Page 30 of Kings of the Campus

He’s working in the study lounge when I approach him that afternoon, bringing up my concerns. “I’m just worried we might be going too far,” I tell him, the twisting in my gut even more pronounced in the cold light of day. I’ve always been the goofball, the jokester, so pranking came naturally to me, but I’ve never crossed a line before now.

“I get it,” Alec says, reassuring me in that calm, measured tone he uses on the freshman pledges. “But remember what we’re doing here. We’re not the ones who made her an enemy. She’s the one who’s been doing everything she can to keep us off-kilter, she’s the one looking for her next big story. If you think about it, we’re not actually doing anything wrong. We’re just going to sleep with her, then dump her. It happens all the time.”

“What if we’re wrong?” I ask, worrying my lower lip. “Maybe Tessa is the one who reported us about the photos, but we nevertalked to her and found out why. What if something is going on and we’re wrong about everything?”

“Devin,” Alec says with a sigh, looking up from his textbooks. “Tessa stopped being innocent the moment she went to the dean about us. If she had talked to us, we might have apologized and worked things out, but she took it too far. She’s never been interested in us, she was just using us to find her next big break.”

I nod, processing his words. “I guess you’re right,” I mumble, having a hard time letting go of the idea that Tessa could so easily use us like this.

Alec taps his pen against the desk. “Besides, the dean might have been willing to give us the benefit of the doubt when Tessa came to talk to him, but I could tell he was just playing things by the book. He’s itching to get rid of us because we’ve become a liability to the university in his eyes.”

My eyes widen. “You think so?”

Alec’s eyes darken, leaning in from across the table. “I think that Dean Harrison is just waiting for an excuse to disband the fraternity and it’s all because of Tessa. If she hadn’t tattled on us to the dean, it wouldn’t have been an issue in the first place. We’ve kept our noses clean all semester so far, and we’re not going to let this one single person with a vendetta ruin all the hard work we’ve put in!”

I’m taken aback by his furor, but I have to agree that Tessa has put us in a very precarious position. I still don’t know if sleeping with her and then dumping her is the right move, but I do know that we need to step up and dosomething, so I nod. Uncertainty is still swirling around in my head, but I’m determined to be proactive about the situation.

“Matteo’s girlfriend is close with Tessa, right?” Alec asks. I twist my mouth, trying to recall if I remembered ever seeing them together.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Get Matteo to have his girlfriend invite Tessa to the party next week,” Alec tells me. “We don’t want her to be suspicious so it can’t come from one of us.”

“I’ll get on it,” I tell him, shoving aside the remainder of my doubts. I’m loyal to this frat and I can’t let my brothers down right now.

Upstairs in my room, I start working on homework, waiting for the right opportunity to talk to Matteo. I’m just finishing up my calc homework when I spot Matteo walking past the door to my room and I call out for him.

“Hey, bud!” I say, waving him inside. “How’s life.”

Matteo leans against the door frame, a smile on his face. “Can’t complain. Been busy with midterms but I’m glad they’re all over now, right?”

“Oh most definitely,” I agree. “How are things with your girlfriend? Valencia, right?”

He nods, looking pleased. “She and I are talking about moving in together after graduation,” he reveals.

“Congrats, man,” I say, genuinely pleased for him. “She’s friends with Tessa right?” I ask, trying to keep my tone casual.

“Yeah, they’re like best friends,” Matteo says. He scrunches his nose, looking a little suspicious. “Why?”

“No reason,” I say, waving him off. “Just…things have been a bit tense between us lately and we were feeling like maybe we went a bit far, so we wanted to invite her to the party next week to apologize but I doubt she’d want to hear from us.”

“You want me to get Valencia to bring her?” he asks. I nod, relieved that Matteo understood me.

“That would be great,” I tell him. “I owe you, bro.”

Matteo chuckles, shaking his head. “No worries. I gotta go shower but I’ll catch up with ya later?”

I nod and wave him off, returning to my homework.

The day of the party finally arrives and the three of us are tense, waiting for Valencia to show up with Tessa. The party is in full swing, music pumping through the downstairs as people filter in and out of the living room in search of snacks and drinks in the kitchen or wander out to the backyard for a little air. It’s chilly outside so most people out there are smoking a cigarette before coming back inside where it’s warm.

When Tessa arrives, some part of my heart leaps at the sight of her. She looks adorable in a tan, vintage dress with brown boots and a brown and tan pageboy cap on her head. I swallow my nerves and stroll up to her.

“What’s up, Collins?” I ask, leaning against the stairs as I take her in. “Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

Tessa looks up at me with an annoyed expression. “What am I doing here, Devin?” she asks. “Valencia insisted I go with her tonight.”

“Come,” I say, tugging on her elbow. “Me and Jace and Alec wanted to talk to you.”

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