Erica Versus The House

SS35: "Erica Versus The House"

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A bit of this story is my salute and love letter to (later) '80s pop culture. Hope you like it. That being said, as to the sex parts—

This was tricky to categorize. I labeled it under Non-Con, because it's the most fitting and accurate for this story. I was going to label it Lesbian Sex, because that's what's technically going on at the end, but the girls involved aren't exactly gay. The title character is 100% straight, and the others are mostly bisexual. Perhaps it should have been BDSM instead, but that didn't seem exactly appropriate either. I'll tell you this much if you care to know—***SPOILER ALERT***

Before the real girl-on-girl stuff, the main character, Erica, enjoys a very heterosexual masturbation scene (hence, the "hunk" list two-thirds of the way through). So if you are more interested in the Sapphic-like parts of the story, you may wish to skip around that. If you yourself are bisexual, Dear Reader, you'll probably be okay with reading all of it. Thanx.

***

October 3rd, 8:30 a.m.

It was the blustery autumn of 1988 in midwestern America. George H.W. Bush was beating the metaphorical pants off Michael Dukakis in the presidential race, preceded by Ronald Reagan at the spry, youthful age of 77. Compact discs had won the music medium war against vinyl LPs and audio cassettes, and Michael Jackson and Madonna were dominating the pop world. Japan's Nintendo—along with an Italian plumber—held the global youth's video gaming future in the palm of its hand. Computers and word processors were on the rise, but DVDs, Smartphones, iPads and the world-wide web were not yet even glints in the eyes of the technology giants. And the prestigious Denmore Academy proudly boasted its 37th year of scholastic servitude.

For a great wealth of students and folks on the edge of their 20s, college was an incredible time of life—an era in which legions of young adults departed their teens and the comfortable, safe bosoms of their childhood homes. They stood on the brink of the next phase of life, mustering the courage to take the reins and guide their futures on their own. The next frontier.

Denmore's motto was "Students First...And We Mean FIRST." As the students were after all the fuel that drove any academic establishment, an extra effort was made to reach out to this body of youth, appeal to them and ease their entry into its daunting doors. It watched over the future welfare of thousands of kids—and adults—every semester, offering them fantastic scholastic opportunities. Accepted alumni were encouraged to take matters into their own hands, make something of themselves, and hopefully turn their dreams into a reality one day. Denmore educated with inspiration, as well as facts and knowledge.

A typical, outstanding staple of such a prominent university was its local chapters of Greek life. The bonds shared within the organizations of fraternal and sororal solidarity and the durability thereof rivaled those of a familial blood-related siblinghood. Each house strove for greater strength of cohesive unity than the next. Sigma Delta Psi was one such house.

The sorority of Sigma Delta Psi was built on a foundation of these elements from day one. The house had obtained and retained its status and reputation as one of the finest on campus through a strict regimen of hard work, studiousness, strong sociability and current, congruently fast adhesion to the values and principles with which it was founded. The population inside the Sigma Delta Psi house was relatively small in comparison to that of some of its sibling houses, and with good reason. It was made clear to rushes upon arrival that chances of being accepted were already slim, and only a handful of the most competent and promising girls would even be considered for inclusion. Of course, first the sisters needed to test their mettle to determine if they merited this honor. And so they were to administer something of an...initiation.

In the old days several years ago, the sisters of Sigma Delta Psi would branch out to all reaches of campus passing out flyers, carrying word of mouth and encouraging girls to rush who could contribute to their already impressive reputation. Now, they barely even needed to do so much as this anymore. They maintained a steadily potent overall grade point average, did volunteer work and raised money for charitable organizations, balancing their get-togethers with just the right mixture of style, class and semi-formality, with something substantial to offer anyone and everyone. Throughout its existence, from inception to present day—while calling them "royalty" was a bit of a stretch—it seemed this sorority was sitting pretty as the big house on campus.

One of the house's secrets of success was its rigorous program through which pledges were put prior to acceptance. The cut called for hard work, resilience and serious devotion to the sisterhood to be made. Such strength required tough material, and the sisters and house mother, Miss Cortlin, had become pretty adept at sniffing out weakness in an applicant.

