Page 3 of The Night We Met

Her face drops when she hears that. “Oh really. What’s your mom’s name?”

Not even a minute into this tense conversation and I’m already over her. I cheat a glance over at Liam to see he’s very invested in this exchange. His family wasn’t into Greek life so for him, this is all foreign. “Elizabeth Rawlins. Thomas is her maiden name.”

One of the reasons I decided to go far away from home was that everyone knows of my family. And when I say everyone, I-Mean-Everyone. My family is kind of a sorority and fraternity legend.

Both my mom and dad had family members who were part of the founding chapters that they were in. When my mom and dad met in college, it was like Greek royalty.Apparently, PhilU has a wall dedicated just to them for helping start the chapters. They didn’t go to PhilU, but once they found out that my family lived so close, those in Greek Life found it a no-brainer to dedicate a little piece of the wall to them. Weird I know, but I guess they wanted them memorialized.

And that’s a big reason why I didn’t go there. The comparisons and unrealistic expectations would be endless because apparently no matter what university you go to, in Greek life, the Thomas and Rawlins names carry a lot of weight. I try not to make too much of a big deal about it. I can’t help who my parents are. I love them both to death.

Okay, okay. I’m not exactly a shoo-in for Kappa Beta. Just because my mom and her mom, along with the majority of the women in my family rushed Kappa Beta, doesn’t mean that I have to. But KB is a really good organization to be a part of. What they stand for, how they get involved in the community, and also the opportunities that open up for you. PhilU didn’t have KB and some of the other universities that I looked at had KB but didn’t have the major that I wanted. CSU had both of them. And I also had a couple of backup options if the organization turned out not to be a good fit for me.

“Then I have no doubt you’ll fit right in with everyone.” Allie says with undisguised venom in her voice.

I turn back to face Liam who’s looking at our exchange with wide eyes. He’s as shocked as I am. “We’re definitely not in Philly anymore, Kam.”

“No kidding. So much for Southern hospitality,” I say loud enough that hopefully Allie can hear. The rest of the table snickers when I say that.

After we all finish eating, we’re justhanging out when my phone beeps with a text from my sister about this boxing class that she’s interested in. I encourage her to go for it.

“What are you smiling about?” Liam asks me.

“Jax. She’s thinking about signing up for a boxing class.” I say with a proud smile on my face.

“Taking after her big sis, huh?”

“You could say that.” My sister may not like living in my shadow, but she was always interested in the hobbies I managed to pick up.

“You box, Kamryn?” one of Liam’s teammates, Brandon, asks me.

I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “Kind of. Not competitively though. Liam and I would play around and we found it a good way for me to let off steam. It’s also a really good workout.”

“Like your life is so hard,” Allie piques up.

“Allie,” Chance hisses. I’m not sure how serious their relationship is but I can tell he has his hands full.

“I could use you as a punching bag if you don’t think I have enough pent-up anger. I could really use a release right about now.” I say as I fantasize punching her in the face over and over again. So much for making any new girlfriends.

“I don’t hang out with your type.”

“And what type would that be? A guy's girl? A tomboy? Please, spell it out for me.” My lack of patience is threatening to boil over.

“I don’t hang out with lesbians.” She says matter-of-factly.

A collection of shocked gasps erupts from the table.

“What the fuck Allie?” Is what I think I hear her boyfriend say. I feel like I’m underwater. I can’t hearanything. But I can see her sitting at the end of the table with a smile fit for a villain.

I always find it easy to separate the idiots. My love for the LGBTQ+ community is immense. So anyone assuming that I can’t be friends with a guy and automatically be part of that community had to have been raised that way.

“What did you just say?” I spit out as a red haze covers my body.

“You heard me. Because there's no way a girl like you can be friends with a guy like Liam and not do anything about it.”

“So because I haven’t pounced on my best friend that makes me a lesbian?”

“I dare you to kiss, Liam.” Allie challenges.

Shaking my head, I reply to her retort. “I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Least of all you.”

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