[sarahsarah]

Chapter 2

Amy had finalised her plan, she knew it wouldn’t be easy but it was the best plan that she had. She was going over what she wanted to do and say again and again in her head, trying to remove all doubt. ‘It had to work, it just had to’ she told herself. There were two big obstacles she had to overcome. Firstly, she had to convince the other sisters to let her run, to give her a chance despite her sister’s disapproval. Secondly, if she somehow managed part one she would only be attending two rush events out of five, so had to become just as memorable as the others who would be seen over twice as often.

The day arrived of the first rush event, Alexis and Hannah would be there but Steph would not. Amy was ready to pull out all the stops; she knew that the sorority prided itself on being one of, if not the most attractive on campus. She knew they must think her hot enough, her sister had got in and they were almost completely identical. She wanted to be positive and take no chances though, she spent almost two hours doing her hair, makeup and selecting the right clothes. She eventually settled on a short skirt but not too revealing, a white blouse covered by a pink cardigan. She looked incredible, summery, and sexy and felt as confident as she could possibly be.

Now it was the moment though, time to dazzle and impress as much as possible. The first rush event would take place in a campus restaurant, nothing too exciting but the sorority had hired out the entirety of the basement floor so it would only be the sorority girls and any potential pledges. Amy was still waiting to leave; she had decided to get there thirty minutes after the event started to be fairly punctual but not look overly desperate. The waiting was killing her though, each moment took an eternity. Each second waiting brought more nerves within.

Finally the time arrived and Amy almost sprinted the short distance to the restaurant, she was eager to show herself. When Amy arrived, she saw many people at tables eating before spotting a sign pointing downstairs with the sorority name on it. She quickly descended the stairs leaving the murmuring of the tables behind her before reaching a door. She took one last deep breath before pushing the door open. She was met by giggling, chatting and music; there must have been about 15 girls already in the place but the two she cared about were sitting behind a desk right in front of the door.

“Amy Close” Hannah said as she approached. “I was wondering whether or not you were going to show your face today.” Amy blushed as she heard her last name, as if it was something she’d wanted to hide.
“Yeah, I decided it’s what I really want.” Amy said a little embarrassed.
“I can’t get over how much you look like your sister.” Alexis said looking her up and down again.
“And Steph cannot get over how much she does not want you to be in this sorority” Hannah interjected before laughing a little. Amy knew it was now or never, she could turn around, leave and nothing more would be said or she could pull some courage from somewhere.
She sighed before speaking. “Yeah, well that’s why I’m here, to talk to you about Steph, well not about Steph, about me. I knew she wasn’t going to be here tonight.” The words tumbled out but not very forcedly. She knew she had to up her game.
Hannah cut across again. “Talking isn’t going to really help here though; we were more than happy to let you rush but if Steph says absolutely no then there is very little we can do about it.” Hannah stated it bluntly.
“Well wait a minute Han,” Alexis said, “Let’s hear what she has to say first.” Alexis turned to Hannah. “Go on Amy; tell us what you’re thinking.” Amy took a deep breath

"Look, you both asked me to rush before any of this stuff happened with my sister. And I wasn't lying when I said this was the only sorority I cared about. If I don't get in here, I don't want anything else. I belong here. And I belong here on my merits. Whether I get in or don't get in should have nothing to do with my sister. I know that in order to become a pledge I need to go to at least 2 rush events and also get voted into the top 20 of the rush class by current members," Amy spieled it out, she’d read all the laws and constitutions and was ready. “So here I am, I’ve come to one rush event and my Sister isn’t here.”
“That’s true Amy” Hannah replied. “But she’s going to be here for the others.”

“Not the third one, none of you will be.” Amy remarked. “It was on your leaflet.”
Alexis laughed. “She’s right Hannah; we have that stupid meeting to go to.”
Hannah smiled but still looked confused. “I still don’t get it, you have your two rush events but when your sister finds out she’ll blackball it saying you’re her bitch sister and she’ll take it personally if we vote you in and people are going to listen to her, she has influence.”
“Not even that though,” Alexis continued. “You will only be able to attend 2 events, most will attend four or five, and you’re going to struggle to compete.” Both girls had already picked the flaws that Amy had already identified with her plan.

“I understand that. If I get voted into the top twenty I get to be a prospective though right?” Both girls nodded. “And then you have your culling period of a month when you narrow it from these twenty to the ten that you’re going to let join. If neither of you say anything to my sister by then I might at least get a fair shot. I know I’m at a disadvantage with only the two rush events, but if I can manage to convince enough people then I deserve even more so to be in the top twenty. It won’t piss my sister off too badly, if I make the top twenty there is the month period where I can attempt to convince you all that I belong in the pledge class. My sister will find out then as I’ll be at the house every day and she has her chance to tell everyone not to let me in. But at least there’s a chance, a small chance, and that’s all I want.” Amy had practiced this in front of a mirror and it had gone off perfectly, it sounded reasonable and fair, she just hoped the two officers on the other side of the desk agreed.