The initiation did not go easy on weakness. The sisters could not afford to if they wished to hold on to their reputation. When a girl was officially accepted and welcomed onboard, she was treated regally, just like a real sister with a strong bond should be, and asked merely to reciprocate this respect. But the pledges trying to prove themselves were something of a different story.

Inclusion into the Sigma Delta Psi family guaranteed a bright future—so bright, in fact, one had to wear shades—consisting of a bevy of close friends who would stand by the side of the accepted through thick and thin, multitudes of chances to meet people, network, schmooze and make connections, advance scholastically and take one large step towards the achievement of lifelong hopes and dreams. It was the sort of opportunity most college girls would kill for. And so to even have such a prize up for grabs, pledges certainly needed to thoroughly demonstrate and display their worth.

Erica Hillary Smith was recently enrolled, 19 years old and eager to please. She had royally hated high school, but only because the feeling was mutual first. But now she was excited to make a new start. She was so glad to have graduated and left behind the adolescent immaturity, bullying, teasing and other sophomoric behavior exhibited by her classmates. She had not only left her high school experience behind, but her childhood home of Montgomery, Alabama, as well. She and her family had moved here when she was 14. It was quite an adjustment, but she was up to it.

Though they tried to keep this hush-hush, she'd been accepted to Denmore partially through a nepotistic set of circumstances. Her grades and SATs reflected the marks of a fine student, but what also helped cinch this leg of her education was the presence of her mother, Florence, who worked for the university as an administrator, and had been on the brink of a promotion for some time. Erica had been fortunate enough to make a few friends with varying degrees of loyalty, but most had separated, moved away or begun attending different schools. Along with making a fresh start, she also had to take a step on the first rung of the new communal ladder. She wanted to perform well academically, but she also really wanted a more productive social life. And so in and around her opening classes and orientations, she read the school newspaper and student newsletters for research.

It did not take long for word of Sigma Delta Psi to be brought to her attention. Erica may not have known a lot about sororities, but from what she learned about SDP, it sounded like her ticket to a great college life. If she were to be accepted, of course. Well, she could certainly pledge, if bid to do so, she thought. It couldn't do any harm to simply try.

And how hard could it possibly be?

After making a few well-placed inquiries, she was provided with directions to the Sigma Delta Psi house and a flyer. It requested those interested in rushing please meet in the house lobby Monday mornings for appointments starting at 8:30. No formal invitation necessary. And so on October 3rd, Erica mustered her courage and paid her visit. She was pointed to the sizable lobby and wandered in, silently but cordially greeted by the presence of about a dozen other young, hopeful girls.

Someone asked her to sign in and fill out a stick-on nametag. She obliged and found an empty seat.

"Excuse me kindly, may I please sit here?"

The girl beside the vacant chair—whose tag informed Erica that her name was Tabitha—gave a quick nod, intently going over some papers she had organized in a folder. She seemed somewhat frazzled. Erica wasn't sure if she should have brought some sort of papers herself, but she didn't worry too much. She fluffed out her dress and sat with Tabitha.

After another short while, Tabitha seemed to calm down. She exhaled and closed her folder.

"So," she said, turning to Erica, "Is this, like, your first time rushing a sorority?"

"Yes! Yes, it is...I'm a little nervous, I...guess...although I don't really know why." She shrugged with a chuckle. "Is it yours?"

"I've tried a few. 'S hard to find one that's, like, a good fit for me. Some of 'em don't really challenge me enough, some of 'em are too challenging. But y'know, that's a good thing too, 'cause you learn a lot. Like, one thing you should always totally do is be yourself. If you're, like, bogus and phony, they can smell that a mile away. And they really like it if you're mondo expressive and ask 'em lots of stuff. They're definitely more inclined to like you if you're interested and wanna know about them. Oh, and one thing you never wanna do is, like, go totally cliché. Trust me, the last thing they want is to give off the impression that they're all stupid identical bimbos. Like, you show up looking like a Deb from the '50s talking about nothing but cute dudes and parties and stuff, you might as well just put a sign on your back says, 'Do us all a favor and, like, kick me right the hell outta here.'"

Erica was impressed. "Wow, you dang sure know a lot about this."

"Yeah, well, it's important to me," Tabitha confided. "See, I, like, grew up with four brothers, no sisters, and I always kinda wanted one. Greeks may not be blood sisters, but they make you feel like it. And I've been out with a lot of pretty guys, but haven't had that many girl pals. Sophomore, but first year here. Just transferred. Haven't made any buddies at Denmore yet."

