Page 29 of Kings of the Campus

As the words leave my mouth, I don’t even flinch. I justify it to myself, thinking about everything we’ve built. The fraternity needs to stay alive. What we’re doing is necessary on the path to keeping Sigma Theta from falling apart for good.

Dean Harrison narrows his eyes but eventually nods. “Good. Make sure it stays that way.”

I give him a polite nod, turning to leave, the weight of his words hanging over me. I’d better talk to Jace and Devin and see what’s actually going on. These pranks have their signatures written all over them, but I have to make sure that they’ve kept their hands clean.

I put the remaining paperwork into the filing cabinets and head out, strolling across campus with a warm feeling in mychest. Things are finally going our way for once, the dean is on our side and we’ve managed to completely frazzle Tessa, maybe even enough for her to finally start leaving us alone.

Back at the frat, Devin and Jace are gaming in the living room with some of the other brothers. “Hey,” I call out, waving as I head into the kitchen for a bottle of water and a snack from the fridge.

I grab a protein bar and stand in the doorway, watching for a moment. “Jace, Dev, can I see you guys in my room?” I ask, keeping my tone light and casual.

The other brothers give them some good-natured ribbing as they leave and head up the stairs behind me. Inside my room, I shut the door and take a seat at my desk.

“I was in the dean’s office when something interesting happened,” I tell them, steepling my fingers. “Tessa came storming in, demanding to talk to Dean Harrison. She went off about a bunch of pranks that someone has been pulling on her. Blamed us. Told the dean that we needed to pay.”

Jace and Devin exchange guilty looks but I grin. “The dean told her that he wasn’t going after us without solid proof it was coming from Sigma Theta. We’re in the clear.”

Relief washes over them and I can see it in the way they relax, sinking down to the ground to sit on the floor. “Good. We’ve been doing our best to keep it discreet,” Devin explains. “We’ve outsourced everything, made damned sure it couldn’t be traced back to us.”

“No one can pin the blame on us,” Jace adds. “Not without doing a hell of a lot of detective work, and I promise you that Tessa doesn’t have that kind of time. Plus, we kept you out of it entirely so you’d be completely blameless.”

I nod, feeling oddly touched that they wanted to keep my name clear. “What does that mean for us going forwardthough?” I ask. “If we continue pulling pranks, eventually the dean will start to believe Tessa if she keeps complaining.”

“I thought about that,” Devin admits, pulling out an old, battered notebook. “I think that if we keep pulling pranks, you’re right. We won’t be able to get away with it forever. We need to do one last thing, one big thing that will drive Tessa away for good.”

“Did you guys have any ideas?” I ask, drumming my fingers on my knee.

Jace nods. “We’ve been brainstorming,” he admits. “I think I want her to know that it’s from us, that we’re the ones that want her gone but it has to be done carefully because it can’t be enough to link us back to the pranks either.”

I lean forward, looking over their notes. As I scan down the page, something catches my eye. “What about this?” I offer, pointing to one of the scribbled lines.

Devin clears his throat. “It almost seemed too mean,” he says. “I wasn’t sure if we should do it, but it could be just the thing.”

Jace smirks as he glances at the suggestion, nodding slowly. “That’s the perfect final act in our revenge war,” he declares. “I think this will really seal the deal and make it clear to Tessa that we’re done with her using us and that we’re the ones behind the pranks but that there’s nothing she can do about it either.”

I run a hand through my hair. “Hopefully this will make her get the hint.”

“And if not, well, I doubt that she’d ever want to be near us again after we do this to her,” Devin says, the grin on his face growing wider.

18

DEVIN

Ilean against the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the wall as Jace and Alec’s voices echo in my head from earlier. It was my idea. I was the one who suggested it—seduce Tessa, then humiliate her in front of everyone. The plan sounded perfect at the time. It seemed like the ultimate way to get her to back off once and for all.

But now, as I sit here alone, a gnawing feeling creeps into my chest, twisting and turning until it’s almost suffocating. I wanted her gone. I still want her gone. But is this the way to do it?

I run a hand through my hair, nerves feeling frayed from everything that’s been happening lately. It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Jace and Alec agreed, and I played it off like I was just as on board, but something about it didn’t sit right. Seducing her, leading her on, then dumping her in front of everyone—it feels…off. Too far, even for us.

Hell, I’ve pulled pranks before, but this? It’s not just some harmless joke. There’s something real between me and Tessa, or at least there was. I’ve felt it. No one is so desperate for a story that they’d sleep with their enemy, would they? I can’t stopthinking about the way she looked at us that night, with so much hope, so much desire, and joy.

Maybe I’ve let myself get too close. That’s the problem, isn’t it? I let my guard down, and now I’m second-guessing the plan because a part of me doesn’t want to hurt her. And that’s dangerous. Because she’s still the enemy. She’s still the one who could destroy everything we’ve worked for.

I can’t let my feelings get in the way. But as much as I try to convince myself, that knot in my chest just tightens, making it harder to breathe.

“Get a grip, Devin,” I mutter under my breath, trying to shake it off. But the guilt lingers, even as I slide into bed and close my eyes, trying to sleep.

I’m hoping that sleeping will rid me of the lingering doubts but when I wake up, they still haven’t managed to work their way out of my system. So I go to Alec, hoping he might help calm me down.

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