17. Alec

17

ALEC

I 'm buried in fraternity paperwork just outside Dean Harrison's office when the elevator dings open with a dramatic whoosh. Startled, I glance up to see Tessa Collins storming in, her face flushed and her eyes blazing. I quickly shove the papers aside and duck around the corner, my curiosity piqued.

Tessa's voice, sharp and unyielding, slices through the quiet ambiance. "Dean Harrison, I need to speak with you immediately!"

Dean Harrison's door opens immediately and he appears, expression unreadable. "Ms. Collins, what's the meaning of this outburst?"

Tessa stalks up to him, practically vibrating with anger. "This is outrageous! First, there was a stink bomb left in my car. Then, my phone kept disappearing. Someone is deliberately making me think I'm going crazy. And as if that wasn't enough, a singing telegram was sent to my class to get me kicked out! And now there's this ridiculous rumor going around that I've made up my confidential sources!"

Dean Harrison raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "I understand your frustration, Ms. Collins, but without concrete evidence linking these incidents to Sigma Theta, there's little I can do. They have otherwise maintained a clean record this year, aside from the photo incident, which we're already addressing."

Tessa's eyes widen in disbelief. "But it's obviously them! They're out to get me, sir! I know it was them, especially since I told you about the photos."

I narrow my eyes. I knew she was the anonymous source who reported us.

"I'm aware of your concerns," Dean Harrison replies calmly. "However, unless you can provide substantial proof that these actions are directly tied to Sigma Theta, my hands are tied. They've been making efforts to adhere to university guidelines, and outside of the photo incident, there's no actionable evidence against them."

Tessa clenches her fist, clearly frustrated. "This is ridiculous! They're sabotaging me, and you're just letting them get away with it?"

Dean Harrison remains calm, his voice steady. "I understand your situation, but without evidence, I cannot take further action. If you can gather concrete proof, I will reconsider."

As Tessa's frustration mounts, I can't help but stifle a chuckle from my hiding spot. The dean's response, while not exactly a win for us, means that we're off the hook for now.

Watching Tessa get so flustered is oddly satisfying, knowing that we're managing to stay ahead in this game. She's clearly underestimated us from the start and has no idea that we'll do whatever it takes to protect our fraternity.

Tessa's hands ball into fists at her sides, the tension in the room thickening. "So you're just going to let them ruin my life because they're good at covering their tracks?"

The dean leans back in his chair, his gaze unwavering. "I'm not ‘letting' anyone get away with anything. But until there's something definitive linking these incidents to Sigma Theta, my hands are tied. The university has policies to follow."

Tessa stares at him in disbelief, as though she can't fathom that he's not immediately jumping to her defense. The room goes silent for a beat, tension thrumming in the air. Tessa standing there, her mouth open like she wants to argue more, but there's a helplessness creeping into her expression.

Without another word, she whirls around and storms toward the elevator, her footsteps loud and angry on the hardwood floor. She punches the button with a fury that radiates like the force of a thousand suns and gets on when it arrives, grumbling about the Sigmas.

I can't help the smirk that follows her retreat, reveling in the victory. Dean Harrison wasn't going to act, and Tessa was starting to look desperate.

"Good luck with that, Collins," I whisper to myself, slipping out from around the corner.

But my victory is short-lived as Dean Harrison's eyes land on me, sharp and observant. His brow furrows slightly, and I can tell he's not surprised to see me.

"Alec," he says, crossing his arms. "Didn't realize you were still here."

I offer a sheepish grin, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Just finishing up some paperwork for the frat, Dean. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop."

His gaze hardens, and he gives me a once-over, clearly not buying my innocent act. "You didn't hear any of that, right?" His voice is calm, but there's an edge to it, a warning.

I rub the back of my neck, keeping my tone light. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Dean Harrison's frown deepens. "Alec, I'm going to say this once: Sigma Theta better not be behind these incidents Miss Collins is talking about. I don't need another scandal from you boys."

I hold his gaze, forcing myself to stay calm. "I swear, Dean, it's not us. We've been laying low, focusing on doing charity events and building up the community. We've been keeping our noses clean, I swear."

He stares at me for a long moment, clearly weighing my words. The silence stretches between us, the air feeling heavier with each second.

"I mean it," he says slowly, his voice lowering in that stern way that makes people sit up straighter. "If I catch wind of any fraternity activity that crosses the line, the whole house could go down. I don't care how clean you've tried to be this year—one more mistake, and you're done. Understand?"

I nod quickly, keeping my expression steady. "Of course, Dean Harrison. I completely understand. We're doing everything by the book. No one in Sigma Theta is involved in any of this."

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 my chest. 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 forward though?" 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.