Everybody met in Barb and Hailey's dorm room for a planning session. They managed the cramped space, but Shawna didn't mind because Felicia sat next to her on the floor. She reclined against Barb's bed while reading the novel-sized packet Hailey gave them. It was an itinerary for Bid Night.

"Hail Storm, this thing is ten pages long!" Shawna said.

"Bid Night is an all-night event, so we have lots to do," Hailey replied.

"Hailey, promise me you'll let me sleep all day Saturday and Sunday," Barb said without looking up from the paper.

"Um, you have one thing to do on Saturday afternoon, but I swear I'll let you sleep through the rest of the weekend."

"Are you serious?"

"You're the Pledge Mom, so you must meet with the pledges on Saturday to explain some things."

"Fine!"

"Okay, what's this about poems?" Shawna said as she pointed at the packet.

"Oh, that's a memory exercise for the pledges. We're going to ask them to remember a lot of information, so it's good to stimulate their memory," Hailey explained.

"Stimulate their memory?" Barb asked.

"Memory is like a muscle. The more you work it out, the stronger it gets. We teach the pledges something simple, like a poem, and have them repeat it on command. It's a method they use in military officer training. Some of these poems came from them. Also, it's just fun to make them spout silly nonsense whenever we want to, especially in embarrassing situations," Hailey said with a smirk.

"Hail! You're becoming devious. I like that," Shawna said. "But I'm not a fan of these poems. Why don't we teach them dirty limericks?"

"What are those?" Barb asked.

"Here, check this out," Shawna said, straightening herself up before continuing. "There once was a young man from Gent. Whose dick was so long it was bent. With his blushing bride. Well, he got it inside. But then, instead of coming, he went!" Shawna said with a laugh.

Everyone stared at her for a moment. Keisha bit her lip to fight the laughter. Felicia appeared horrified and amused all at once. Hailey seemed contemplative. And Barb shrugged her shoulders and said, "Not bad."

"You know what? Let's go with it," Hailey said, much to everybody's surprise. "Save a list of those on your phone." Then Hailey's phone beeped as if it was listening. She picked it up and let out a long sigh. "It's the bid results. I'm afraid to look."

"Here, I'll do it," Barb said, taking the phone. She opened the email and read it in silence. Barb frowned as she did. "Only five people put us down as their choice, but it's the five we expected. Kennedy, Hana, Claudia, Tamara, and Chloe."

"Hey, we doubled our numbers," Felicia said.

"Yeah, we're up to ten. We're exploding," Keisha replied with a thumbs-up.

"Um, Hail. I know we need all the pledges we can get, but do you think it's a good idea to give Chloe a bid?" Shawna asked.

Hailey looked at her with an expression of confusion and a slight annoyance. "What do you mean? Are you worried she's a mole for Marla or something?"

"That's a possibility, but I thought more about the drama it will cause. You know Marla won't let this slide."

"Chloe told me to let her handle Marla. We'll be fine."

"Okay. If you say so," Shawna said and held up her hands.

"What time is it?" Hailey asked.

"11:45. Why?" Barb asked.

"I gotta go meet Dan for lunch. We should be good for now. Thanks, guys," Hailey said.

***

Hailey and Dan headed to Maria's Mexican food, one of their favorite lunchtime destinations. Dan liked it because they played lucha libre on the TV. Pro wrestling was one of those things Hailey never understood, but she recognized that Dan loved it. However, he seemed too preoccupied to watch it.

"You okay?" she asked. "You haven't even looked at your murder gymnastics," Hailey said, pointing at the wrestling on the television.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got my bid for Aeternum today."

"Wait. Why didn't you go Beta Rho with Tommy?"

"I decided Aeternum fit me better."

"Is Tommy going with you?"

"No, he still chose Beta Rho."

"Hold on a second. Dan, did you switch because of me?" Hailey asked. Her stern tone made Dan wince.

"I figured choosing Beta Rho might cause problems because of the Marla thing. They are Phi-O's brother club."

"It probably wouldn't be an issue. You don't have to change for me, Dan!"

"It's just..." Dan started, but he didn't know what to say.

