You feel guilty and apologize.

“Look,” you say, “I hurt Julie’s feelings, I apologize. I didn’t mean to make her feel bad. I know I should have said something before now…”

“Really? You think so?” interrupts Natalie, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes, I know, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I... I don’t know any other way to say it.”

“Julie doesn’t lay down for any guy, you know.” Natalie reprimands “She really likes you. And then you called her a slut! She’s probably still crying about it.”

“If I could take it all back I would. I don’t like making people feel bad. I really don’t. Isn’t there anyway I can make it up to her?”

Natalie smiled, “Now that is an interesting question. How can you make things up to Julie?” She dances a pen over her fingers and looks at you out of the corner of her eyes. “How can you make things up to Julie?” she repeats.

“I’ll do anything,” you say, “Can I talk to her? Try to... I don't know, I know I can’t make things right. I screamed at her in front of all her friends…” You sit down heavily in a chair. “She must think I’m a total asshole.”

Natalie’s eyes soften, “No. Like I said, Julie really likes you. She wouldn’t have offered you up to be house stud if she didn’t. She’s mad at you right now, believe me, but she doesn’t think you’re an asshole. The fact that you seem more distraught over hurting her feelings than being kicked out of school seems to back up what she thinks.”

You begin to see a glimmer of hope. “I want to make things up to her, just tell me how. Please.”

Natalie stands up. “O.K. At five o’clock tonight, go to the Alpha Pi Omega house. And just so we’re clear, this is just to make things up to Julie, nothing more, nothing less.”

You agree and spend the day trying to think up ever way possible to say sorry. You go and buy two-dozen long stemmed roses. You buy the most sincere apology card you can find. You even get a pair of silver earrings. Practicing what you are going to say, at five o’clock you walk up to the sorority house and knock on the door.

A shorthaired blonde with bright blue eyes answers the door. “Oh, it’s you,” she says disdainfully. ”We’ve been expecting you, come in.”

You walk inside and see about thirty girls looking at you. For the most part, they don’t look happy. They say nothing they just stare at you. The silence is making you very uncomfortable so you say, “Um, I brought these thing for Julie. I know I can’t buy her forgiveness, but I wanted to make a gesture of my sincerity.” You present the gifts to the blonde. A few of the faces seem to soften a little. It looks like you might be making progress.

Natalie appears at the top of the stairs, “Bring them here, Dianne.” She says. You see Julie walk up besides Natalie. You try to read her face, but you can’t; she won’t even look at you.

Dianne gives the gifts to Julie who looks them over. She whispers something to Natalie. Natalie says, “This is a good first step, John. However, you have wounded one of our sisters with your words. As you know, or should know, an attack against one sister is an attack against all sisters. As such, the sisterhood as a whole will decide how you can make up for this insult.”

She walks down the stairs and continues, “You have made no excuse for you actions, which is good, because we would have accepted none. Your conversation with me earlier was recorded. That, plus your gifts and contriteness should bode well for you. I can see, even know, many sisters looking upon you favorably.”

You look around and see that what Natalie says is the truth, some are actually smiling. “Well, my sisters, it is time. We all know the options. Blue, green, yellow, or red, cast your stone into the vat.”

One by one the entire sorority walks up to a great jar, picks up a colored marble, and drops it in. Natalie explains, “You fate is determined by the color of the most numerous stone. Green means full exoneration. You get to go back to school with no further repercussions. You could even be picked to be house stud again. Blue means you will have to perform a single task, in your case, whatever Julie asks of you. Yellow means you will have to go through a yearlong period of servitude to the house. Not as stud, but as ****. Red means full condemnation. You get kicked out of school and never get to return.”

When the last girl finishes, Diane takes the jar and spills it on a table. Unable to see the results for yourself, you stand there and squirm as she sorts the marbles into their piles.