First Year of College Gadge
It had been a long night of pledging. Madge knew she wanted to be in a sorority since she first stepped onto campus. It wasn't until now though that she was completely out of her comfort zone. They had to meet a frat. She wasn't the greatest when it came to guys, she was awkward and tense around them and that seemed to always turn them off.
She checked her hair, which was pulled back into a messy pony tail of blonde curls. They weren't allowed to wear make-up and she felt exposed without her mascara and eyeliner wings. She nervously brought out her chapstick out of her pocket and ran it over her lips.
The girls on either side of her didn't look nervous at all as she glanced over at them. Finally, she could hear them. The loud chant of thirteen boys over the howling wind around them, she froze anticipating them in front of her. She could do this.
Madge straightened her shoulders and put on a bright smile as the men fell into place in front of her fellow pledges. The boy across from her was much taller than she was, with floppy black hair and sharp grey eyes. He was the handsomest out of the group as Madge compared him to the others on either side of him. The pit in her stomach grew; she felt her palms start to sweat.
Dressed in all black for pledging, Madge suddenly wished she was dressed in something a little more revealing. She thought about taking off her many layers once inside the frat house and the relief that would bring.
The boy across from her looked slightly uncomfortable and Madge came to the embarrassing realization that she had been staring at him the entire time. She dropped her eyes down to her tall black boots and sucked in a long breath. This was going to be a long night.
The boys were instructed to turn and hold out their hand for her sorority and the girls were instructed to take it and then link arms. Madge looked at the girl next to her and whispered, "I think I'm going to throw up." The girl laughed quietly as they stepped forward and grasped the man's hand in front of them.
Madge couldn't make eye contact with the guy and let him sneak his arm around hers. The others around them were talking quietly and introducing themselves but Madge couldn't trust her voice to say her name. At this point, she wished that she had had a little more to drink before.
"I'm Gale Hawthrone" the boy said, tightening his arm. She looked up at him, craning her neck. She smiled slightly and she wondered if it looked forced or pained.
"Madge... Hawthorne..." she said but her voice shaking, he stared at her smiling. It took Madge a second to come to realize what she said, "Undersee- Madge Undersee!" She cried and held over her mouth.
"You don't need to be nervous, Madge." Gale murmured kindly. She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat, turning back to look at the back of her friend's head. "We don't bite..." he continued. Madge smiled slightly and relaxed.
They took a step forward and then another, Gale chuckled quietly and then added, "The biting comes later." Madge made a noise in the back of her throat and bit her lip forcefully. What had she gotten herself into? The frat house wasn't that far away but Madge felt like it took an hour to walk to. When they walked up the drive, they were instructed to drop arms.
Madge took a little step away from Gale and stretched her back. The boys were yelled at to continue into the house while the girls were asked to wait outside for a couple of minutes. "Madge-" the girl behind her whispered.
"What?" Madge whispered back and looked over her shoulder at her,
"Relax, have a little fun, stop acting like you have a stick up your ass." Madge opened her mouth to answer but the girl in front of her interrupted,
"I bet you will make-out with at least one guy before the night is over." Madge was taken aback,
"No way!" She squealed. The pledge mom hollered for the line to be silent and they marched into the house and down the stairs to the basement. They kept in line and were handed their drinks by their bigs. Madge clutched her bottle with all her might and glanced around nervously.
They took off their layers and stood waiting quietly. Madge opened her bottle and slugged some of her vodka and lemonade down her throat. She took a deep breath and one of her sisters rubbed their hand over her back. The pledge mom's explained the safe word and at any time the girls were allowed to use it to get out of a situation.
The door in front of them opened and Madge could clearly see the guy pledges lined up on the wall in the other room. They marched in and stood across from them, most of the girls were smiling but Madge was too busy looking down at the paint splattered floor.
When she looked up, Madge was being stared down by a larger guy with blonde hair and stubble. He was at least twice as big as her and he was smiling and looking at her up and down. Madge looked away and made eye contact with Gale. He was smiling and when she met his eyes, he winked.
One of the brothers stepped forward and raised his hand to the light above. He clicked it off and the room became dark, all at once black light filled the room and music blasted all around her. Madge could only think of the safe word and her jumbled thoughts and terror in her head.
Her friend that was closest to her was already hanging off one of the dark haired guys as Madge pushed herself into a pack of her older sisters. She watched as the guy got down on one knee and held the hand of her friend.
"What is he doing?" Madge yelled to her closest sister,
"He's asking her to make-out with him. She can say no though, or you can say cheek kiss!" She girl giggled, "It's so much fun!" Madge watched in horror as the guy pulled her sorority sister forward and kissed her with everything he had.
