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“Okay, ladies!” Samantha Jaxx says, her voice carrying over the idle chatter on the grass outside of Strong Hall on the south side of the quad. “When you join a sorority, you become sisters with the other girls in your house — but we don’t all begin that way, of course. All relationships have to start somewhere. Here at Beta Kappa, we start with friendship.”
She gestures to us standing in circles on the grass; two circles, one formed in the middle of the other. About a dozen girls in each one. “That’s what today’s exercise is all about. By the end of the hour, you’ll all walk away with a few dozen more friends… and later this evening, perhaps you’ll be sisters.”
Speed Friendship.
Makes sense now.
Kind of.
Ms. Jaxx makes a few swipes at her phone. “When the music begins, start walking. When it stops, you will then have thirty seconds to introduce yourselves to the girl in the other circle. Should you face the same girl twice…” she pauses for devious effect, “then you must ask a deeply personal question. You may decline to answer, of course, but remember this: Beta Kappa is a house of secrets. And there is no place safer than the heart of your sisters.”
I raise a brow, glancing around the grass. Maybe Violet had a point about this being a little cult-like.
“Are you ready to begin?”
We all answer with a resounding yes. Truthfully, I’m not quite ready to spill secrets to strangers, but I’ll never make new friends without breaking a little ice.
The music begins. My circle walks clockwise around the inside while the other moves counterclockwise around us. Laughter echoes throughout the space as Northies pass us with looks of utter confusion and curiosity on their faces. A little fascination, too. Beta Kappa events like this usually spark a combination of all three.
The music stops and I find myself face-to-face with Jacinda Cunningham.
“Oh!” I say with a laugh. “Hey, Jacinda.”
“Dana,” she greets with a friendly smile. “I’ve been meaning to say hi to you.”
“Me, too. But…” I shrug. “Never a good moment.”
“This one works. How are you?”
“Great. You?”
“Really great.”
“Good. That’s… good.”
We continue to smile, running out of things to say to each other. A moment of silence and my brain betrays me, finding memories of her and Connor together. Another moment and it’s even worse. It’s her and Connor together in the backseat of a car.
The music starts again.
“Bye!” Jacinda says as she moves with her circle.
“Bye!” I wave, falling in line with mine, more than happy to get away.
Round and round we go, our smiles return. Chuckles grow in anticipation until the music finally stops again…
On Jacinda Cunningham.
Fuck.
“Hello again,” I say.
“How bad is your asthma, really?” she asks.
“Wow,” I say. Blunt.
A sly smile. “Always been curious. Like, are you one breath away from death at all times or what?”
“Is that what people at Chicago North High thought?”
