Authors: Stephanie Perry Moore
Get What You Give (9 page)
After she made me feel bad about not giving me that many requests and being home for the holiday, I got out of bed, threw on some sweats, brushed my teeth, and said, “All right, let's go.”
“No, no, no, no,” Hayden said. “You can't go anywhere like that. How about some makeup or doing something to your hair? Oh, uh-uh, Hailey. You can still see stuff on the sides of your eyes.”
“It's not about meâit's about the bride. You're the one who has to try on dresses. This is your world, and I'm just a squirrel looking for a nut. I'm here only to please you,” I said in the smartest tone I could muster up.
“Okay, Hailey. I understand you don't wanna go, but you're going. Just fix yourself up,” Hayden replied in a bossy tone.
“Mom, will you tell her it's not that serious!” I yelled out, looking for my mom to have my side.
“Baby, it's always important to look presentable. You never know who you may run into. Now, we got a quick second, so go ahead and fix yourself. Don't take too long though.”
Finally, thirty minutes later, we were in the car. I had to force myself to put on a pair of slacks and a nice shirt and pin my hair up. I wasn't too done up, but I did aim to please. I had to admit, though, I was in the backseat pouting, and all they were doing was talking about colors, flowers, and china patternsâstuff I could have been interested in if I had gotten a little more rest. I wasn't getting hazed or anything, but the sorority kept me busy. If I wasn't in class, I was busy studying for class. If I wasn't studying for classes, I was preparing for this Beta test. I practically had a twenty-four-hour day.
We were driving toward campus, and I didn't know what bridal shop was over there, but my mom and sister were so into their conversation that I couldn't get a word in to ask them where we were headed.
When we pulled up to the campus, I said, “Why are we here?”
“Oh, my brother wanted me to get something,” my mom said, carefree.
I never knew her to get anything for him, but okay. As soon as we pulled up to a buildingâthat I remembered too fondly because I had been to it so many times for Beta Gamma Pi for the past monthsâI started to wonder what was going on. I looked at both my mom and sister, and they were dressed in all black. Had they known something I didn't?
Hayden, sensing my confusion, said, “Don't ask any more questions, Hailey. Just get out.”
I hopped out of the car and smiled from Arkansas to California. They had gotten me good. I went up to room 102, and Cassidy met me at the door. She handed me a paper and said, “Your BGP fate is in your hands. You have twenty minutesâdo your best and ace the test.” Why did I have only twenty minutes when the other four of my line sisters weren't even around?
When I was done, Cassidy took me to another room. There I put on a purple robe. “We have our properties now. I'll be back for you,” she said as she left the room.
When the door opened again, it was Teddi. I guess I had passed my exam.
“It looks like we're crossing!” she screamed out.
“Yeah, but where are Evan, Quisa, and Millie?” As soon as I asked, the door opened again, and there they were. “I thought y'all were out of town!”
“We were going home, but we got called back. We ended up staying with our adviser,” Evan said.
We were all giddy and excited. I was so fired up, overjoyed, and relieved. The Lord had spared my life this semester. Things were really looking too good for me. And I was certainly falling for Covin. These were feelings that were deep and magical. I couldn't wait to see how everything would pan out with us.
Having camaraderie with these four ladies that I admired, walking through the burning sands, having a room full of Betasâmy mom and sister includedâserenading us, and saying the oath that we would faithfully serve Beta Gamma Pi until the day we died was something that made me beam with pride and bask.
8
GIANT
B
ecause a lot of students didn't go home for Thanksgiving break, SGA had a party that night for those who were left at school. We found out that several other lines had crossedâthe Mus and the Rhos and a couple frats. My line sisters were too excited to show off their letters. I just wanted to see Covin. I wanted so badly for him to hug me and tell me how proud he was of me that I had obtained this big feat.
ecause a lot of students didn't go home for Thanksgiving break, SGA had a party that night for those who were left at school. We found out that several other lines had crossedâthe Mus and the Rhos and a couple frats. My line sisters were too excited to show off their letters. I just wanted to see Covin. I wanted so badly for him to hug me and tell me how proud he was of me that I had obtained this big feat.
When we were about to practice our new-member presentation, Teddi saw me completely distracted and said, “Sorors, our line sister Hailey needs to find her boy.”
It was our night, and I didn't want to let them down if I stepped away. However, I had been putting Covin on the backburner for far too long. Needing to tend to him, I hoped my girls understood.
Evan said, “It's cool, girl. We understand.”
Teddi said, “Go find him.”
I positively knew we'd come a long way when Teddi wasn't stressing me to hang out with them. Don't get me wrong, I did wanna step, learn some chants, and be with my sorority sisters, but deep down I wanted to be with the guy who made my heart pitter-patter.
When I went over a little early to the place where the party was gonna be, I was happy to see Covin's car outside. Quickly, I got out and went inside. No one was on the door yet checking people to come in, so I went inside freely to look around. I called out to Covin, but I didn't see him. I went around to the back room, and he was in there with the SGA secretary, Barbie Stein. She was all smiles as he showed her the system he'd wanted to use for collecting tickets. I knocked on the door to interrupt their little meeting. I could tell, as she rolled her eyes, that it bothered her.