Madge thought she was going to faint. Her sisters pulled her over to dance and Madge lost herself within a safe pack of her sisters. The guy pledges were wearing white t-shirts and stuck out in the cramped room and she kept making sure she knew where everyone was.
Girls on the outside of her circle were being asked to kiss and Madge was feeling less stressed about the whole thing with every drink she slurped down. She let a smile appear on her face and her sisters cooed with approval around her.
Her friend Katniss was on the outside and Madge watched as a skinny blonde got down on one knee in front of her. Madge held her breath wondering what Katniss was going to do. Her friend pointed at her cheek and the blonde laughed and shrugged to the guys watching. Madge let out a relieved sigh.
At least someone was denying the guys. Madge kept dancing and laughing with the group of girls until someone started tugging on her back belt loop. Her eyes grew wide as someone pulled her away from the group and out into the middle of the room.
It was the larger blonde guy and Madge was for certain he was going to get down on one knee. Her suspicions were right as all the girls behind her squealed and yelled out her name as he sunk down onto the floor and held onto her hand tightly.
Madge had no idea what the words he murmured to her were but she quickly put her finger to her cheek. A few of the girls booed behind her and the crowd dispersed. The guy still held onto her hand and pulled her closer to him. Her heart was beating fast and her breathing was shallow.
His wet lips took over her cheek and he laughed in her ear as he pulled away, "I expect a better kiss later." He smirked, "Unless you have a boyfriend."
"She doesn't!" Her friend called over her shoulder, "She's single and ready to mingle." Madge grew warm with embarrassment and shook her head quickly, running back into the throng of girls. "You should have gone for it!" Her friend said, laying her hand on her arm.
"Think of it as a game!" Another girl said, "The more guys, the more points." Madge rolled her eyes.
"I forfeit then!" She smiled and shrugged.
"Don't forfeit now..." someone teased behind her. She turned around quickly, coming face to face with Gale. He led her a little away from the group.
"Why not? Are you going to ask me to make-out with you?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"I know you're just going to deny me." He laughed, his voice dropped down to a whisper, "Ms. Hawthorne." She groaned and pushed him slightly. This time he threw his head back and laughed, "relax- it's a party, enjoy yourself."
"I'm trying!" He raised an eyebrow, "alright so I'm not."
"Come dance with me." He took her hand and pressed her against him. He smelled like pine and vanilla and Madge had to step back for a second. "So, you're not going to dance with me either?" She smiled,
"No I will, you just smell really good... I mean... err" Madge closed her eyes and tried to think of something that would cover up her embarrassment, Gale laughed though and pulled her back to him.
"Usually people step back when someone smells bad." Madge relaxed and shrugged,
"I guess I'm not usual people."
"MM, yes I had already realized that." Gale laughed and rested his cheek against the side of her head.
"Do you have to ask girls to kiss you or is this all up to whether or not you want to?" Madge asked.
"Most of it is whether or not we want to, but you know guys... so usually they want to. We have to participate in the make-out line though." Madge froze and Gale froze too.
"What's the make-out line...?" She asked. Gale looked down at her.
"Well- you line up against the wall and each guy goes to every girl and they can either make-out with them or they can kiss them on the cheek or you can deny them completely." Gale must have sensed her panic and rubbed his hands up and down her exposed arms. "It's not that bad, I promise. Do you want to get some air?"
Gale led Madge into the other room. It was less crowded and there was more cool air circling. The lights were on as well and Madge could now focus on Gale's features. He was very good looking. Madge let out a little breath as Gale's smile filled his face, "better?" he asked her.
"Much" she smiled and took a drink of her water-bottle.
"I agree that is a lot to take in." Gale said after a couple of seconds, "there are a lot of people." He noted. Madge spied her big from across the room and she waved. Madge waved back and just as Madge was about to look away her big gave her thumbs up and pointed at Gale.
"Oh my gosh," Madge giggled and looked away.
"What?" Gale asked and looked over but Madge's big had already looked away.
"Nothing..." Madge smiled.
"Feeling a little better?" Gale asked.
"Yeah, thanks." Gale led her back into the thriving room and disappeared. Madge started looking around for him but was quickly taken over by the crowd. Someone grabbed onto her hand and she turned to smile but it wasn't Gale. It was someone who was a little over Madge's height with short black hair and grey-brown eyes.
When he went down on one knee Madge was able to see Gale. They made eye contact but Gale was focused with a mean stare on the boy holding her hand. Confused Madge nodded to the boy and smiled. The guy laughed loudly and jerked her towards him, capturing his mouth with hers.
