Nessie stood in front of the Phi Mu house, waiting to enter. Two sorority recruitment counselors, or "Rho Chi's" as they were called, helped line up the PNMs in the proper order. One of the Rho Chi embodied the sorority girl stereotype. The other was her opposite. Physically, she was clearly female, but every other aspect—from the way she stood to the cadence of her voice—reminded Nessie of a frat guy.
The members of Phi Mu filed in from behind the house. They lined up in the front yard as if they were posing for a picture with every single person's face visible. They all wore coordinating outfits, featuring complimentary shades of pink. Their skin tones ranged from pale, though not quite as pale as Nessie, to an almost Oompa Loompa orange. The orangest girl stood inconspicuously in the back row as if they were trying to conceal her spray tan mishap.
Nessie's heart pounded in her chest as her excitement shifted to nervousness.
The sorority girls began clapping, not quite in sync. They started chanting in unison about the joys of being a Phi Mu. Some of the PNMs exchanged surprised glances, slightly intimidated by the animated song.
One by one, the masculine Rho Chi called out the names of the waiting PNMs. Upon hearing her name, each girl would walk to the house. One of the Phi Mu's would meet her at the door and escort her inside. When Renesmee's turn came, the Rho Chi hesitated.
"Um, Ruh… Ren," The Rho Chi furrowed her brow as she stared at the clipboard.
Nessie sighed and began walking forward, "That's me."
"I'm Elle," said the girl paired with Nessie. Nessie's anxiety eased as Elle introduced herself. "Follow me this way."
Elle guided Nessie through the doors, and immediately, a strong scent of cinnamon and cedar enveloped them. It wasn't unpleasant, but it clearly wasn't intended for someone with a heightened sense of smell like Nessie. Elle led her through the house and gestured for her to sit with her in a pair of folding chairs.
"How do you say your name?" Elle asked.
"Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie," she replied.
"That's a cool name, I've never heard it before, where's it from?" Elle asked curiously.
"Nowhere, really," Nessie admitted. "My mom made it up."
"Oh, that's neat," Elle responded. "Your mom sounds like an interesting person."
Nessie panicked. She needed to stick to the cover story. She couldn't let it slip that Bella Cullen was her mother. "She's dead."
"Oh," Elle replied, her voice rising an octave. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"It's okay, she died during childbirth so I don't miss her," Nessie answered carefully so she technically wasn't lying. So far, she genuinely liked Elle and she didn't want their introduction to be entirely based on falsehoods like with her roommate.
Elle looked taken aback as she processed the information, but she composed herself quickly. She crossed her arms over her legs and smiled sweetly. "I understand. My great-grandma passed away when I was a toddler. I don't remember her, but I've seen pictures of us together. Where are you from?" she quickly jumped to a new topic.
"Seattle," Nessie answered simply, sticking to the façade.
"That's cool, you must be used to the weather then. I'm from LA, so this is a big change for me."
Nessie nodded politely, "I can imagine."
"What's your major?" she asked.
"I'm undecided," Nessie admitted.
"That's alright, we all have to start somewhere," Elle answered. "I'm studying Fashion Merchandising."
"Oh, that's cool, what does that all entail?" Nessie asked.
Elle began talking enthusiastically about her major and how much the sisterhood helped her reach where she was now. Nessie listened intently, fascinated by Elle's words.
Another girl approached Elle's seat and Nessie froze as her anxiety resurfaced. "Hi Cassie," Elle greeted her. "This is Renesey."
Nessie didn't bother to correct her.
"We were just talking about our majors," Elle stood up from her seat.
"That's awesome," Cassie replied as she took Elle's seat.
"It was nice talking with you," Elle said.
"Bye," Nessie responded. She walked away and Nessie shifted her focus to Cassie. In many ways, she was very similar to the previous girl. They had the same pencil-thin figure and blonde hair, though this girl's hair was brown at the roots. Her eyebrows were thin lines on her face, one slightly higher than the other.