“What's up, stranger?” Covin said when he glanced up and saw me, letting me know he was a little irritated.
I just gave a fake smile, waiting for the girl who occupied his present time to leave, but she didn't move. Respectfully, I said, “Covin, may I speak to you for a minute?”
“Well, we're trying to get ready for this event. I got a lot of people for this SGA cabinet, but some of them have been MIA. With me trying to wear multiple hats, I don't have a lot of time.”
I walked over to him. “It won't take long though. I promise.”
Barbie stroked his neck and said, “Covin, you can go ahead and talk to her. I got it. Just don't stay gone too long, because we don't have much longer before we open the doors. I know we're gonna have a full house.”
Then he followed me into the open spaces. He wasn't rushing into my arms. I felt bad; I'd obviously given him reason to doubt me.
“Okay, I know you are bummed with me, but there's no need for the attitude,” I said, quickly trying to alleviate the drama.
“I'm just telling the truth. You signed up to help me, and you're not. You called me in the middle of the night to help you, and I was there. When I need you, you're nowhere to be found.”
“What are you talking about? I didn't even know you needed me.”
“I can't even leave you a message, Hailey. Your voice mail is full, and that's not good business. Why wouldn't you check in with me anyway? Lots of ideas came up for community relations, and I had to act on them myself. I didn't know what was going on with you. I thought maybe we were through.”
“Oh, no,” I said as I came closer to him and tried to put my hand on his face and rub it gently and calm him down. Yet he backed away really quickly and let me know I was invading his space.
“I didn't know what to think. If the shoe were on the other foot, I'm sure you would've been bummed out that you hadn't heard from me.”
“I'm sorry you feel that way, Covin, and I'm sorry things have been hectic lately. I came here to let you know I crossed.” I opened my jacket and showed him my Beta Gamma Pi sweatshirt.
“It's gonna be hard catering to SGA when you're serving a sorority,” he said as he walked away.
“Covin, it doesn't have to be that way. There is a way I can do both.”
“You know what, Hailey?” he said as he turned and faced me. “Let's not act like there's not a big elephant in the room. We know I come second to your sorority.”
“I don't think I come first to SGA. You made a commitment to lead this campus.”
“Yeah, and you agreed to help me.”
“And I still want to. Now that the biggest part of this sorority is behind me, I'm a full-fledged member; I can dictate my own schedule. I don't have to go to mandatory things. Outside of this sorority,” I said as I walked up to him, “I wanna be with you.” Then I gave him a long, sweet kiss on the lips.
Moments after we connected in a special way, he said, “Well, that's what I'm talking about. I've wanted this ... us. Glad you want us, too.”
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It didn't take long for sorority life to kick in full swing. It was a week later, and my line sisters and I were excited to head to our first meeting. The ceremony that had taken place at the beginning had lived up to its pomp and circumstance. Lighting the five candles in the chapter room that signified the five Gems that BGP stood for reaffirmed our vow that we were in this to make a difference.
Knowing now that we were going to respect one another, let everyone know we were going to step out there and be bold and different, and take this sorority to new heights motivated all five of us. There were about twenty-five of us in the roomâmy five line sisters plus the sorors from Cassidy's line who had not graduated. There was so much we were going to be able to do together.
And as soon as Sam hit the gavel, signifying that the meeting had started, a girl who hadn't been around a lot stood up and said, “I know I don't know any of you new sorors, but I'm Kim. We're still your big sisters, so I do expect you toâ”
The gavel was hit a few more times, and Sam said, “You're out of line, soror. This isn't announcements.”
“I don't see any agenda to follow. It is the President's responsibility to prepare an agenda. With nothing going around, you have no right to tell me if I'm in line or out of line. This is get-in-where-you-fit-in time,” Kim responded.
Teddi hit me on my left leg. “I didn't know we were going to be thrown into drama.”
Evan hit me on the right. “Now, they know they need to calm down and have a civilized meeting.”
“I've had a heavy course load with my studies this whole semester,” Kim said, “and I heard you've been bullying people, thinking you run everything around here. And I just wanna say, in front of the new sorors and to set the record straight, that this is our chapter.”
Sam hit the gavel again and said, “Soror, you are out of line! And as long as the gavel is in my hands”âCassidy whispered something in her earâ“all right, but I'm just saying she doesn't need to try me. Ladies, we were going to have an agenda, but the copy machines weren't working.”
Some disrespectful sorors who didn't acknowledge Sam were snickering. Connie, one of the sorors, blurted out, “It's not like you don't have a computer. You could've easily printed thirty to forty copies. We ain't stupid.”
Cassidy was looking in the crowd to see who had said it. When she saw the confused and disheartened looks on our faces, she stood and said, “Sorors, I know everybody's probably heard about what happened between Sam and me.”
