College Girl
By poetheather
Chap 13

“Caitlin, there is a problem.”

I blanched a little at that. What the hell had happened? I sat heavily on my bed. “What?”

“One of the girls has stated that she has a problem with you. She says that she doesn’t feel safe in the house anymore since you are here. She says she is worried about you peeking at her in the shower and possibly doing something. There is a house meeting going on right now about it. I already told Nadia my vote if it comes to it. I am sorry.” Gwen came up and hugged me. I didn’t know what to do, so I sat there, numb.

“The girl is new to the Sorority, having Rushed in the spring. We all know she can be a little picky but we didn’t think there was going to be a problem. She got here two days ago, and her room is on the bottom floor. She isn’t even up here. But since she has found out about you she has been making a bit of a fuss. I guess we will see how things go.”

I nodded. I hadn’t done anything but what these girls had asked me. I had followed their rules, done their tasks, let them change my identity, and now this? What more did I have to do to prove myself? Haven’t I shown them that I was going to be a good member of the House?

“I am so sorry this is happening Caitlin. I don’t want to lose you as a possible sister. I told Nadia that and I know Meredith is raising a fuss over it. Caitlin, what are you doing?” Gwen stared at me as I slowly had gotten up and dragged out my suitcases from the closet and towards the bed.

“Packing. If I am not wanted here then I had better go. I am sure Rebecca will let me stay with her.” I was just doing what I thought I had to do in this case. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave, but I really didn’t want to cause any problems in the house. I liked everyone here and this had become a wonderful experience and to lose it all over what?

Gwen took the suitcases from me and pushed me towards the bed. She looked worried and a bit wound up. “Sit down and wait before you give up. Weren’t you the one willing to take us to court for not letting you in? Didn’t you make such a fuss that we let you in? Then why let one girl make all this difference?”

I blinked at her. She did have a point and I had been willing to take the house to court over this before I had met them and gotten to know them. Maybe that fact might be able to shut that girl up? After all, they would be putting me out without giving me the chance to go through Rush week. And look at all I had done in proving that I was willing to do this, their kicking me out would be a bad move. And if that happened, I could stop dressing like this and maybe win the court case. Maybe getting kicked out over this could still be turned into something good. Maybe. “All right, I’ll wait.”

Time seemed to crawl, so I put my new things away and tidied up the room. Gwen joined me, trying to burn up her nervous energy. It didn’t take long to get to the point were we would need a buffer and other things to clean any more. Even the desks and books had been dusted. The room was spotless.

We both sat down and waited after we had finished, both of us fidgeting. There was nothing left to clean and neither of us felt like talking. All we could do was sit and wait for the verdict. My heart was beating a mile a minute, this was nerve wracking. Why did this have to happen?

* * * * * *

After what felt like an eternity there was a knock at the door. Gwen and I both looked up, my worry also on her face. She grabbed my hand tightly and I squeezed back. Meredith’s voice spoke out, “Caitlin, can I come in?”

I tried to speak and the words died in my throat. I tried to say something and it still didn’t happen. I was too nervous and worried to speak. Gwen called out. “Come in.”

Meredith opened the door and peaked in. Her smile made me feel a little better. “Hey, I wanted to let you know what was going on.”

I looked up at her words. “What is going on?”

She came in and looked over at Gwen. “We have been talking about you and this whole situation. Kerry was talking about all of her worries, that you would spy on us in the bathroom and would possibly take advantage of us. We let her have her say and then after that we had our say. Every girl, every one who has spent time with you and has worked with you spoke up on your behalf. All of them said that you were not like that and that none of them felt the way she does. We tabled this discussion until she has had a chance to get to know you. So, this will be revisited at the end of Rush week.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, my head slumping down. Why was I so happy that I was going to be staying in panties? Gwen laughed a little. Then she asked, “So there is nothing to worry about?”

“Not at the moment. Nadia is currently talking to Kerry and trying to get her to understand the House and National’s position on this situation.” explained Meredith.

“So there isn’t really a problem? It’s all sort of okay?” I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or irritated that I wasn’t going to get out of the whole situation. I just knew that this decision was important to me.

Meredith laughed. “No. No problem. Your plans, if we didn’t let you in were brought up, just so Kerry knew that we had agreed to let you in and give you a chance and that it would succeed or fail by you alone. You are clever Caitlin, but Nadia is really on top of things. She figured that this might count as not giving you a chance.”

I laughed as well. I guess I had been caught again by Nadia. Now there was someone who I could really look up to. Nadia really had a great head on her shoulders and was just awesome. I don’t think I had ever met anyone who had ever been able to out think me time and time again like Nadia seemed to be able to do. If it weren’t for the fact that Meredith would hurt me I might just venture to say that I was in love. “So what do I need to do for Rush week?”