Cassie introduced herself as the philanthropy chair of the sorority. Nessie started to relax as she talked about how the sorority raised money for a children's hospital. Nessie followed up by sharing how her adoptive father was a doctor. She was starting to get the hang of the conversations and sticking to the cover story started to come more naturally.
Another Phi Mu girl came around with a tray full of cups of water. Nessie took one out of politeness.
Cassie left, replaced by Aubrey, whom Nessie recognized from her Fundamentals of Speaking class.
"I love your shoes, where did you get them?" Aubrey asked.
Nessie glanced down at her sandals, "Oh, I'm not sure, my… sister got them for me." Nessie made a mental note to ask Alice about the shoes before her next class with Aubrey on Friday.
Before she knew it, it was time to leave. She headed for the door, still holding her cup of water. As Nessie reached the doorway, a hand reached out of nowhere and snatched the cup out of her grip. Nessie blinked in surprise.
The next house Nessie visited was Alpha Xi Delta. The recruitment process had a very similar structure to the previous house. Though, these women had a different look about them. Not in a bad way, but Nessie couldn't help but notice that they were notably less orange. The first girl Nessie spoke to was named Cindy. She had a series of freckles scattered across her face, like constellations in the night sky. Nessie was fascinated by the dots. No one in her family had them, their complexions were an unbroken monolith without any variation in tone. There was one seated on her chin that stood out—a mole rather than a freckle. Nessie watched it in fascination as Cindy talked.
Like before, Nessie was hit by a wave of anxiousness as every girl approached to introduce herself. By the third AXiD girl, she began to realize what was bothering her. She hadn't introduced herself to this many new people since she was a baby. She vividly remembered how every single one of her father's friends recoiled with revulsion at their first sight of her.
Now, as she introduced herself to Mia, a curly-haired human with a hooked nose and big glasses, she realized she was bracing herself for a panicked reaction. Nessie couldn't relax until she was met with a reassuring smile. Though she was having trouble finding common interests with these sorority girls—the previous recruiter tried conversing about high school extracurriculars, of which Nessie had none—it was refreshing to be accepted without question. She didn't have to prove she wasn't a crime against their species. Mia had freckles too. Hers were in a much greater quantity. She had so many spots, it was impossible to tell where one dot ended and the next began. It was like her face was a pointillism painting.
Mia and Nessie chatted about their shared curly hair and exchanged hair care routines.
The third house felt different. As the Sigma Kappa women gathered in the yard, Nessie couldn't shake the stronger fear that gripped her. They wore matching dresses, varying in hue from blood red to a deep black. Their long, bouncy curls flowed from their scalps like hoods. Nessie was transported back to her infancy when a very different crowd had gathered to judge her. The Sigma Kappa woman sang a ballad, void of emotion but held a perfect unity. There was a discipline to these girls that didn't exist within the other chapters.
The Rho Chi had to call her name twice before she managed to force herself forward and follow the Sigma Kappa recruiter into the house.
Nessie sank into the cushions of a plush couch. Across from her, a girl named Madison looked down at her as she took her seat in a folding chair. She smiled with a faux friendliness, but her eyes, so dark they were nearly black, watched her analytically. Nessie had a strong feeling that it wouldn't matter what she said now. Judgment had been cast before she stepped through the door. Frustration boiled inside of Nessie. Who did this girl think she was? She took a deep breath, inhaling the girl's scent, and reminded herself of the reality of the situation. No matter how highly she thought of herself, this girl was merely human. Prey. As Nessie looked more closely at the girl, her anxiety disappeared. Tiny blackheads covered her skin, concealed by thick layers of makeup. Her heart beat evenly in her chest. The veins in her neck were visible above the wide color of her dress.
"Renesmee," Madison said the name like she testing out the name in her mouth. "Is that one of those made-up names?"
