Allison's Pledge Chapter 24

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Synopsis: Allison meets with Pi Lambda Sigma, the members of Alpha Gamma reach an impasse with National

“Okay this is it,” Brianna said, pulling the car parallel to the sidewalk between two other vehicles. I’ll never in a million years understand how she was able to parallel park like that; I certainly couldn’t do it. “Hey, when you get out of the car, I want to show you something.”

“Is it a different bid?”

“Shut up,” She said. “Just get out.”

I shook my head a little and stepped out of the car, waiting for her to walk around o me. I pulled a bit at my skirt; she had me in this super conservative type dress, it had a rounded collar and a bow in the back. I thought it was a little bit overkill and possibly way too feminine, but she insisted it was what I should be wearing if I wanted to meet with Pi Lambda Sigma.

“Look,” Brianna said as she pointed down the street. This was a street with a very singular purpose: to host the university’s Greek houses. Most of the sororities and fraternities were on the same street; it made things simpler I guess. It certainly had made rush night a little easier. “You see that?”

“See wha—oh,” My eyes went wide as I saw one of the sororities flying the transgender flag proudly out front. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a lot like the pride flag but with three colors: Blue for male, Pink for female, and White for Intersex or Non-Binary.

“That’s cool,” I said. “I didn’t think—”

I stopped short as my eyes slowly surveyed the rest of the street. It wasn’t just that one house, it was all of them. They were all flying the transgender flog. Down the row I could see a flood of pink, white, and blue. Even the AG house was sporting one and it seemed to be bigger than all the rest. What was going on?

“It’s for you,” Brianna explained. “This is all in honor of you. This is the impact you’ve had. I’m glad you got to see this because you need to know that you haven’t been forgotten or swept under the rug. You matter to a lot of people. Now, come on, it’s time for you to go talk to Pi Lambda Sigma. If that’s what you REALLY want to do I mean.”

I quietly walked beside Brianna as we stepped onto a pristine white porch, knocking lightly on what seemed to be an even whiter door. It opened swiftly and a bleach blonde girl stood before us. Brianna had been right about my outfit; this girl was wearing a high-necked pink sweater and a white knee-length skirt. She was wearing bright pink lipstick to match and eyeliner so perfect it had to have been done by a machine. Okay, could I even fit in here? I was a hot mess compared to her. I smiled kind of sheepishly as Brianna spoke.

“Hi, my name is Brianna and this is—”

“Allison Parsons!” The girl squealed. “It’s so great to finally meet you in person, come in! Come in!”

“I guess your reputation precedes you,” Brianna said to me was we crossed the threshold and passed into the house.

“Oh my god,” I said, looking around. “This place is beautiful.”

“Allison,” Brianna said quietly. “The walls are baby pink.”

“With white trim!” I said excitedly.

“The walls are baby pink,” She repeated. I didn’t care, I was too busy marveling at the place. I didn’t care if she hated it; if I couldn’t get back into Alpha Gamma I might as well be at least a little bit happy, right?

Brianna informed the girl that we wanted to speak with President Powell, and off she went. We stood there for a bit, and soon enough, a pretty brunette, about my height with a rounded face, wearing a pink velour dress appeared before us in the foyer.

“Hi,” She said, smiling and extending a hand. My name is Kelly Powell, I’m the president of Pi Lambda Sigma! You two must be Allison and Brianna? I know you already pretty well Allison, your video and speech to the AG board was the stuff of legends. It was all people here could talk about for a few days.”

“R…really?” I asked, a little embarrassed.

“Oh yes!” She said with a huge but very reserved smile. “You’re kind of a big deal around here, you should feel honored, nothing is a big deal around here.”

“Other than the color of the walls,” Brianna muttered. “I feel like I just walked into a vagina.”

“Pardon?” Kelly said, smiling at Brianna. I’m not sure if she actually heard her or not but I was about to die of embarrassment.

“So how can I help you, ladies?” Kelly asked us, switching to a more ‘customer servicey’ mode.

“Well, as you know,” I said, straightening up a bit. “I got a lot of bids and I was considering yours. I think your house might be exactly what I’m looking for.”

“Oh really!” Kelly brightened up a bit. “Well, why don’t you step into my office and we’ll talk about a few things!”

It turns out her office was just the living room where a few other girls were sitting, but hey, whose counting?

“Oh, girls, this is Brianna and Allison, you remember Allison? We’ve been talking about her for the last week!”

“Oh my god!” A few of the other girls gushed. They kind of gathered around to ask questions and Kelly waved them off. It was like I was suddenly a really lame Harry Potter.

“So,” Kelly said as we sat down on the couch. “Can you tell me what interests you in our house?”

I wasn’t really prepared for this question but then again, I wasn’t even ready for it when Remy had asked me during the Alpha Gamma rush. Ugh, I missed Remy. She was right down the street, probably. Did I have to go see her before I answered this question?

