1 Chapter 1: Sigma Rho Gamma and Tau Chi Zeta

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

Hayley didn't really like parties. It wasn't just because her mother warned her that parties were a way for young females like her to get hooked onto drugs, alcohol or experience things worse than death but it was also because she herself wasn't used to being in such a cluttered and frenzy place. Her dorm roommate/friend, Lynne Harlon was close friends with the members of Tau Chi Zeta, one of Emerald College's biggest sororities, and was invited to join them at a party that was to take place at one of fraternity houses being hosted and occupied by Sigma Rho Gamma, the school's most popular and well-liked fraternity. The main reason for it was that unlike most frat guys, they actually maintained a squeaky clean reputation and were not nearly as crude or perverted as one would think. They were also quite law-abiding and did not ever cause trouble for anyone else in and out of the campus. Hayley, however, wasn't impressed.

They're still just men, Hayley thought to herself in disgust. Filthy, disgusting men who are just waiting for the chance to sleep with any woman they can find and then dump them once its over. It's all the same.

As Hayley and her friends arrived at the dorm where the party would be held where they could see the large WELCOME sign that was spray painted in green and blue (which was the SRG fraternity's theme colors). They could also hear the loud music that was being played along with sounds of people having fun (but not in "that" way mind you), making Hayley start to feel like having second thoughts.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hayley nervously asked Lynne who was right beside her.

"Of course it is!" Lynne replied confidently. "Now that midterms are over, we can celebrate as long as we want!"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Hayley pointed out. "I don't want to end up neglecting my studies during the short break that we have."

"Oh you worry too much!" Lynne pointed out. "Besides, you've spent the last few months sticking your nose into textbooks and notes to the point where you barely go outside anymore. It's time you got some fresh air and had some fun for a change."

"And how exactly is going INSIDE a party supposed to give me fresh air?" Hayley asked with a raised eyebrow, causing Lynne to turn red in embarrassment as she realized that it didn't make sense in hindsight.

"Well....." Lynne began awkwardly. "Never mind, let's just have fun shall we?"

"Okay, if you say so."

As the 2 ladies walked in the building, they were greeted to the sight of people standing around the hallways or in the living room where a long table of snacks, drinks and other items were placed. Though the music was a bit loud and raucous for Hayley's sensitive ears, she was at least glad to see that there were no inappropriate objects laying around nor was there any alcohol or drugs anywhere. I can at least respect them for having good and safe priorities in mind for their guests, Hayley thought to herself with a smile before frowning again. But then again, if my mother's experience with criminals has told me anything, it's to never trust anything that's too clean and unsuspecting as that means the offenders are hiding something even more dirty. Though Hayley was starting to feel overwhelmed and out of place, she was thankful to see at least 1 familiar face in the crowd.

"Tasha!" Hayley cried out as she and Lynne saw their good friend, Tasha Lopez talking with her fellow sorority members from Tau Chi Zeta. Tasha was the one who invited Hayley and Lynne to the party as a way to get them to mingle with the other sorority members.

"Hey guys!" Tasha cried out as she waved to them and pulled them both into a tight embrace. "I was wondering if you were gonna to show up! You met Janine and the other sisters right?"

As she said this, she motioned to Janine, the leader of Tau Chi Zeta, along with the other sorority members who greeted them warmly. Though Hayley was somewhat shy when it came to interacting with the rest of the sorority members, especially with their fearless leader, she gradually found herself becoming more comfortable around them. Despite her reluctance in being at the party, she found that it wasn't so bad as long as she was around people that she recognized and felt safe around. As long as no one tries anything funny with me I'll be fine, Hayley thought to herself as she listened to the girls talk about the various events in their lives like what they planned on doing for the weekend or for the holidays or what they did/planned on doing after finishing midterms. Eventually, Hayley felt thirsty and decided that she needed to leave the group for a bit.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna get a drink. Anyone want some?" Hayley asked the group who responded by shaking their heads.

"It's fine you go ahead. We'll be here when you get back!" Lynne responded.

The others also politely declined as they weren't feeling thirsty at the moment, prompting Hayley to go ahead.

"Okay then, I'll be back soon."

Hayley then went to the next room which had the table where the drinks and snacks were placed. It wasn't too fancy but it did have the classic punch bowl along with some healthier foods like salads and vegetable platters. Upon closer inspection, Hayley noticed that there were no signs of alcohol or drugs of any kind in the cups or in the food, much to her relief. Well guess I won't be going home drunk or drugged out of my mind. She picked up a can of pop (which happened to be cream soda, her favorite flavor) before accidentally bumping into someone beside her.

