Yuzu was breathing heavily by the time she hauled her giant suitcase up the flight of stairs to the third floor of her new sorority house.

Well, the sorority house was new to her, but not the sorority.

Yuzu had already become a fully-fledged member of Chi Theta Sigma during her time at UCLA. When she found out that there was a chapter of her sorority in the university she was transferring to, it instantly made leaving California for this Midwestern state a little bit more appealing.

So she contacted the sorority chapter in the school she was transferring to, and was overjoyed when they told her that they would take her. Not all sororities would do that – accept transfers from other chapters without having to go through the pledging process like any other initiate. And so Yuzu happily paid the first month's membership dues and housing deposit, and she was on her way to start her new life as a new student in her new university but living with the sisters of her beloved sorority!

Reaching the end of the hallway, Yuzu stopped in front of Room 7. Twisting the knob, she pushed the door open to her new bedroom.

Mei Aihara, the sorority president, was standing in front of a dresser placing clothes into the top drawer. Yuzu instantly recognized the young woman from her photo in the sorority's website.

"Uh, you're not Madison," fell out of Yuzu's mouth before she could stop the words.

Mei turned her head and looked Yuzu up and down for a long moment before she replied with a curt, "Obviously."

She returned to putting away her clothes and didn't say anything more.

Yuzu worried her lip, her thoughts churning. What the hell? She and Madison were assigned to be roommates a few weeks ago, and they had texted a bit on Facebook messenger. The sophomore seemed like a really nice girl and had been eager to show Yuzu around the school. Why was the sorority president here in her room? And why was she kinda…cold?

"Am I supposed to be in a different room?" Yuzu asked, hating the way that her voice came out so timidly.

Yuzu saw Mei's chest rise and fall, like she hated what she was about to say next.

"No, this is your room," Mei said, with an edge in her tone that sent a chill down Yuzu's spine.

Her beautiful face pinching into an expression of distaste, she continued, "Madison decided at the last minute that she was going to live with her boyfriend. And Emily, who's been my roommate for the last two years, is doing a semester abroad in Spain. Kayla and Blaire really wanted to be in the same room, so they got my old room. So…the two of us are going to be roommates."

"Oh." Apprehension tickled Yuzu's stomach. She may not be a genius, but she could tell that Mei didn't like her. Recovering quickly, she chirped, "Cool!"

With more cheerfulness than was probably necessary, she barreled on, "I'm sure we'll get along great. I'm an awesome roommate! Just ask Chloe. Chloe, she was my roommate back in UCLA. We were in the same pledge class, and we really bonded during initiation, and then we became roomies and we did everything together! We designed the shirt for our pledge class and it turned out awesome, and gosh I'll really miss her. She was the best sister in the whole sorority to me, but I know you and I will be just as good as friends…!"

The look on Mei's face cut off Yuzu's rambling. Mei was looking at her like she was something vile on the bottom of her shoe. Yuzu swallowed.

"Yuzu, right?" Mei asked airily, but it sounded like she was saying a complete and utter idiot. "The transfer from the UCLA chapter. You were on the cheer squad for the last two years. Majoring in Earth and Environmental Science with a Japanese minor."

"Yeah! And you're Mei Aihara. I've seen your photos on the website, and the Facebook group, and Madison has told me all about you. Nice to meet you, Mei!"

Yuzu bounced over to where Mei was standing, feeling compelled to initiate some kind of contact with the woman that was going to be her roommate for at least one whole academic year. And more importantly, the president of her new sorority chapter. This was her new sister.

She moved in like she was coming in for a hug, but Mei's death glare made it clear that she shouldn't unless she wanted her arms burned off. She tried to transition into a handshake instead, but the furrow in Mei's brow also made it clear that that gesture was also unwelcome, so the flustered blonde was left awkwardly dangling her arms at her side.

Yuzu felt like she was two feet tall. What was Mei's problem? Was she this bitchy to all the girls in the sorority or just to her? Was she actually against members transferring from other chapters?

And now that Yuzu was standing closer to Mei, she could more acutely feel Mei's glare. The sorority president raked her eyes down Yuzu's front, unashamedly staring at the exposed cleavage from her low-cut crop top, then to her short shorts, to her strappy wedge sandals. Her disapproving gaze burned into Yuzu with the intensity of a brand new tanning bed.

Yuzu knew for a fact that she looked hot as fuck right now. She had turned many a head at the airport. Her long blond hair was curled in soft waves. The 3.5-inch heels made her legs look fabulous, and her make up was on point. So why was Mei Aihara looking at her like she was vomit in the living room carpet after a party?

One thing was for sure. Mei Aihara did not approve of her.

