Pure rage consumedme as my feet pounded against the sidewalk on my way back to the house. I hoped, like most Monday afternoons, that no one else was home because I didn’t want an audience around when I confronted Ford.
The door slammed against the wall when I pushed it open.
Fallon raced down the stairs and came to a screeching halt when he saw me. “What the fuck?”
I could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks, and there was no doubt in my mind my outward appearance mirrored how I was feeling on the side. “Is Ford here?” I sneered, glancing into the empty chapter room for any sign of the asshole.
“I don’t know. We walked home together, but I’ve been in my room since then.”
I brushed past him and barreled into the kitchen and found the person I was looking for standing at the island. His eyes widened as I approached.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I yelled as I shoved him backward. “Are you trying to ruin my life?”
Fallon immediately stepped between us, planting his hand against my chest. “You need to calm down. I have no idea what’s going on, but you know we have rules and don’t tolerate violence in this fraternity.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the rules.” I lunged toward Ford again, but Fallon wouldn’t budge and kept a firm hold on my shoulders.
Ford continued to stare at me, and his silence did nothing but rile me up more.
“Why did you do it?” I shouted.
“You know why,” he whispered.
“So, what? You thought reporting me to the dean would make me take you back? Do you realize how stupid that sounds?”
Fallon spun around to face Ford. “What’s he talking about?”
“I didn’t report you to the dean,” Ford argued, ignoring Fallon’s question.
“Bullshit!”
“I promise I didn’t say anything about you,” he implored. “I only said I saw Professor Foster out with a student. I never mentioned your name.”
I threw my hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter. You fucked everything up.”
“Tyler, please—”
“Stay the hell away from me. I want nothing to do with you.” I stormed out of the kitchen and went straight to my room. Staying to argue with Ford wouldn’t do any good, and if I wasn’t careful, he could change his mind and go back to Dean Watson with more information.
As soon as my bedroom door shut behind me, I pulled out a duffle bag and began tossing some clothes inside.
“Where are you going?” Fallon asked.
I hadn’t heard him come in. “I don’t know, but I can’t stay here with him.”
“I get that, but why don’t you take a minute and talk to me? I’m not even sure what all happened out there. How did Ford find out about you and Professor Foster? And why do you think he filed a report to get back together with you? I thought you guys were ancient history.”
I flopped onto my bed and ran a hand over my face. “A while back, he said he thought he’d made a mistake breaking up with me and wanted us to get back together.”
Fallon’s mouth fell open. “Seriously?”
“Yep,” I huffed. “I told him I was seeing someone else, but he didn’t seem to take a hint. He kissed me during the party Saturday night.”
Fallon rolled his eyes. “What a tool.”
“Agreed. Anyway, Hayden and I wanted to go on an actual date, and we thought if we went to the city, no one would see us. It just so happened we ended up at the same place where Ford was having dinner with his parents. He confronted me in the bathroom, and we argued a bit before I left.”
“And he reported it, and that’s why the dean showed up in class this morning.”
