6. Alec

6

ALEC

T he afternoon sun filters through the wooden blinds as I pace the length of the meeting room, worn hardwood creaking under my feet. My brain races, going over the agenda for the meeting, and I try to steady my breathing. It's not like me to be this on edge, but with everything going so well lately, I can't shake the feeling that something big has to be brewing—something that could spell trouble for Sigma Theta if we're not careful.

The senior officers filter in one by one, Jace leading the way as he drops into the overstuffed leather chair next to me, offering his usual laid-back grin. Devin plops down with a loud thud, picking up a pen from the table to fidget with it.

Matteo and Julian sink into their seats, exchanging quick nods before settling in. The atmosphere is relaxed but I can feel the undercurrent of tension in the air that I can't ignore.

"Thanks for coming, guys," I start, slipping into my seat and leaning forward, my elbows on the wooden table. "We've got a lot to cover so let's get started."

"First on the agenda is the upcoming charity events," Julian says, reading from the notes I sent him.

"Correct. We've got three lined up," I say. "And we need to make sure every detail is nailed down."

Matteo pulls out a folder and flips through the papers. "I've been in contact with the organizers for the blood drive, and everything's set for next week. We'll need volunteers, but we can get a good turnout if we push hard at the next frat meeting."

"Good," I say, appreciating Matteo's thoroughness. "What about the mentorship program?"

"Still working out the logistics," Jace chimes in, leaning back in his chair. "But I've got a few professors on board who are willing to help promote it. We just need to finalize the schedule and get it approved by the administration."

"Are we almost done?" I ask.

"It's not quite finalized," Julian speaks up, leaning forward. "We're still trying to get some student mentors signed up. There are a few seniors who promised to help but they haven't gotten back to me so I'll get on their case. Should be good to go by the end of the week."

"Good. We need to make sure everything runs smoothly," I say, glancing around the table. "These events are our chance to show the campus who we truly are."

"There's a murmur of agreement around the table, and I feel a brief surge of confidence, but as the conversation starts to wind down, I can't ignore the nagging thought that's been eating at me since the last party. I glance at Devin, who's leaning back in his chair, twirling his pen between his fingers. "Devin, you mentioned seeing Tessa Collins at the last party. What's the deal with that?"

Devin straightens up, his usual grin faltering. "Yeah, she was there but it was no big deal. I don't think she was doing anything."

"Tessa again?" Julian groans, running a hand through his hair. "What is she, obsessed with us?"

"Maybe she's just curious," Matteo suggests, though his tone isn't entirely convinced. "We're on everyone's radar right now. It's not surprising she's hanging around."

"But why us?" Julian asks, leaning forward, a frown creasing his brow. "I mean, she's already done her exposé. What more does she need? I heard from someone at the paper that she was planning on doing a follow-up podcast on us. Do you think it's possible that if she can't find anything she might make something up?"

His words hang in the air, and the room falls into an uneasy silence.

"I wouldn't put it past her," I say, my voice low. "She's ambitious, and she's already got a reputation for digging up dirt. If she's looking for something, we need to be careful."

"Exactly," Julian says, nodding. "We need to keep an eye on her. If she's planning something, we can't let her catch us off guard."

Devin raises an eyebrow. "So what, we just keep her away from our events? Make sure she doesn't have anything to report?"

"Don't you think we're being a little too paranoid," Jace asks, an arch in his brow. "What evidence do we have that she might try to sabotage us anyway? She's hung around the frat at some parties, and talked to a few people about us, so what?"

I frown. "You've been keeping an eye on her," I say. "Anything to report?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Jace says with a shrug. "I think we're probably overreacting."

"Maybe," I say, but I'm not convinced.

"We should focus on the blood drive, not some bloodsucking little reporter," Devin jokes. "She's harmless and we've got bigger things to worry about."

Clearing my throat, I glance down at my notes, reminded of why we were here in the first place. "The charity carnival is the next thing we need to talk about," I say, trying to heed Devin's advice. "Jace, how is everything going with that?"

"All the sponsors are lined up," Jace says, a grin on his face. "They've all signed the contracts, and we've got a dozen food vendors signed as well. Devin and the carnival company have been working through their legal agreement, are we nearly done?"

Devin nods and pulls out his tablet, tapping on the screen to bring up a page. "The agreement has been thoroughly reviewed by the school's legal team, so we're completely safe. We've decided to minimize the risk of problems by not having any dark rides or the funhouse."

I nod. "If there's no places for people to lurk around, there's less chance of someone trying something. Smart."

We wrap up the meeting, but I have one last lingering thought before we part ways. "Hey, can you guys keep an eye on Tessa," I ask, shuffling my papers together. "I know she's probably harmless, but I'd prefer it if she stopped hanging around the frat so much."

"No worries," Matteo says. "I'll talk to Val and see if she can get Tessa to ease up on us. I'm sure she'll be reasonable."

Jace hangs around while I pack my bag and Devin continues to work on something on his tablet, just the three of us now.

"You guys good?" I ask, curious.

"I gotta tell you something," Devin says, glancing around as he lowers his voice. "I don't think Tessa is hanging around because of the scandal anymore."

"Yeah, me neither," Jace says quickly. "I think it's because of…"

"It's because of me," Devin and Jace say at the same time. The two of them exchange wide-eyed glances and their brows furrow.

"Because of you?" Devin asks, sounding confused.

"I think she might have a little crush on me," Jace says, a smirk rising from the corners of his lips.

"Uh, doubt it," Devin says, rolling his eyes. "You think every girl has a crush on you. I think she's hanging around because of me. We made out at the last party."

"What the hell?" I ask, shock running through me. "You made out with the enemy?"

"First of all, she's not the enemy," Devin argues, pink coloring his cheeks. "Secondly, yeah, she and I got caught up in a game of spin the bottle and one thing led to another."

"One make-out session hardly qualifies," Jace argues back. "We had a connection the other day at the library. I'm sure that she came to the party to see me again. That kiss was probably a pity kiss, dude."

I groan, annoyed at both of them for losing sight of things so easily. "You have to be kidding me," I say, breathing out slowly. "We've been so stupid. I feel like I had a connection with her at the campus café the other day, but now I know what's going on here. I think she's messing with us," I say, jaw tightening.

"Fuck," Jace breathes out, running a hand through his hair. "It's obvious now. She's going after all three of us, trying to get close, trying to get us to let our guard down."

Devin's face falls as he clenches the pen in his fist tightly. "I can't believe she'd play us like this. She's probably trying to get us all wrapped around her finger so she can use us to get a better story."

Annoyance fills me as I lean against the wall. "What are we going to do about it?" I ask. "We can't let her get away with it."

"Let's make sure she knows that we're not so easily manipulated," Jace says, a feral grin on his face. "We need to put that little minx in her place, show her that we're not going to fall for her tricks."

I feel a rush of pride at knowing that Jace has my back on this. "We need to make a plan to get back at her," I tell them. "Let's take a few days to figure things out and decide how we're going to approach this, agreed?"

"Definitely," Devin says, nodding. "No matter what she thinks, we're not going to fall for that cutesy schtick she's got going on."

We part ways, resolved to steer clear of Tessa for now so she can't sink her claws any deeper into us. I don't know what she has planned but I'm not going to let her ruin everything we've worked so hard to build back up, not if I have anything to say about it.

Tessa Collins better watch her back.