"Loathing" was probably too strong a word to describe how Mei felt about her new roommate. About her new sister. But honestly? It was close. Definitely in the same general vicinity.

It was bad enough that Emily was gone and she had to room with someone else. Emily, now she was the perfect roommate. She was also the perfect Chi, in Mei's opinion. A girl after her own heart. Emily had a 4.0 average, like her. Emily spent most of her nights studying and rarely partied. She was on the shy side, but she was responsible and a hard worker.

The moment Yuzu walked into the room, Mei knew that she was the complete opposite of Emily.

She didn't want to judge a book by its cover. But this cover…was currently very revealing. One, Emily didn't own a single shirt that was as tight and form-fitting as the one Yuzu had on. The blonde wore a hunter green sleeveless crop top that had a split in the middle of the already low neckline. Mei found it hard to tear her eyes away from the rise of her cleavage that was peeking out over her top. It was scandalous at how much skin this girl was showing.

Two, those denim shorts. When her Yuzu turned around and walked to her suitcase, Mei could clearly see those shorts hugging the curve of her ass. The girl had a perfect bubble butt. And these shorts look painted on. In contrast, Emily wore a lot of plaid pencil skirts with dark tights underneath.

Three, that gorgeous blond hair. Cascading down her back like a goddamn gold waterfall and framing her face like a Hollywood starlet about to do a photoshoot for the cover of Vanity Fair. Most days Emily simply twisted her shoulder length hair into a messy bun on top of her head, and it took about a minute and half to do. God only knows how many hours it took for Yuzu to get her hair to look like a Pantene commercial.

Frowning at the open drawer of her dresser, Mei had a sinking feeling that she and this Yuzu were going to clash. Just by the looks of her, this young woman clearly had a different lifestyle and different priorities than her. Mei was in college to get a business degree so she would be well-prepared to inherit her family's company. She was in this sorority for the connections and the doors that would be open to her once she graduated.

Mei intended to graduate summa cum laude with an impressive extracurricular record for leadership, organization, and community service. And of course, for being the president of a top sorority.

What she didn't need, or want, was a blonde California Barbie for a roommate who probably only cared about fashion and boys and getting wasted at parties.

Ugh. Mei gritted her teeth, shooting another dirty look at the blonde who was starting to unpack her suitcase. She made up her mind. She wasn't going to let her new sister ruin her college aspirations. Mei would just have to show Yuzu who was boss (her, naturally) in their room, and in this house. That would keep her in line.

"Harumi, Mei absolutely hates me."

Yuzu sounded so pitiful and full of frustration that Harumi had to bite back a laugh. It was kind of true though. It was pretty clear that Mei wasn't being very… sisterly to Yuzu. Mei wasn't really the warm, touchy-feely type, but still, she was usually pleasant and agreeable enough. But Harumi had seen their interactions with her own eyes, and Mei was pretty cold towards the blonde.

Harumi bumped her shoulder against her new sister as they straightened out the flyers and decorations on their table at the Pan-Hellenic information fair. "Don't sweat it too much, Yuzu. Mei can be…a little standoffish at first, but I think she'll warm up to you eventually. You just have to be yourself, and what you are, is pretty awesome."

Unlike the president, Harumi liked the new transfer right away, becoming fast friends after they met at the sorority house.

"Thanks, babe." Yuzu turned her head towards Harumi and gave her friend a small, sad smile. "I'm glad someone thinks so. Because rooming with Mei makes me feel like I'm always doing something wrong, you know? It's like anytime I'm in the room she's either completely ignoring me or glaring at me."

Yuzu sighed deeply, loud enough to make Mei, who was talking to some freshmen a few feet away, turn around and look over to them. The president gave them a curious glance, which morphed into a much sharper look, when her eyes landed on Harumi. She could have sworn that Mei narrowed her eyes when she looked at her.

"Why she gotta be such a bitch to me?" Yuzu hissed in a low voice as she plopped down on the folding chair behind their sorority's table. "Isn't she like, required to be nice to every sister because she's the president? Is this some sort of backdoor initiation because I transferred from another chapter? Am I being hazed?"

Harumi's eyes widened. "Oh my god girl, no," she whispered fiercely. "Maybe she's just really stressed or something? She's in her senior year, she maintains a 4.0 GPA, she's in the Honors College, she's on the Pan-hellenic council… girl has a lot on her plate. Just cut her some slack, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yuzu grumbled. "I'll keep trying to kill her with kindness for now."

Mei whipped around in her swivel chair to face Yuzu who was lying in bed.

