Page 24 of Lords of the Campus

Tears drip down her cheeks and I realize that as eager as I was to see her break, it’s not as satisfying as I anticipated.

“Congratulations,” she says, contempt in her voice. “I knew you hated me, but I never thought I could hate you in return. But after today, I realize that I do, in fact, hate you. I hate all three of you. I know that you hold my future in your hands, butI sincerely hope that when you finally give up your petty revenge scheme, I never have to see any of you ever again for the rest of my life.”

I scoff, refusing to let her get under my skin. Lyric shakes her head and curls her lip, heading for the door.

“Until you need me, I’m going now,” she sneers. As she exits, something heavy settles into the pit of my stomach.

This doesn’t feel like a game anymore. I don’t know what it is.

13

ZANE

I’m lounging on the worn leather couch in the common room, the remnants of last night’s party scattered around like the aftermath of a storm. The heavy scents of stale beer and smoke hang in the air, mixing with the faint citrus and cedar wood of my own cologne. I absentmindedly flip through my phone, trying to distract myself from the whirlwind of thoughts about Lyric.

Just as I’m starting to lose myself in doom-scrolling TikTok, Archer strides into the room, his expression hard and determined. Levi looks up from his spot at the table, curiosity and apprehension flickering in his eyes. I sit up, my attention fully on Archer now.

“We need to up the punishments on Lyric,” Archer announces, his voice cold and unyielding. “She’s not breaking like we thought she would. It’s time to make things worse for her.”

A part of me wonders if this is taking things too far. She’s been through a lot already and despite everything, there’s a small voice in the back of my mind whispering that maybe we’re pushing her beyond her limits. But then I remember thebetrayal, the liesi and the secret she’s been hiding. The anger surges back, drowning out any lingering doubts.

“What do you have in mind?” I ask, leaning forward, my interest piqued despite myself.

Archer’s eyes gleam with a dark resolve. “We need to make her life a living hell. No more small tasks or simple humiliations. We’re going to hit her where it hurts the most, make her remember that she’s nothing to us.”

Levi nods, a grim smile tugging at his lips. “Maybe we ought to make sure she can’t complain anymore. Can’t speak in public unless spoken to or given permission.”

“And make her remember who she belongs to at all times,” I add. “Every time she’s in one of our rooms with us, she has to take all her clothes off immediately.”

“If she thinks it’s sohardto raise a kid and be at our beck and call, we should make sure she gets plenty of rest,” Archer says, a feral grin on his face. “Give her a curfew.”

“All right,” I say, standing up and meeting Archer’s gaze. “Let’s do it. Let’s make sure she knows exactly who she’s dealing with.”

Archer’s smile widens, pushing away any of my remaining doubts. This is about justice, about making her pay. And we won’t stop until she’s truly broken.

The second Lyric shows up that morning, the rules go into effect. She puts up a token protest but knows she’s got no leg to stand on after lying to us for so long.

“Since you have a kid, we’re not going to hurt them,” Archer tells her. “You can be there whenever you need to tend to them.”

“Him,” Lyric says quickly. “He’s my son.”

“Whatever,” Archer says, rolling his eyes. “You’ll have time to tend to him, but you’ll be expected to be with us the remainder of your day.”

Lyric chewed her lip. “Fine. I’ll do whatever you ask. My only goal is to give my son a better life.”

Something about that struck a nerve in me. I don’t know why, but it makes me angry. Why can Lyric care about this child but not about the children she grew up with? Why did she have to hurt us back then?

I shove past Lyric, not wanting to look at her right now and head down to the common room, grabbing my bag to head for the library. I have class soon anyway, so I need time to clear my head.

Revenge is one thing, but having Lyric around is just a painful reminder that the past can never be changed. No matter what we do to her, it isn’t going to erase all the bullshit that she put us through.

Some deep, dark part of me thought that once our need for revenge was satiated, there was some hope that we could reconcile or put the animosity behind us. But now, with the secrets being laid bare, I realize that was a stupid, pointless hope.

Once I’m at the library, I pull my laptop out, the scents of coffee and old books lingering in the air as I begin working on an essay for class. The soft murmur of conversation and the clack of keys distracts me from my thoughts. As a I throw myself into my paper, not allowing myself to think about anything but Sigmund Freud.

Twenty minutes later, my watch beeps, alerting me that it’s time to pack up and go to class. My brain starts to circle back to thoughts of Lyric once again as I put my laptop away and I frown, annoyed at myself.

Her face swims into my head, seeing the pain in her eyes as we laid out the new rules. I don’t even know what we’re doing anymore. This stopped being about revenge and started becoming about control at some point.

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