Page 51 of Tell Me I'm Enough

Introduction to Sociology

1:15 PM–2:30 PM

U.S. History

2:45 PM–4:00 PM

Public Speaking / Communication 101

Safe to say—I’m worn out. But I suck it up, grab an energy drink, and head to the Gamma house for our philanthropy meeting.

You can smell the house before even walking in the door. It’s funny how drastically different some of the frat houses are from the sorority houses. I guess they really do sometimes live up to the textbook image of frat boys and sorority girls. The frat houses are scented nicely with beer, cologne, and takeout, while the sorority houses smell like fresh laundry and a hundred scented candles.

I pull the door open and walk inside. A couple of girls trail behind me, and we all find our way over to the largest common area in the house, where everyone is already starting to pile in and find a spot to sit or stand.

I squeeze in beside a couple of girls I’ve met and say hey right as Madison—our house president—and Joy—VP—walk to the front of the room and grab our attention.

“Alright, everyone,” Madison starts in a high-pitched but authoritative voice, clapping her hands once. The chatter dies instantly. “Tomorrow’s philanthropy day. That means we’ll be working side by side with the other sororities and fraternities on campus to raise money for our shared causes. We want to show the university, the board, and every single student that Gamma women are more than just parties and matching outfits.”

Joy nods beside her. “This is our chance to show that we can lead, organize, and handle chaos gracefully. So, please, let’s keep the drama to a minimum and make sure we represent Gamma well.”

There’s a murmur of agreement around the packed room.

“Now,” Madison continues, picking up a small stack of envelopes, “you’ve all been assigned booths. These are final. No switching, no complaining, no asking for a do-over. I mean it. You’ll be working with members of the Sigma Chi fraternity, so please behave like civilized human beings.”

Joy smirks at that, and a few girls laugh.

“Come up when your name’s called,” Madison says, flipping open her clipboard. “Grab your envelope, see what booth you have, and go start prepping.”

One by one, girls go up, giggling when they see who they’re paired with. A few squeals here and there. Freshmen girls who are already trying to climb the social ladder with upperclass frat boys. I almost roll my eyes at the sight. Sometimes I feel really lucky to be taken and not have to deal with the hookup culture and dating pool around here.

“Simone Edwards,” Madison says finally.

I walk up, take the envelope from her hand, and mumble a “thanks,” opening it as I step aside.

Booth:Dunk-a-Sig Charity Booth

Partner:Mason Sinclair

I exhale. It’s half a laugh, half an annoyed groan. “Of course.”

Joy glances up from her papers. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” I say, forcing a smile. “Everything’s perfect.”

Joy nods. “Good. You’ll all start prepping today. Decorations, supplies, setup lists, shifts. Get it done before you leave.”

I walk off, staring at the name again.

Mason Sinclair.

How I ended up getting paired up with the one guy who already hates me is beyond me.

What is my luck becoming?

I take my envelope and head to where all the girls have started, grabbing supplies, working on signs, and prepping for their booths.

We spend all night painting our signs, picking decorations to match our booth themes, and talking more than being productive.