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Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. There should be no way that these
characters are like anyone else, but if that isn’t the case, it has definitely
been unintentional. Also, if you happen to find that your life is represented
in these pages, I’ll be impressed.

Sorority Boy

By Heather O’Malley

Chap 24

Being blindfolded was a bit strange, but I was
sure that nothing bad would happen to us as these girls did like us, well, at
least me. We were led into the Chapter Room and it felt like there were a lot
of people in there, as there was just this… I don’t know… pressure everywhere.
It was clear by the occasional sounds of shifting weight and feet that it was
packed as well. It was a bit disconcerting.

Once we were completely in the room, the doors
shut with an almost ominous noise and we were pushed gently to our knees. As we
knelt there on the wood floor a voice called out, “Who brings these Pledges
before us?”

“We do!” replied the various Big Sisters that
were standing behind us.

The rest of the ceremony is private Sorority
business so there is no real reason for me to tell you and thus break my oath
to the House. I can tell you that the ritual was very moving and I was certainly
crying by the end of it when we were helped to our feet by Sandra, our blindfolds
removed, and then all of us hugged. That was the beginning of the fairly huge hug
fest and every person in the room hugged us at least once. I may have gotten a
few people twice.

I noticed that some of the people in the room
were not Sisters of the House but rather older women dressed far better than
anyone else in here. They didn’t look like they were in the wrong place and this
threw me as I had no clue who they could be, but before I could really ponder
on this issue, the whole group of us new Sisters were ushered into the dining
room which had been all done up for a party. It looked great, with the
streamers and the big ‘Congratulations’ banner. There was plenty of finger foods
laid out on a table and a few dishes we could use to feed ourselves all nice
and arranged for easy snacking. There were plenty of drinks as well, which was
also good. I grabbed a plate and loaded up on some food, as I was a bit hungry.
I had been so nervous today that I hadn’t eaten well. It looked like I would be
able to make up for that now.

I sat down at a table, sighing in relief and then
it hit me. I was in a Sorority. I wasn’t just a Pledge anymore I was actually a
Sister of this House. I, Richard O’Rourke, was a Sister in this Sorority. My
head swam a little at that. Man, what a change from what I had gone into this
expecting. I had expected taking them to court and now here I was, dressed as a
girl, having become a Sorority Girl or rather was that a Sorority Boy. Hell, I
didn’t even know anymore.

I sat there a bit dumbfounded for a bit before I
turned to start nibbling at my food. As I was eating a wonderful cucumber
sandwich the older women came over to the table with Sandra. The head of the
House said, “Caitlin, I would like to introduce you to the President of our
Sorority, Elizabeth Heasley, and several of the members of the National Board.”

My eyes popped wide at that. National was here? For
this initiation? Why? Me? But? I gaped like a fish in my surprise and apparently,
they found that particularly funny. I found my voice and stammered out, “It is
a pleasure to meet you all.”

Mrs. Heasley sat down next to me and said, “Actually the pleasure is
entirely ours. We have heard good things about you Caitlin.”

I turned to face Sandra in surprise and she
smirked at me. It figured that she had something to do with this. “Caitlin, you
wanted to join our House and we called National about it. Didn’t you think they
might want a progress report or two?”

“Honestly, you have kept me so busy I never even
had a chance to think about it, for which I am thankful.” I shrugged. That was
the truth. If I had thought about that too much I probably would have had more
panic attacks.

“So I was wondering what you thought of all of
this?” asked Mrs. Heasley.

“You mean becoming a Sister in this House?” I
clarified, wanting to make sure I knew what I was answering before I spoke.
See, I can be taught.

“Yes. We are wondering what you thought about
this whole thing?”

I paused and thought things threw a bit, in order
to organize my thoughts. “It hasn’t really been all that easy, honestly. There
have been some pretty tough moments of juggling which world I was in but I am
happy to have gone through it, that’s for sure. I made a lot of great friends
and I am happy about how things have turned out, overall. I still believe that
this was a good idea and that my reasoning for doing this was sound.”

“I am glad to hear that.” said Mrs. Heasley. “I
know this couldn’t have been easy for you but I am glad you stuck through this
all.”

“So am I. This has really changed my life in a
lot of ways I have never imagined. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.” I
smiled at her, making sure it was clear in my voice just how much this had
meant to me.

“You’re welcome. Honestly, when Sandra got a hold
of us this summer, I have to admit we were curious as to what exactly you were
up to. Nadia told us what your plan was and you know that case would not have
worked, right?” asked Mrs. Heasley with a slight smirk.

I blushed and looked down at the table. “Well, I
do now, but then I had no idea. I thought this would fit the parameters for a
decent case. Sorry.”

Mrs. Heasley laughed. It was a hearty, good
natured laugh. “If you hadn’t done that then our House would not have had this
opportunity for our own growth, so thank you for doing this.”

I blushed; a bit embarrassed to be thanked for
something I had determined to be a stupid plan. I had really made myself look
like a jackass over this when this whole misadventure started and here the
National President was thanking me for doing it. My life was getting stranger
and stranger by the moment, which I guess was becoming par for the course.
“Well, I learned a lot and this experience certainly has changed my life,
that’s for sure.”

