Page 58 of Kings of the Campus

Valencia looks angry at this but she stays quiet so I can continue. “They were the ones behind the bad photos of meon the Sigma’s Instagram. It wasn’t Matteo’s fault, he was just doing what he was told to do,” I reassure her, recalling the fight they had over those photos.

“He still shouldn’t have done it,” Val mutters, but I can tell she doesn’t want to rehash it. “What else did they do?”

“A bunch of stupid, harmless pranks. They sent a singing telegram to my class and got me kicked out. One of them put a stink bomb in my car. They kept stealing my phone, shit like that.”

“You should never have let them get away with it,” Val says, frustration in her tone.

“I didn’t,” I say, a grin creeping up on my lips. “I gave them as good as they gave me. I got them in trouble with the dean for the photos. That’s why they retaliated with the pranks.”

“Good girl,” Val says, sitting back in the chair with a satisfied smirk.

“But then they made this horrible speech about me at their toy drive kickoff event and it sent me into a spiral. I wanted to punish them right back, but that was right before I found out I was pregnant so all my plans kind of fell by the wayside.”

“Did they at least apologize?” Valencia demands.

“Yeah,” I tell her. “We’re trying to work it out.”

Valencia shakes her head. “They shouldn’t have been bullying you in the first place. Those guys are suchassholes,” she says, her voice laced with venom. “They’re pretending to be these upstanding guys trying to reform the fraternity’s image but they’re just as bad as the people they condemned. If I’d have known what was going on, I would have reported them to the interfraternity council for you.”

I smile, feeling reassured at having such a good friend by my side. “I know you would have,” I tell her. “But I didn’t want to cause a rift between you and Matteo. I knew you would have been upset with him for standing by and letting this happen.”

She nods sharply. “Darn straight. I might still have a talk with him. I’m glad they apologized but it was still super shitty of them to treat you so badly. You said they apologized?”

I nod, quiet for a moment to gather my thoughts. If Valencia was already mad, I don’t think this part is going to help. “Yeah, we ran into each other today on campus. One thing led to another, and I was hanging out with them. They were apologetic and stuff but we kind of got into a fight when I told them about the stalking stuff I’ve been going through.”

Valencia has been kept up to date on everything I’ve been going through so far, so she nods. “What caused the fight?”

“I was worried it might be someone in Sigma Theta, someone who holds a grudge. They didn’t want to accept that someone in their midst could be a snake in the grass.”

Valencia stands up. “Oh my God. They’d rather you get hurt than think one of their precious brothers could be harassing you? I’m not going to stand for this. I’m going over there right now and confronting them!”

“No!” I say quickly. “Please Val, I don’t want you to go over there right now. I need you here with me.”

Valencia exhales hard through her nostrils but sits back down, rolling her shoulders to calm herself. “I’m here for you, babes,” she assures me. “Even if I want to wring those skinny frat boy necks of theirs.”

I feel better knowing she’s not about to go off on them, but there’s still so much anxiety inside me about everything else.

34

ALEC

Once Tessa leaves, the air in the room feels thick with tension, our conversation drifting into silence. Why is it that we can’t seem to go a single day without antagonizing her?

I glance at the clock, tension gnawing at me. It’s late. We should probably go to bed soon. Suddenly, a loud bang rattles the door.

“What the fuck?” Jace asks, the three of us turning our heads to look.

I get off the bed when another series of heavy knocks follow, urgency behind their rhythm. Yanking the door open, I spot Matteo standing there, his face a mix of anger and worry, his forehead creased with lines, and his hands clenched by his sides.

“We need to talk. Now.” Matteo’s voice is sharp and nearly breathless. “Tessa’s in the hospital.”

“What?” My chest tightens, the words hitting me in the gut like a punch. Devin and Jace spring up, coming to stand with me as Matteo tells us what happened.

“Her tires got slashed,” Matteo explains, his jaw clenched. “She called Valencia and we came out to check on her. Whoeverdid it stuck a threatening note to her windshield and it gave her a panic attack. We took her to the hospital. Guys, this stalker thing just got a whole lot worse.”

I blink, trying to wrap my head around what he’s saying. “Oh God.” I feel sick to my stomach. We could have prevented this. When she needed us most, we pushed her away, again.

Matteo’s glare deepens. “What the hell is up with you guys and Tessa anyway? I know you’re involved with her in some way.”

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