Cindy Park knew the stories about Kappa Delta Alpha were all myths. Whenever girls were supposed to keep something secret, they had a way of spilling just enough of the facts to let their imaginations run wild. It didn't help that lots of the frat boys on campus had a tendency to exaggerate what the sororities were up to in the privacy of their own houses.
"Ladies, you have survived six of your seven challenges," proclaimed the chapter's president, Charlotte Baldwin. The frosty blonde was the picture of WASPy refinement and patrician elegance. Standing at 5'9", Charlotte had porcelain skin, unmarked by freckles or moles, and a slender, gracefully curved body that she kept tightly wrapped up in conservative, yet stylish attire.
"Now only one challenge remains. Our friends from Alpha Delta are here, downstairs, to lend their assistance."
The pledges, Cindy included, glanced nervously at each other. They all knew the rumors: every year the final trial was embarrassing, sexual, and difficult. Fortunately for Cindy, though, her big sister Madeline had been in KDA and broke the sorority's code of secrecy to clue in her little sis.
"It's all a joke," Maddy had told Cindy. "There's, like, one of those see-through mirrors where the girls all watch. They blindfold you and mess with you, but it's not really that bad. Some girls totally freak, though. Don't be dumb and don't take it too seriously. You'll be fine."
With her intimate knowledge of KDA lore, Cindy had hit it off with the older sisters. One of them, another Korean girl named Mindy, had even taken Cindy under her wing. Cindy hoped that when her bid was accepted that Mindy might become her "Big Sister" in the house.
The Kappa Delta Alpha sorority was one of the most elite and coveted bids on campus. Cindy thought that, at mostly-white Armstrong College, she would probably be the only Asian girl in her pledge class. Like most Greek houses, KDA needed to attract a little "diversity" to keep the administration off their backs. On the other hand, the white, privileged alumnae often intervened to limit how many racial minorities that house had. Ultimately, that led to each class tending to have a token member of major racial groups: every year, that one black girl, the one Asian girl, etc.
Cindy was certain this year, she'd be the pick. As it turned out, she had some competition. Her rival, Katrina Pham had worse grades, less money, and less family prominence than her. In Cindy's mind, too, she had another advantage over Katrina: Cindy knew she was hot. Where Katrina was short and a bit pudgier, Cindy was tall for an Asian girl, almost 5'7", with a body sculpted by every high-end fitness craze you could imagine a rich girl getting herself into. Her long, wavy hair was dyed a rich auburn-brown color, and she was always meticulously dressed and made-up. She had that perfect, refined look that Korean girls from Seoul to San Fran paid their surgeons big money to get for themselves. Her tall, thin frame helped her show off her other assets, too, and Cindy wasn't above unbuttoning a few top buttons to display her best side to a good-looking frat guy.
Cindy's certainty only grew when Mindy let her in on the secret too. One night at a rush mixer, while a bit tipsy, Mindy had pulled Cindy aside to tell her about the final challenge.
"So this year," she slurred, "the guys are going to stand around and, you know, talk shit to the girls. Then a couple of us are going to squirt you with lotion."
Mindy giggled a bit, before taking hold of Cindy's arm to balance herself.
"You get it, right?"
Cindy nodded to show her comprehension.
"Some of the girls will flip their shit, but don't take off the blindfold. That's the only way you lose. Just remember—a little Jergens never hurt anyone!"
Looking at the outright terror in the eyes of her competitor, Katrina, Cindy felt a surge of superiority that helped her to stifle her nerves. She snapped to attention as some of the older sisters appeared with long, thick black scarves, no doubt to serve as blindfolds. With them was a guy, dressed in khakis, a crisp white button-up, and a navy blazer emblazoned with Alpha Delta's Greek letters. The ADs were the hottest frat on campus, and snagging one for a boyfriend and one day husband was still a goal of many of the girls, feminism be damned.
"Ladies, my name—if you don't know it already—is Will Holloway. In a moment, your future sisters will blindfold you and lead you into the pit of hell."
The room filled with laughter: nervous tittering from the pledges and a knowing laughter from the sorority sisters.
"There you will be introduced to an alien species: the Armstrong fraternity brother. You will observe—well you'll hear, at least—the 'bro' in his natural habitat. Do not be alarmed. We don't bite. Unless you ask of course."
Will was charming in a glib sort of way, and Cindy felt a little more relieved, being in on the joke.
"Your fearless leader has given us one goal: get inside your head and break you down. Kappa Delt women are supposed to be more than just beautiful—they're smart and tough. If you can't handle a bunch of decent, god-fearing, salt-of-the-earth gentlemen like us, then you can't cut it as a Kappa Delt. The rules are simple: don't take off your blind-fold, never refuse to answer a question, and always say "thank you" to the brother when he's done with his part."
Some of the girls looked at each other, each hoping the other would break the ice to ask a question. Will seemed to sense their hesitancy.
"Oh, and if any guy harms so much as a hair on your head down there, your president has informed me to bring his nuts in a glass case to her in the morning. You've got nothing to fear, ladies. We love you—honestly!"
