Synopsis: For those who enjoyed Allison's Pledge, I'm posting a story that I wrote some time ago which you should enjoy. It's much darker but follows the sorority theme. Finally, note that like AP, it starts with a trope, but as you learned with the last story, my tropes go pretty sideways after the first chapter. Same applies here. Enjoy!

“Okay.” I looked up in the direction of the voice. A tiny girl towered over me, dressed in a pair of leggings, layered casually beneath a hot pink hoodie with sleeves rolled up to expose fawn-colored forearms. “So, here’s the deal. You broke into our house and perved it up with our clothes. You look cute in that dress and all, but yeah, not having it.”

I was tired from struggling against the ropes that snaked around my wrists; I wasn’t even sure how she’d managed to get them on me as she moved so damn fast. All I could do was look at her from the corner of my eye as I lay on her floor, forced by her knots into a fetal position that was cramping my legs. I tried to stretch my fatigued muscles, but the motion only tightened the ropes that wound tightly around my arms.

“You like my knot work?” She asked, brushing wavy black tendrils of hair away from her face as she squatted down and patted my bulging mouth, where her makeshift gag was keeping my objections locked away. “I’ve got your phone here, and guess what? Your password is 1234 – are you an idiot? Oh RIGHT, you broke into GAT – the toughest sorority on campus and decided to be a pervert! You probably are at least some kind of stupid.”

I closed my eyes and tried to make myself small, or invisible, maybe even will myself away into another dimension. Maybe if I concentrated hard enough, I would open my eyes again and I’d be laying on my own bed, back in my dorm.

“Hey!” She said, patting the side of my face until I finally opened my eyes and came back to reality, just to be greeted by her stare. “I don’t want you sleeping through this. I’m going away now, and I’m going to go through this phone, copy all of your contacts, and then I’m going to ruin your life. Got plenty of pictures of you in that dress, should I send them to your mom first? No wait – your girlfriend? Aren’t you dating Chastity? Isn’t she majoring in bio-chem? Yeah, she’s in my next class, actually. She’d probably want to see what her boyfriend does in his free time.”

I screamed. Or at least, I tried to scream. It came out as more of a grunt, stopped almost entirely by the filthy, balled up sock jammed just behind my teeth. In the palm of her hand, she held my life. My literal, entire life. It would take just a few seconds for her to send out a few photos and talk to a couple of my contacts, then she would go about her evening like nothing happened while my life began to spin out of control. I probably deserved it.

Without another word, she rose to her feet and strode out of the room, my phone held lightly in her grasp. There was nothing I could do. The ropes wouldn’t give, I couldn’t scream. I was helpless. I waited there, on the floor for what seemed like hours, contemplating on the stupid mistake I’d made. I thought I’d planned it out so well; the house should have been empty. I should have had a clear chance to sneak in, try on this one dress, and then leave. Yeah, okay, so it was a little bit weird, but I just…had this thing for women’s clothing. Well, now this “thing” had finally gotten me in more trouble than I could handle.

I tried once more to free myself, but once again, pulling at the bonds only made them tighter. They were already cutting into the thin skin beneath my wrists and I thought for sure my fingers were about to go numb. This was beyond humiliating; I was trapped in a sorority bedroom, in one of their dresses that I’d put on myself and bound on the floor like a piece of meat. I’d never felt like a man, really, but any machismo that may have remained had been sucked away the moment the woman had knocked me to the floor and bound me. Honestly, how stupid could I be? I’d been staring at myself in the full-length mirror near the closet; she’d had the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind me. Yeah, I must be some kind of stupid, indeed.

From my position on the floor at the foot of one of two twin beds in the room, I could see a digital clock on the nightstand; it now read 6:45. I watched the numbers turn over, and over, and over. I closed my eyes and opened them again, only to see 6:57, and a blink later it flashed to 7:10. 7:18. Finally, I managed to doze off a bit, only to wake up at 8:10. What was taking her so long? I mean seriously, how long did it take to destroy someone’s life in the digital age? I kept my eyes on the clock.

Ages passed until finally the clock read 8:30 and I could hear voices outside the door in the hallway. Were those footsteps? Finally, the knob turned, and I rolled my eyes upward. I tried to move my head, but I was surprised at how exhausted and cramped I felt. All could see were my captor’s fresh white tennis shoes moving swiftly through the threshold, followed by a pair of black platformed wedge sandals. I closed my eyes and braced for the worst, but suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder as my detainer knelt beside me.

“Hey,” She said in a soft tone that seemed so foreign compared to the hateful snarls from before. “I’m going to take that sock out of your mouth, okay? But don’t try to talk, your mouth is going to be numb. Just, open your lips a little.”

