New Year’s resolutions… everyone makes them, and few people stick to them. Take Jamie O’Connor’s promise to be faithful, for example. He’s been playing house with his Kappa Delta sorostitute for the last two months, but the newspapers don’t lie, Jamie. Fess up and tell her what you did, you dirty boy. A picture is worth a thousand words…
* * *
XO,
The Queen
My eyes and mouth widen with surprise. No one ever messes with Jamie. He always stays out of the spotlight and does nothing worth reporting. And now The Queen has just called his ass out. Shannon was over at our house after the break, flipping out over some pictures of Jamie and his ex-girlfriend in the newspaper from a gaming event. He swears nothing happened, and I believe him. But he’s been kissing Shannon’s ass ever since, pleading with her to chill out.
“Damn.” I study the post once more and then hand Jamie my phone. “You need to see this.”
A pained expression crosses his face. He reads the post several times before handing the phone back to me. “I have to narrow her location down. The signal is somewhere in the city, but that doesn’t help. She could be anyone working from anywhere.”
“You’ll find her,” I say, hoping we all get some justice for what she’s done to us. “Or maybe we need to give her a new target.”
He shakes his head. “We need to shut her down, not feed her ego. She wants power over us. We have to take it away from her.”
“How do you suggest we do that?”
“I will find out who she is, and once I do, we’re taking her down.”
I smirk, and Jamie’s expression mirrors mine. “I like the way you think.”
He winks and then goes back to texting Shannon. I go back to staring at Sam, and her long legs stretched out beneath the desk.
After the class ends and everyone leaves, I stay behind to confront Sam. She knows I’m here, yet she sits behind the desk as if it can shield her from me. She glances at the book in front of her, scribbling notes. Professor Frazier has already left through the side entrance reserved for staff.
I stroll down the aisle and place my palms flat on the desk, leaning over so our faces are only a few inches apart. “Don’t take the past out on me.”
She glances up at me, annoyed, with those icy-blue eyes that send chills down my spine. “I would never.” Her brown hair covers the side of her face as she tilts her head down and continues to write in her book. “I’m a professional. This is my job. You’re now my student.”
As I reach across her desk to touch her hand, she freezes, and her entire body tenses up. Sucking in a deep breath, she holds it far too long before letting it out. “Tucker,” she warns. “Think long and hard before you touch me again.”
“Why are you so angry with me?”
She scoffs, blowing a strand of her hair in her face. “Why are you such an ass?”
We stare at each other for a few seconds, the tension between us thick, until Sam breaks the silence. “If you’re trying to charm your way to an A, no amount of money or smirks can win me over. I suggest you study, for once, and earn your grades through hard work and effort.”
“Look, Sam, you have something against me.”
“You’re a user, Tucker. Just like you used me freshman year.”
“I thought we had a good time that night.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, until you tossed me aside and moved on to the next girl.”
So, that’s why she’s mad…
I want to defend myself, but what do I say? We hooked up. She said she was okay with just sex when she wanted more. They always want more. I never promise women anything other than an orgasm. She knew the deal. We had an agreement. And now, I’m paying the price for my honesty.
The following Monday, Jamie tells me to leave for class without him. He’s over at the Kappa Delta house apologizing to Shannon again. It seems like all he does is kiss her ass. His relationship with her reminds me of why I want nothing serious.
On my way through Franklin Hall, I round the corner near my classroom and almost run into a group of Kappa Delta girls. The sorority girls’ faces light up, and a few smiles in my direction. I’ve seen them at the Delta Sig parties and even hooked up with a few over the years.
I nod in acknowledgment.
One girl locks eyes with me before cutting across the corridor and latches onto my biceps. I attempt to shake her loose, but she holds on tighter, so I drag her along with me to class. We have about one minute before the door closes. Professor Frazier won’t admit anyone after nine o’clock, no exceptions.
