Credit for this story concept goes to Leashed_Linguist. He is planning to write spin-offs to this story, if you are interested in further adventures with these characters.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy!
...
Carol Moehn walked through the bright fall air, fingers idly playing with the silver charm bracelet on her wrist. It was a habit of hers whenever she was stressed or nervous. Meditating on her charms helped to center her and remind her of her special connection with the divine. The Ankh charm reminded her to be thankful for life, the Monad charm told her to always strive to better herself and succeed, and the Pentacle charm helped her to feel the unique connection she had with the spiritual powers of the world.
Today was a blessed day for Carol. It had been a struggle to find a place to live for the fall semester. Her previous roommate had finally gotten fed up with Carol's "freaky magic shit" late last spring and refused to room together this year. But Carol hadn't worried. Her life was firmly controlled by forces beyond human understanding. "The Divine" was what she called it. A strong, wise force tied into the very threads of the universe, and Carol knew she had a special connection to it. There was no way that Carol would be homeless in the fall. Something would come up. The Divine would see to it.
But Carol was ashamed to say that she had started to feel uneasy when it came down to just a few weeks before the fall semester and she still didn't have a living space lined up. Her parents were very supportive, but they didn't have the money to help Carol rent a solo apartment. For the most part, Carol was on her own for money in college. She depends on her scholarship to cover tuition and part-time jobs to make ends meet. So she needed a roommate, but there didn't seem to be anyone else looking who was in her price range.
She should have trusted the divine from the beginning. Just as she was beginning to lose hope, Carol received an email from the University asking for volunteers. The school needed RAs for a new program: each frat and sorority house would be hosting a university representative this year to oversee the Greek system. It was the answer to Carol's prayers. True, she didn't have much respect for frat boys and sorority girls: they were a little beneath someone as spiritually and intellectually advanced as Carol. But the program provided free housing as well as a small stipend for volunteers, which was exactly what Carol needed.
Unfortunately, Carol was running a little late to her meeting with the housing director, which was why she was nervous. She had finally reached the old brick administration building and hurried up the steps. Hopefully, they wouldn't have given this amazing position away to someone else just because she was a couple of minutes late...
...
Barney Haskell rubbed a hand across his temple, fighting a migraine. If this guy didn't show up for his meeting, they would never find someone else willing to take this horrible RA position.
The whole program had been a mess from the start. Poorly planned out, poorly funded, and deeply unpopular. The only reason the chancellor had suggested the program in the first place was the bad press that the antics of the frats had generated last year.
The position was a hard sell to potential RAs. Who would want to go live with a group of rowdy men who actively resented your presence? Tracking down enough people who were willing to give it a try had been a nightmare.
But Barney had somehow done it. He had been forced to beg, threaten, and bribe, but he had filled every single position. That was, if this last RA showed up to his meeting.
Barney was shaken out of his funk by the rap of knuckles on his open office door.
A petite young woman stood in the doorway, looking at him with an eager smile. At first glance, she seemed frumpy, even unattractive. Her long brunette hair was frizzy and pulled carelessly into a loose ponytail. She wore an oversized hoodie and baggy cargo pants, neither of which were very flattering on her. But a second look revealed that her sloppy outer appearance was covering up a natural beauty that peeked through. She had delicate facial features, pale, flawless skin, and feminine curves that her baggy clothes couldn't quite hide. THe young woman's icy blue eyes peered at Barney with cool intelligence behind her large, red-rimmed glasses. "Mr. Haskell?" she asked in a high, musical voice, "They told me that I should speak with you."
Barney glanced at the clock. Almost closing time. He hoped that this wasn't a major housing issue. He was looking forward to heading home and eating a home-cooked meal. "That's me, darling," he said with a weary smile, "Can I help you with something?"
Barney saw the young woman's eyes narrow slightly as he called her 'darling'. Oops. Based on her appearance, Barney had read her as a timid girl who needed to be babied and reassured. It looked like he had misstepped. "Well," said the woman in a frosty voice, "I certainly hope you can help me Mr. Haskell. I'm here at your request for a meeting, after all."
Barney frowned. That couldn't be right. He only had one meeting left today and it was with... His head pulsed with pain as a dark suspicion formed in his mind. "What was your name, Miss?" he asked, hoping that he was incorrect.
"Carol. Carol Moehn," she said, pulling out the guest chair and taking a seat across from him.
God fucking damn it.
Barney flipped open the folder in front of him and stared at the paperwork. It read "Carl Moehn" across the top. He didn't know how, but he was going to find the person who made this typo and strangle them. With a feeling of defeat, Barney flipped the folder closed and put his head in his hands.
"Well, Miss Moehn, I'm afraid that you won't be able to take this particular position after all. I apologize for wasting your time," he said heavily.
Carol's attitude of annoyance fell away, replaced by concern. "What? But why? Because I was a few minutes late?" she asked in a stricken voice.
Barney leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair as he thought. Now he would have to scramble to find a last-minute replacement. And he had long since called in all the favors he had. "No, nothing like that," he said. "There was some sort of miscommunication, Carol. This is a position in a frat house. It was supposed to be only for male applicants. I'm not sure how the fact that you're female was overlooked, but I can only apologize."