“You seem to know more about the bylaws than most of the sorority do.” Hannah quipped. Alexis was leaning forward biting her lower lip.
“So you want two rush events to wow everybody but your big sister?” Alexis asked. She appeared to be contemplating.
Amy nodded. “Please. Just a chance.” Alexis paused for a long while, leaning back, fiddling with her pen and thinking. Finally she seemed to decide.
“OK Amy….. Actually no, Mia,” she said and winked. “I will give you that name on the forms, so your sister doesn’t recognise it as you. She won’t realise until you turn up.”
“Oh my god, she is going to be pissed.” Hannah replied.
Alexis smirked. “Well, she shouldn’t have tried to run against me for president should she. Now she can find out the power a president gets to wield.” Amy was confused, did Alexis and Steph not get along. She brushed it off as enemy of my enemy is my friend, and Alexis seemed to like her plan.
“So I can try to get in?” Amy asked looking from Hannah to Alexis.
Hannah laughed. “You are a stone cold bitch Alexis.”
Alexis shrugged. “Yep Mia, go and give it a try.” Mia looked worried at first, had she just added fuel to the fire of an animosity between the president and her sister. Then the permission sank in, she had a chance and now she needed to make the most of it. She pushed down her anxieties and nerves and moved onto the floor. Mia had to shine.

Mia did just that. She moved through the party talking to everyone she could, she laughed overly at their jokes. She shared anecdotes, she complimented everyone in any way she could and made sure she got around everyone and mentioned to every person that her name was Mia. She did the same thing just a few nights later, putting her sister completely out her thoughts she settled into the evening. This time Mia was even more comfortable, she met people she wanted to talk to and had fun. The girls seemed nice, interesting and people she’d happily spend four years with. She wanted it badly and was trying everything to get it. When she left after the second rush event, everybody there knew who Mia was and now it was entirely out of her hands.

It was a week later when all the rush events had finished and for Mia it had been one of the longest of her life. She was stressing continuously about the results. Her roommate who had decided not to rush at all thought she was ill, despite her insistence it was just nerves, excitement and curiosity. When she returned home after dinner that evening an envelope was waiting. Inside that envelope was an invitation to join 19 other girls for a chance to join the sorority. Mathematically she had a fifty fifty opportunity, proving to her sister, at least in Mia’s mind that she had what it took.

And her Mia stood, staring at the sorority house just a few weeks after starting her university life. She’d barely paid any attention in class; her entire focus was on this moment. Mia was excited to start the process, prove she deserved it, but terrified of seeing Steph. The two had barely spoken since the fair and Mia knew she would be pissed, but Mia was a little happy about pissing her off, like a sister would be.

That thought moved Mia’s legs into motion; she’d started using Mia in day to day life and decided she liked it. She knocked twice and it opened. Alexis was staring at her grinning, when she saw Mia her smile grew even further, a wicked and beautiful smile.
“Mia, so glad you could make it, we’ve been waiting for you.” Alexis took hold of her arm and led her into the front room. It was a large living room with red couches and chairs piled around. Girls were already there, pledges and sisters. She recognised some of them she’d been friendly with at the rush event. They smiled and waved and Mia returned the greeting, but Alexis was just closing the door when it happened.

“NO!” Mia heard her sister’s voice boom through the room. She spun and saw her near the far wall making quick strides towards them. Despite this Alexis stood by her still smiling.
“I…mm...” Mia struggled to find words. She was starting to panic, seeing her sister angry as entirely different to imagining it and the nerves seared through her. It was the angriest she had ever seen Steph, or at least for years. Mia had assumed that once it had settled down they’d be OK but now she was beginning to doubt it, that there might be a permanent damage building in their relationship.
“You need to go, right now!” Steph barked at her pointing towards the door. Despite the initial panic though, Mia felt the anger rising through her, Steph was the one making it like this, she was the one trying to ruin the relationship and choosing to cause problems. Mia was about to yell back before Alexis stepped between them.

“Sorry Steph, but she made the list. Mia got enough votes.”
Steph looked confused. She peered around Alexis at Mia before pulling out the list. She’d obviously seen the name with enough votes but hadn’t even slightly twigged. No last names, no Amy or Amelia had made her confident. The full plan was starting to dawn on her.
“You know the rules Steph; if she gets the votes she gets a shot” Alexis commented. Mia could feel the tension rising between the two officers. She wasn’t sure to be happy about getting a shot or guilty at upping her sister’s conflict with another sorority member. She had little time to worry though.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Steph asked after a pause. Mia at first was ready to retaliate before seeing that Steph was talking to the president.
“I don’t make the rules Steph, I follow them. That is my job as president of this sorority.” Alexis responded completely calm. “She got the sixth most votes overall, it was an easy call.” Mia felt a sense of pride shoot through her; she’d managed to come sixth despite attending only two rush events. Mia tried to hide it from her face though.

“She didn’t even go to rush though.” Steph complained looking for any excuses.
Alexis looked at Mia before shrugging. “She went to two of them, you just happened to be absent.”
Steph looked choked. “She can’t be here…. It isn’t right…. You know that.” She looked concerned, like a spoiled child but with actual pain in her voice. Mia was far too confused to have any idea how to feel.
“I can’t kick her out. You know the rules. She has the votes so gets a shot; you have a full month to convince people to vote for others. There are 19 other girls you can push ahead of her.”
“You planned this you….” Steph tried to hold her tongue to avoid escalating it further. “You used my own little sister. Christ, Alexis. It isn’t personal between us, I got over the loss. Why can’t you drop it?”
“Please don’t make a scene Steph, others are arriving.” Alexis replied before slipping out to the door leaving Mia alone with her sister. Steph just stared at Mia. Mia was surprised, mainly that she seemed angrier with Alexis than her. Steph stared at her though with a different look, a look of total disappointment, something that cut Mia completely. Mia wasn’t prepared for it, she had readied herself for anger but not the guilty feeling this gave her.

Finally Steph shook her head, took a step closer to her and sighed. “I told you to just leave this alone. I told you that you didn’t belong here. You have no idea what you have got yourself into, but you will learn.” Steph hissed the comment to her before pushing past her to meet the other girls. Mia took it as an empty threat for going against her, but Steph was right. She had a lot to learn