“Yeah, and she owes you an apology,” Kim stood up and said.
Sam hit the gavel again. “Okay, I'll apologize publicly. Cassidy and I have talked, and we're working on our issues, but to make y'all feel better, as your President I should have kept my cool. Now, we are trying to conduct business here, and we need to calm down and not be hot under the collar.”
“Are you trying to say I'm hot under the collar?” Kim yelled out. “This isn't just your chapter, Sam. Cassidy may be cool with you, but most of us are not. You've changed since we elected you. And you need to be held accountable.”
“For real, don't get it twisted. You're the president, not a dictator, and you can't scare me into letting you walk all over me,” Connie said.
Sam got up and looked liked she wanted to stomp all over Connie. It was madness. Folks were pulling Connie back and she was walking to the front. Obviously she was ready to take on Sam, if it came to that. Sam then shook her head and sat down.
“Kim and Connie, everyone can have an opinion,” Sam said, actually calming herself. “Now is not the forum to express it. Let's talk offline. Right now we need to be respectful to the process. Besides, we have the neos here for the first time, and we all have to respect each other. And you guys will respect that I'm your President, and today I want to talk about what kind of service project or fund-raiser we can do to bring some extra money in here. To begin, no dances. SGA has taken that away from the Greeks, as they practically do one every other day, it seems like. Any suggestions?”
No one was throwing any ideas out there, so I raised my hand and said, “What about a Mr. Beta Gamma Pi contest, where the contestants are guys on our campus? They do a talent and show off their bodies, and some of the money would go toward scholarships for them and the other money we keep for our public service project. We can help Ms. King's family who is struggling.”
A lot of people started clapping and commenting on how they thought that was a good idea. I was happy the concept was well received. Some sorors were hitting me on the back, and I didn't feel I deserved all that. I was throwing out ideas, just doing my part.
When the noise got a little out of hand, Sam hit the gavel and said, “All those in favor of a Mr. Beta Gamma Pi contest, say aye.” The room was full with ayes, and no one opposed. “Great. We got ourselves a contest. And, Hailey Grant, I want you to chair it.”
I got so many grunts and mumbles. Some sorors were saying I was too new to chair. I hated that she'd asked me to do it, but it seemed like no one else could work with Sam. And it was my idea. Though I had a lot on my plate already, I was up for the challenge. I couldn't wait to step up and prove people wrong. I would show them that they could work with me, and everything would work out great.
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The semester had been flying by, and there was lots of buzz about our contest. We had forty-two applications, interviewed thirty-two handsome men, and narrowed it down to the top twenty guys we wanted to represent our sorority in the contest. They were leaders, had big dreams, spoke extremely well, and, oh, did I mention they were fine?
There had been a lot of talk going around the chapter about people not thinking I would be able to handle the job. I wasn't surprised when my line sisters were a part of that conversation. We'd said during our pledge time that we'd tell each other about issues so nothing could fester.
I got tired of overhearing bits and pieces of their negative conversations one day. So I called them to the side and said, “Look, what's up with the lack of support? Anyone has a problem with me, let's talk. I expect different from my sands. I'm not saying this is going to be perfect, but I definitely need y'all's support. I need y'all to help me make sure that I don't fail. If our big sisters had any other ideas that were better and could do this without us, they would've come up with an idea, or they would have already been doing something major. It's time for us to hit the ground running. Our line name isn't called Essence in Distinction for nothing. We've got class and camaraderie. Don't make their side conversations turn us into catty women.” They all seemed to take in what I said and agreed.
Teddi said, “Seems we let the green-eyed monster get the best of us. And, yep, big sisters have been putting negative things in our ears, like why did Sam choose you over us, and we tripped. But no more. Let's meet with these guys as one unit. Hailey, you're leading the effort, and this event will be successful.”
This was the first meeting we had for our contestants. This was the first time we would see them all together, and we were gonna have a dynamic show. Women were going to pack the place. We just knew it because all the male studs had it going on.
There was this one guy who kept smiling at me. Morgan Brunette was six-four with dark honey, mocha-chocolate skin and muscles bulging out of his sweater. His deep stare made me melt.
It was actually hard for me to concentrate on what I was doing because every time I passed his way, giving out information and collecting forms they needed to submit, he touched me. I looked over to the left, and I saw my sands whispering about him, too. Something about him was mesmerizing and could set a girl on fire. And this Brunette dude was certainly doing this to me. Every woman in here knew I had a guy, one who truly was Mr. Right. Why was I eyeing another?
“Okay, I want to call you guys' attention to the paper before you. As you see, the contest will be held the last month of school. We'll be meeting weekly when we come back off from Christmas break. We are asking you all to raise a minimum of five hundred. If you do, you'll receive forty percent, and anything over the five hundred you raise, you'll get sixty percent. In addition to fund-raising, you'll also be responsible for talent and modeling. There will be judges to judge your presentations and decide who Mr. Beta Gamma Pi is. And if you have any more questions. . .” I paused.
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