25. Devin

25

DEVIN

I wake up the next day, my stomach a bundle of nerves. I arranged to meet with the dean this morning but I still have no idea what this all might be about.

I've braced myself for the worst news, fully expecting some kind of retaliation from Tessa against us, maybe even finding out that we've lost our charter.

I walk into the dean's office, trying not to throw up, and take a seat outside, waiting for his assistant to wave me in.

Dean Harrison stands at the doorway, a smile on his face. "Mr. Cash, come in," he says, his tone calm. "Please, have a seat."

I sit down, trying to steady my nerves. "What's this about, Dean Harrison? Is there a problem?"

The dean shakes his head, still smiling. "No, not at all. I brought you in because I wanted to talk to you, Mr. Cash. You're the fraternity risk management chair, correct?"

I nod, wondering where he's going with this.

"Yes," he replies, leaning forward with genuine enthusiasm. "The changes you've implemented are impressive. You've succeeded in keeping the frat parties drug and alcohol-free, and the bullying and harassment have significantly decreased. Your leadership has made a real difference."

I'm taken aback by the direct praise. "Wow. I didn't expect this at all. We've been trying hard to turn things around."

Dean Harrison nods. "And it shows. Your commitment to creating a better environment hasn't gone unnoticed. It's clear that the new direction is working, and I wanted to make sure you know that your efforts are appreciated."

A wave of relief washes over me. I can't help but smile, realizing that all the hard work and struggle were worth it. "Thank you, Dean Harrison. That means a lot."

He gives me a reassuring nod. "Keep up the good work, Devin. It's making a difference."

As I leave his office, a sense of satisfaction settles in. Matteo was right, I realize. All that matters here is changing our fraternity's reputation and turning things around. If it wasn't for getting distracted by Tessa, we might have realized this sooner.

The day seems brighter, despite the clouds overhead as I walk across the quad, a smile on my face. I feel a newfound sense of determination to make the last week of the semester the best for Sigma Theta. There are only a few days left of the toy drive competition and things are neck-and-neck between us and Alpha Lambda.

Everyone expects Alpha Lambda to win—they always do—but we're determined to give them a run for their money this year.

By the time I get back to the frat house, I feel like I'm walking on air. Things are looking up for the first time all semester. Nothing can bring me down right now.

Jace is in his room with the door open when I head upstairs, and I rap quietly on the door, prompting him to look up from his homework, pulling his earbuds out of his ears.

"What's up?" he asks.

I try to hide my grin. "Is Alec here?"

"Yeah, he's been in his room all morning. I think he's studying for his chem final."

I nod. "Let me go get him. I have some news." I walk over to Alec's door and knock, waiting for him to emerge.

"What's going on?" Alec asks, confusion on his face as he leans against the door frame.

"I just came back from a meeting with the dean," I tell them. They exchange worried glances but I wave it off.

"We're not in trouble," I tell them. "It's the opposite, in fact. The dean called me in to tell me that he's proud of the changes I've made to Sigma party policies and that he's noticed how much work we've done to improve our image and he wanted to tell me it hasn't gone unnoticed!"

Alec's mouth instantly turns up into a grin. "That's fantastic news!"

"We did it!" Jace says, raising his hand for a high five. Alec brings his palm to Jace's to slap them together, but I hold back on celebrating.

Alec notices right away and gives me a concerned look, brows furrowed. "Are you alright?" he presses. "You just said this was good news."

I give him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm good. I was just thinking that we got here despite the crap we pulled on Tessa Collins, you know? I think we ought to back off of her now, let it go. She hasn't even written another podcast episode about us the entire semester, so we should quit while we're ahead."

Jace runs his fingers through his hair. "You're right," he agrees, nodding as he shifts to lean against his desk. "We've spent way too much time focused on Tessa when we could be putting all that energy and effort into kicking ass at the toy drive."

"Let's put everything we've got into this last week then," Alec decides. "We only have a few more days to raise money. Anyone have any ideas how we can go out with a bang?"

We get creative with our fundraising efforts. We set up a last-minute bake sale in the student center, offering cookies and brownies with festive decorations. People love sweet treats and it's a huge hit.

Later that day, we end up hosting a Holiday Karaoke party at the house, charging a small entry fee and having everyone sing their favorite holiday songs. The energy is high, and everyone is laughing and dancing. It feels good to be so united and focused on something positive.

As the toy drive wraps up, the interfraternity council tallies up the results. The competition with Alpha Lambda has been fierce, but we're on the edge of victory. Finally, the announcement comes, and our hearts race with anticipation.

"We did it!" Alec shouts as he reads the text message from the council president. "We beat Alpha Lambda!"

Cheers erupt in the house as we celebrate. It's been years since Sigma Theta won the toy drive competition, and it feels incredible to finally come out on top. We high-five, hug, and share a few drinks to toast our success.

"I'm proud of us," Jace says, clapping both Alec and me on the back. "We made a difference, and we did it the right way."

I look around at my friends, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment. "Yeah, we did. Let's keep this momentum going and keep making positive changes."

As we revel in our victory, I can't help but think about how far we've come. The holiday season feels brighter than ever, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like things are finally starting to fall into place.

Now if I could just get through my last two finals in one piece…

I spend the remainder of the time before the finals feverishly studying, trying to cram as much information into my head as possible.

Jace and Alec tease me about it, since they know that I get the best grades in the frat. I'm not very open about the fact that I'm a good student, preferring to hide behind my jokester persona but with all the time we've spent together this year, it hasn't escaped their notice.

Still, even with everything going on, I can't help but think about Tessa. We've agreed to stop going after her, stop messing with her, and forget about her, but I can't help that my thoughts turn to her from time to time.

She's been such a big part of this semester that it feels strange now that she's no longer around. Part of me wants to talk to her but she's been avoiding us, and I don't want to upset the tentative ceasefire we've got going on.

So instead I focus on acing my finals and finishing out the semester strong. I'm just walking back from my last one when I end up near Tessa's dorm. I consider going to knock on her door, just to share the news of the competition.

I dither for a moment, noticing how dark it's gotten outside. It's been getting dark earlier and earlier and it's only four in the afternoon, but it looks like it's nearly ten at night. I walk forward, picking up the courage to go talk to her when I notice a dark figure loitering near the steps up to the rooms.

My brow furrows. Is that Tessa? What's she doing lurking around in the dark? I step forward but the figure seems to vanish from sight almost instantly, as though they sensed my presence.

I feel confusion and unease settle over me. Something weird is going on with Tessa lately. Maybe I should go talk to her, just to clear the air.

But then I remember the talk I had with Matteo, and how we discussed seeing things from her perspective. Approaching her now might be a bad idea. She's probably still angry with us and she doesn't owe us anything.

I decide to keep walking, despite the lingering ache in my chest as I turn away. Maybe someday we can be friends again, but today probably isn't the day for that.

I wonder if things will ever get better between us.