Back to the Sorority House

"What do you mean I'll want some privacy?" Lauren asked.

"I won't get too far into it, but I think you'll just want to trust me on that one," the old woman answered.

"I should probably get back to campus anyway," Lauren reasoned as the old woman tucked the costume into a bag for her.

"I hope you enjoy the costume," the woman nodded, "those sorority parties tend to get wild, eh?"

"Yeah, part of why I feel like I need to lay down the law," Lauren replied.

"I wouldn't worry, dear. You'll be wilder than all of them in this," the woman grinned.

Lauren fought off an odd shiver as she made her way out.

Lauren took a deep breath as she cut the engine in the parking lot. As she got out and locked her car, she could already hear the faint thump of bass from the sorority house across the campus grounds. The party wouldn't start until much later, but that never stopped the girls on a weekend. Things would just get more and more raucous until it was an absolute bedlam at the party. She crossed the quad and walked up the steps, muffled music nearly rattling windows already. It hit her almost like a wall as she opened the front door, heavy bass and reeking funk.

Most people thought girls were cleaner than boys, but that really hadn't been Lauren's experience.

Two of the sorority sisters were sitting on the stairs, still in their pajamas and talking. One of them was Victoria, a blonde upperclassman who was a bit of a queen bee at the sorority. If anything, she was a big part of why Lauren had so much trouble keeping order in the house. She oozed dominance, and while publicly she was straight Lauren had certainly heard rumors that she kept her place at the top of the pecking order by trysting with most of the other officers in the sorority. In odd, jealous moments Lauren had sometimes wondered why Victoria had never tried the same with her. Perhaps it was just another sign how much of a non-entity she was viewed as in the sorority.

Talking with her was Charlotte, a bit of a goth with painfully straight black hair and a thick shelf of meticulously cut bangs above her eyes. She was wearing a black leather spiked collar, and Lauren knew for a fact that she slept in it, though it was anyone's guess as to how she managed that. Charlotte was the sorority treasurer, and the rumors as to what Victoria got up to behind closed doors featured the goth prominently.

"Thought about where you're going to end the night?" Victoria asked with a smirk.

"I was hoping we might... you know, hang out a bit," Charlotte half-mumbled, her pale cheeks flushing as she fidgeted with her collar.

"Well, I was going to see if Jake shows up but..." Victoria gave Charlotte a meaningful look. "...maybe if you're good."

Lauren fought the urge to roll her eyes as she skirted around them and started up the stairs.

"Oh hey, what've you got there, Lauren?" Victoria quipped.

Lauren's heart sank. What a time to be noticed. Steeling herself, she replied.

"Costume for tonight."

"Really?" Victoria shot back with a growing cheshire grin. "Going to join us for once instead of holing up with your thesis revisions?"

"Stranger things have happened, right?" Lauren said, though it still felt a bit lame.

"Must be a full moon or something," Victoria chuckled. "So what is it?"

"You're going to have to wait to find out," Lauren responded, finally making contact with the blonde's icy blue eyes.

Victoria seemed surprised for a moment by the directness. Lauren couldn't remember the last time anyone managed to shut her up, but it was all she needed right then. She continued up the stairs to her room. Stepping inside, she let out a long breath after the door shut.

It wasn't much, but nothing on campus was. Still, it was bigger than any of the sisters had, even Victoria, and since she was RA her housing was covered. Better yet, it had an en suite bathroom. She'd seen what the communal bathrooms in the house looked like between cleanings. She slipped off her jacket and hung it by the door before pulling the package out of the shopping bag and setting it on the bed in front of her.

There, the red-headed 'bitch' modeling the costume stared back at her, almost expectantly.