“I was really attracted to your philanthropy programs, as anyone would be,” I tilted my head again and smiled. “But I also really love your presentation of femininity. I feel like that as a new woman, so to speak I have a lot to learn so while I do my part in contributing to the house, all of you will have SO much to teach me and I would be so grateful for it.”

“I really like to hear that,” Kelly smiled as she folded her hands in her lap, knees pushed together toward us. “But now there’s one thing I need to know from you.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do? Please, PLEASE don’t get me wrong here, having you as an addition to our house would be the most amazing thing in the world and the girls would absolutely love you, but it’s a big decision and a commitment. Over the last few days we’ve seen a lot of buzz in the press and it’s very possible that Alpha Gamma could retract your expulsion. You’d be back with your sisters and I’m pretty sure you’d be initiated. I’m not saying that you should go back to them after everything they did to you, but I want you to be absolutely sure that joining our sorority is exactly what you want. I don’t want you to have any regrets over it.”

“You need to take a few days to think about it,” Brianna said, touching my hand. “I don’t necessarily want you to go back to Alpha Gamma but she’s right, you don’t want to have any regrets. If you still feel the same way in a few days then yeah, come back here and pledge.”

Kelly nodded and smiled to me.

“Allison we would love to have you, but please, take some time. I’ll see you back here in a few days okay?”

She showed us out of the house and Brianna walked me to the car, holding my arm while I did a sort of limp. The stitches were holding but walking was still painful.

“I don’t like this,” I sighed. “I’m ready to join now.”

“I know you are sweetie,” She said. “You’re missing that feeling of sisterhood that you had with AG but you need to do some thinking before you replace one thing with another. It’s your choice, I just want to make sure you’re making the right one, you understand ri—”

“Brianna!” Remy’s voice boomed from down the sidewalk, we both looked up to see her standing there in front of the Alpha Gamma house, hands on her hips. She was gorgeous, I can’t even describe just how gorgeous she was. The sunlight behind illuminated her form and I practically started drooling when I saw her standing there in that position of authority. She was angry, and that was hot. Brianna noticed and rolled her eyes at me. “Bring her home!”

We walked closer to Remy with Brianna supporting my weight. I didn’t know how much longer I could walk; I felt like I’d already done enough of it today.

“What’s going on?” Brianna asked as she lugged me down the sidewalk.

“Bring Allison home, we’re going to have a meeting. It’s important.”

I looked at Brianna; I hadn’t been back to the Alpha Gamma house since we’d rushed out that night, I was suddenly nervous but incredibly excited. Why did she want me to come back, and why was she so angry? Remy took my other arm and we sort of shuffled down the sidewalk until we were able to cross into the AG house. I was greeted by Laura, Michelle, Cassandra, and a dozen other girls.

“Hey Allison, welcome back!” Laura smiled and gave me a quick hug.

“Cute outfit!” Michelle grinned. “I approve!”

“Come on,” Cassandra said. “There’s someone who wants to meet you!”

Now who on earth would want to meet me? They helped me into the living room, and there I found the last two people I expected, ever. My mother stood from the couch and reached her hand out to pull me in.

“Hello, Allison,” She said. “It’s wonderful to meet you. This is Amanda Geer, I know you’re already acquainted but this is probably the first time you’ve really been introduced in person.”

“Hello, Allison,” Amanda said as she rose from the couch. “It’s so good to really, finally meet you. You’ve made a huge difference, probably more than you know.”

“I…um…thank you,” I blushed and shook her hand. “What’s um…what’s this all about?”

“Well,” Amanda said. “We’ve made a decision, and we think it’s time to bring you home, but not as an Alpha Gamma. We’re all here today because we’re going to try something different. Are you ready, Allison?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’m ready.”

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Comments

Beware of strange gifts

This is almost a bait & switch. Going from a full sorority pledge to something that sounds like a separate but equal deal. At least according to the intro. Whose interests does her mother really support? Hers or AGs? And does Allison know about the AG press release? If I were in her shoes I wouldn't even stop on the sidewalk outside the AG house. If she really feels the need* to belong to a sorority then exam all the bids, separate the wheat from the chaff then go from there.

*My experiences dealing with the greek system tell me getting involved with any of the houses is a very bad idea. IRL they are putting forth a more politically/socially correct image but that is only the surface presentation. Underneath the facade things remain the same. What you gain is not worth what you lose. Sororities are more like the classic Stepford Wives novel.


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

Cute chapter

The sugar and spice of Pi Lambda Sigma, Brianna's aside comments, Allison's gooey thoughts about Remy and the build up of seeing the sisters at the AG house made it a fun read.

There’s a few way this could go...

There’s a few way this could go... Sharing the possibilities is unfair to our author and her vision.

So here’s what I hope...

I hope that Allison chooses her own path, charts her own course... A cliche, but she’s been presented with only non-choices and quasi-opportunities which she’s been relatively blind to possible alternatives. Part of maturing is understanding why the choices are in front of you and that they’re not always as binary as they appear. It’s not always take it or leave it; life rarely presents itself as “zugzwang” scenarios.