He wasn't the best kisser and when they were finished and Madge could take in the cheering around her, the boy went to be with his encouraging frat brothers. Gale stared down Madge with a surprised and amused face but turned and grabbed a hold of the guy she just kissed.
Before, Madge could watch the scene; she was pulled back by her sisters and was being embraced. "I'm so proud!" Her friend squealed.
"I'm so surprised you did it!" Her other friend cried. Madge laughed and shrugged.
"I surprised myself..." Madge murmured.
"So that guy-" Her friend giggled, "The tall one with dark hair, he likes you. Have you kissed him?" Madge shook her head.
"No, I haven't kissed him and he doesn't like me. I was paired with him when we first walked here."
"Well he was really mad at his friend when he kissed you so..."
"He's just jealous that I denied him earlier." Madge scoffed.
"He tried to kiss you?" The girls yelled over the music, Madge rolled her eyes.
"Not exactly, he didn't want to try because he knew I would deny him."
"Madge!" The girls groaned, "That's when you flirt and you say; how do you know?" Madge sighed and rolled her eyes,
"You know I'm not very good at this sort of thing."
"Well all I have to say is one way to fix it is deny everyone in the make-out line except for him." A few of the girls squealed around her and nodded encouragingly. Madge thought about it for a few minutes and then nodded.
"Fine."
"What's his name?" One of the girls slurred, opening her bottle for another long drink.
"Gale." Madge said hesitantly and looked around the room for him.
"We all have to spread around that we're only allowing cheek kisses for Gale." Another girl spoke up, "that way Madge's kiss will mean more." As that spread around the room, Madge mingled with her fellow sisters and spotted Gale from across the room. They made eye contact a couple of times but Madge was always the first person to look away.
Finally the room buzzed to silence as the boys' pledge master yelled at them to be quiet, "the Make-Out Line will commence in a minute. Men out in the other room, ladies line up against the wall." Madge could feel herself freezing again with embarrassment and she felt her back get a little nudge towards the wall.
She looked back in time to see Gale smiling slightly and disappear into the next room. The door closed behind him and her sisters smiled giddily around her in front of her. "Alright, remember we are not forcing you to do anything- you can step out now if you choose not to participate, you can let every guy kiss you on your cheek, or go for it." Madge could feel the heat on her cheeks and her palm sweating.
A few girls stepped out and a few shrugged and pointed to their cheeks. Then it was silent, the boys were getting a lecture in the other room but soon the door swung open. Madge jumped out of anticipation and the girl next to her let out a nervous giggle. Gale was at the end of the line and Madge had to roll her eyes.
Of course she would have to wait through the long line of pledges. She pointed to her cheek every time watched Gale get denied or cheeked every time. She wondered what he thought. When he was standing in front of her he was smiling.
She tried to smile too but her nerves were at their last point. She nodded dully and he laughed loudly, it turned some heads and he leaned forward slowly. He cupped her cheek and pushed a stray curl behind her ear. His lips were warm and soothing as she leaned into him.
Gale made a noise at the back of his throat and pulled away when the pledge master yelled next. Madge stood breathless staring out in front of her. She watched Gale go down the rest of the line in a daze and wondered what he thought of the kiss. The line dissipated but Madge stayed where she was.
She closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, Gale was standing in front of her. Surprised, Madge took a nervous step away from him. "You planned it." He laughed, "You got all the girls to only allow cheek kiss." Madge shook her head.
"It was someone else's idea..." she murmured. He took her hand.
"I don't care whose idea it was." He laughed and leaned into her.
"Okay" she murmured again.
"What's wrong?" He laughed.
"Well, you don't really like me..." she smiled.
"Oh stop, you know that's a lie."
"You just met me!"
"That's true." He smiled.
"And don't give me that Love at First Sight nonsense."
"Fine, go on a date with me."
"What?" She said.
"A date... with me." He smiled.
"You're not going to remember this." She said and raised her eyebrows.
"I have only had two beers- look- if you're going to say no, say no."
"I'm not going to say no..."
"Then it's a yes."
"No- it's a when."
"Soon as possible." He smiled. Madge laughed.
"Tomorrow, my last class ends at 2:15 we can go to a late lunch."
"Deal, meet you out in front of Orkinson?"
"What?" She gasped.
"I've seen you around Hawthorne, don't give me that surprised face."
"Stalker!" She yelled and slapped his chest.
"You could say that" he teased.
Super long! Sorry! Hope you enjoyed it!
Erin