Chapter 6

"Whatever you think would look good. You've always had a better sense of style than me," I answered with a genuine smile. She flashed me her signature megawatt smile while nodding vigorously. I leaned over so that my elbows were positioned on my knees, my hands cupping my cheeks on either side of my face before speaking. "Not to be a Debbie Downer Kelly, but what are we going to do next year when we have to live in our respective sorority houses?" I asked. I hated to be the one to address the elephant in the room - which showed up two days ago during bid day and had yet to make its leave - but someone had to do it and I knew for a fact that it wasn't going to be Kelly. She's always been one to avoid confrontation if at all possible, even more so than me and that was saying something. She sighed heavily before saying, "I was wondering when you were going to bring that up. I just assumed that since we get along so perfectly when we're together, you would end up rushing Pi Phi as I did. It never occurred to me that since I've known you forever, you're completely different around me than you are with everyone else. The important thing to remember is that this isn't the end of the world and it's not like we'll stop being friends. That would never happen. Besides, Kappa is only a little farther along Greek Row in proximity to Pi Phi, so we'll still just be a couple houses away while we're living in," she assured me. I could tell that us not being in the same sorority had taken a toll on her; emotionally that is. She had always planned on us doing everything and anything together, side by side. From Girl Scouts to softball - and then volleyball when we quit the former after I got hit particularly hard in the thigh from a bad pitch and ended up chickening-out horribly every time I was called up to bat after the incident - and student council in high school, this was supposed to be our next step. Now that things hadn't gone our way, she was more than a little distraught. To be completely honest, so was I. I was upset at first, but I knew I fit in better at the house I'd picked. There was a mixture of outspoken girls, like Kelly, and girls like me; shy until I got to know someone well enough. After I got over my wallowing, I realized that I'd been just the tiniest bit glad that Kelly and I'd ended up in different sororities as it gave me the chance to branch out more and meet new people, like I'd hoped, without using her as my crutch all the time. Getting out of your comfort zone and grasping new opportunities with both hands was, after all, what college was all about. Well, and earning a degree but that one was a given. I pushed myself off of the couch and grabbed one of my boxes labeled Penny (Bedroom) before carefully slicing the top open with a box cutter so I could examine its contents and decide what to do with them. The box had a decent weight to it, so I had to lean over in order to shuffle the items around and take inventory of all the contents. I gave a weak grimace of pain as the high-waisted cutoff shorts Kelly lent me this morning dug into my stomach. It was at that moment that I started regretting my decision to unpack my clothes later tonight instead of last night as Kelly had done. I was surprised the shorts hadn't ripped yet with the extra weight they were bearing. My hips were almost twice the width that Kelly's were, and my butt was undeniably bigger - I had my mother to thank for that. It was to the point that I couldn't get the buttons done, so Kelly had to teach me a trick that consisted of putting a hair tie through the buttonhole and then looping the elastic around the button itself. The spaghetti strap tank top wasn't as bad since Kelly and I were only about a bra size apart, but it still hugged me tighter than I was used to. Actually, the built-in bra, which usually does absolutely nothing for a busty girl like myself, was just tight enough for me to be able to get away without wearing a bra. It wasn't like I was going anywhere today anyway, so the makeshift outfit would do for now. I picked up my antique jewelry box, an old gift from my beloved grandmother, and dusted the top off. I hadn't realized the front clasp had been left undone until the lid on top swung open and every pair of earrings I owned spewed across the floor. I let out a sigh of annoyance and bent over once again to pick them up just as a knock sounded against the front door. Kelly muttered a quick I got it and trudged across the living room to answer the door. "Jesus fucking Christ," I heard a deep, husky voice growl out. I would know that voice anywhere. Quickly righting myself, I spun around and almost choked as my breath caught in my throat. Suddenly such a simple action like breathing became extremely hard. This was certainly not the same preteen boy who'd left many years ago. Oh no, standing before me was no doubt a full-grown man. And dear God was he a sight for sore eyes. The eight years he'd been MIA had most definitely treated him kindly. So kindly.