fake college romance story pt. 2

She was right.

Clara entered Alpha Gamma Zeta house and was met, not with exuberance, but rather... normalcy. The girls there were welcoming, but not over the top.

A dark haired girl walked up to her. "Like, welcome. I'm Sabrina." Sabrina deadpanned this delivery. It worked. Sabrina acknowledged a sorority stereotype and then basked in it with restrained fun. Clara was disarmed.

After the introductions and the chats which seemed legitimately sincere, Clara thought she could actually enjoy this little sisterhood. There was nothing bad about it. Here were people who actually seemed to enjoy inclusion rather than unnaturally force themselves into it. Nothing snobby at all. No reason to not share these girls' company.

She was right. But only a little.

There were 10 other pledges. All of the initiates were each given a Polaroid camera. Polaroid? Clara thought. They still make these things?

"They don't make these things anymore..." Said Sandra, one of the normal tour guides of the house. Clara realized that Sandra didn't need to read her mind to answer the question all the new girls were thinking. "...so I don't recommend taking any pictures until you know what to do with them. Each of these Polaroid cameras only has 10 shots. That's all you get -- but you'll only need one."

Lisa, the girl Clara actually felt was most sincere, held up a glossy 8 x 11 photo of some guy. Some guy who looked like he smelled like Grandma's house. "This guy's name is Dustin Whittacre," Lisa said. "He's a sophomore. He's a bit shy and honestly, a lot weird. The first of you to seduce him will become a sister in Alpha Gamma Zeta."

At this point Clara was amazed at how much of a physical sensation she had regarding this bombshell. Everything boiled on the inside. She actually had to think about breathing for a few seconds.

"Relax," Lisa continued. "You can just say you did. But you sorta have to prove it. We'll need a picture of you with Dustin. Only ONE of you needs to be in underwear. It can be you or him. Doesn't make a difference, but it has to be a Polaroid picture."

Clara knew Polaroid was a smart idea. The black back with the white strip on the bottom for holding the picture without the image getting all fingerprinty... and very Photoshop proof.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. Her mother would be happy Clara didn't start college all slutty. It's probably better to finish college that way.