Marketta POV

"How does Alonzo even know we're on line?"

Her sister pointed to her bare feet, now that they were in their room and hanging out for the night. She sat on her bed, while her sister came to sit down on her bed. It did not take her long to hang with Alonzo, but let that been her, she would still be hanging with a hot guy like that. Amber sat at her desk, laptop there as she had to take notes as needed during their study sessions, as the anchor and the Scribe.

Her position was the Rock, which included holding the line down and making sure everyone knew everything. Laila, as the Captain, spoke for the line.

"He could see our socks from across the room I guess. Under the table. Like, he had to look hard to see that."

Amber smacked her forehead. "Oh no! Now maybe everyone knows."

"Only the ones looking for something. So what we had the same colored socks on," she said to them.

"Orange? Of all the colors? Not white, or black?" Amber said. 

She did not care if people knew she was on line. What was the big deal? Half the people in that room were Greek or trying to get into something Greek. She was already over being on line, she wanted to have those letters on and strut around campus like she was the shit.

As far as she was concerned, they were the number one sorority after winning the stepshow last year. Sure that's not all they did on campus, but that was a big deal. Hopefully, they made it a repeat this year.

"Alonzo said he won't tell anyone," her sister said.

"Yeah sure, he's going to tell his bruhs," she said. "I'm not telling Rick, but we don't even talk like that."

They were just friends and going to keep it at that for now. He was a cutie and all, but still, she was not looking for a boyfriend and he respected that, better than Quintavious.

"Oh, and also, Manny and Jordan walked by while I was with Alonzo and they said, see you tomorrow night."

"What? Why are you going to see them tomorrow?" she asked her sister.

"Manny and Jordan...your two ex-boyfriends that are EUs? Oh hell! Are they going to pledge us as and treat us like hell." Amber smacked her forehead again. "Do we have to know all their info, and not just the basic stuff?"

"Probably," Laila said. "Well ladies, long study night tonight."

There was a lot to Epsilon Upsilon, more than she thought she knew. Even when she helped Jordan to study she wasn't getting into their business. Now she had to remember everything about this organization.

That next night at session, instead of meeting at the MAX they went to the new EU house. Outside of the one party, she had not seen much of the house.

"Welcome ladies, to our humble abode," Jordan greeted them.

Good Lord the man was fine as hell. Like, she wanted to be alone somewhere in a room with him, kissing and touching all over him. Jordan still had a hold on her she wished he did not.

She was trying to see other people and meet someone that would be right for her.

Jordan was not.

"Now we know this is awkward, exes and all," Anika said, "But can we all be professional here with the ladies."

Only Anika and Jameelah came with them, which was cool. The EU's had their pledges there and it was five of them. How could they handle that many when it was only three of them, plus Taj helping out? She guessed they were becoming more popular after having a line of only two. Five guys and she knew them all from one thing or another. Three sophomores and two seniors. The shocker was seeing Anika's husband Patrick on line.

Patrick was a transfer student, having done two years at Mizzou before coming to Illinois State. Big Sister Anika never said anything about her boyfriend pledging, but then why should she, they were not close and had not had one-on-ones. They had a whole baby together and were now married. She wondered what that was like.

The five EU pledges were standing up against the wall, dressed in their white shirts and black pants. There were three chairs in front of them.

"Ladies, have a seat and get comfortable," Manny said, even though he was too close to her sister.

Manny would not let up, old stupid, cheater. She hated guys like that. And Jordan may not have cheated, but he was a lying dog with him.

"Back up off them, Manny, sheesh!" Jameelah said. "We're not doing this all night. Behave."

All night they recited history about each other, the EU pledges and then them. And then the big sisters and big brothers would say why the bond was important and how much they could learn from each other.

"It's because of the MAXs and the Sister Circle meetings, that we came up with Brother's Keeper meetings. They have been so successful the school wants us to make it even bigger, open it to share with other fraternities in a partnership," Jordan said. "We owe that thanks to the MAX ladies."

"Also, we helped each other with the step show and both placed higher than we ever have," Manny stated.

"And personally just have been here for each other, when we lost Malinda, we all leaned on each other. So it's like, more family," Brian stated. "Brothers and sisters."

Brother and sister with her ex and the cheater cheater? Oh hell no. She was not thinking of either of them that way. Things started fine with them, but now, she had no love for them.

She wondered if Jordan was seeing someone.

After the Big Sisters and Big Brothers talked their ear off about bonding, all the pledges were to hang out and get to know each other. They all went off to the EU basement which was their open meeting space.

"I guess you three have it easy," the number one pledge, Mike Ross said to them. He was a sophomore and she knew him from attending BSU meetings. "Laila and Marketta sisters and Amber your sister is already a MAX?"

"I do not get it easy because of that," Amber was quick to say.

"I think it helps that my sister is here," Marketta said, "Not that it's any easier. The same process, only I have someone I know I can trust. Oh and Amber, we already were cool, so that's that."

"Why didn't your twin pledge, with her fine ass?" Roscoe, the senior on the line asked Amber.

Marketta rolled her ass because that was rude as hell. She loathed when people made comments like that about her or her sister, insinuating the other was not cute or something. Just rude!

"Boy, don't focus on what is not important to you," she snapped at him. "Why the hell did you wait to pledge until senior year?"

"Cuz I was trying to do my own thing, but last year, EU showed me another way. I'm trying to get in with the brothers now and build a network. I'm pre-law, headed to law school. I talked with Big Brother Black Magic...I mean, Taj, if pledging my senior year was a bad look. He said it didn't matter."

"Same for me," Patrick spoke up. "Seeing what Anika was doing, meeting Brian and talking to him, how he helped me when I was in need, I could get behind a brotherhood like that."

She knew lots of people who pledged senior year, including Amber's sister Lark, and her ex-girlfriend Daysha. She was glad she was doing it now and getting it out of the way, having two and a half years to get into the organization.

They did a lot more talking, getting to know each other and their ideas for each of their organizations. Surprisingly, the guys were pretty smart and had some interesting things to say. They brainstormed about the Sister Circle and Brother's Keeper meetings, coming up with some innovative topics they could introduce.

"More joint meetings for sure," Patrick stated. "By opening the meetings up campus-wide, to other Greek organizations, hopefully we all can have a better understanding of each other. Besides stepping."

"And *nonBGLOs could stand to work with us. There's just this big misunderstanding of what we do," she said. "People nowadays think we're a gang or a cult or something. I haven't seen anything like that."

"Oh, they be cappin!" Mike said with a chuckle. "You see all the public renouncements on TikTok? Like bruh, okay, you changed your mind, why are you making TikToks about it? Mad crazy!"

She shrugged at that. "I get it I guess. How do we know if we will still feel the same after twenty or forty years? People change."

She said that but did not foresee that would be her. She knew what she was getting into. She researched and everything she had learned so far was in alignment with her beliefs. She was ready to show he ass if they ever tried to haze her or make her bow down and worship a false God or something. People were mad weird for doing that in any context.

A/N: The discussion of renouncing your Greek organization has always been a thing, but posting about it and making it public, that's this social media age. To each their own. If I wanted out of my organization, I would just step away and turn in all my things, not make a public decree about it.

*BGLO=Black Greek Letter Organizations