Page 54 of Kings of the Campus

Devin raises an eyebrow. “More?”

“I know what you mean,” Alec says, shifting in his seat. “It’s not like we’ve been ignoring the fact that we all…care about her. More than just wanting to make things right.”

My pulse quickens at his words, and I find myself nodding. I’d been thinking the same thing for a while now, but saying it out loud felt risky. Too complicated. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too.”

Devin looks between us, and for a second, I think he’s going to push back, but then he shrugs. “It’s crossed my mind. It’s Tessa. We all know there’s something there.”

Alec leans back against the couch, staring at the ceiling as he thinks it over. “So, what then? We’re all into her, and we just…what? Fight over her? Try to get her to choose one of us?”

Devin shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Fight over her? That sounds like a nightmare. Besides, if you guys were the jealous type, we wouldn’t be sharing her in bed already.”

Alec glances at me, and I feel my own lips twitch into a grin. “He’s got a point,” I say. “I’m not jealous of either of you. If anything, it’d make more sense to…share.”

The room goes quiet, and we all just look at each other, the weight of the realization settling over us. It should feel weird, but instead, it’s almost like something clicks into place.

Alec’s the first to break the silence. “You’re serious?”

I nod. “Think about it. We’ve all been with her, together and separately. And we all know she’s got a connection with each of us. So why not? Why not make it work?”

Devin chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation, but…yeah, I don’t hate the idea.”

Alec smirks, finally relaxing a bit. “Hell, maybe it’s the only way it makes sense.”

There’s a moment where we all just sit there, letting it sink in. It’s crazy, but it also feels right, in a way.

The silence lasts for a beat, then Alec leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face serious. “So, we’re really doing this? We’re gonna ask her to be with us, all three of us?”

Devin shrugs, but I see a spark of excitement in his eyes. “Why not?” he asks. “We’ll ask her and see what she has to say about it. Put it all out there and let her decide.”

I grin, standing up to stretch after sitting for a while. “I can’t believe we’re going to do this. It’s crazy, right?”

“Nah,” Devin says, eyes full of amusement. “Not the craziest thing we’ve ever done.”

Alec snorts. “Yeah, the craziest thing we ever did was agreeing to step up and take on a failing fraternity and say we can definitely, for sure, turn things around in one school year.”

His joke breaks some of the tension and I laugh, rolling my neck to work out the kinks. “Very funny. Let’s play someHalowhile we wait for Tessa to get back,” I say, settling back down on the couch between Devin and Alec.

Devin grabs the controllers, tossing one to me and the other to Alec before powering up the game.

We’re deep into a battle when Tessa comes back through the door, tears in her eyes. She rushes toward us, letting out a sob.

The three of us abandon the game immediately, tossing the controllers to the side to pull her into a big hug, trying to comfort her.

“What happened?” Alec asks, voice gentle.

“They fired me!” she cries out.

32

TESSA

Islam the door behind me, my chest heaving as the tears fall uncontrollably. The weight of everything crashes down, suffocating, and I can’t seem to catch my breath. The boys are on their feet in seconds, their concerned voices blending together, but I can’t focus. All I can feel is the panic and dread clawing at my insides.

“What happened?” Alec steps closer, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it.

I wipe my face, trying to pull myself together, but it’s useless. “I got fired,” I choke out. “Someone stole it. All my files…everything. It’s gone. I’m in deep, deep trouble!”

Their expressions shift from confusion to alarm. Alec’s brows furrow and Devin crosses his arms, clearly trying to make sense of what I’m saying.

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