Sorority Sisters by Tajuana Butler

walked down the stairs. Then the one with the big lips had the nerve to turn around and shake his head and smack those chapped lips at Cajen. Yuck, she thought. But she immediately blocked him out of her mind and focused her attention on Jason. She couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her, so she waited for him to speak.
    “You tracking me down, sexy lady?” he asked her.
    Cajen was made uneasy by that statement and wanted to make it clear to him that she was not spying. “No, I told you what happened,” she responded.
    “I’m just kidding. So what’s new?” he asked, flashing his irresistible smile.
    “You know I’m going to rush on Sunday. I’m excited about that.”
    “No doubt . . . no doubt,” he said, while looking around every time he heard the slightest little noise. He seemed uncomfortable.
    “I left a message,” she managed to say.
    “Oh yeah. I got it, but I’ve been tied up. You know, frat business.”
    “Yeah, I guess,” she responded.
    “Now stop tripping, sexy lady. You know I would’ve called by now if it wasn’t for that.”
    “Yeah, I know you would have.” There was something about his voice that made her feel vulnerable, but deep down Cajen suspected they were looking at their relationship through different eyes. She saw him as a potential committed boyfriend but worried that he saw her as a good time for a short time. Nevertheless, she wanted and expected more. “So when will I see you again?”
    “It’s hard to say.”
    “Oh . . .” Her heart was crushed.
    He told her how hectic the rest of his week was going to be and said if he could, he’d try to squeeze some time for her late Friday or Saturday night. Then he kissed her on the cheek and said he needed to go.
    With his reaction and his busy schedule, it was becoming evident that last Friday night had meant nothing to him.
    Cajen walked through campus to her dormitory. The campus was beautiful—there were lots of trees, and the shrubbery around the buildings was meticulously maintained. But she wasn’t aware of the beauty around her, because she was preoccupied with the encounter she’d had with Jason earlier that morning. She hoped he’d be able to squeeze some time in for her out of his busy schedule. Then she wondered if he didn’t have time for her because he was spending time with that freak the guys were talking about. Is that what he wanted, someone more experienced? Cajen had no intention of being a freak like that other girl, whatever her name was, but she did want to keep Jason. There had to be another way. Wait a minute, she thought. What’s happening to me? Have I actually allowed myself to fall for someone I can never have? What could be worse?
    In deep thought, she didn’t realize that Eric was right in front of her, showing all thirty-two of his pearly whites. He had on sweatpants and a sweatshirt with a T-shirt peeking out from underneath. He was five-eleven, attractive, intelligent, and athletic, but there was nothing about him that made her melt—at least not the way Jason did. Still, she did like Eric; he had a wonderful personality.
    “Hey beautiful!” he said. “Can I walk you to your dorm?”
    “Well, I have some things I have to do; I have to finish my letter of intent.”
    “That’s right, rush is this weekend. Well, I’m on my way to the gym, and I don’t have to come up. I’ll just walk you to the entrance. That’s if you don’t mind.” Eric was always polite and considerate.
    “Okay, it’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
    “It’s not my fault that we haven’t talked in the past couple of weeks. I’m beginning to think that we’re not friends anymore.”
    “Now, Eric, you know that we’ll always be friends.”
    “I hope so, Cajen, because you mean a lot to me.”
    Cajen was surprised to hear that from Eric. She knew he cared, but she wasn’t expecting him to say so. “Well, you mean a lot to me too, Eric, and I’m glad we’re friends.” Eric stared at her and