With that, the pledges were all blindfolded.
"First up," he announced, "Cindy Park."
Cindy was led by the hand carefully down the stairs, into a room. Surrounded by only darkness, she kept repeating to herself over and over again, the same mantra: "None of this is real."
Firm hands guided her to her knees on some big pillow or stack of blankets. Cindy was surprised by how total the darkness was, even as she could still sense that the room was dimly lit.
"It's time to shine, Cindy Park."
Cindy recognized Charlotte's voice.
Suddenly, Cindy felt delicate hands on her shoulders, then a soft, breathy whisper in her ear.
"They're going to tell you to strip now," the voice told her.
It's Mindy, she thought. She's going to help me out.
"Don't worry. We all had to do it. They won't mess with you. It's all fake."
Cindy felt Mindy's hands disappear, and indeed the next sound she heard was Charlotte's order to strip. She complied immediately, and for the first time got an idea of how many people were in the room when a cheer erupted from the assembled frat guys. Cindy's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, but she soldiered on.
All she could hear was a murmur, as the guys seemed to start milling about. The room was cold—deliberately cold it seemed—and her arms and legs were covered in goosebumps. Her stiff, upturned nipples made her discomfort with the temperature apparent to all.
Cindy began to breathe heavily. No one spoke to her, but she heard, through the background din, the sounds of zippers. The world was only sound to her, but each sound told a story: high-heels clacking against a concrete floor, a door closing, soft laughter and whispers. Then she felt the heat of a body near her, impossibly close, yet never touching her. A hand reached out to her chin, and she involuntarily jumped a little.
Then a laugh.
"Don't be scared. I'm just tilting your head up. It's me, Will."
Cindy felt reassured that Will seemed to be in charge down here too.
"Now, like I said, your president wants us to go a little hard on you girls, but don't take it personal," he said in a full, loud voice for all to hear.
Then Cindy felt him lean closer into her ear, to whisper.
"Hey, she wants us to squirt you with some goopy stuff. Don't freak, it's just a big joke. But do remember not to touch your blindfold. Oh, and she was real serious about the saying 'thank you' thing, so do it good and loud."
Cindy felt oddly relieved just to hear a human voice. Knowing that Will's story matched what she already knew helped as well. The guys might say some offensive things, but it's just a test. She could pass it. Listen. Don't say anything first. Answer questions. Say "thank you." Easy.
"Hey, is this the me-love-you-long-time chick?"
"Naah, she's later."
Cindy knew they were talking about Katrina.
"What do Koreans do?"
"They own stores and shit."
"Barbecued pork!"
"Oh hell yeah, that stuff is great."
"Do they do the porno cartoons, where, like, chicks get ass-fucked by Godzilla?"
"Prolly. Or maybe that's Japs."
The cacophony of voices only increased, until it became harder to pick out who was talking. The only thing clear was that, so far, no one had really addressed her. Then a voice, closer and louder than the others, finally spoke to her. It was Will again.
"OK, I guess it's question time now. Question number one."
Then, from further away, a different voice called out.
"Number One: do your mom and dad run a store?"
"No," Cindy answered stoically. "They're accountants."
Another voice, another question.
"Can you cook us some of that bomb barbecue pork?"
"Ummm, I don't really know how to cook."
The guys booed teasingly. This won't be that bad, she thought. A higher-pitched nasal voice called out next.
"Can't cook? What are you going to do to snag a husband?"
Cindy was confused and didn't know how to answer. She was suddenly very aware of her nakedness in this room full of wise-ass frat bros.
"I don't know. I can learn."
"What else can you learn to do?"
"Ummmm...lots of stuff?"
Cindy knew she had to respond to their questions. She also knew what kinds of answers they wanted. The mystery was what sort of answers that Charlotte and the other sisters wanted to hear. Cindy assumed they didn't want some cheap slut in their sisterhood.
"Answer me truthfully: how many dicks have you sucked?"
Cindy hesitated. Did she have to tell the truth? How would they know? She didn't want to lie, though, and be found out somehow. Sororities weren't supposed to be prudes, either. She resolved to come clean.
"Six."
A cheer rang out through the crowd. It must have sounded like a lot for a girl barely out of high school. Cindy, though, had experienced a bit of a rebellious period as a junior and kept herself a virgin for a while with her oral talents.
"Pussy?"
"What?," she asked in confusion.
"How many dicks in your pussy?"
"Just one."
"Ass?"
Cindy wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Ewww, gross. None."
The guys all laughed.
"Spit or swallow?"
"I have to answer, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Neither. I would always pull out and have the guy...you know...into a tissue."
The guys immediately began to boo vociferously. She took it oddly personally. The digs at her heritage hadn't really bothered her, but this was the first time their disapproval didn't seem to be totally in jest.
"OK, Cindy, you're doing great," Will told her.
He had a way of making her feel safe, in the midst of their personal and probing questions.
"Now Cindy, these pervs here almost never meet an actual classy lady like yourself—"
Will was interrupted by cries of "Asshole!" and "Fuck you!" from the gallery.