Nessie smiled coldly, exposing her razor-sharp teeth. Who was this human to assume she was better than her? Madison began questioning Nessie, same as the houses before, though this time, the questions felt like an interrogation. Nessie answered coolly without hesitation. The conversation with the next recruiter was the same as the first. The conversations flowed like a game of tennis, batting questions from one to the other.
Nessie held her head high as she left the house, feeling like she had somehow won.
The final house was Beta Iota Tau. Still reeling from the previous house, she lined up amongst the other PNM's. The sorority filed outside. Nessie waited for the other half of the chapter to join them. When they started clapping and singing out of tune, Nessie realized that the girls before her made up the entire chapter. Nessie spotted Kat amongst the group. Her hair was in an updo that carefully concealed all traces of purple from her hair.
Nessie felt no nervousness. Something about the lack of uniformity caused her to find no resemblance to the masses of vampires she'd encountered in the past. As Nessie was led inside, she was unimpressed by the house's décor. Plastic potted flowers seemed to be at the center of every surface.
Nessie took her seat at one of the dining tables and the recruiter launched straight into a series of generic questions, forgetting to even introduce herself. Nessie responded one after another without any breaks to respond with a question of her own. Nessie could sense the girl's nervousness. So far, Nessie was unimpressed by the final house. The recruiter didn't ask a single question that Nessie hadn't already answered throughout that day. Finally, Nessie interrupted before the girl could ask another question.
"How many girls are in this sorority?" Nessie asked.
"22," replied the recruiter. "Personally, I love being in a small chapter because you really get the chance to get to know everyone. I heard a story from one of my friends in another chapter and she said she would just see girls she didn't even recognize wearing letters around campus. That would never happen here. Everyone knows everyone."
This didn't seem like a perk to Nessie. "Is there a reason this sorority is so small?" Nessie asked.
"Yeah, it's kind of a long story. We had a bunch of people drop a couple years ago. We had to disaffiliate from nationals in order to remain on campus. It's all good now. We came up with our own letters and rituals. Personally, I think it's really cool because we're one of a kind," the girl answered.
Nessie felt a twinge of concern. She didn't want to get caught up in drama that may draw unwanted attention to herself and her family. Kat took over for the unnamed recruiter.
"Hey girl, it's good to see you again," Kat greeted her with a huge smile as she took a seat. Her laidback personality from the activities fair was gone, replaced by a bubbly persona. "How's recruitment going for you?"
"It's been interesting," Nessie answered earnestly. She couldn't help but notice that Kat had an unusual grape smell. It more closely resembled the scent of human food rather than any perfume. Nessie wondered if it was an intentional choice to match the color of her hair.
"Glad to hear it. Mind if I ask how to pronounce your name?" Kat inquired.
"Renesmee," she responded, "but I go by Nessie."
"Is that what you prefer to be called, or is that what you go by since it's easier for everyone else?" Kat asked.
"A little bit of both, I think," Renesmee had never really thought about it before. "Everybody's called me Nessie since I was a baby, so I'm used to it. I will admit, it is definitely easier than having to deal with questions every time I introduce myself."
"Yes," Kat said in agreement. "I am right there with you, girl. That's why I go by Kat. Introductions are the worst."
"What's Kat short for? It can't possibly be worse than Renesmee." Nessie asked, racking her head through the possibilities.
"Yeah?" Kat grimaced. "My legal name is Kataklysm."
Nessie raised her eyebrows as it seemed Kat was expecting a surprised response. Nessie's perception of what was considered an unusual name was a bit skewed from her experiences with immortals who had names that had long since fallen into obscurity. "That's definitely unique."
"I was named after the death metal album," Kat explained. "It beats my sister, May."
"Do I want to know what May is short for?" Nessie asked.
Kat shook her head, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "No, you do not."
The two girls laughed. The conversation with Kat flowed easily, though Nessie couldn't help but wonder how authentic it was given the stark difference between her personality now compared to the activities fair. When time was up, Kat walked Nessie to the door.
"Bye Nessie, see you la-," Kat stopped midsentence. "Have a good evening." Nessie heard her mumble a curse under her breath, too low for human ears. Nessie snickered.