"Well, you, like, have now," smiled Erica, holding out her hand. "Erica Smith, Montgomery, Alabama. Only child."

The smile and handshake were returned. "Tabby Weeks, Boston, Mass. Wicked awesome to meet'cha, E."

"Feelin''s ditto, T."

They chatted a bit longer, until Tabitha's name was called for her meeting. She stood and gave Erica a chuck on the chin.

"Wish me luck, chica!" she grinned. Erica watched as her new friend joined hands with the sisters and they led her into the adjacent room. Not sure what to do to pass the time now, she gave another look around at the other girls. Most of them were also studying documents and materials not unlike that which Tabitha was doing when Erica entered. Another sitting idle a few seats away was also simply looking about. Eventually, their eyes met and they exchanged small smiles and waves.

There was another empty seat beside this girl. Now feeling more confident in her ability to make friends, Erica popped up and introduced herself. "Hi! Erica, from Montgomery. Mind if I join you?"

This lass seemed charmed Erica had approached her first. "Please!" she welcomed. She spoke with a slight Valley twang, to complement Erica's Alabama drawl. "Arlene Fiorello. 21, California, bisexual Scorpio. Half-Italian, half-Polish. How do ya do?"

Arlene was a true and devoted Madonna wannabe. Her hair was bleached platinum blonde with a black velvet ribbon right on top. She was wearing a white lace dress, fingerless gloves and about a hundred thin bracelets on her wrists.

"Very good, thanks, and lovely to meet'cha!" said Erica, sitting. So far, she was really liking how friendly everyone seemed to be. "Gosh, y'know, I wish I'd thought ahead and brought a book or somethin'. I didn't know we'd be waitin' in here this long."

"Oh, for sure! Like, tell me about it!" agreed Arlene, who'd been waiting yet longer than Erica. "Or—y'know what? Y'know what they really oughtta have? They oughtta have, like, a little handheld video game...thing. Like, a little miniature Nintendo."

"Oh, good call!" said Erica. "What do you think they should name it?"

"Well, don't ask me how I came up with this, but for some weird reason, the name 'Game Girl' keeps popping into my head," chuckled Arlene. "Bizarro, right? Or...'Game Boy,' I guess, if you're a dude. Ah, but never mind. It'll probably never catch on."

Arlene was a bit daft, but very sweet. The two of them went on making semi-small talk till Tabitha emerged, now with an additional handful of informational materials the sisters had given her. She located Erica sitting and chit-chatting with Arlene.

"E.!" said Tabitha, in her controlled indoor but excited voice. "It went wicked good! I think I got a real shot to get bid!"

"Wow! Like, awesome job, T.!" congratulated Erica, holding up her palm for a high five.

"Thanks! I gotta, like, get to class now, but maybe I'll see you at one of the parties!" Tabitha waved and scurried off.

Arlene was called in soon after. Erica was again idle and on her own. Everyone left in the room except she was now occupied by their folders of documents and preparations for their initial interviews. She absentmindedly drummed on her thighs for a few moments, looking around, before having a thought of what to do now.

"Um, excuse me," she called, just loud enough. "Excuse me, y'all. Uh, hi. I, um...does anyone have a pen and a piece of paper?"

A blonde girl in a turquoise dress and a flower in her hair unsnapped her binder and removed an empty sheet of looseleaf. "Here you go," she said. "There's a bunch of pens in the cup by the sign-in sheet over there."

"Ah, so there is. Thanks so much!" Erica went for one, sneaking a peek at the sign-in list. Arlene's was a few names above hers. She had a little bit of time to think of things to jot down.

She'd gotten a little more than halfway down one side of the sheet when her name was called.

"Erica Smith?"

"Oh, yes! Here!" she raised her hand, standing a bit too excitedly. She followed the girl who'd called her into the other room. Her greeter rejoined the several sisters behind the large desk in front of which she asked Erica to sit. She gestured to each of the sisters, starting with the closest to her. "My name is Jacqueline Newberry, and this is Carole Preston, Gretchen Peterson, Lena Andersson, Sally Morton and Nancy Davis." Erica smiled and nodded politely at each of them.

