Amelia
Greer puts his arm around his wife. “Jamie’s whole life had led to being president of Theta Gamma Mu,” he explains to the room. “She worked hard to make sure she could step into her mother’s legacy as chapter president. She earned straight A’s in pre-med and did the whole sorority thing with you guys. That’s a lot for anyone. A ton of pressure, but of course, she came through. She’s something else, this wife of mine, but you all already know that. You’re her sisters.”
I smile my tight-lipped power smile and watch their interaction. Interesting. “I’d forgotten you were the next chapter president, after Roxy, who was ours. I can only imagine what a tight ship you ran,” I say. I mean, Jamie barely even went to any of our chapter functions. Roxy had to beg her to come to spring break with us, not that the rest of us really wanted her there. I guess she wanted to be sure she always had a loyal acolyte around her,even on spring break. And Jamie certainly was one. “Hopefully you let the girls have some fun, now and then too.”
And now I remember why Roxy insisted on being her big sister: Jamie was a huge legacy, and that’s why she got the bid to join Theta Gamma Mu, despite the lack of what we used to call “sparkle and shine.” Jamie had neither. When I think back on that first recruitment I’d been part of as an active, I still remember all those smiling, nervous faces. So many girls, many with the sparkle that we said we looked for and did. But we also looked for something else. The chapter meetings always included profiles of the top rushees, and Jamie was at the top of our pile.
Which didn’t make any sense to me. I had a number of quality picks who would add more life, more class, and more clout to Theta Gamma Mu. Jamie was shy, bookish, and didn’t seem all that interested in being in the sorority.
“Look at this résumé,” the chapter president at the time had said during a rush meeting. “This one, Jamie Vale, is a double legacy. But not only that, her mother was chapter president of this very chapter, and so was her grandmother. I’ve never even heard of it.”
I’d raised my hand. I was only a sophomore, and I knew I didn’t have any power, but I had principles.
“Yes, Amelia?” the president said.
“I’m wondering why legacy matters more than personality or, say, money,” I asked. “The chapter is always raising money. I’d recruit with that in mind first.”
“That is one of many considerations we look for, of course,but we don’t discriminate based on a recruit’s parents’ ability to give a big endowment,” she said to me as a murmur washed through the room.
I knew what my sisters were whispering. I got a bid to Theta Gamma Mu for that very reason, guaranteed. I smiled.
“Well, personality should count. Jamie Vale isn’t memorable. She seems better suited to Alpha Beta Boring,” I said. “But you are sold on her?”
“We are. Now, let’s go over our next top recruit,” the president said, pulling out another resume. And just like that, I knew we’d welcome Jamie Vale into Theta Gamma Mu, despite the fact she didn’t belong.
But that didn’t matter. She had quite a family legacy. Quite the expectations from them, too, I imagine.
I’m glad I’d graduated and had not had to deal with President Jamie. Roxy had been enough. More than enough.
“It was a big job, and an honor, of course,” Jamie agrees, twisting some strands of her blond hair around a finger, before tucking it behind her ear. “Roxy was a great mentor.”
“I’m sure you did a great job,” Brett says, smiling at her like she’s the queen bee.
She’s not. What does he know about anything? He wasn’t there, wasn’t in our sorority, didn’t even know Jamie. He’s doing that annoying flirting thing again. I sneer at him, willing him to shut up. He glances at me and seems to get the memo.
“I’m sure you were a great sorority girl, too, Amelia,” he says. “Those cute red-haired pigtails you wore. Adorable.”
I roll my eyes, but I enjoy his attention on me. “Yes, I went through a phase, unfortunately,” I say. “But sure, I was a fantastic member of Theta Gamma Mu. Everyone knows that.”
That’s not especially true, but I was there. I saw it all. I’m a watcher. It’s my superpower. And I also like to have fun. When you’re going through sorority rush, though, it’s all fake. I mean, sure, there are secret rush dates, and you can sort of make a connection, but it’s all a performance. There is an endgame, and that is getting in the sorority, whatever it takes. So it changes the meaning of friendship, at least until you’re invited in. Friends become sisters, they say. But really, it’s desperate strangers become sisters, and then some of us become friends. It’s the way it works, always has, always will.
I’m sure Jamie’s reign was no fun, and I’m lucky I graduated before she became president. But it’s not like Roxy was a stellar president either. I mean, look at what she did to Sunny.
19
Roxy
Ryan walks out of the master bath dressed and ready for the day. It’s annoying how much he’s avoiding me. I’ve barely had a chance to wake up.
“See you at breakfast,” he says, headed for the door.
“Wait, honey. We’ve hardly had time to talk since I got here the other day. Stay a minute and catch up with me. Didn’t you think last night’s dinner was beautiful?” I say, wrapping my robe tighter around my waist.
“Sure, dinner was great,” he says.
“Isn’t it nice for all of us to be together again?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I guess.”
