grooming products, which sat in front of a mirror. He also had a couch, a coffee table, and a TV. Hana laughed when she saw he kept video games in his dressing room. She almost forgot he was still a college student.

Hana looked through the outfits in the closet and admired the fancy dress shirts and pants. Then she turned to the dresser and opened a drawer. Hana wasn't sure what had made her do it, but she picked the one drawer she shouldn't have opened. She froze in fear, staring at pairs of his underwear. One caught her attention. Her hands picked it up before her brain could stop her.

"He wears thongs?" she asked. "I guess you would have to sometimes as a model. These are—oh, god! What am I doing? I'm going through my new boyfriend's underwear drawer. This is a huge invasion of privacy," she muttered. Hana panicked and flung the thong across the room instead of putting it back. They landed behind the TV stand, which only increased her horror. In her rush to make things right, she shut the drawer, closing it on her thumb. Hana pulled back and stuck her thumb in her mouth to soothe the pain. Ben chose that moment to open the door.

"They're gone," Ben said. "Are you okay?" he asked when he saw her sucking her thumb.

"Uh-huh. I suck my thumb when I'm nervous."

"Cute," he replied, but the compliment didn't make her feel better. He led her to the back of the building and opened the exit. Ben peered around the corner before muttering a curse. "They're sitting in their car next to yours."

"Damn," Hana replied. "Where's your car?"

"Two spots away from them," Ben grumbled.

"I'll walk to the gas station down the road and call Kennedy to come get me. Could you pick me up tomorrow?"

"Of course, but be careful."

"Thanks," Hana said and kissed him. She caught him off guard because he wasn't expecting it, but he soon returned the kiss. Hana grinned when the kiss broke. "Goodnight," she said.

"Night."

***

Chloe sighed in relief when she saw Kennedy's text about Hana's escape. That was one down and one to go.

"Do you want us to join you?" Kennedy asked.

"No, we've got this. Go to Lenny's, and we'll meet you there," Chloe replied.

After finishing the text, Chloe and Claudia prepared to enter the theater. They wore maintenance jumpsuits and baseball caps to disguise themselves. As she entered, Chloe lowered her cap because she was paranoid about Marla spotting her. Marla would present an extra problem they didn't want. Trying to look for Marla and the sisters made Chloe feel like she was looking in two directions. She almost went as cross-eyed as Jack, the donkey.

Thankfully, they made it to Tamara unscathed, but Tamara jumped when Chloe tapped her shoulder.

"Jiminy Crickets!" Tamara yelled.

"Sorry," Chloe laughed. "Is practice almost over?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're done. This is just a general run-through. We've got it down now."

"Good. Hana is in the clear. We just need to get you out now," Claudia said.

"Let's go now. I haven't seen any..." Tamara began, but her eyes widened as she turned. "Uh-oh, duck back here," she said, pulling Chloe and Claudia behind the set. Once they were hiding, they peeked around the corner and saw Keisha enter the theater.

"We can't go that way. What about the back exit?" Claudia asked.

"That takes us through the wardrobe department, which means Marla," Tamara answered.

"Damn. Isn't there another door?"

"Wait a second. I have an idea," Chloe said. She pulled out her phone and called Marla. "Marla, I saw somebody in the parking lot messing with your car," Chloe said.

"What are you talking about, Chloe? I rode here with Sandra," Marla replied.

Chloe cursed because she hadn't checked the parking lot first but composed herself and said, "Oh, it must have been a similar car. Sorry."

"Whatever. I'm busy. We can talk later," Marla grumbled, hanging up her phone.

"That didn't work," Chloe said. "We'll have to find..." she continued but stopped when she noticed Keisha getting closer. Everyone hid behind the wall and held their breath as if she could hear them. When Chloe thought things couldn't worsen, Marla left her workstation and entered their area.

"Hello, Keisha," Marla sneered.

"Marla," Keisha replied with equal venom.

"You still owe me a new whiteboard."

"Oh, please! Mark over the writing with a dry-erase marker and erase it. It comes right off!"

"I did that, but you can still faintly read your stupid message!"

"Those things cost twenty bucks. Get over it!"

"It's more about the disrespect," Marla said. She got closer with each passing response. Chloe worried they would come to blows. Marla would win that exchange as much as she hated to admit it.

"You get what you put out, Marla," Keisha replied, moving close enough for Marla to feel her breath. Marla swatted Keisha's hand away because Keisha pointed at her while she spoke. This only escalated the tensions. "Don't touch me!" Keisha yelled.

"Hey, take it easy!" a stagehand said.

"Butt out!" Keisha snapped, making the man jump and run away.

"We should get out of here while they're distracted," Claudia whispered. Chloe hesitated because she wanted to see what happened. Nevertheless, she knew Claudia was right. Chloe nodded and followed Claudia until something Keisha said caught her attention.

"Your mom and dad won't be able to bail you out from the ass-whoopin' I will give you if you touch me again," Keisha said.

"Wait, does Sister Keisha still think..." Chloe began, but Claudia grabbed her arm.

"Worry about it later. We've gotta go," Claudia hissed. They huddled around Tamara to shield her from view and hurried toward the back exit. Chloe heard more yelling during their escape.

***

Later, everybody arrived at Lenny's and celebrated their victory. Kennedy was happy enough to buy them milkshakes, but she stopped short of purchasing dinner.

"We did it, but we had a few lucky breaks along the way," Kennedy said.

"Hey, we'll take them. Luck is on our side for once," Chloe replied. "I just hope Sister Keisha and Marla didn't tear down the set," she added, grinning at Tamara.

"I'd welcome the break. The play is great, but it's wearing me out," Tamara replied.

"You don't think they fought, do you?" Claudia asked.

"No, but Sister Keisha better watch her back. Marla looked pissed," Chloe said.

"What else is new?" Kennedy asked, causing laughter.

"Hey, what were you going on about before we left?" Claudia asked Chloe.

"Huh?"

"You seemed confused about something Sister Keisha said."

"Oh, that. She still thinks my parents bail Marla out, but they stopped doing that during Marla's freshmen year once they found out she was lying most of the time."

"They used to bail her out?"

"Mom and Dad desperately wanted to fix things with Marla, and Marla used that to her advantage. She would cry to them when she didn't get her way at school. They would threaten to pull donations, which made Bledsoe back down."

"Damn, rich people really can do whatever they want, huh?" Claudia asked. "No offense," she added to Chloe.

"Why would I take offense? I don't ask my parents to bail me out of anything. Hell, I even got a part-time job because I don't like living off their money."

"Good for you, Chloe," Claudia replied.

"Did you hear that, girls? Chloe's paying for dinner," Kennedy said.

"What!? I didn't say that!"