She headed back to meet with her Rho Chi to conclude the first round of recruitment. After talking with all the different girls in all of the houses, she was more excited than ever to join a sorority.
Her mind was still buzzing when she tried to go to bed.
Living in the dorms presented challenges Nessie did not anticipate. Though the RAs diligently enforced quiet hours, their definition of quiet did not account for supernatural hearing.
As Nessie lay in her bunk, every sound from the neighboring dorms reached her ears with clarity. In the adjacent dorm, her neighbors were chatting about a television show on the CW network. Meanwhile, in the room directly below, a boy was playing video games with the volume turned up, occasionally crying out in defeat. Nessie considered using earplugs, but she didn't want to risk getting caught by her roommate, Kimmy. Their relationship had improved since their uneasy introduction and Nessie didn't want to jeopardize it by getting caught in her lie. Instead, she resigned herself to her suffering the past few nights.
The worst offender was the gentleman residing in the room above. With no roommate to keep him decent, he would bring a different lady to his dorm each night. Even Kimmy could hear the rhythmic thump, thump, thump when his bed rocked against the wall. Nessie could hear every word they uttered. She had been holding out hope that tonight's bachelorette would fall asleep. Unfortunately, it seemed that the aspiring artist from Cleveland was feeling particularly lonely post-breakup with her high school sweetheart.
Nessie sat up from her bed in defeat as the couple forgot their movie. Kimmy was already fast asleep. Nessie pondered her options, determined to get a good night's sleep ahead of her first day of class. She pulled out her iPhone and sent a quick text to Jacob asking if she could come over. She slipped on her shoes without waiting for a response. She felt her phone buzz as she left the dorm, but she didn't bother checking it. She knew exactly what Jacob's response would be.
Jacob wasn't a student at the university as he had little interest in the available majors. He had secured an apprenticeship at a nearby auto repair shop. He'd been working there for the past few months. Nessie had visited him throughout the summer, spending time around the shop. The guys tended to avoid her. Nessie had initially found it odd until Lizzie, the singular female mechanic, informed her that Jacob had overheard a coworker make a lewd comment about her. He had defended her a bit too fiercely.
Nessie liked Lizzie. She was friendly and she knew her stuff. She was unremarkable for a human, with fair skin and red-gold hair. Lizzie and Jacob recognized each other, having briefly met in a park before Nessie was born. Jacob told Lizzie he'd found who he was looking for, whatever that meant.
The bike ride to Jacob's shared house was less than 5 minutes. The Cullens had purchased a simple two-story house a few blocks away from campus. The exterior of the house was old, but Esme had renovated the interior so it felt modern. Leah had resisted the notion of renting from the Cullens, but Jacob and Seth outvoted her.
As Nessie chained her bike to the mailbox, Jacob opened the front door. The gesture was unnecessary as she had her own copy of the key.
"Hey Nessie," he said in a hushed voice. "What's up?"
She pressed her hand to his cheek and explained her frustration through her thoughts. He nodded sympathetically.
"You're always welcome here," he responded, stifling a yawn. Nessie suspected her text had woken him.
She made her way up the stairs to his bedroom with Jacob trailing behind. She could hear both Seth and Leah's steady breathing as they slept in adjacent rooms. Jacob's full-sized bed was only a few inches shy of the width of the room, leaving only a couple feet of space at the foot of his bed. It seemed cramped, but it was still more spacious than his childhood bedroom.
Nessie sank onto the bed and he settled in beside her. Within moments of his head touching the pillow, he was back asleep. The house wasn't devoid of noise, but it was significantly quieter than the dorms. She focused on Jacob's rhythmic breathing and let it lull her to sleep. She was happy to have the wolves living so close. They'd always been like giant older siblings to her. It was a comfort that that hadn't changed. Her relationship with the Cullens was more complicated, especially Rosalie. In the beginning, Rosalie had assumed a maternal role as she changed every diaper and relished every maternal moment. It was frustrating at times. Rosalie insisted on bottle-feeding her long after she was capable of holding her own bottle. As Nessie continued to grow more independent, Rosalie started losing interest. Now, she treated Nessie the same as her other siblings. Nessie didn't know how to define her relationship with Rosalie nowadays. Was she an aunt? A sister? It was exasperating. At least she could rely on Jacob to be the same big brother he'd always been.