Gwen seemed glad to have something to talk about that didn’t involve my getting kicked out. “Well, you can hang out with us all day or you can actually check out some of the other houses. Since Meredith got you all the ID in the world you should be able to check out the other sororities without any problem. Nadia had to submit your name to the Greek Life Office and that would have put you onto the list for this Rush.”

I blinked in surprise. “Really?”

Meredith nodded. “Yep. You can meet some of the others in the Greek organizations and get a feel for them. The odds are that you are going to be accepted here, even with Kerry. And remember, that they don’t know anything about you other than name, age and where you’re from.”

I thought about possibly going to see these other sororities. It made me nervous. I generally had trouble believing that no one could tell I wasn’t a girl. I figured it was obvious to everyone else even when I couldn’t tell. I felt better when Meredith was with me, because I figured she could get me out of most anything, but to go alone? It might be fun but it was also scary at the same time.

“So that starts tomorrow?” I asked, double checking my memory.

“Yep. That should be fun. We are having an Ice Cream social tomorrow, with homemade ice cream. Should be fun.” replied Gwen.

“Do you think you are going to check out any of the other sororities?” asked Meredith.

I shrugged. “I don’t really know. I mean I have been so busy with so many things happening that I’m not sure what to do now. Go, stay, sleep, don’t know.”

Gwen frowned at Meredith. “Have you actually given her enough time off to relax and just be herself?”

Meredith looked a little irritated. “Hey, we have done fun stuff.”

Gwen looked over at me. “Do you want to go play mini golf? Something not related to any of this project and just for fun?”

I thought about it. Mini golf was fun and I haven’t played in a few years. This might be a nice change of pace. “Sure.”

“Okay. Get dressed and we can head out. There is a place that is still open this late. I like playing mini-golf when it is dark outside and all the lights. Coming Meredith?” asked Gwen. It seemed to me like this was a type of apology. Maybe I was wrong, but I don’t know.

“Sounds good. We can go to the place with the bumper boats and go carts and stuff. Just goof off and play all night.” Meredith was now smiling. Given how bright her eyes were, I figured that she was planning some sort of mischief. Hopefully nothing too jarring.

I threw on a pair of shorts and a cute spaghetti top as it was still warm outside. I put my hair up in a pony tail and grabbed my purse and a sweater. Gwen was also dressed. I hadn’t noticed her changing. This was a little odd, given that I did think that Gwen was hot. Maybe Meredith was changing me in more was than one. That was not a comforting thought.

We all piled into my car, as I had more room and we headed to the mini golf place. Gwen and Meredith kept giving me different directions so I stopped in the middle of the street at one point and glared at them. We laughed as we drove on, other drivers looking over at us as if we were insane.

The mini-golf place wasn’t too crowded, as classes hadn’t started yet and the huge influx of people arrived. We each got our putters and balls and started the course. None of us were really very good so we just had fun, giggling about each of our occasional bad shots. Gwen kept teasing me about the guys staring at me, but I think they were looking at Gwen and Meredith. I mean, I was a guy under all of this, so how could I look hot, especially next to those two?

After the 18 holes of mini golf we tallied up the score and Gwen won by two strokes. I came in last, which was not too unusual. My stomach growled. “Hey, I’m hungry.”

“Sheesh Caitlin, do we have to feed you now?” whined Gwen, teasing me.

I nodded. “Yes. The Caitlin demands food. And drink. Go forth and bring me sustenance!”

Meredith started giggling as Gwen curtseyed and headed off to the concession stand. I smiled at Meredith. She was so beautiful that it just took my breath away. I was very lucky to have her and I really wanted to see where we could go. She was special to me, even after such a short period of time. I was just about to say something when I heard a deep voice say. “Hey there girls, can my friends and I join you?”

Meredith and I both looked up. There were three guys from one of the fraternities standing nearby. They were all big and broad, kind of intimidating really. Any words I had died in my throat just looking at them. If they figured me out then I would be so screwed. What the hell was I supposed to do?

Meredith came to the rescue. “Actually, no. Today is just a girl’s day out and unless you three happen to be girls, you can’t join us.”

The guy’s smile didn’t waver. It looked pasted on to me but then I had always figured out how to read enemies. “Don’t be that way. I figure the six of us could have a real good time. Play some air hockey, maybe ride the bumper boats and then you can come on over to our apartment for some drinks and stuff.”

Meredith laughed. It wasn’t her happy laugh but something new that I hadn’t heard before. “Wow. You really are dim. I said no.”