Confused, I did as she asked, pushing my lips apart and giving her just enough space to slide meticulously manicured nails and soft, narrow fingers past my teeth. Seconds later, the sock was removed and discarded. I breathed a sigh of relief and inhaled through my open mouth for the first time in hours. I suddenly became acutely aware of how badly my jaw was hurting. It throbbed, and I may have shed tears of gratitude as I was finally able to squeeze it shut. She was right—my lips were numb, my throat was dry and raw; I couldn’t have spoken if I wanted to.

“Okay honey, Tiffany is going to untie you, okay?” Again, her tone was so contrary to before that I was almost alarmed. She wasn’t condescending, and she didn’t sound angry at all; it was almost like… she was being kind to me?

I felt Tiffany’s cool hands on my wrists, gently working to loosen the knots, and then down to my ankles with increasing aggression. I was free—but I couldn’t stand. The most I could do was stretch out, and even that was a challenge. Sharp pains shot around my knees as I unfolded them, trying to release some of the pressure. I brought my wrists in front of me and began an attempt to massage the rope burns soothingly.

“I need you to lay still, okay?” She said. “We’ll get you up in a minute.”

“This is still bullshit,” I heard Tiffany say in a huff. “He still broke in. There have to be consequences.”

“And there will be,” She said firmly. “But not tonight. I’m not putting him in jail. You saw the same thing I saw on his phone.”

My heart skipped a beat. What had they seen on my phone? Had they checked my internet history? If they had, I was beyond screwed.
“Honey, we’re going to get you up,” She said to me. They both took an arm and pulled me to my feet. It hurt more than I thought it would, but I was quickly seated at the end of the soft mattress I had spent so long beneath. I immediately noticed the fabric of the comforter brushing up against my bare legs and realized how exposed I felt; my face must have turned three shades of red, especially when I saw Tiffany for the first time. She was beautiful. Long blonde hair flowed down the sides of her face, and her cheeks glowed effortlessly in complement to her matte painted lips. She noticed me staring and gave me a fierce look. I averted my eyes.

“Okay honey,” The tanned girl said finally. “We went through your phone and um…”

She gave pause and lifted the device up. She turned it around to me and showed me a forum that I visited often: ‘Transgender Hope’.
“Read some of your posts on here,” She said. “Gotta tell you, that’s some heavy stuff.”

Even if I could have spoken, I don’t think I would have. I felt so embarrassed that I was actively trying to will myself to the other side of the planet.

“Okay,” She said. “So, I’m Aleah, and this is Tiffany. We’re both GAT sisters – you know the deal, Gamma Alpha Tau.”

Yeah, I knew the deal. The toughest sorority on campus. Called that for a reason, obviously. I looked up at her with stinging, red eyes as she towered over me but the look on her face was soft, almost concerned. A glance at Tiffany showed me quickly that she was still angry. She glared daggers into my soul and crossed her arms in front of her to indicate a position of authority. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I felt her eyes upon me. I can't even describe the apprehension I felt. I was here, in her house, and she had the upper hand.

“Hey!” Aleah snapped her fingers in front of my face. I guess she'd been trying to get my attention. “When was the last time you ate? Did you eat today?”

I was confused. What was she even talking about? Why did she care if I'd eaten? She was right of course: I hadn't. I shook my head, not daring to lie in either girl’s presence. She nodded.

“You looked a little pale,” She said. “We’ll get you downstairs and get you something to eat. Do we still have that cheese tray from the party last night?”

“Yeah, we’ve got it,” Tiffany said, not taking her eyes off me for a second.

“Okay, let’s go,” Aleah motioned toward the door. Tiffany’s arm locked roughly around mine and lifted me from the bed like a rag doll. I moaned a bit as my muscles screamed from moving after hours of abuse.

“Don’t be a drama queen,” Tiffany’s harsh words rung in my ears as she guided me toward the door and out into the hallway. I could feel air rushing through my bare legs, once again reminding me that I was in a dress. God, I’d never planned to wear it outside of this room; I’d never even planned to wear it for more than a few minutes. After an awkward walk down the stairs, I sat down at a long, gleaming kitchen table as Aleah rummaged through the refrigerator and produced one of those party trays; the kind with the meat and cheese. More than half of it was gone. She put a few pieces of on a plate and set it in front of me.

“Eat,” Aleah said. It wasn’t a request, but I couldn’t help just sitting and staring at the plate. I became aware of her fingers running through my hair a few seconds later as she remarked on how long it was. I blushed again; I wasn’t used to people commenting on my appearance.
“It is pretty long for a guy’s,” Tiffany agreed.

“Eat,” Aleah said again, a sterner voice this time. I nibbled at the cheese and forced it down, suddenly realizing that I really was hungry after all.

I don’t know why it felt so awkward. Probably because these two women had just caught me breaking into their house and were now feeding me at their table. I felt helpless; I had so little control of the situation. I sat there eating, feeling their eyes upon me, and I’m pretty sure I was trying to shrink down into the chair to make myself smaller.

“Sit up straight,” Aleah said in a commanding voice. I practically jumped to attention; she’d been kind so far, but her tone was a stark reminder that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. “Are you done?”