"Yuzu," she snapped. "Put on some earphones if you're going to be listening to your music. I'm studying here. And I really don't want to hear Ariana Grande on repeat. I don't even understand how you can call that music. Seriously, that stuff rots your brain."

Yuzu rolled her eyes before turning her head to look at her roommate. She was tired of being nice. She had tried to be super nice to Mei for weeks. But the woman was intent in disliking her, it seemed. It was getting on her nerves, honestly. And now she had to throw shade at Ari. The nerve.

"Well sorry if my taste in pop princess offends you, Mei. What kind of music should I listen to so that it'll make me smarter? What will turn me into a genius like you?"

Mei responded with a huff of annoyance, refusing to be baited. Before she swiveled back to face her desk, her eyes raked over Yuzu's body during the few seconds that the blonde turned her head away to reach for her headphones on the bedside table. The blonde was lying on her back in her usual sleep attire— a cream-colored satin camisole with matching pajama shorts. The furtive sweep of Mei's gaze got snagged on Yuzu's nipples poking through her cami.

Seeing the hard peaks on top of her the blonde's generous chest made her teeth ache. She clenched her jaw and went back to studying for her accounting exam.

"So I had this really weird dream about Mei."

"Oh?" Harumi didn't slow her peddling on the stationary bike or tear her eyes away from her Instagram. "What happened in your dream?"

Yuzu giggled. "I dreamt that we got married. And we even wore identical wedding dresses."

"What? You mean wore the same exact dress?"

"Yup."

Chuckling, Harumi turned to look at Yuzu who was on the stationary bike beside her. Yuzu was covered in sweat, having cranked the resistance to high. Amusement twinkled in her eyes and she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Was I there? In your wedding?"

"Of course. You were my maid of honor."

"Sweet," Harumi said, absolutely tickled by the idea of Yuzu and Mei getting married. The likelihood of them ending up together was so improbable that even talking about it out loud was comical.

"So is this dream trying to tell you that you and Mei want to kill each other is because you're secretly in love with each other and you just want to bang?"

Yuzu tilted her head back and laughed, but still not slowing her punishing pace on the bike. Her quad muscles strained at the effort.

"I mean," she replied, a lopsided grin pulling on one side of her mouth. "Mei Aihara is like the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. And she is so my type."

It was downright annoying, how Yuzu was actually great at being a sorority girl.

Mei tried not to frown as she grudgingly accepted this fact while she watched her roommate tutor an elementary school kid with a shock of bright auburn hair. The boy was enthusiastically nodding while tracking Yuzu's finger running across the worksheets they were working on. When they completed the page, Yuzu gave a quiet little cheer (they were in the library after all) and the two high-fived. The way the boy beamed at the blonde spoke volumes about how he felt about his tutor.

Watching the pair from across the tables set aside for the after-school program at the city library, Mei was amazed at how easily the blonde was interacting with the elementary school boy. Their sorority had been volunteering at the library for a couple of years now, and this particular kid was considered a difficult case ever since he started coming to the tutoring program. He was incredibly hyper and fought with his tutors about finishing his homework, and Natasha, who was the Community Service Chair, had to rotate all the sisters to be his tutor because no one could stand to work with him on a permanent basis.

But here Yuzu was, getting the kid to do his homework with no fuss and even managed to look like they were having fun.

Yuzu may look like the stereotypical sorority girl—too gorgeous and put together for a Tuesday afternoon in a musty city library— but it was clear that she was good with kids. Good at teaching kids. She was patient, kind, and knew how to make things fun.

The hour and a half was over and everyone at the tables began to gather up their things. Before he left, the boy gave Yuzu another 100-megawatt smile and even looked like he wanted to give her a hug.

Mei would never admit it even under oath, but she found herself with the same urge sometimes.

Harumi rubbed her hands to generate some heat as she waited at the stand selling hot beverages.

It was a particularly cold autumn night for the annual Glass Lake Jump. Each year, on the eve of the football match against their biggest rival team, dozens of students jump into the frigid waters of Glass Lake amidst hundreds of spectators cheering them on.

Lake was a misnomer, because it was really just a large manmade pond near the main library. This activity was technically illegal, but it was one of the biggest student traditions in their school, going on for more than fifty years, since the beginning of their football rivalry.

The sisters of Chi Theta Sigma were expressly prohibited by their president from actively participating in the tradition, but they were all here to watch and cheer the brave and foolhardy souls who were jumping into Glass Lake.

Clutching two paper cups of hot apple cider in her hands, Harumi pushed through a throng of people before she was able to reach her sisters gathered near a lamp post. Her eyes swept the group for Yuzu, wanting to give her the hot drink which was burning her hand.