Nessie woke up early, careful not to wake Jacob, and snuck back into the dorms to prepare for class. Kimmy was snoring softly in her bed. Nessie got dressed in the dark. Her night vision was not nearly as good as a vampire's, but she could see well enough to find her clothes. She put on a pair of skinny jeans and a shirt with a wide neck that hung off one of her shoulders. The tight jeans were uncomfortable, but Alice had insisted that it's what was in style.
Nessie was back out the door before Kimmy had woken. She walked to her 8 AM class. The campus was so small, she didn't even need her bike. Nessie bubbled with excitement as the sun shined brightly through the brief break in the clouds. The birds chirped their greeting as she passed. Most students were walking like herself, though a few sped past on skateboards.
Nessie scouted the building beforehand, so she was able to locate her classroom easily. From the hall, she watched as a couple of other students entered the room. She followed suit. The classroom was a simple square with plain walls and a tiled floor. There were several rows of desks, about forty by her quick estimate. The room was located in the center of the building so there were no windows.
Her parents occupied seats towards the front, adjacent to the left wall. Nessie knew they'd arrived early to avoid the sun. The other students had given the vampires a wide berth. It looked as if they were isolated on an island, with a ring of empty desks separating them from the masses.
Nessie watched as the students she had followed settled into seats towards the center of the room and placed their backpacks on the ground. Nessie mirrored their actions, opting to sit in the seat behind Edward. Bella met Nessie's eye and smiled with excitement. This was her first college class, too. Nessie returned the smile. Edward had no need to be taking a class as rudimentary as Fundamentals of Speaking, but he had chosen to register for all of the same classes as Bella.
As part of their agreement to allow Nessie to attend school, she agreed to have at least one family member in each of her classes—with the exception of her Ethics lecture. Nessie could acknowledge the perks of the arrangement. Most of the class would have already had exposure to the subject during high school, but Nessie would be learning the material for the first time. It would be helpful to have her family members as a resource while studying. Nessie found verbal communication to be an inconvenient method of communication. She could get her perspective across so much more efficiently by telepathically sharing her thoughts using her gift. She hoped this class would help her to find the words that so often eluded her.
A couple minutes before the hour, the middle-aged professor entered the room carrying a briefcase. As he walked past her, Nessie got a whiff of his scent. Beneath the smell of tweed and deodorant, there was another aroma. It took her a moment to place it. When she realized what it was, her heart sank.
She turned to Edward. He responded to her thoughts with a single nod, confirming her suspicion. Cancer. The professor carried the odor of malignant tumors.
Does he know? Nessie thought.
Edward shrugged. His insight was limited to the professor's thoughts at the given moment.
Nessie had a feeling he was oblivious. There was no trace of any treatment in his scent. She wanted to warn him. Maybe it wasn't too late and he could still be saved.
"No, Nessie," Edward chastised under his breath.
But we can help him, she thought.
He shook his head. She understood, she knew the rules, but she couldn't help as her mind started to wander, grappling for a solution that would allow them to preserve their secret whilst alerting him. Maybe she could do a presentation on the common signs of cancer?
Edward hissed under his breath. Nessie conceded, pushing the thought away. She forced herself to focus on the professor's words as he went over the syllabus. The grade for the course was broken down by percentages. Attendance and class participation were worth 20% of the grade. Homework was another 10%. They would have to give four presentations throughout the semester, each worth 10% of the grade. A written copy of each speech was to be turned in online through a site called Canvas. The midterm project was worth 15% of the grade. The final exam would include a presentation and a written test and would account for the remaining 15%. Homework was expected to be submitted at the beginning of class. Plagiarism would not be tolerated and could lead to disciplinary action or expulsion.
