Hazed (Palm South University)

Her assessment pops an idea into my mind, and I grin, rolling over onto my stomach next to her. “I got it.”

“What?”

“Breckenridge.”

Skyler frowns. “As in, the ski town?”

“The very one.”

Skyler wrinkles her nose. “But it’ll be cold. And snowy.”

“That’s kind of the point,” I say with a laugh. “Think about it — we could get cabins with hot tubs, have big firepit parties at night, ski during the day. It’d be different than the usual beach shit — which we do all the time anyway, since we live in paradise.”

At that, Skyler pops up to rest on her palms behind her. “I actually kind of like the sound of this.”

“And I didn’t even mention the best part yet.”

She arches a brow. “Cute ski bunny outfits?”

“What? No.” I shake my head, leaning in to whisper, “Legal marijuana.”

Skyler pulls her sunglasses off completely, then, her eyes wide, mouth gaping. “Oh my God, Bear, you’re an actual genius.”

“Think our brothers and sisters will go for it?”

Skyler grins. “Once we give them our sales pitch? Without a doubt.”

“Spring Break Breckenridge, here we come.”

With an excited squeal and clap from Skyler, the deal is signed. “Alright, let’s talk transportation and lodging. I think we could charter a plane. There would be enough of us. And Jess’s dad has some hookups that…”

Skyler goes on, already jotting down a million notes on her phone as her planning nature takes over. But I’m momentarily distracted.

Because on my phone is a text from Erin.

Hey, friend. Are you free this weekend?

I type out a yes without even checking my schedule.

I WAS NERVOUS WHEN I was elected president of Kappa Kappa Beta.

I’m sure every girl before me felt the same way, but my anxiety was an acute kind, one born of an unfamiliar sense of dread warning me that maybe I wasn’t good enough. I never felt that when I played poker professionally, and I haven’t felt it in my job on the casino boat or in my entrepreneurial classes on campus. I hate to say that I’m cocky but, well, if I’m being honest… I kind of am. And honestly? Being that way has paid off for me. I know what I’m worth, what I’m capable of, and I don’t shy away from that.

Except when it comes to running the top sorority on campus.

Stepping into Erin’s shoes was hard enough on its own, but knowing we had the top GPA, highest attendance and money raised at our philanthropy events, and most active new member class on top of it?

The bar was so high, there wasn’t a prayer of jumping over it without a trampoline to help.

That’s why I decided to push our annual Kappa Kappa Beta date auction back a couple of months from when we usually hold it. Being that it’s our biggest philanthropy event of the semester, I wanted to make sure we did it up big.

And boy, did we.

I held up the tradition of hosting it at Ralph’s, of course, but past that, nothing is the same. We’ve got a full band instead of a DJ, uplighting and fairy lights and fresh flowers and a photobooth in the back. On top of my sisters being auctioned off for dates on stage, we also have a live silent auction lining every wall of Ralph’s with prizes that range from local restaurant gift cards, to a five-day cruise out of Miami.

We’re only halfway through the event and we’ve already beat last year’s total for funds raised for our charity.

Add this to the fact that I just announced a Breckenridge Spring Break, and you could say the ladies of KKB are loving their new president.

When Cassie takes the stage to the roar of applause, I fold my arms over my chest and look around, appreciating the hard work coming together for tonight’s event.

I may not have known what I was getting myself into when I took on this position, but by God, I’m figuring it out.

“Alright, next up we have this fiery redhead,” Ellie says, gesturing to Cassie. Ellie is one of our newest members from the fall semester rush, and I already know she’s well on her way to being on the executive board. She jumped right into the sorority with guns blazing, eager to take on leadership roles.

Cassie stands next to her with a shy smile, holding a giant textbook clutched to her chest with her fake glasses falling down her nose a little bit. She’s also wearing a plaid skirt and white button-up shirt like she’s at a prep school.

With a little creative directing, I had all the girls dress to play a part this year. We’ve had the vixen, the party girl, the goody two shoes, and now, the smarty pants.

“Don’t let her glasses and biology book fool you, fellas – she’s a spitfire and ready for a hot night out on the town!” Ellie says to another roar of applause. “Feast your eyes on the one, the only, Cassie McBee!”