Page 17 of Love Legacy

I shrug. “I think so? I’ve never been to one before,” I whisper back.

“Do you know what drag is?”

“Like RuPaul’s Drag Race, right? Never watched the show, but I’ve seen commercials, so I think I’ve got the gist.”

“Good. And if you ever feel uncomfortable, let Stephanie or Theia know, and they’ll get you back to the apartment.”

“I think I’ll be okay, but thank you for looking out for me, Maeve.” She leans in, giving me a small side hug.

There’s a loud honk from the street outside the house.

“And I believe that’s our ride!” Sage declares, ushering us all out into the front yard.

I follow the crowd, heading outside to see a party bus parked on the street in front of the house.

“Surprise!”

“All this for us?”

“Y’all will quickly learn KTA is over the top in the best way possible.”

We all make our way onto the bus, taking seats on the benches along the perimeter. There was a bar set up near the front and two poles in the middle of the bus. I end up sandwiched between Sage and Raven on the bench at the end of the bus .

While the bus is still parked, Maeve rounds the bus with a platter of clear shots, passing them out to each of us. “They’re tequila shots. If you want something else or just want water, let me know.”

Once everyone’s settled with their cups, Sage raises hers. “I’d like to propose a toast. Don’t worry. This will be the only time tonight I get sappy. I’m not an emotional drunk.” She laughs. “To the Beta Nu class. Each of you women are wonderfully unique and inspiring in your own way, and we’re so lucky to have you in this organization.”

“To Beta Nu!” Raven cheers, downing her shot. We all follow suit, downing our shots. The bus pulls out, the driver blasting music over the speakers. Based on the song selection, I’d take a guess and say one of the sisters had their phones hooked up to the bus sound system.

After a couple more drinks and almost a dozen songs later, we pull up to the bar. Now, I understand why they decided we’d all take the party bus tonight. This bar was in the city, about forty-five minutes from campus. While Pinebrook University was a small school with a fairly large campus, the town it’s situated in has nothing. Usually, if you want to do anything besides going to frat parties or bowling, you have to travel a little bit.

We all head into the club, one of the doormen escorting us to the booth that the sorority had reserved. We all crowd in, and again, I end up next to Sage, this time between her and Maeve. A waitress comes by and takes our drink orders. It looks like we still managed to get to the club early because the drag queen still hasn’t started her performance yet.

“Hey, you guys should be able to leave and re-enter without having to stand in line until the end of the drag show, so if y’all are hungry, the taqueria next door is open until like four AM,” Stephanie states.

Sage shifts next to me as she takes off her blazer, laying it over the back of the booth seat. Sage’s left side is pressed close to me, her full-sleeve tattoo on display.

“I like your tattoos,” I say, leaning in close to Sage, trying to talk over the sound of the music playing.

She grins, leaning in too. “Thanks, Naomi. Can I just say again you look amazing? Like seriously, that outfit compliments you so well.”

I blush a little. “Thanks. It’s a little more exposed than I’m used to, but I needed to try something new.” I tug up on my body suit, trying to pull up the low neckline.

“I’ll keep an eye out, let you know if anything’s too exposed,” she says, nudging me with her elbow.

“Thank you.”

Our drinks arrive right as the drag show begins. I grab my Tequila Sunrise before heading over to the makeshift ‘stage,’ which was just a sectioned-off part of the dance floor. We gather around, watching the drag queen, Rachel Tension, come out and put on a show, doing her performance to a medley of Doja Cat songs.

She makes her way up to a little platform near the DJ booth, dancing along. She points to Sage and me, motioning for us to join her on the platform.

“Me? Oh no. I can’t,” I say, shaking my head.

“Come on, Naomi. It’ll be fun, let’s carpe diem this bitch!” Sage shouts, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her. We climb onto the platform as well, crowding in with Ms. Tension. The three of us dance together, Sage pressed against my back and Rachel Tension behind her.

Our sorority sisters cheer us on from the dance floor. “Go, Sage! Go, Naomi! Go, Sage! Go, Naomi!” I could feel the bass of the music pulsing through my body, and as much as I wanted to get lost in the moment, I couldn’t get out of my head.

I feel so anxious on this platform. This outfit isn’t me, clubbing isn’t me, and being up here isn’t me. My heart gradually begins racing, the blood pounding in my ears drowning out the bass of the speakers on the platform next to us. My skin begins to crawl, and suddenly, my bodysuit feels too restrictive.

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