2. Alec

2

ALEC

A s the afternoon wears on and the sun starts to sink below the horizon, I place the finishing touches on the party prep, lining up cups across the kitchen island while Jace haphazardly stuffs soda cans into the already full fridge.

He shoves the rest of the twelve-pack of Coke into the crisper drawer and turns, leaning against the counter.

"You ready for this?" he asks, grin spreading across his mouth. His long blond hair hangs over his face and he pushes it out of the way, deep blue eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.

I nod, giving everything a once-over as I pull a paper towel off the roll and wipe the counter needlessly. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"C'mon, Alec, this is our chance to show everyone that Sigma Theta is more than our past," he says, lip curling into a half smirk. "We just gotta stay focused and make damn sure everyone else does too."

"As long as we stick to the purpose of the fraternity, we'll ensure that no class after ours leaves a stain on our legacy," I say, quoting myself from the elections last spring.

"God, you sound like a robot," Jace teases. "You know it wouldn't kill you to loosen up a little."

"Let's just get through tonight," I say, squaring my shoulders as we head out of the kitchen and up the stairs to our rooms to get ready. "Everything needs to go perfectly tonight, or we can kiss Sigma Theta's legacy at Sterling Heights goodbye forever."

"Everything will be fine," Jace says, his voice muffled as he strides into his room and pulls his shirt over his head to toss in the hamper. "You worry too much."

"We can't afford anything to go wrong," I call back, exchanging my fleece pullover for a white polo. "We've already had plenty of bad publicity. I mean, everyone still remembers the whole Rotten to the Core podcast series that the Sentinel did on us when the trial was going on. If we step even one foot out of line, some student reporter is going to wet themselves to get the scoop."

Just as I pull up the khaki chinos I plan on wearing tonight, Devin's face appears in the doorway.

"I've got everything handled, Mr. Prez," Devin jokes, mock-saluting me. "There's not a wine cooler, beer bottle, or handle of vodka in sight. Ain't no one gonna be mixing jungle juice in our kitchen tonight, no sirree," he says, snapping his fingers.

"We're toast if someone so much as sneaks in a flask," I warn him.

"Bro," he says, giving me a fake pout. "I'm risk management chair. Let me worry about any ‘potential risks,'" he says, flashing finger quotes.

"This party is going to be so freaking lame," Jace mutters as he leans against Devin to peek into my room. "Who's ever heard of a frat party with no alcohol?"

"Nah bro, I've got it covered," Devin says, head in profile as he talks to Jace. "We just gotta lay low until the heat is off us. Then we can get down to business!"

He pumps his fist and I roll my eyes, adjusting the sleeves of my light blue sweater. "You just make sure everyone behaves themselves," I warn him. "I won't have our legacy at Sigma Theta be one of failure and ruin."

"So basically my job is to find the stick and get it out of your ass, got it," Devin teases. I roll my eyes at him but when I turn back to the mirror, I wonder if he's right. Maybe I'm overthinking things too much.

Jace seems to sense the change in my mood because he sidles up next to me, bumping shoulders. "You gotta chill. I know you're worried things won't go well but we've been planning this since last semester. You were elected president because everyone knew that with you in charge, we Sigmas would go higher than ever."

Breathing out slowly, I glance at Jace and give him a half smile. He's always been good at getting me outside of my head. That's why he's the vice president, we balance each other well.

"You good?" Jace asks. His gaze lingers on me for a second longer and when I nod, he visibly relaxes. We've always been close, we grew up together. Jace was the more laid-back of the two of us, while I was the one who played by the rules. Somehow life always came easy for Jace while I always felt like I struggled to fit in, but he stood by my side through thick and thin.

The three of us head downstairs and I spot Matteo fiddling with the sound system. He waves and I look around to find the last of the executive leadership team, Julian Torres standing by the door separating wristbands.

The rest of the frat begins to trickle downstairs, helping here and there as we finish getting ready for the party to begin. Before we open the doors for the night, I clear my throat and step forward, feeling the need to give everyone a pep talk.

"We've worked hard to get here," I tell them. "We have a lot of events lined up this year. Charity drives, mentor programs, study groups…we're going to be visible and active this year. We're going to show everyone that we're not the same Sigma Theta that everyone remembers. And it all starts with tonight."

Jace nudges me with his elbow. "Tonight is about having fun too," he adds. "Can't forget that."

I nod, giving him a grateful look. "We're going to have a good time, but we need to be responsible about it because we have a reputation to rebuild and that means doing things the right way, right guys?"

There's a general murmur of assent through the crowd and excitement and nerves mix inside me.

"Let's do this," I say, more to myself than anyone else.

Jace slaps me on the back. "Here we go. Time to show them what we're made of."

As the first guests begin to arrive, I try not to panic but as more and more people show up, my stomach is in knots. Half the campus has shown up to this party already, probably curious to see how things are going to go after our scandal.

I try to take deep breaths and grab a soda from the tub of ice. I wish we could have something stronger but until we've proven ourselves, all eyes are on us so we have to be the picture of responsibility.

I feel so tightly wound that even though the party is moving along smoothly, some part of me worries something will still go wrong. Devin is leading a group in water pong while Jace and Matteo take turns spinning tracks at the DJ booth.

With everyone else occupied, I decide to let myself relax and take a seat on the back deck, breathing in the cool night air.

There's something about being part of a fraternity that I love. I feel like I always belong somewhere when I'm here, and there's a group of guys who will always have my back, but sometimes I like to be alone with my thoughts too. I get overwhelmed by a lot of noise and conversation so occasionally I come back here to the deck to relax and zone out.

A chuckle escapes me as I spot a couple making out near the firepit across the yard. Looks like some people don't need alcohol to have a good time after all.

After a few minutes, I get restless to check on the party and I head back inside, deciding to take a quick scan to make sure no one is trying anything.

As I walk down the hall, I spot someone in the dim light and I'm about to speak out when the person turns, walking forward without paying attention, and bumps straight into me.

They clutch their nose and I reach out, trying to see if they're alright. But when the two of us lock eyes, I immediately jump back.

"What are you doing?" I demand, instantly suspicious when I realize that Tessa Collins, the girl who did the exposé series on our fraternity, is the one lurking around in the shadows.

"Nothing!" Tessa insists, eyes wide. "You're Alec Montgomery, aren't you?" she asks, blinking as she takes me in. "You're the new president of the fraternity."

"Yeah," I say, frowning as I cross my arms. "And you're Tessa Collins, the chick who reported on our fraternity. What are you doing here?"

Under normal circumstances, I might not have felt so hostile toward her. Tessa was just doing her job, and I don't have an issue with her exposing the lies and hypocrisy that our predecessors perpetuated.

But because I'm so focused on things going well, I can't help the frustration that bubbles up inside at seeing her lurking around, as though she's waiting for us to slip up so she can write another scathing podcast series to capitalize on our mistakes.

"It's an open house party," Tessa points out, infuriating me even more. "Anyone is allowed to be here."

"I think you're here to stir up trouble," I say, towering over her, using my height to my advantage. "You're trying to find your next scoop. Well, I can tell you that you don't need to worry your pretty little head. Sigma Theta is going to rule the campus by the end of the year," I say, my lip curling into a sneer.

Tessa frowns. "Why so hostile, Mr. President?"

Something inside me snaps at that, at the condescending tone like she's just expecting me to fail and I tower over her.

"I suggest you get the hell out of here before you make a fool of yourself!" I tell her, my voice rising.

The music has suddenly gone quiet and everyone turns in our direction.

Great.

That's just what we need.