“I am glad to hear that. This Sorority’s mission
is to help people change their lives and achieve their dreams. If you got
something positive out of this, then it is a success all the way around. We are
planning on having a vote over the summer, about if we should allow
Transgendered individuals and maybe even some guys who are interested in
Sisterhood into the Sorority. You have already had a positive effect on the
Sorority Caitlin and I cannot wait to see what you do from here.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Heasley. I will try to be the
best Sister of this House that I can be.” I promised. She was really impressing
me.

She reached out and patted me on the shoulder. “I
am sure you will.”

With that, she left me to continue eating and I
sat there sort of stunned for a bit before I returned to the task at hand. I
was almost done with my plate of food when Meredith came up and sat down next
to me. “How are you doing Caitlin?”

“I don’t know. Basically, I feel rather odd. I
was just thanked for doing this and I am not sure if it has fully registered
that I am a Sister of this House.” I just sort of sat there, the cup I was
holding just sitting there almost forgotten in my hand.

“You are a great Sister Caitlin and everyone
likes you. I think this has been good for you.”

I smiled weakly and had a sip of my drink, its
weight reminding me that it was there. It helped me find my voice. “Thanks,
Merri. I… I just…”

Words really failed me. Meredith hugged me and
kissed me on the cheek. She rested a hand on my cheek and said, “I am going to
mingle some more. See you back at the room?”

“You bet.” When she left I sat there for a little
bit, finishing my plate off before I headed outside. I needed some fresh air
and maybe that would help me clear my head. The air was a bit nippy but not too
bad. I was mostly comfortable and not worried enough to bother getting a
sweater or something from the room. Besides, I really had no interest in
climbing all of those stairs. There were a couple of other girls out there talking
but no one from the Pledge Class. I was okay with that.

I sat down on a bench and looked up at the stars
that peeked through the partly cloudy sky. This had certainly been a long and
strange trip ever since I had showed up here before school started. When I had
gotten here, to this town, I had never even remotely imagined this moment. I
was a girl now, which was quite possibly the biggest divergence from what I had
planned for my college years but more than that I was in an effectively lesbian
relationship, in a Sorority and what was worse, I was enjoying it. That was a
major change from anything I was used to.

Sure, being a guy would have been nice, but how
many of the opportunities that had enriched my school so far would I have
encountered if I hadn’t done this? I had tutors for my classes who were pushing
me to excel, more friends than I had ever had before in my entire life. I had a
lot of things going right for me and even my mom had to agree that was the
case. This had been a long, strange trip and I had honestly only started on it.
Where I was going I really had no clue yet. I guess the next three and a half
years would tell.

I had some more to drink, watching the stars and
losing myself in the chatter going on around me. This was nice, like the few
times I had gone to parties in High School, where I sat alone, left to my
thoughts. Part of me had missed that, being surrounded by friends all the time.

A familiar voice from behind me asked, “Can I
join you?”

I turned and looked over at Alison. She was
smiling at me and I smiled back, happy to see her. “Sure. Take a seat.”

She sat down on the bench and we sat in silence
for a little while before she said, “Caitlin?”

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I am really
grateful that you convinced me to stick with this. I have had a great time and I
love being a Sister here. I would never have actually gone through with this if
it had not been for you pushing me. You were my inspiration.,” admitted Alison.

I blinked a few times in surprise before I
protested, “But I didn’t do anything.”

“You really did, Caitlin. Just accept it.” She
grinned at me. “Because of you I am even thinking of asking a few of my friends
to try out for the House in the spring.”

I smiled at her, happy to have become her friend.
“Thanks. That would be pretty cool, having a Goth night or something as a
party.”

Alison laughed at that idea. “Yeah. It would be
pretty cool to do something like that and I can certainly help people get what
they need for the outfits. I do like the fact that my grades have never been
higher, thanks to the House.”

I chuckled, as I was a fan of that as well. “They
do like their studying here. They made me study for hours for being Caitlin and
that was before classes started. I think it really has been helpful for me as
well, grade wise. I just wish I had a clue as to what I want to do with my life.”

She leaned over and gave me a one armed hug.
“Don’t worry about it, Cait. I am sure you will think of something before your
four years are up. I thought you wanted to be a lawyer.”

I shrugged noncommittally. “So, we made it,
hunh?”

“We did. Here’s to us.” We clinked our plastic
cups together and drained them in one long pull. She took my glass and headed
back into the House. She called back, “I’ll be back with a refill.”

Once again, I was left alone to my thoughts. I
looked up at the stars and tried to figure out what the hell I wanted to do,
who I wanted to become. I figured that I had several years before I really needed
to decide between being Caitlin and Richard, but more importantly what did I
want to learn? Who did I want to become through my studies, as my mom had been
clear that what I learned would change who I would be? I certainly understood
that now after this experience.

Questions were all I had right now and the stars
were not sharing with me any answers. All I knew at that moment was that I
regretted nothing about joining a Sorority and that this House, the Sisters I
met, and the friends I had made were going to see me on my way to whatever
future was out there. I had become Caitlin and I was okay with that. Where I
went from here was left to the future.