Lark POV

She had yet to tell her parents she was pledging. It was a shock she was able to keep it from them so far. She was not on scholarship or financial aid. Her parents made too much. They were strictly financing her college expenses, including any spending money she needed. Working all summer at her father's store she saved the money she needed for payment of intake. It was not cheap, but it paid for two years of the sorority. Next year, after she graduated, she could join the alumnae chapter in Kansas City.

Her parents called her at least twice a week, if not more. Her father checked on all her classes online to make sure her grades were still good. She was twenty-one years old and they still treated her like a child. She could not complain, because she knew many students had to beg, borrow and steal money from their parents, or keep their grades up to keep scholarships. She only had to keep her father satisfied.

"Holding Bs in all your classes, Princess. You deserve a reward."

Bs for her was like As to most. This was one of her better semesters so far. She was trying to pull up her accounting class to an A, but it was a struggle. As good as she was in math, Accounting level four classes were no joke.

"Thanks, Daddy." He was Facetiming her so she sat her tablet on her desk while she talked with him. "Tell mom hey, and Jade and Amber." They were her twin seventeen-year-old sisters They were seniors in high school and ready for college. They wanted to stay local, in the Kansas City area. She knew Amber would prefer not to go to college, she was set on being an artist and did not think she needed college. Their father convinced her otherwise. He would not pay her to pursue anything else, so of course, she wanted to stay attached to Daddy's wallet.

Jade was more like her, business-minded, and wanted to work at the store with their father. She was way smarter than Lark ever was, being in gifted programs since she was a toddler. Great grades, was a cheerleader, and class President. Sometimes she wondered how they were related.

"I'll send you money to your account, a little extra," her father said.

She was not going to protest to more than the weekly two hundred dollars he sent her way. It's not like she spent it on superficial things. She always needed stuff for her classes, personal items, and new clothes now and then, and having meals off her meal plan. That two hundred a week barely stretched to the next week, but just like clockwork, her father would send more to her.

Now she had pledging and things to buy while she was on line. The Big Sisters never made them buy them food or weird stuff she heard others had to do, but they did have to spend money on special projects like making special folders, orange tulips, the MAX flower, and other gifts relevant to the sorority.

"So when are you coming home for a visit? If you don't want to drive, you can fly."

It was a six-plus hour drive from Normal, Illinois to Raytown, Missouri, the city right outside of Kansas City where she lived. She did not mind the drive, she just never looked forward to it.

"Dad, I will soon, I'm just really busy with school right now. Lots of work...even on the weekends." That was a lie. Her schoolwork was not what kept her on the weekends. Pledging did. They had this weekend off, but she still was not up to the drive back home. She would rather hang out by herself in her room.

"I'm sure Ross wants to see you."

"I talk to him almost every night. He will be fine." And she had hidden pledging from him as well. She already knew what he would say when she told him. Her parents would not be upset, they did not understand Greek life either way. Ross, detested Greek life while he was at ISU. Always had bad things to say about fraternities and sororities.

"Okay, okay, I won't keep you. Your mother wants to talk to you."

Her father passed the phone to her mother, who was her identical. It made her smile seeing her mother's face, who was so youthful-looking at forty-five. They had the same face and even the same hairstyle. Her mother wore identical micro-braids, so she looked young. She was slim like her, though more solid, and weighed more, she got her super-slim build from her. Even though her mother did not attend college, she came from a wealthy family and was taking a by-year when she met her father. She met her father when she was nineteen, they married when she was twenty-one and had her when she was twenty-four.

She never worked a day in her life and did not have to. Stay-at-home mom suited her well.

"Hey Mom, you look great."

"Of course I do hon, I pay too much money to look this good," she gave her a wink.

"Mom, money doesn't buy what you have going on. That's heredity, good genes, and taking care of yourself."

"Black doesn't crack, as they say."

She laughed. "I hope I look as good as you Mom, in twenty years."

"Oh, better honey. And marry rich, that helps too."

She rolled her eyes at her mother. Money was not everything. Sure, she loved money just as much as the next person, but that seemed to be all her mother cared about. Sometimes she wondered if she really even loved her father, or just married him because he was already successful. He was twenty-five when they met and had just opened up his store. She knew he was going to do great things, and he had. Her mother had her own inheritance, she did not need her father's money, yet, she spent her father's money like it was water.

