Chapter 5

I pushed my food around the dinner plate in front of me as I struggled to keep my eyes open, the lack of sleep and early morning finally taking its toll on me. The pot of coffee I'd consumed after getting back from our shopping escapade had undeniably worn off and I was feeling the negative side effects of my sleep deprivation in every way possible. "Are you alright, sweetie? You seem a bit off today," My mother's sweet voice asked. I glanced up to see her smiling softly at me, the hint of concern swirling in her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all," I replied cryptically while hoping it was enough to quell her worry. "No wonder you're tired. All you ever do is go out and party with Kelly. I swear that girl is nothing but a bad influence on you. And what's this your mother's told me about you wanting to join a sorority?" he inquired, his penetrating gaze suddenly shifting from my mother to me, his eyes full of annoyance. I swallowed the lump that had quickly formed in my throat before squeaking out, "well, Kelly and I have been talking about rushing together since basically the beginning of senior year, but even more so since we've recently graduated. I think it would be a great opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone and meet some new people, maybe even open some doors for new opportunities. I figured since you were in a fraternity, it would be okay," I finished, hoping that subtle call-out wouldn't get me into more trouble with him than I clearly already was. "Times have changed, Penny. There's far more drinking and drug consumption now than there ever was back in my day. I don't want you involved with that stuff. My final answer is no," his voice held finality and I tried my hardest to choke back the emotion ball that had begun to form in the base of my throat. It threatened to burst, threatened to cause my lips to part and allow all the words I wanted to say to spill out without the ability to take them back. "Now, Richard, that's not fair at all. I've talked to numerous different women who come into the store with daughters who are in sororities and they've never had anything but great things to say about the organizations they're a part of. I think it's only fair we let Penny do this one thing. She's never asked anything like this of us ever before. Besides, we've raised her to be a very responsible girl and it's time we start showcasing our trust in her," my mom stated confidently, shooting me a reassuring smile. I silently thanked God for giving me such an amazing, supportive mother. "I'm not having this conversation right now," he spat before roughly scooting his chair back, throwing his half-finished plate in the sink, and disappearing into his home office. "Where's daddy goin', Penny?" Tanya's innocent voice spoke, breaking the heavy silence that descended upon the room. "He's going to get some work done, my pretty girl. Now how about if Penny helps you bathe while I clean up from dinner?" my mom asks, her smile just a bit dimmer than it had been a few minutes ago. I tried to ignore the quiver in her voice as she spoke, but I couldn't and it tore me apart inside. I walked over and gave her a tight hug before positioning Tanya on my hip and carrying her to the bathroom, looking forward to playing with all her rubber toys and hearing her high-pitched laughter.  Penny's POV I took a deep breath and released it slowly from my lips. I blinked and the last week had all but flown by. Between helping my mom get Tanya settled into her first week of preschool, and trying not to drown in the high-stress activities and decision-making that was infamously associated with rush week, I hadn't had a single second to just simply breathe. I felt like there wasn't enough time in the day for everything I needed to do, and it was starting to take a toll on me mentally and physically. I rubbed my temples, an impending headache beginning to painfully throb there, as Kelly continued to rush around our little suite-style dorm. She'd been bustling to set random things up here and there all through the morning and into the afternoon. In true Kelly-fashion, she'd gone completely overboard like she always had a tendency to do. I would tease her for it if it wasn't one of the numerous reasons I loved her. Whenever she got excited about something, she gave it her one hundred percent all. I hadn't really believed Kelly at first when she'd said the extra money her parents splurged for us to have a suite instead of a standard-style dorm would be well worth it; now taking in the over-the-top room-design while sitting on our leather loveseat, I knew she was more than right. Matter-of-fact, there wasn't a single doubt in my mind. The place was insanely nice. With that being said, though, I was still completely against her parents spending even more money than they already had on the both of us, I'm glad I eventually relented. The simple fact that I wouldn't have to share the space with anyone else, besides Kelly, had been the deal breaker for me. The place was basically like a little apartment for two but it resided within campus grounds and was considered student housing. Expensive student housing, but student housing nonetheless. This place was much pricier than I was comfortable with, but Kelly's parents had insisted. "I was thinking a white faux-fur rug would look really cute under the coffee table with the decorative pillows I bought for the couch, don't you think?" Kelly's sweet, feminine voice floated to my ears. I pondered the question for a minute before replying.