Edward nodded approvingly.
When the professor dismissed the class, students began packing their backpacks to leave. Nessie followed suit and left without meeting her parents' eyes. She knew they wouldn't be able to follow her out of the building. The sun was still shining and they would be trapped inside until the clouds returned.
Nessie had two additional classes, though Emmett and Jasper both skipped. By noon, Nessie was finished with classes for the day.
She hurried back to her dorm. She went through her closet, debating what to wear. In the end, she opted for a cute blouse and a skirt with pockets. She decided to stick with the same sandals as yesterday since she'd received a compliment from Audrey the Phi Mu.
Nessie glanced at her phone. In three hours, she would be receiving a call from her Rho Chi to let her know which houses she'd be returning to. Nessie sat at her desk and stared at her phone—as if watching it would make time go faster. She thought about the different girls she met during the first round of recruitment and how they did their hair and makeup. She opted against trying anything new with her curly hair.
Since hair is already dead, the cells aren't affected by the vampire transformation process, meaning all of her family members have the exact same hair as when they were human. Nessie was different, every single cell in her body contained her half-vampire DNA, including her hair. There were some advantages, the ends of her hair never split, but one of the downsides was that her hair was impervious to most styling techniques. Trying to get her hair to cooperate was a challenge, one that she was unwilling to tackle today.
Nessie thought about the various makeup styles she'd seen. She'd never worn makeup before, but she had an entire bag filled with various pallets and brushes courtesy of Alice. Nessie pulled out the makeup bag and examined the contents for the first time. She went to her laptop and scrolled through makeup tutorials on YouTube. Eventually, she settled on a style she liked. She skipped the first several steps, her skin was already perfect so she didn't think foundation was necessary. She was about to apply eyeshadow, but she hesitated. What if she messed up? She had makeup remover, but she worried that she would look bad if she kept removing and reapplying makeup. She thought about practicing on another person. She knew Rosalie would be more than willing to help. But would makeup react differently to her granite-like skin? Nessie considered her options and thought of someone who would always be willing to help her, regardless of the request.
After a quick text, Nessie packed up her makeup bag and headed over to the wolves' house. Jacob answered the door with a large grin.
"Hey Jacob, I need a favor," she explained her request and, as expected, he agreed without hesitation.
Nessie spread her supplies across the counter of the bathroom that was shared by Seth and Jacob. She set her laptop on the edge of the tub so she could reference the tutorial as needed.
"This stuff comes off, right?" Jacob asked warily. He sat on the toilet so his face was low enough for Nessie to reach. She held his eyelid still with one hand. With her hand in contact with his face, she was unable to prevent her thoughts from being broadcasted into his mind. She wasn't bothered by this. She had nothing to hide and Jacob already knew her as well as she knew herself.
"Why? Do you have a hot date tonight?" Nessie teased as she began applying eyeshadow to his eyelid.
"It's not a date," Jacob answered quickly.
Nessie looked at him in surprise. She didn't bother to answer verbally, knowing he could hear her unspoken questions.
"I was planning on going bowling with Lizzie and a couple of the guys from the shop, but the guys bailed so it's just me and her," Jacob explained.
"Good for you. You should make it a date," Nessie encouraged. "And don't worry, I have makeup remover." Jacob grimaced in response to her internal concern that the remover would be inadequate.
"You think?" Jacob frowned.
"Yeah, Lizzie's totally into you," Nessie responded, recounting memories of her conversations with Lizzie from the summer.
Jacob furrowed his brow. "I've never thought about her that way."
"Quit moving," Nessie complained. "Well, you should. She's really nice."
"I don't know," Jacob sounded dejected, but Nessie didn't respond as she focused on the makeup. "Ow!" Jacob jerked his head back as Nessie accidentally poked him in the eye with liquid eyeliner.