Hugs,
Leila

Venerable Tradition

Speculating on what is going to happen next is old hat on BC. Its a fun activity for readers to make a guess on what happens next, based on what they have gleaned from the previous chapters. If there are several possibilities then it's interesting to see who was right. If everybody is wrong the author gets a bit of credit for taking their story in a new, unseen direction. If an author doesn't like the tone of the comments it is their right to have the offending comment(s) removed. At the extreme comments can be turned off entirely.

Comments add an extra dimension to a story that most enjoy. It can also cause a reader to backtrack to pick up a nuance they missed, which can contribute to their enjoyment of the tale.


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

I hope they are going to split off. The greek houses should all

Monique S's picture

from a kind of assocoation with Allison as president. That woud really piss those old hags at Panhellenic off.

I also wonder if Allison has even pondered the consequnces of joining Pi Lambda Sigma. I mean transitioning is one thing, but going from neerdy slouch-guy to upper class Barbie is a bit too extreme in my book. It would just make her another straight jacket sort of stereotype, if not an all out carricature of femininity.

The one thing nobody is telling her to aim for seems to be balance, even though that is what she needs most! It is no use tipping out the baby with the bath, after all she was still dreaming of becoming a war correspondent! I don't think that is a kind of job, a Pi Lambd Sigma girl would choose in a million years. Why, unless she is totally malleable, should she want to do away with ALL that was Miles? Some of him might still be a worthwile part of Allison. There is, after all, a spectrum between 100% brainless Jock and 100% brainless Barbie and neither extreme seems all that attractive to me.

Monique.

Monique S

Ooh

I wonder where this’ll go? And where will Allison choose to settle down? This is a great story, and I’m really excited for the next instalment!

vistor

Something smells rotten in the state of *redacted*

She's only there for one reason and one reason only: to stop Allison from hurting AG any more. The sorority had to have done something that pissed off AG enough to send their designated mouthpiece and it either involves the Bellcrest chapter leaving or the sorority as a whole facing fights from other schools over their transphobic stance.

Whatever she's there for, I don't trust her one bit.

I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime

Turnabout

Maybe instead of letting her join Alpha Gamma, all the rest of them are going to pledge Alpha Lambda Lambda Iota Sigma Omicron Nu.

lol...

Audrissa's picture

Even if that were a real house, pledging doesn't work that way

....

Audrissa's picture

OH COME ON

Curiosity is peaked

Can't wait to see what happens next. Love this story. Thank you for releasing the chapters so quickly. Great work.

It will be interesting to see

It will be interesting to see what the local (former?) chapter of AG has up their sleeve. The way Allison was dealt with would be more than sufficient to tear up my membership in a group that acts like AG management.

I nearly always stop reading stories when the main character is permanently transitions as too unrealistic. This one kept my attention.

Allison's fight is not with ...

Jezzi Stewart's picture

... her chapter but with AG national and the PanHELLenic Council. Her chapter is her friends who, I'm guessing, are about to leave AG and start something new and perhaps non-Greek; there were several non-greek fraternities and a frarority at my college (early '60's). Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Not sure why Ms. Geer is there, though.

BE a lady!

Alison's Pledge

I live in a country where there are no Sorority or Fraternity houses. However, I understand the principle of them. I must say that such behaviour from supposedly open minded and intelligent people, beggars belief. It goes against all the hard fought battles, to give equality to minority groups and to enable equality and justice for everyone.
This is the kind of behaviour that enables hatemongers like the kkk to thrive. To torment a hopeful woman with the sisterhood of a Sorority House and then to viciously rip it away from them, scarce weeks later, at the first sight of a problem rearing it's ugly head, is callous and cruel. This kind of cruelty, goes totally against all the false promises of that particular house.

Beware Greeks baring gifts--couldn't resist

Jamie Lee's picture

I laughed so hard at what Brianna said while they were in the Pi Lambda Sigma I had to wioe tears out of my eyes, it was so funny.

Kelly was right in what she told Allison, as was Brianna. When a person lives a lonely life as Miles did, acquiring the friends Allison did is something huge to her.

Then to have it ripped away as it was almost killed her, had Brianna not been there. And now the very person who delivered the almost death toll, is back. Something says to watch her hands in case she tries to pull another rug out from under Allison.

Someone let a wooden horse into the AG house.

Others have feelings too.

Good Advice

Daphne Xu's picture

That's the obvious advice: think about it for a few days. (Something I've occasionally forgotten.) If someone insists on an immediate answer, there's a good chance you'll regret it. He may be selling something you don't want. On the other hand, sometimes it turns out all right.

So it was a good idea to think about it for a few days.

So now, what's up with AG? Okay, I read something in or about "Allison's Test". I have a hunch that it's about that.

-- Daphne Xu

-- Try saying freefloating three times rapidly.