“I don’t want you to be. Today is gonna be a blast. Just enjoy it, okay?”
Even though I nod in agreement, I’m still worried.
Five more girls in our group walk up at the same time and Sarah embraces each of them, too. No one on my floor is in my Gamma Chi group, but I do know Bridgett, a girl in my Honors English class. I try looking around the massive crowd for Ellie, but quickly realize there’s no point. She’s just another blonde.
All of us spend the next fifteen minutes engaging in high-strung small talk while we eagerly await our first Water Party at nine. Turning a slow circle, I look around at thousands of happy girls, bouncing on their toes, full of excitement and hope, and I’m reminded that some of the girls I’m watching right this minute will have their hearts broken. And that one of them could be me.
At eight twenty, Sarah climbs up to one of the higher steps with a small box in her hand and corrals us for a brief meeting. She has to raise her voice a little so we can hear her. “The most important thing I want y’all to do today is have fun. I know a few of you have been telling me how stressed you are, but I want y’all to try and relax. And enjoy yourselves. Rush is meant to beone of the best experiences of your life. You’ll be meeting tons of new people,” she says, while handing each of us a Ziploc bag labeled with our names. Our official Rush name tags are tucked inside. “But don’t let that worry you. You aren’t required to remember all their names.”
Everyone laughs.
“I’m sure y’all remember me mentioning these bags at Orientation. Feel free to use them for all your necessities: your student ID, money,tampons,” she says, with a warm smile. “Lipstick. And, most importantly, keep your schedules in here.”
A girl named Maddie Patton raises her hand. “What if we need to go to the bathroom?”
More laughter erupts from our group.
“Good question,” Sarah says. “Hopefully, it’ll be on your lunch break, which, by the way, is at noon today. Or you could go on your afternoon break. But if at any time you’re dying, and can’t possibly hold it another second, tell me. I’ll escort you into whatever House we happen to be closest to.”
“I have one,” I say.
“Of course. Ask anything you want,” Sarah replies.
“I’ve heard something about a variable quota this year? What exactly is that, and what does it mean for us?”
“That’s another good question, Cali, thank you. So, this year Panhellenic is trying to help the newer sororities on campus get more members. In order to do that they’ve put a restriction on the quota for older, more established sororities, and given the newer ones a higher quota.” The way she’s tucking her hair behind her ears and the smile on her face make me think she considers a variable quota a good thing. “It does mean it’ll be a little harder to get a bid from the older sororities, but we have so many great Houses on this campus. Please don’t worry about that.”
“I’ve heard the older Houses rushed way more girls than they should have last year because they only learned about variable quota a few months ago. What, then?” Bridgett asks.
Sarah shrugs. “That’s anyone’s guess. But the good news is newer sororities will have a chance to catch up. It makes the whole thing much more fair. Don’t y’all think?”
I’m starting to wonder if Sarah might be in a newer sorority. She’s requiredto keep her affiliation a secret, and my curiosity is driving me crazy. Old or new, I’d kill to be her sorority sister.
“Honestly, y’all. Please don’t worry about this. On another note, we’ll all be together today, but for the rest of the week you’ll be in new groups, depending on which Houses invite you back. But there will always be Gamma Chis waiting outside every House to help you with whatever you need.”
The chatter in the Grove is climbing, so Sarah makes a megaphone with her hands. “I’m always here for you if you need to call or text me. Okay?” Her eyes rove around at each of us. “I mean that.”
Another girl in my group raises her hand. “Sarah, I have a question.”
“Sure, Whitney, go ahead.”
“Do we take our plastic bags into the Houses?”
“Actually, the Gamma Chis keep them for you. And I meant to tell y’all, I have Advil and plenty of breath mints, and granola bars if you’re starving.” She holds her arms up and looks at the sky. “Can y’all believe how lucky we are? As of right now it’s not supposed to rain all week. But it could get chilly a little later in the day, so don’t hesitate to wear a jacket. The Gamma Chis will hold those for you, too, when you go inside for the parties.”
Sarah reaches into her back pocket and glances at her phone. “So it’s eight thirty-five now. Oh, one more thing. Everyone left their phone at home, right?”
We all nod.
“Unfortunately,” Bridgett says.
Sarah laughs. “I know it’s a pain. Everyone hates it.” Another Gamma Chi walks by and waves her over, away from our group. I watch them talk among themselves a minute before Sarah hurries back. “Everyone ready?”
We’re all looking around at one another, nodding.
“Alrighty then. First up, Chi Omega.”
THIRTY-FIVE
