18. Devin

18

DEVIN

I lean 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 stop thinking 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.

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 never talked 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 do something , 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."

She stiffens for a moment but I lower my voice and lean in, whispering in her ear. "We owe you an apology, but we don't want to do it here where it's so loud."

Tessa considers it for a moment before allowing me to lead her away to where Alec and Jace are waiting in the frat's study room.

"Hey," Jace waves when we enter. "We're glad you came."

"Get on with it," Tessa snaps. She looks good but I notice dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn't been sleeping well lately.

Good. I hope she's been kept up because of the guilt she feels for trying to destroy us.

"We owe you an apology," Alec begins, reaching out for her hands. "We were stupid to prank you at the carnival. The dean reamed us out and we realized that we never apologized to you about it. You must have been pretty upset still."

Tessa stares at us, trying to work out if we're serious. When we don't laugh at her, she relaxes, her shoulders visibly lowering. "Thank you," she says, though there's still a note of uncertainty in her voice.

"Let us make it up to you," Jace murmurs, getting closer to her, his hands ghosting over her waist. "We want to make you feel good. Can we take you upstairs?"

She seems to melt at his words, allowing herself to sway toward him, leaning against his chest. "I missed you guys," she says, giving him a soft look, eyes glowing in the dim lighting.

"We missed you too," I say, moving closer to her. "What do you say, will you go upstairs with us and let us show you how sorry we are?"