I nodded and pushed the plate away. She pushed it back toward me.

“Finish,” She said firmly. “You look like you haven’t eaten in a year.”

She was right, I hadn’t eaten all week. I shook my head and tried to push the plate away again. She slammed both hands down on the table and glared at me.

“Eat the food,” She said, her eyes drilling into mine. “I get it, you’re trying to stay thin, that’s cute, but you look like you’re about to pass out. “

She was right to an extent; I didn’t want to get huge, but I also just didn’t feel like eating. I hadn’t in a long time. I don’t know how I worked up the courage, but I heard the words leave my mouth.

“Why do you care?” I asked, the phrase came out as barely a whisper.

I could barely describe the look in Aleah’s eyes, she had been clearly angry before, but she’d managed to keep pretty calm throughout most of this. I was pretty sure she was about to hit me, but the slap came from Tiffany; I’d completely forgotten that she was standing beside me. The palm of her hand connected with my bare cheek and pushed me sideways. I shrieked as my head rolled to the left and my entire body started to slide off the chair, but Aleah grabbed me beneath my arms and held me in place. She remained for a moment, and then released me as soon as she was sure I’d regained my balance.

“You don’t ask me questions like that,” She said flatly. “This is my house, these are my rules. I would say if you don’t like it, leave, but you don’t have that option.”

I could only remember crying three times in my life, and it had been years, honestly, but in that moment, I felt my eyes begin to sting and it wasn’t long before full fledged sobs burst forward from my mouth.

“Oh. My. God.“ Tiffany said, enunciating each word in a very condescending tone. “You can break into someone’s house, but you can’t handle getting slapped around a little. Grow up.”

“What’s going on in here?” I jumped in fear as a new voice entered the conversation. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this, and I recognized the voice. I looked up slowly and saw Julia Stenson, one of the campus police officers. I knew her way too well; she’d always had it out for me, or so I thought. I think I was visibly shaking as she approached the table and looked from me, to Tiffany, to Aleah.

“Just a little corrective discipline,” Tiffany said with a shrug. “Nothing to fret over.”

Julia nodded and move in closer. She wasn’t in her usual uniform; plain clothes today, so maybe she wasn’t here in any official capacity. Maybe.

“I always knew I’d get a call about you someday,” She said to me as she looked me over, slowly, inch by inch. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her, and I can hardly describe the humiliation encased in that one single moment. “I didn’t think it would be for this, though. Ever since you stepped foot on this campus, I’ve kept an eye on you, something just seemed off. Maybe now we know what it was.”

I closed my eyes tight. Please just make it stop. Please god let this whole stupid thing just be a dream. Julian Stenson was my worst nightmare. She’d always suspected me of something, but I never had a clue what. Well, what do you know; she was right. I was a pervert after all, and I was probably going to jail tonight, at the very least. Boy were they going to have fun with me in a cell.

“I’m going to need you to answer a few questions,” She said with an authoritative yet almost dismissive tone. She was making it clear that she was the one in charge here, even though I felt Tiffany was a lot scarier. “First of all, how did you get in here?”

“I…the back door was unlocked,” I muttered, keeping my eyes downcast.

“Okay, and what did you come in here to do?”

I stayed silent again. I didn’t want to answer that.

“Did you come in here to try on that dress?” Julia asked. Of course, I did. She knew I did. I nodded.

“Todd,” She said my name. The first time anyone had used it all night. “Are you transgender?”

They’d called her, they’d told her about the forums I’d been visiting. I didn’t want to answer that either. I knew the truth, I guess. It was written all over those posts that Aleah and Tiffany had read, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“If you don’t answer that you’re going to go to jail tonight, do you understand?” She said to me. It was a softer tone this time. “It’s a simple question with a simple yes or no answer. What you say isn’t going to go beyond this room, I just need to know what your intentions were here.”

“I don’t…I don’t know…” I said quietly, hoping that Aleah would help me out, but she remained silent. “Yes.”

I’d said it. I’d finally said it out loud. It felt unreal and I didn’t want to say any more about it. I’d talked about it on internet forums but the words had never left my lips.

“Yes, what?” Julie asked again, sternly this time.

“Yes…” I said, my voice more of a squeak than anything. “I’m…I’m transgender…”

I was having trouble processing it. I’d said it out loud yeah, but it just didn’t feel real. I could feel their eyes upon me, studying me, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. Did it matter if I was telling the truth? My most closely guarded secret had been spilled on the floor of a sorority house and I had absolutely no control over it. This was not how I imagined coming out. This wasn’t how I wanted to come out. It was like the plot of a badly written porn story but it was happening to me; it was actually happening to me and it wasn’t going to end the way those stories did.

“What…what happens now?” I asked, directing the question at no one in particular.

“Now you go home,” Aleah said. “Come upstairs with me, we’ll get your clothes, and you’ll go home. Take the food with you.”