"Dan, we aren't dating! And even if we were, I still wouldn't have asked you to switch clubs," Hailey said more sharply than she intended. When she saw Dan's reaction, she realized she had messed up. Hailey felt terrible but didn't know how to make it right. Relationships were never her strong suit. Barb said Hailey knew many things, but she had a blind spot when it came to romance. Hailey knew Dan had a crush on her when they were little, but she told him she only wanted to be friends. The subject never arose, yet she felt sure lingering feelings remained. How could she tell him to move on without hurting his feelings?

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm sorry. You're right. But don't worry. I'll still have fun with Aeternum," Dan said before Hailey could find something to say.

She dropped it but noticed the conversation didn't flow as easily as usual. Hailey did the only thing she could think of doing. She reached out and grabbed Dan's hand. He looked at her with a puzzled expression when she did.

"Hey, you should start dating again," Hailey said.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Dan, when was the last time you went on a date?"

"Senior year. And you remember how that ended. But I'm not worried about dating right now."

"You deserve someone special. I want you to be happy."

"I am happy."

"But not as happy as you could be. I can tell. Sometimes, I'm worried I'm holding you back."

"Hail, that's silly."

"You spend so much time with me, which I love, but you're in college now. You should put yourself out there."

"But what if I want..." he began but paused. She saw a look in his eyes. Was it fear? What was he afraid of saying?

"What if you want what?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. You're right, and I'll think about it."

This frustrated Hailey. She knew what Dan wanted to say and opened her mouth to question him, but she closed it again. Hailey wasn't sure why she chose not to pursue the matter and knew it would come back to bite her.

***

Friday came faster than Hailey liked, but it didn't dampen her excitement. They secured a room in the administration building for their pledging activities. It was down the hallway from Bledsoe's office. Hailey wasn't sure if Bledsoe gave them this location to monitor them, but Shawna thought this was the case. When Shawna expressed her concerns, Hailey assured her it wasn't an issue.

They met in the club room to review last-minute instructions, but Hailey noticed Shawna was missing.

"Where is she?" Hailey asked.

"She said she had to get dressed, but she'll be here in a minute," Felicia said.

"Wasn't she already dressed?" Hailey asked, but she put the thought aside. She turned toward the window and pointed at the steps below. "The pledges will meet there at 5 PM, but we will make them wait. We want to test their resolve."

"Aren't you afraid they'll leave?" Keisha asked.

"If it looks like that will happen, we'll start early. Okay, it's almost time. Are you guys as nervous as I am?" Hailey asked as she shook her hands to regain some feeling.

"Extremely," Barb said.

"You know me," Felicia replied.

"I've bit off half my fingernails," Keisha added.

"Okay..." Hailey began, but the door opened. "Oh, good. Where have you-SHAWNA, WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!?"

Everybody looked at Shawna standing in the doorway with a huge grin. She wore a dominatrix outfit, complete with a riding crop.

"What? I'm leaning into the gimmick. What do you think?"

"At least put on some pants. That's highly inappropriate!" Hailey said.

"Relax. I just wanted to see your reaction. I have my real clothes. But you should have seen your faces. Oh, and I'm keeping the crop. It fits the aesthetic better than a paddle."

"Fine! Go change!"

When Shawna turned to leave, she caused various reactions.

"Damn, I wish I had the butt to pull that off," Barb said with an impressed stare.

"Yass, girl!" Keisha said before whistling.

Then, they heard a soft squeak from the back of the room, followed by a camera click.

***

The pledges arrived within minutes of each other and began talking while they waited for more people to come. However, they quickly accepted the disappointing truth.

"Is this everybody?" Claudia asked as she looked at the five of them. "I hoped there would be more."

"Maybe some people are late," Hana said.

"I think this is it," Kennedy replied.

"Damn," Claudia said.

Soon, they broke into small groups and chatted. Kennedy, Hana, and Chloe stood on one side while Tamara and Claudia sat on the steps a few feet away. It was a warm evening, and they had to dress nicely. Some became fidgety. They also grew more impatient the longer they waited.

"Did we come to the wrong place?" Tamara asked.

"No, they're making us wait. I bet they're watching us from a window," Claudia said but focused on something other than the building. Claudia kept giving Chloe the side eye.