"Oh pardon me!" Hayley cried out apologetically as she turned to the person beside her only to stop mid-sentence the moment she saw who she bumped into. It was a tall young man with fair skin that had a slight tan (possibly from being outdoors) while also having blond hair that was short but seemed to have some sharp fringes. He had bright green eyes that seemed to draw anyone who looked at him in while also having a slightly narrow face. He wore a black T-shirt that had what appeared to be the famous triangle prism with the rainbow coming out its side from the famous Pink Floyd album along with wearing light brown trousers that covered his legs. Though one could say that this man was physically attractive, Hayley however did not see it that way. The fact that the man gave her a smile as if he was flirting with her made her feel even more awkward.

"Never mind excuse me," Hayley said in a cold tone as she grabbed her drink and quickly left the scene, leaving the tall man wondering as to what had gotten into her.

As Hayley went back to the group, she was both flustered and angry. Even though the man did nothing to anger her, other than accidentally bumping into her the same time she did to him, she still didn't like how he seemed to be taunting her with that smile. That son of a.... aaahhhh! This is why I hate men! I hate them! I hate them! I hate them so much! Lynne, Tasha and even Janine became concerned when they saw Hayley fuming to herself even when she had the drink in her hand, with the other sorority girls also being somewhat suspicious regarding the circumstances behind Hayley's sudden anger.

"Hey, Hayley?" Lynne asked her friend. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh?" Hayley said as she suddenly remembered where she was. "Oh... uh... yes! Everything's fine!" As she said this, she sat down on the chair next to her friends who all looked at her with suspicion.

"Are you sure? Tasha asked Hayley, causing the young woman to blush before sighing.

"No I'm not," Hayley said as she fiddled around with her soda. "I went to get a soda when this guy showed up and bumped into me. Well granted, I bumped into him around the same time, and he didn't even apologize to me. He just stared at me with this creepy smile, forcing me to leave."

"Really? What did he look like?" Janine asked out of concern for her.

"He was really tall and had blond hair along with green eyes that seemed to pierce through me the moment he looked at me. It was really creepy."

"Oh I think I know who you're talking about," Janine said, prompting Hayley to become surprised.

"Really? You know who he is?"

"Yeah, I think that's Zane, Zane Somerset. He's actually the leader of the Sigma Rho Gamma fraternity and was the one who helped set up this party."

"Oh yeah," Tasha said. "We saw him earlier. He welcomed us into the party as we were one of the first guests to arrive. He seemed nice."

"Really?" Hayley asked in suspicion. "He seemed kind of... shady to me."

"Hayley, I assure you he's not like those men you keep talking about," Tasha replied.

"Wait, what men?" Janine asked, causing Tasha and Hayley to tense up.

"Well...." Tasha began before looking at Hayley who violently shook her head and silently pleaded for her not to say anything. "It's not really my place to say."

"Okay then," Janine said before giving Hayley a gentle look. "Look Hayley if there's anything wrong, we'll be here for you okay?"

"Okay," Hayley mumbled as she looked away in shame and embarrassment.

Suddenly, a loud voice called out to everyone, causing the others to stop what they were doing.

"Alright everybody!" the loud voice cried out. "It's time for some party games!"

The source of the voice came from a young man who was relatively short and had very short hair to the point where he looked almost bald. He seemed to be of African-American descent judging from his dark skin and facial features. He had brown eyes and a toothy smile as he continued to announce the upcoming party games, which annoyed Hayley due to how sensitive her ears were.

"My name is Mikey Dallas and I will be your MC for the night as we all continue to party!"

The sound of cheers and applauses coming from the guests was heard, with Hayley applauding as well but only out of courtesy. As Mikey continued to talk, Hayley saw the man from earlier suddenly enter the room behind Mikey. The moment their eyes met, it seemed as though time stopped for a moment but only for these 2. When Hayley noticed that he still had that mysterious smile on his face, she turned her head away in a huff and tried not to acknowledge him so he wouldn't have the satisfaction of embarrassing her.

"For our first game, we're going to be playing Musical Chairs! The classic game of who gets to sit in the chair and who gets shoved off!"

Everyone laughed as they heard this, with Lynne and Tasha getting to partake in the games while Hayley stood on the side and watched. Though Hayley was unsure as to whether she should participate or not, a small part of her wanted to experience it as she was always quite lonely. It helped that the games were relatively tame and were usual party games like Charades, Pictionary and even Telephone. As time passed by, Hayley found herself enjoying the fun atmosphere of the party and even laughed at some of the ridiculous results of the game. However, a small part of her was afraid to encounter the mysterious man again as she didn't want to be targeted by him in any way. Unfortunately for her, it seemed as though fate decided to be cruel tonight as her friends decided to bring her into the last game without turning back.

"Alright then," Mikey began in his loud tone. "The final game for tonight is: Truth or Dare!"

"What?" Hayley said as she turned to her friends in both anger and fear to which they could only respond by sheepishly turning away as not even they realized that this was the last game for the night.

"Do we have any volunteers? Any takers?" Mikey asked to the crowd.