"Well, it's very lovely to meet y'all!" Erica proclaimed in a proud, upbeat tone. "I'm Erica Hillary Smith."

"Well, welcome to the Sigma Delta Psi sorority house," said the girl beside Jacqueline, whose nametag reminded her that she was Carole. "Have you filled out an applicant form?"

Oops...crap. Strike one right off the bat. "Oh, gosh, no, I'm so sorry, I didn't. I-I must not have seen 'em," Erica admitted.

"Oh, that's all right," Carole responded automatically, waving it off. "We can just take down the info here." She took a clean form and scribbled Erica's name at the top. "Date of birth, please?"

"Five, sixteen, sixty-nine," said Erica.

"Year?"

"Freshman."

"All right...contact info: home address?"

"707 Yellowjacket Lane, Green Plains."

"'Kay, aaaand...phone number?"

"555-1187."

"Tee-rific. And, do you know your grade point average so far?"

"Hmm...um, I'm not honestly sure. I was just enrolled a couple months ago," Erica said, a bit uncertain of herself. "But, I promise you I am a very diligent student. When I graduated high school I had a 3.62."

"Okay, well, we certainly appreciate your quick initiative and interest in our house," Carole told her. "And that is a fantastic high school performance indeed. Did you take your SATs?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am," she nodded eagerly. "680 math, 624 verbal."

The sisters were visibly impressed. "Excellent," commented Carole. "Are you employed?"

"...Not yet," Erica said. "But I'm a full-time student, majorin' in business and minorin' in social and cultural studies. I'm plannin' to work hard towards as a career as a chief executive officer one day."

The sisters nodded. "Wonderful," commented Carole. "You answered the next couple of questions on the form as well. And, can you tell us a bit about what your parents do for a living?"

"Well, my father is a district attorney," answered Erica, trying to sound modest, "And my mother is...a county administrator."

When she got to what her mother did, Erica opted to leave out that she worked at this very university, not wanting this to influence the sisters one way or the other, but she made sure not to pause for so long they would think she was making it up.

The sisters' facial expressions again indicated approval. "Also excellent," Carole went on. "And are you or do you plan to be involved in any extracurricular activities or supplementary vocational programs in addition to your studies here at Denmore?"

"Well..." Erica thought. "...I was on the swim team in high school, and that was fun, so I think I'd like to do that...and I would definitely like to look into more clubs. I really wanna meet lots of new people. I'm not sure about vocational programs, though."

"Okay, good. Well, I'm sure we at Sigma Delta Psi could help you find something that gels well with you. And should you be bid to pledge, you'll definitely meet lots of young women." She put down the pen. "Well, that's all the questions on the form, and so far, I'm liking what I'm seeing, Erica," Carole smiled. "Is there anything else you feel you could contribute to our sorority?"

"Well, um...I can cook. I love makin' pies and biscuits, so I can keep your tummies happy," said Erica. "Oh, I like to sew too."

"Well, I think those are a couple of skills that may come in handy here," replied Carole. "Do you have any questions for us?"

Erica'd decided to write down queries that came to mind in the lobby beforehand so she could follow Tabitha's advice.

"Yes! Yes, I do," she replied, unfolding the sheet of looseleaf she'd borrowed. "Uh...could you please tell me a bit about the history of Sigma Delta Psi?"

Her new pal Tabby had been right on the money. They greatly appreciated her curiosity and, per Erica's questions for them, took turns gladly elaborating on their history, the tenets on which they stood and prided themselves, what pledging entailed, what they could offer her as far as education, companionship, housing, scholastic and career opportunities and so forth. As they went on Erica grew more and more enthused. She hadn't been paying attention to how long the appointments were before hers while she was in the lobby, but even so, she hoped she wasn't taking up too much of their time.

The truth was, by this point Erica was all but praying for a foot in the door of the SDP house. She tried her absolute best not to let her hopes get too high, or anticipate being heartbroken if they ultimately didn't invite her, but she couldn't help becoming excited about how well things appeared to be going at this early stage. Still, she tried not to seem too eager.

"So, Erica," said the sister called Nancy, folding her hands on the desk, "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

Erica refolded her sheet of looseleaf with a smile. "I reckon that's all the questions I was able to come up with."