Free Sorority Sisters by Tajuana Butler Page A

sure I call them as soon as I woke up in the morning.”
    “Does it work?”
    “Like a charm!” They both laughed and gave each other a high five.
    Then, somebody knocked on the door.
    “I bet it’s Gina just now getting off work,” Tiara said, as she answered the door. It was Gina, still dressed in her Hardee’s uniform. All three girls had part-time jobs, but she was the only one who had to work Friday nights.
    “We figured it was you.”
    “I just wanted to let y’all know I’m off. I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll come over here and put on my makeup. Is that cool?”
    “That’s cool!” Tiara and Sandra answered in unison. Gina left to go to her room, which was right across the hall. The friends stayed on the seventh floor of an eleven-story dormitory. The three girls were night owls, and met their freshman year. Their friendship grew close after forming a late-night study group. They met three to four days a week at midnight and studied until three or four in the morning. During finals, they didn’t sleep. Although they spent a great deal of their study time gossiping and talking about pledging a sorority, they all managed to maintain above-average GPAs.
    “I don’t know what I’m gonna wear tonight,” Tiara complained. She stared into a closet full of nice clothes, most of which she’d bought with money earned from her part-time job. Others were new and used pieces given to her by Rhonda.
    “I can’t believe you. You should have had that picked out at the beginning of the week,” Sandra said. “Let me see what I can hook up for you.”
    Sandra helped Tiara find something to wear. “Now this will look good on you. Plus, I’ve never seen you in this.” It was a black miniskirt and a tight, long-sleeve, scoop neck black top. Both still had tags on them.
    “That’s because I haven’t worn it yet. Rhonda picked out that outfit for me when we went shopping over the Christmas break. I haven’t built the courage to wear it yet.”
    “She’s got good taste, and you need to be stepping out in this. Girlfriend, the winter is about over. You’d better wear it tonight because you may not get to wear this until next winter. And who knows how much weight you’ll put on by then. I know you’re familiar with the freshman fifteen. They haven’t hit you yet, but they will some time before you graduate.”
    “You’re not the only one holding on to your shape, Miss Thang. I, too, am one of the few sophomores who still has what she came in with as a freshman,” she bragged. Tiara hadn’t gained any weight, mainly because she had a work/study position at the school’s weight room, and worked out for thirty minutes to an hour every day after work. She was five-foot-seven and weighed 145 pounds. She was an attractive girl, and her build made her look a few years older. When she was all made up, she could pass for twenty-five or twenty-six. Her hair was cleanly shaven in the back and on the sides, which made her neck seem even longer. She stacked the top in layers going toward her face.
    Her old hairdresser cut it that way before she left for school and promised her it would be a low-maintenance cut. He was right. She grew to love her short cut—she had few bad hair days.
    “Are you going to try on the outfit or am I gonna have to wear it myself?”
    “Okay, I’ll try it on, but I’m not going to guarantee you I’ll wear it.” She tried on both pieces and looked at herself in the mirror.” Sandra was right. Tiara looked gorgeous and extremely feminine. Her long legs looked even longer in the mini.
    “Girlfriend, that looks good on you,” Sandra said, and turned to look on Tiara’s desk for a pair of scissors. “Now, what kind of shoes and pantyhose do you have?” She found the scissors and began to cut the tags off the new clothes.
    “Well, I have some black tights and these black shoes.” Tiara pulled out shoes with a thick, tall heel.
    “Those are sharp. What are you waiting for?