Page 34 of Kings of the Campus

The chilly air clears my head as I walk across the tree-lined sidewalk. I sip my coffee, an Americano, while considering everything I’ve heard today.

The way Julian was talking to that person about Tessa unsettled me. It was like looking in a mirror and I didn’t care for what I was seeing. The vitriol in his voice, the way he was sofocused on revenge…it echoed the things that Devin and Jace were talking about this morning.

It’s hard to swallow, the idea that I’m maybe letting my resentment get in the way of doing my job. I was elected to this position for a reason, and I don’t want to cause issues because of one person. My single-mindedness can sometimes be a good thing, like my determination to bring Sigma Theta back from the brink, but other times it can be my greatest weakness.

I stop at a bench and sit down, the cold metal pressing into the back of my legs and bleeding into my slacks. As I take another sip of coffee, I think back to last year, when the fraternity had a meeting. We had to do it off campus for obvious reasons, but Dean Harrison wanted us to decide on what was going to happen moving forward.

He wanted to see proof we planned on taking the fraternity in a more positive direction, and that we had ideas about how to foster a better sense of community and brotherhood.

I was fiercely determined to make things better, so much so that I stood up and gave an impassioned speech to my fellow brothers.

“We have one shot here,” I said, slamming my fist down on the table inside the hotel meeting room. “Sigma Theta was founded on principles of brotherhood, integrity, and service. Somewhere along the line, we lost sight of those values. It’s time we return to our roots and show the world who we truly are.”

Taking a deep breath, I continued. “This won’t be easy. Trust has to be rebuilt, reputations have to be restored, and that takes time and consistent effort. But I believe in us. I believe that together, we can transform Sigma Theta into an organization we’re proud of—one that stands for honor, respect, and positive leadership.”

I stand by those words, even today. It was those words that got me unanimously elected as president of Sigma Theta, andnow as I sit here, remembering what I said, I start to feel that old sense of determination building inside me once more.

Just then, something catches my attention and I find my eyes drawn across the way. I see Tessa hurrying across campus, with short strides and a quick pace like she’s on a mission.

My mouth opens to call out to her but I stop myself, holding back. I don’t know what I’d even say to her after last night. I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to move past everything yet either, but I do know that I’m starting to get just as sick of the games as the others.

Maybe it’s time to let the past go and focus on the future.

21

JACE

As we watch Alec storm off, Devin and I standing there in shock, we feel the weight of his frustrations hanging over us. I glance at Devin and he looks as uneasy as I feel, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he drums his fingers on the tile counter.

“This is crazy,” Devin says, breaking the silence.

“I agree,” I say, picking up my bowl and dumping the cereal in the sink. I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. “We wanted to humiliate her but when she left last night, the desire to hurt her sort of…fizzled out for me.”

“Me too,” Devin agrees. “I don’t know if she’s trying to manipulate us, but we’ve been doing it right back to her. This whole thing has become a twisted obsession for us. We’re supposed to be rebuilding Sigma, not trying to ruin some girl’s life.”

I exhale sharply, running my hands through my hair. “We need to pull back. If we stick to the charity events, focus on the frat, and initiating the pledge class, we’ll be fine. The harder we go after Tessa, the more likely this will all blow up in our faces.”

“Yeah,” Devin agrees. “Forget about her. We just move forward from here. We have to go pick up supplies for the toy drive anyway. Let’s get out of here and forget about last night.”

The two of us clean up and head out, walking toward the student center to grab the stuff we need for the upcoming month-long toy drive that’s going to kick off the holiday season.

I’m trying to shake off the lingering tension when something catches my eye. Up ahead, near the campus security office, I spot someone and slow down, nudging Devin.

“Hey, is that Tessa?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

Devin’s eyes follow my gaze. Our eyes lock on her and we see her with two campus cops, talking animatedly with them, using her hands to gesture wildly. Devin’s jaw tightens.

“You don’t think she’s talking to them about us, do you?”

My stomach churns. “Has to be. What the hell else would she be doing there?” I clench my jaw hard enough to feel a tick. “Why is she suddenly throwing us under the bus?”

Devin curses under his breath. “That’s probably why she rushed off last night,” he says. “She probably wanted to tell them that we took advantage of her. God!” he yells, drawing attention from nearby students.

I pull him aside, keeping us hidden from Tessa’s view. “I knew it,” I say, shaking my head. “She played us, again. Fuck.”

Frustration rises. “Maybe Alec was right. We just need to find the perfect way to get her to back off once and for all. Last night didn’t go the way we planned but we can do something else.”

“Let’s invite her to the toy drive event next week,” Devin suggests, his eyes never leaving Tessa’s form. “We can do it there.”

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