Tripp nods, his face ashen. And I think of Jay’s texts that someone had been going through his room. What if Colin was looking for the unaltered footage? What if Katie encouraged him to expose what happened at the frat and he was searching for proof? How could he balance the boy who wanted to be brave, to get revenge, and impress the girl with the boy who wanted to be important, belong to a group, and impress his father? The boy who was Colin and the boy who wanted to be Jay?

Tripp runs his hands through his hair. “Jay told me about the footage and how he’d been blackmailing Colin—and I mean, what could I do?” He clenches his jaw. “I called a meeting of the executive board. Not about the video—god, can you imagine if everyone found out?” His eyes dart to the window. “But about Jay telling fraternity secrets. I mean, even if Colin told her, it was still Jay’s fault. The video was much worse, so at the time, I thought Jay was getting off easy. And”—he swallows—“I was glad the other brothers were angry. Everyone wrote what they thought of him on a piece of paper. Dropped it in a hat. They were unanimous—he was a traitor. Didn’t belong in Kap-O.”

“When was this?”

Tripp takes a breath. “The weekend before he died.”

“At Michael’s lake house?”

He nods. “Mike thought it would be best to keep it away from the younger brothers.” Tripp blinks and looks away. “In case we had to dole out punishment.”

I shake my head, remembering the bruises Aisha found on Jay’s body. His texts to Katie that he couldn’t sleep. Not to trust anyone. That he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Jay called Colin almost thirty times before he died,” I say.

Tripp rubs his face. “He was going to end it—the thing with Colin. He said it wasn’t worth it anymore.”

“Shit,” I say.

“Yeah,” Tripp breathes.

We stare out at the tennis courts. The lone guy remains, hitting balls at the tarp, even as the rain turns into heavy sheets.

I still don’t entirely understand why Jay blackmailed Colin. Was it anger that a pledge stood up to him? Fear that he’d tell what he knew? Laziness to avoid attending his own classes?

I sigh. Perhaps it was less complicated than that. Maybe it was simply that he could. In a world where boys make up bizarre rules like deranged emperors of tiny kingdoms, all Jay needed was to know about the video and then decide to use it.