"I'll bite," the mysterious man said as he joined the others as they all sat in the chairs that formed a circle. Hayley's eyes nearly bugged out as she realized that the man was sitting right across from her.

"Wonderful, Zane!" Mikey responded. "Now we need a couple more people to join before the game begins!"

Janine ended up joining the game as well along (but only because she was concerned for Hayley and wished to make sure that Zane didn't make her too uncomfortable). As they along with some other students finally settled into their seats and introduced each other before Mikey finally began with the game, though Hayley's shyness prevented her from properly introducing herself so Lynne had to do it for her.

"Alright then, who want to start?" Mikey asked the participants, with Lynne raising her hand first.

"Oh! Me! Me!" Lynne cried out, prompting Mikey to grin at her and choose her.

"Okay then, Lynne make your pick!"

"Okay then," she responded as she looked around the circle. "I choose.... Janine! Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Janine responded with confidence, wowing the others and even Hayley herself.

I wish I was that confident like her, Hayley thought to herself in awe.

"Okay then, truth!" Lynne began. "Did you ever cheat on a test or exam of any kind?"

Gasps filled the room as Lynne asked Janine such a serious question. This was due to Janine being very honorable and taking her studies very seriously so asking her such a question would be rather accusatory if not insulting. Fortunately, Janine responded with a confident smirk before finally stating her answer.

"Nope, never have and never will," she responded while crossing her arms.

The sounds of students breathing relieved sighs were heard as Janine wasn't a cheat neither did she get angry over being accused of ever cheating. The other students decided to go forward with the game with some of the questions ranging from silly to outright inappropriate. Despite her early misgivings, Hayley actually found herself growing more comfortable the more she played the game. However, it seemed that fate decided to play one last cruel trick on her as the catch finally came.

"Zane!" Lynne called out to the young man in the circle. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he responded with a confident grin on his face.

"I dare you to..... give Hayley a kiss on the cheek!"

Hayley's heart dropped to her stomach as soon as she heard her friend suggest something so bold. She turned to give her friend a frantic expression who responded by shrugging her shoulders and giving her a playful look. Her heart began to beat faster as she saw Zane get up and approach her, with the other students being eager to see what would happen. The fact that Zane still had that grin on his face made Hayley feel even more scared as she didn't know how to react. What do I do? Should I accept it? Should I run away? NO! If I run away I'll be seen as a coward! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?! As soon as Zane stopped in front of her, he bent over slightly as Hayley was still glued to her seat, shivering in fear.

"Don't worry, I'll make this quick," Zane whispered as he got closer to her face and was about to place one on her cheek until...

"NOOOO! I CAN'T!"

*SLAP*

Everyone gasped as they all witnessed Hayley slap Zane away to the point where he fell on his side, prompting some of the students to get up and check if he was okay. Hayley herself was both embarrassed and furious over the fact that he tried to give her such an intimate gesture and right in front of everyone else. Lynne and Janine became worried as they had never seen Hayley so red before. Zane himself could only place a hand on his now reddened cheek over the slap and seemed to be in a state of shock over what just happened while Hayley stood up and started screaming at him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? GOING UP TO ME LIKE THAT AND DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITHOUT MY CONSENT! HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?!" Hayley screamed at Zane before turning to Lynne. "AND YOU! I TRUSTED YOU NOT TO NOT PUT ME IN SUCH AN EMBARASSING POSITION ESPECIALLY AT THIS PARTY!"

"Hayley I'm sorry!" Lynne cried out in regret. "I was just trying to-"

"TRYING TO DO WHAT EXACTLY? HUMILIATE ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE ELSE!?"

"WHAT NO!"

"AND YOU!" Hayley said as she turned towards Zane in fury while pointing at him. "THE NERVE OF YOU TO TRY AND GO ALONG WITH IT OUT OF AMUSEMENT! HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!"

"Look I'm sorry I was just playing along," Zane explained.

"YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED AT ANY TIME! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO ALONG WITH IT! THERE WEREN'T ANY RULES THAT SAID YOU COULDN'T BACK OUT! WHAT STOPPED YOU FROM DOING THAT?! HUH?! UGH THIS IS WHY I HATE MEN! I HATE YOU AND I HATE THIS STUPID PARTY!"

As Hayley said this, she grabbed her bag before storming out of the party. The students cleared her way as they did not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath while also feeling sorry for her. Lynne could only get up and grab her stuff so she could make it up to Hayley.

"HAYLEY WAIT!" she cried out before turning to Zane with an apologetic look. "I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

She then quickly left the party before running out of the building and into the night. An awkward silence filled the room as the students could only stand around or stay in their seats as they pondered on what to do. Zane decided to get back up, with Mikey and his other fraternity member Otis helping him, before making another announcement.

"I believe that was the final game for the night. I'm afraid the party's over you guys. Thanks for attending by the way."