Harumi spotted Yuzu, then noticed the guy beside her. He was hard to miss with his height and broad shoulders. He was grinning broadly at Yuzu, deep dimples puncturing his chubby cheeks. He looked like a huge, cuddly teddy bear. What an adorable cutie.

A sour ball of utter disdain curdled in Mei's stomach as she regarded the fuckboy talking to Yuzu.

That backwards baseball cap and letter jacket made him look like every dudebro in this damn school. The way he puffed his chest out to bring attention to his pecs disgusted Mei.

But seeing Yuzu stare at the fuckboy's chest made Mei's chest burn.

God, she hated these things. She just wanted this stupid event to be over so she could go back to the house and study. She had better things to do with her night than watch these two idiots flirt with each other.

Just, ugh.

"So is this your first semester here? I've never seen you around campus before," the tall cutie asked Yuzu. He continued with a genuine smile and a shy tilt of his head, "And I'm pretty sure I would have noticed someone like you."

Harumi, who was standing in front of the two, saw Mei Aihara's mouth twist and eyes roll at the pretty boy's line.

Interesting.

Shifting her weight on one leg, Harumi casually turned her body so that Mei was fully in her line of sight. She had an uncanny sense about these things, and she wanted to see if one of the weird things that she's been noticing lately would happen again.

"Yeah, this is my first semester. I transferred from UCLA," Yuzu replied, an easy smile sliding up her face and reaching her eyes.

Harumi's eyes snapped from Yuzu and the dude to Mei and back again to Yuzu. Mei was standing a little off to the side of the couple, watching the undergrads jump into Glass Lake, but it was clear that she was listening to their conversation. Her face looked like it was carved from stone, but a vein was throbbing on her forehead.

"Oh sweet. What part of California are you from?"

"Orange County."

He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked slightly back and forth on his feet, like he was a huge tree swaying in the wind, pulled by some gravitational force towards Yuzu.

"That's pretty different from these parts, huh? You ever feel homesick?" He dropped his voice a whole octave lower to say, "Lonely?"

And what happened next was what Harumi had been watching out for. A move that Harumi called Yuzu's Flip and Smolder.

"Well," Yuzu drew out the syllable in a purr, at the same time tilting her head back to expose the pale column of her throat. Almost as if the sound was her cue, Mei's eyes snapped towards Yuzu, greedily taking in the exposed lines of the blonde's neck.

Harumi observed Yuzu transition smoothly into the next move: slip her right hand to the back of her head, then flip her hair to the front, her fingers slowly dragging through golden strands before she let them fall like a silk curtain, draped over her shoulder. Mei's eyes tracked the movement like a starving lion watches a gazelle prance around in front of it.

"I guess it can be a little lonely sometimes, being in a new school." Yuzu tilted her head down and lowered her dark eyelashes, the light from the lamppost making the expertly applied purple eyeshadow shimmer. Yuzu really knew her angles.

Harumi watched in muted fascination as Yuzu delivered the coup de grace. With the tips of her fingers, she brushed some strands away from her forehead. Peering up through her lashes she said, "But I'm hoping that some people will warm up to me."

Tall Dude looked like he was going to pop a boner right there and then, but what he didn't catch was Yuzu locking her gaze with Mei in a super intense stare that they held for several long seconds.

Harumi bit her lip to prevent it from curling into a snicker as she watched Mei Aihara look more flustered than she had ever seen her. The sorority president looked like she was going to overheat.

Harumi filed away another instance of the Flip and Smolder. All the other times she saw Yuzu execute the move was when Mei Aihara was standing beside her.

This was going to be a very interesting year.

Author's Notes:

I'm back on my bullshit with another Citrus AU. I've had this idea in my mind for a long time, and I finally had to write it to get it out of my head. I love the premise of Yuzu and Mei being in a sorority because it checks off some of my favorite fanfic tropes for Citrus:

1. my god, they were roommates

2. Pseudo sisters

3. Enemies to lovers

4. possibility for Jealous Mei

And honestly, I really wanted to write Yuzu and Mei as adults, and I was getting kinda exhausted writing about a Japanese high school. I have never attended high school in Japan or even lived there. I have, however, attended/worked at three different universities in the Big10. I don't name the university that this story is set in, but just imagine a large, top-tier public university in the American Midwest where football is king. Oh, and I totally made up the name of the sorority, basically I pulled the Greek letters for the abbreviation of Citrus – CTS: Chi Theta Sigma.

The title of this fic comes from a line in the song "La Vie Boheme" from the Broadway musical RENT. I stan Idina Menzel so hard.

Drop me a comment/review if you have any feedback!