Vivi didn’t blame her. She was having similar doubts. “I have no idea what I could’ve done to make a good impression.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Zoe said, sounding both impressed and irritated. “Besides, if you’re accepted, you know you get to move out of here and into Kappa House, right?”
Suddenly, Vivi had another burning reason to want to join the sorority.
Her stomach rumbled, a reminder that it was finally time to brave the dining hall. She’d had chips from the vending machine for lunch yesterday, and last night there’d been a “pizza welcome mixer” in the dorm’s common room, but she wouldn’t be able to put off a trip there for much longer. She’d always hated going to the cafeteria for the first time at a new school. It was never clear how much you were allowed to take and what you were meant to do with your tray afterward. She couldn’t afford to let her awkwardness win out this time; she refused to become the star of the viral video “Girl Spends Seven Full Minutes Befuddled by Milk Dispenser.”
She showered quickly in the communal bathroom, then returned to her room to grab her phone and ID card. At the last minute, she plucked the Kappas’ invitation off her bed. Perhaps if she read it again after coffee had kicked in, it’d make a little more sense. As Vivi pulled on a pair of sweatpants, she could almost feel the look of derision Zoe was shooting her way, but she didn’t care. Vivi didn’t own an outfit that would impress her stylish roommate and it was pointless to waste time pretending otherwise.
As she stepped out of her dorm, an elegant brick building covered with ivy, Vivi felt some of her anxiety melt away. She actually lived here, on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. It was going to feel like home soon, she just knew it.
“So you’re the Kappas’ next victim, I see?” Startled, Vivi turned to see a girl in tight black jeans and a shredded black shirt sitting cross-legged in the grass. She raised an eyebrow meaningfully at the lavender envelope in Vivi’s hand.
Instinctively, Vivi tucked the envelope into her purse. She wasn’t sure how this worked. Was she allowed to tell people she’d been invited? Or was it a secret? She went for noncommittal. “I don’t really know much about it yet.”
The girl gave Vivi a penetrating look that made Zoe’s stares seem friendly by comparison, then smirked and rose to her feet. “Be careful with them,” she said, almost more to herself than to Vivi, then sauntered away.
That was weird, Vivi thought as she continued toward the dining hall. Maybe the girl was jealous? Kappas were selective, and lots of people had been at that party vying for bids, which made Vivi wonder all the more why they’d chosen her. She hadn’t been dressed properly and didn’t know how to dance well. The Kappas she’d met had been nice to her, but they’d been welcoming to everybody. What about Vivi had caught their eye?
Zoe’s right, she thought for the first and possibly last time ever. Don’t ask why. Just be glad something good is finally happening to you.
Before she had time to grow nervous about entering the dining hall alone, Vivi saw Ariana waving at her from a few yards away. “Are you going to breakfast?” Ariana asked. “Thank God. I was afraid I was going to have to sit by myself.” She bit her lip. “Sorry, I mean, it’s fine if you’re meeting people. I don’t want to force you to eat with me.”
“That’d be great,” Vivi said with a smile, relieved to learn that even girls like Ariana had the same concerns she did.
“How are you holding up after last night?” Ariana asked as they climbed the stone stairs. “I think I had one too many of those teacup cocktails; my head is pounding.”
“Nothing a little coffee won’t solve,” Vivi said. Then she hesitated for a moment, thinking back to the envelope she’d tucked into her purse. “So I found something on my dresser this morning . . .” For a split second, she regretted saying anything, in case Ariana hadn’t received a bid herself.
But to her relief, Ariana gave her a broad smile. “You got a bid? Me too. Exciting, right?” Ariana’s face fell again almost immediately. “Oh God, what am I going to wear? They didn’t give any guidelines. Do you think it’ll be dressy, like the cocktail party? Or more, like, business-casual, maybe . . .”
Vivi felt her own panic growing as Ariana rattled off possibilities until the jingling of a phone stopped her midstream. “Shoot.” Ariana paused on the dining-hall steps and frowned at the screen. “My roommate locked herself out. Can I get a rain check on breakfast? I’m sorry to ditch you like this. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Vivi said. She prayed it’d be true.
“You’re the best. Oh, let me grab your number—I can text you later.”
Vivi recited her phone number, then watched Ariana bound off, curls coming loose from her bun and bouncing back and forth atop her head. A few seconds later, Vivi’s phone buzzed with a new text. ARIANA RUIZ’S NUMBER! Vivi smiled as she slipped her phone into her pocket. She might have to face eating alone, but at least one friend prospect was looking up.
She took a deep breath and continued up the wide steps. The large stone building looked more like a church than a cafeteria, and when Vivi pushed open the heavy door, she found herself in an enormous space unlike any she’d seen before. Exposed wooden rafters soared across the ceiling, and twelve-foot-high windows filled the room with sunlight that glinted off the glass vase in the center of every round table. It was as if Martha Stewart had redecorated Hogwarts.
There was no line at the breakfast buffet, where Vivi gleefully filled her plate with scrambled eggs and pancakes. But when she started walking toward one of the many empty tables, she realized she’d made a terrible mistake. There was a waffle bar. What was she doing wasting her time with pancakes when there was a waffle bar? She carefully set her tray down at the bar and began to ladle waffle batter into the iron. There was a loud hiss and she jumped back in surprise as sizzling batter dripped down the sides and spilled onto the table. “Shit,” she said under her breath, unsure what do to. Was it possible to set a building on fire with batter?
“You really are a menace to public safety, aren’t you?”
Vivi’s breath caught as she turned to see the boy who’d carried her bags yesterday grinning at her. “I’m just joking,” he said. “I can tell you have everything under control, though you might want to flip that at some point. Here, allow me.” He reached out and turned the waffle iron over.
“Is this some weird hobby of yours?” Vivi managed to say, regaining some of her composure. “You sneak around campus waiting for girls to embarrass themselves so you can swoop in and be the hero?”
“The hero?” he repeated thoughtfully. “You know what? I like that. Mason Gregory, breakfast hero.” He stuck out his hand. “Saving innocent girls from the indignity of eating slightly misshapen waffles. Excuse me. Duty calls.” He reached past Vivi, opened the iron, carefully removed the golden-brown waffle, and tipped it onto her plate. “Voilà, mademoiselle.”
“Vous êtes trop gentil, monsieur.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re fancy, huh? In that case, allow me to prepare the specialty of the house, waffles à la Mason.” He began to scoop toppings onto Vivi’s waffle, first strawberries, then chocolate chips, then a swirl of whipped cream.