That was not going to be her. She would make her own money.

"Mom, I told you, I am not after Ross' money. He doesn't care that I want to work." At least they agreed on that. He disagreed on the work she should do. She wanted to open her own store and work for herself. He preferred she stay working with her father forever.

"You can at least give me grandbabies before you work yourself into old age."

She groaned at her mother. She was not thinking of having babies, not even the things you had to do to make a baby. Thank God Ross never pressured her about sex. And her mother knew she was still a virgin because she told her Ross wanted to wait till they were married. Even her mother thought that was archaic.

"Mom, I love you. Tell Daddy I love him. I have to go now. Bye." She quickly ended her call with her mother. Sheesh! You would think her mother wanted to stay forever young so the thought of being a grandmother in her forties should be the last thing on her mind.

She wanted to graduate, work with her father for a few years, then open either a second store with him or completely go out on her own. If she worked with her father, she was sure to get the financial backing she needed. If not, she was prepared to do it all on her own. She knew Ross would never help. Maybe he would if he loved her. She did not want money to ever come between them.

If she still wanted to be with him.

Lately, all she could think about was Frankie. They were hanging out more and more, studying mostly, but sometimes they would just hang out and talk. He was different than Ross. He was younger, but he was very mature. He had goals in life, and not just playing basketball. He majored in journalism and wanted to use his sports knowledge and journalism to become a sports broadcaster. He definitely had the face for TV.

Those eyes. She could stare at them all day and found herself doing so when they were together. She knew she was so wrong even hanging with another guy while she had a boyfriend. Frankie kept it strictly platonic, he never tried to make a move on her again. She wished he would.

She shook those thoughts from her head, then dialed him up. They talked a lot on the phone. She could not be seen hanging with him, so they always met up separately at the library and stayed hidden where most people could not see them.

"Hey Lark, what's good?"'

"Nothing. Are you busy?"

"Not for you. You want to meet up?"

"Ummm..." Say no, say never mind and hang up. Call your boyfriend, talk to him. Don't do anything stupid. "Okay."

What was wrong with her? It was Friday night, the library was already closed. What was she going to do?

She wore a disguise, a big floppy hat, and shades at night, as she made her way to the west end of campus close to where his residence hall was. There was a little park area that was pretty secluded this time of night. He texted her he was sitting on a bench and she found him. He laughed when he saw her.

"What?"

"Oh, you don't want to be seen with me, huh?"

"People will get the wrong idea is all," she said, sitting beside him.

"Hey, whatever. You and your boyfriend are still good, right? I mean, 'cause if it's not, I'm here and I got you."

"Come on Frankie, you said we can be just friends."

"Hard to be just friends when I want to kiss you again."

She sat there quietly, not saying anything. This was a bad idea to meet with a boy at night, alone, in a park, when she had a boyfriend. Not even the fact that she was pledging, but that this was just wrong. Ross did not deserve this, he was a good guy. Besides some control issues he had over her, he was a great boyfriend. She just wanted him to let her live her life.

"But I respect you, Lark, you're not that type of girl, so I won't press up on you. Just friends. Hanging out, that's it."

"Thanks."

"What will your big sisters think?"

She jumped up. She had not told him she was pledging. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, I know you're on line for MAX, you ain't hiding that," he said with a chuckle.

"No one is supposed to know that!"

"Well, you're not that great at hiding it," he said. "I saw your MAX binder one day at the library. You wear your pledge t-shirt under your shirt sometimes. And no one studies all weekend like you do unless they pledging."

She sat back down. She could get in trouble if Frankie opened his mouth and told others.

"I know the deal girl, I wouldn't tell anybody you're on line. That's your business, but that's why I'm down with keeping us...I mean, our little friendship is on the low. You trust me?"

She looked at him, and even in the dark of the night, those light brown eyes twinkled at her and she gushed inside. She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. She was in trouble. She was feeling things for him she should not feel. She was feeling things for him she never felt about Ross.

And somehow, she didn't care.

A/N: Lark is playing with fire. Hanging with a guy that's not your boyfriend is one thing, having feelings for him is another.