But my mind is reeling. “Then why was Jay a traitor?” I ask, the pieces shifting and twisting as I try to pull the plot back together.

Colin drums his fingers on his knee and stares at the ceiling.

“You aren’t a member,” Oliver says, when Colin remains silent, “which means you don’t have to keep their secrets.” He leans forward. “It also means you don’t have to attend their classes. Which brings us back to our original question: Why were you pretending to be Jay?”

I stare at the bags under Colin’s eyes, the chapped skin on his lips, and then at the boy in the photograph. The easy, shy smile. I think of his father—the pride in his face when he said his son was a Kap-O.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I say, eyes on Colin, but addressing Oliver. “He wanted to be part of his father’s fraternity. To make him proud.” I nod as if in approval. “But then…” I sit back in my chair, watch Colin’s body language. “It’s not what his father said it would be. It’s not all cookouts and parties, but getting shoved into corners and called by a number and tested to see if you are worthy by some perverse set of rules everyone knows but you.” I shrug. “Maybe he made it until the very end. Maybe he made it to the basement. But then he cracked.”

A cruel snort from Colin, but also a look that says, You’ve got to try harder than that.

“I bet he pleaded with Jay to give him a second chance. He had to be a Kap-O. His father left him with no other option. And Jay saw an opportunity. His grades were suffering—that’s clear from his transcripts. School’s not the point of college anyway—just look at the brochures. It’s all about the experience, football games and whitewater rafting and thousands of your peers dressed in red and black. His classes are big. Who’s to know the difference?” Oliver raises an eyebrow, but I keep going, seeing the heat in Colin’s face rise with every word. “A few tweaks to Colin’s clothes, his hair, and now he’s Jay, trying to hold down two sets of classes so Jay can party and do whatever he wants.” I drum my fingers on the table. “No one notices the switch. And why would they? If this started at the beginning of spring semester, Colin would simply introduce himself as Jay the first day and his professors wouldn’t know the difference. It works so well, Jay figures they might as well continue their arrangement in the fall, all while promising he’ll make sure Colin gets a bid this year.” I take a breath. “But then he met Katie.”

Oliver nods. “Jay and the dream girl.”

“No,” I say calmly.