The smile wavered and the man’s eyes hardened. Going anywhere with this guy would be dangerous. “I was asking nicely. But if you don’t want to come, more for your friends. What do you say sweetie?”

He was looking at me with hard eyes and my mind kept screaming to me to run, scream, something rather than just sit there. I found my voice and managed to speak without it wavering. “Uhm…no.”

His smile turned into a sneer. He didn’t look all that pleased and I could feel some danger in the air. “Fine. Fucking dykes.”

The three of them stormed off and Gwen came back over with a tray of hot dogs and drinks. “What was that about?”

“Some jerks thought we needed to be spending so quality time with them.” explained Meredith.

Gwen laughed, looking off in the direction they had walked off. “Were they at least polite about it?”

“Not really. They were really pushy.” complained Meredith.

Gwen frowned. “That’s a shame really. One of them was cute.”

We all laughed at that and ate. The hot dogs weren’t all that bad and the chips were actually pretty good. We sat and talked while our food settled. We figured that the bumper boats would be next. Then some video games and lastly the go carts. It sounded like a plan.

The evening was a lot of fun, but I did notice that the three guys seemed to be shadowing our every movement. Once we realized that, none of us went any where alone in the place but we rather moved as a group. After a while the whole situation was just getting obnoxious, so we left early. We walked to the car rather swiftly. Meredith had her hand on her can of mace the whole time. Gwen was readying her pepper spray. I was really aware of being unarmed. This was getting really nerve wracking.

Thankfully we got to the car and locked the doors right after we got in. Gwen spotted the guys staring at us as we pulled out. I was so nervous I almost started shaking. “What the hell was that about?”

Meredith put her hand on my arm to help calm me down. “It’s okay. Some guys are like that, thinking that because they have a penis that they are God’s gift to us poor little defenseless women. I am sorry you had to deal with guys like that. Unfortunately, it is part of being a woman. Just because they are taller and stronger on the whole than us, some guys think that fact makes us theirs. No say, just their property. Jerks!”

Gwen chimed in as well, she was less pissed off but still irritated. “Not all guys are like that. Believe it or not, those guys are more the exception and not the rule. Don’t judge the whole group based off of the assholes.”

“Uhm…Gwen…you do remember that I am a guy?” I asked, unsure what her answer would be. Then again, what would my answer be?

“Sorry Caitlin. It’s just that you seem so much like one of us girls that it is hard to remember that you weren’t born this way.” apologized Gwen. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

We went to get some warm Chocolate Chocolate Chip muffins from Perkins. That was a nice treat being all warm and gooey. We just sat and talked and relaxed and I mostly forgot about those jerks from earlier. Mostly.

We all said good night and as I changed for bed I thought about those guys. They reminded me of some of the jocks at my school who felt like they were superior to everyone else. Like their physical prowess made them entitled. They really annoyed me a lot. I just didn’t get how someone could just assume that they were superior to anyone else for no real reason. Physique was no reason to base that kid of attitude on.

Those guys had seemed so cocky and sure, so willing to almost force themselves on us that it was like they were doing us a favor. I had known a lot of guys who had points of view similar to that, except by degree. Maybe Kerry did have a point and a reason for what she thought. Wasn’t the House supposed to be a safe place away from the guys? A place where the women of the House could be free of that sort of badgering? A place of their own to simply be themselves and not to be assaulted by other people’s expectations?

I figured that Kerry kind of saw me as that kind of guy, or that her experiences led her to see most guys were that way until she had gotten to know them. Maybe? I would definitely try to avoid doing that to her or to any other woman from now on. This was not to say I wouldn’t look if she was naked or anything, I mean I am a guy, but I did want her to know that I understood and respected the fact that this House was a safe space. It was a place where both she and I could be safe and free of that sort of treatment from other guys. I had been picked on as well by guys, just for a different reason.

Looking back over my high school days and even back into my junior high experiences I could see guys who had acted that way. I didn’t want to be like them in any way, to assume that other people were there for my use. I just wanted to live my life, be happy and be safe. I figured that the girls wanted that as well.

I wrote some of my thoughts down in my journal. Today had been fun, for a while. Those jerks had broken the thread of our fun and it had never really come back. That was interesting and I wondered why that was. Combined with the emotional fun of my time over at Rebecca’s and the day had been fairly intense.

I yawned. The day really had taken a lot out of me, with all the ups and downs. I finished up that page in my journal and put it back on my desk. I grabbed my bear and snuggled under my covers. Tomorrow would be the start of Rush week and I wanted to be plenty rested. I was excited about everything and really nervous as well. I was afraid to get caught, despite the fact that those guys hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. More and more I just wanted to blend in and become a Sister of this House. I yawned again, turned off the lights and went to sleep.