"Sorry!" Nessie apologized as a dark cloud saturated the white of his eye. She was glad she had decided to use Jacob for practice as they struggled to clear the eyeliner from his eye. Jacob made the situation worse by rubbing his eye.
She helped him to clear all the makeup. She started over from scratch, this time starting with lipstick. She told him about the previous day of recruitment.
"Sigma Kappa was the worst," Nessie complained. "I hope I get asked back."
"Why do you want to be asked back if you don't like them?" Jacob responded.
"Because I want to be the one to reject them," Nessie explained, only half joking.
"Oh, I see," Jacob replied, clearly not getting it. "As long as you're having fun."
Nessie continued chatting lightheartedly. "Then there's BIT. I don't really know what to think of them. I only got to talk to two girls and the first one was really weird."
"So you don't want to be asked back to BIT?" Jacob asked, trying to decipher Nessie's intent.
"Oh, I'll definitely get asked back. They ask everyone back," Nessie sighed. "I don't know if that's where I want to end up, though. All of the girls there are really odd, so I definitely wouldn't stand out, but I don't know if that's what I want. It's not even a real sorority."
Nessie glanced at her smartphone and frowned. Her Rho Chi should be calling any minute. She reminded herself that Elena had several girls to call so there was no reason for concern. Once she was satisfied with her practice on Jacob, she began working on her own makeup. She was just finishing up her mascara when her phone vibrated. She snatched it off the counter before the second ring.
"Hello," Nessie answered.
"Hey Nessie, this is your Rho Chi, Elena," she answered.
"Hey Elena," Nessie answered. "Which house am I going to first?"
Elena responded in a serious tone. "You were asked back to Beta Iota Tau."
Nessie waited for Elena to continue. "Where am I going after that?"
"I'm afraid that's the only sorority that asked you back," Elena responded.
"That's it?" Nessie was taken aback. She began replaying the events of the previous day in her head, trying to figure out what she did wrong.
Elena explained the next steps to Nessie, but she wasn't listening. Tears welled up in her eyes.
As soon as she hung up the phone, Jacob reached out and wrapped her in a hug.
Nessie buried her face in his chest. Nobody had chosen her. Nobody wanted her.
"What happened?" Jacob asked.
Nessie pressed her hand to his cheek.
"You still have BIT. Why don't you give them a chance?" Jacob encouraged.
Nessie shook her head. She didn't know how to explain, so she pressed her hand to his cheek again. She didn't want to just end up somewhere, she wanted to be chosen.
"I'm sorry," Jacob said with anguish far deeper than the situation warranted.
Nessie pushed herself away from his chest. He had no reason to be upset. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together.
"It's okay, I'll be fine," Nessie said with an unconvincing smile. She looked in the mirror and saw her mascara running down her face like black tears. She began wiping the makeup away. She looked at Jacob and realized her makeup had smeared all across his shirt. "Oh no, I ruined your shirt."
"Don't worry about it."
"But your date—"
"I'm not going," Jacob pulled her into another hug. "I'm not leaving you when you're this upset."
"Jacob, no," she pulled away again and looked him in the eye. "I'll make you a deal. You go to the bowling alley and I'll give BIT a second chance. Alright?"
"If that's what you want," Jacob nodded.
Nessie fully intended to uphold her end of the bargain; she really did. But as she approached the house of Beta Iota Tau, she couldn't bring herself to continue. All of her assumptions about Beta Iota Tau were validated by the pool of candidates lined up in front of the house. About half looked dejected and it was clear to Nessie that she wasn't the only one who'd been crying. Most of the girls didn't have the stereotypical sorority girl look. One girl had a mullet, while another looked like she had cut her hair herself without a mirror. Another girl had several unusual piercings, including one in the center of either cheek.
Nessie turned around and headed back to her dorm. She texted Elena to let her know she was dropping out of recruitment.
Chapter Playlist:
What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction - Jacob
Life is Rosy - Jess Penner - Renesmee