"Is something wrong?" Tamara asked.

"I don't trust her," Claudia said in a whisper. "Don't you find it weird Marla would let her little sister pledge KMA?"

"You're being paranoid. Chloe is an adult. She can make her own decisions."

"She's gonna cause drama either way," Claudia said. However, she changed the subject when she realized the other group was looking in their direction. "How long have you been acting?"

"Since I was five. I was in the play Annie, and the acting bug bit me."

"Damn, that long?"

"Yeah, it has been a hard knock life," Tamara said, giving Claudia a goofy grin, but Claudia only stared at her. "Oh, come on. Not even a chuckle for that one?"

This broke the tension, and Claudia laughed. It distracted her from glancing at Chloe, which was good because Chloe noticed.

"I don't think she likes me," Chloe said to Kennedy.

"Let me talk to her," Kennedy said.

"No, it's okay. I get it. She probably thinks I'm here to report back to Marla, but I promise that's not true."

"How did Marla react when you told her?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. Let's say it involved words even I won't repeat."

"Will she be trouble?"

"She always is, but we can handle it."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Hana said, patting Chloe on the back.

"Thanks."

"Give Claudia time. She'll come around," Kennedy said with a warm smile. "And speaking of time, where are they? Let's get this started."

"I think Claudia is right. They're making us..." Chloe began, but something made her stop. There was a sound in the distance.

"Anyone else hear that?" Claudia asked.

There was a rumbling noise. It grew closer and louder until a black Mustang pulled into their view. The car screeched to a halt in front of the administration building. Everyone stood up and watched. When the doors opened, three people exited the car. They spotted Hailey and Barb first because they got out of the passenger side, but the third person drew their attention. Shawna walked around the front of the car dressed in all black. She had motorcycle boots with buckles, leather pants with a studded belt, and a leather jacket. The jacket covered a black tank top. Plus, she held a riding crop resting on one shoulder as she walked. Once she reached the steps, she pointed the crop at them.

"On your feet! Line up single-file in alphabetical order! Now!" Shawna yelled. The girls froze in fright and confusion, so Shawna rolled her eyes. "Did I stutter!?" They scrambled and muttered to each other, so Shawna stopped them. "No talking! You spent an hour getting to know each other, so you should be able to do this without a word!"

Her command only made them more confused. It took them almost two minutes to settle into a line, but they seemed confident they had it right.

"Okay, I'm going to walk down the line. Call out your name when I point at you," Hailey said as she approached them. She started at the front and pointed at Chloe.

"Chloe"

"Claudia"

"Kennedy."

Hailey stopped when she heard this and released a long breath through her nose. She turned to look at Kennedy and shook her head. "Why are you in front of Hana?" Hailey asked.

"I thought we were going by last names," Kennedy said.

"This is going to be a long night," Shawna said. "Try it again!"

They got it right the second time, but Hailey let the silence linger for a minute before she let Barb take the lead.

"Girls, I'm your Pledge Mom. I will guide you through the process, but I won't give you the answers. You have to work together to find those. By the end of pledging, you will form an unbreakable bond, but you have to unite to do that. Your motto and rallying cry will be 'Sisters Forever.' You will do everything as a group. No one stands alone, and you won't leave anyone behind. But this also means if one of you screws up, you all screw up. Your actions affect each other, so remember that before you act," Barb said, and she could see Claudia fighting not to roll her eyes. "Do you understand?"

The girls nodded, which drew another groan from Shawna. "Answer every question with 'Yes, Sister' followed by their first name! Now try that again!" Shawna yelled.

"Yes, Sister Barb!" Hana said.

"Yes, Sister Barbara," Kennedy and Chloe said. The others mumbled a mixture of the two responses.

"That was pathetic! Once more with feeling!" Shawna said. This comment made Tamara smile, but Shawna's glare quickly erased it.

"And Barb is fine," Barb said before the following attempt.

After a few more tries, they said it in unison. Hailey took over again. She lifted a bandanna in her hand and showed it to the girls. It was a navy blue cloth to match the club's colors. "You will all put these over your eyes for the next part," Hailey said.

"I hope none of you are afraid of the dark," Shawna said. "Now the real fun begins!"