“Look,” I insisted, refusing to just walk away. “I apologize if I came across as disrespectful, but you have to consider everything—”
“That is enough, Stefan,” the Dean interrupted. “You've said your piece. Don’t make it worse on yourself.”
“Fine,” I growled. “Bella and I won’t have any part in all of this ridiculousness.”
“I’d advise you not to do anything rash, Stefan,” Howard warned. “And that’s the final warning I will give you.”
I walked out and slammed the door behind me. It wasn't too productive, but I did gain some information.
Chapter 11
Bella
For the first few days after finding out I was pregnant, I walked around in a zombie-like daze. The unexpected events still stunned me—I had my stepbrother's baby inside me. It was both a blessing and a curse. The thought of having his baby brought joy to me, but having to explain it to everyone would be dreadful.
In the meantime, Stefan and I had agreed to avoid each other for a while until the rumors and jokes died down. I was to go to my classes, acting as if everything were normal. But ignoring some of the jerks poking fun at me wasn’t going to be easy.
Meanwhile, the school’s investigation against Alpha and Kappa was heating up, and it was only a matter of time before both Stefan and I would be further pulled into the quagmire.
When I was done with classes for the day, I was approached by the president of Kappa, Hanna Jones, and her faithful sidekick, she of dildo sucking fame, Veronica George, while making my way across campus to my dorm room.
I’d heard that they wanted to speak with me, but I had nothing to say to them. I don’t know if it was Kappa or Alpha that started the rumors, but it didn’t matter. Kappa certainly hadn’t helped things until they realized they could be in trouble too.
Both girls fell into step on either side of me. Hanna was carrying a bunch of books with her hands folded around them while Veronica had nothing. Hanna was the first to speak. “I heard the Dean had a talk with you.”
“Yes,” I said succinctly, not bothering to hide my displeasure at being approached by them. “And?”
Veronica scowled. “So? Did you say anything about how girls gain entry to our chapter or anything about hazing?”
Irritation flowed through my body. “No. Why would I? I have just as much reason to lie as the rest of you. Maybe even more so, considering—” I stopped short of saying the words.
“You swear you didn’t say anything about me or about our deal with Alpha?” Hanna demanded. “Cause if you did—”
I hissed in exasperation. “I didn’t say crap! I don’t understand why you two are bugging me right now. Shouldn’t you be back at the house, making sure everyone has their story straight?”
Veronica shook her head angrily. “I really can’t believe your bitchy attitude, Bella. You should be kissing the ground we walk on for letting you join our sorority. You have some nerve treating your sisters like this.”
“You aren’t, and never were, my sister,” I said tersely. “Because it was either a Kappa or an Alpha who opened their fucking mouth the first time. Let’s get that straight right now.”
“You see that, Hanna? You see how ungrateful she is?” Veronica snarled. “I warned you to never to let this chick in. Now we’re forced to lie on her behalf just to defend ourselves, all because she wanted to screw her brother.”
I stopped in my tracks. “That is not true!” I half-yelled.
Several students in the area stopped to stare at the confrontation.
“It’s not?” Veronica hissed, her eyes darting to the onlookers then back to me. “Who do you think you're kidding? Do you really expect us to believe that you didn’t know the guy behind the gladiator mask was your brother or that he didn’t know who you were either?” She rolled her eyes at the sky. “Please.”
“Shut up, Veronica,” I growled. “No one cares what you think . . . unless it’s about winning dick-sucking contests.”
Veronica’s faced twisted with rage and she got in my face. “You dirty brother fucker—”
Shifting the books into the nook of her arm, Hanna pushed Veronica away from me. “Stop it, V. We already have enough problems on our hands.” She looked at me. “Actually, we didn’t follow you here to quiz you on what you said to the dean.”
I glared at Veronica, who was scowling at me with hatred, and crossed my arms over my breasts. “Why are you here, then?”
Hanna took a deep breath. “I’ve come up with a plan to protect both Alpha and Kappa.”