Camren Davis

The dean’s office sat at the edge of the administrative wing, half glass, half concrete, overlooking the cracked quad below like a watchtower. Inside, Camren leaned back in his chair, boots planted wide, one forearm resting across the desk while the other idly spun a pen between thick fingers. Incident reports lay scattered across the desk, names he already knew by memory. Madden Tanner. Reid Bradley. A few new ones. One in particular that had been showing up a lot lately. Konnor Huges. Camren’s eyes flicked toward the window just as a shout cut across the quad. Then another. A sharp crack of a punch echoed upward, followed by the rising roar of a crowd forming around something worth watching. The pen stopped spinning.

Camren tilted his head slightly, listening like a predator catching the first sound of prey rustling through brush. Another shout. Someone yelling “Holy shit... Reid’s gonna kill him!” A slow grin spread across Camren’s face. “Well,” he murmured, pushing back from the desk. “That didn’t take long.” He stood, tall enough that the room seemed to shrink around him. The chair rolled away behind him as he grabbed his jacket from the backrest and shoved the office door open. His boots echoed down the hallway as he moved toward the quad doors, pace unhurried, like he had all the time in the world.

By the time he stepped outside, the crowd was already thick. Students circled the fountain in a tight ring, voices loud with adrenaline and betting calls. Phones were already out, recording. Someone shouted for Reid to finish it. Camren pushed into the circle. The crowd parted almost instantly once people realized who had just walked in. The noise dropped in nervous waves as students stepped back, clearing a path through the middle. Two figures were still moving at the center. Reid stood planted like a tank, blood smeared across his split lip, fists raised and shoulders squared with the confidence of someone who had won a hundred fights before this one.

Across from him, Konnor barely seemed to breathe. Silent. Still. Eyes dark and empty in that unsettling way that made people think twice before testing him. Reid lunged first. His fist came in hard and fast, aiming straight for Konnor’s jaw. Camren moved. His hand shot forward and caught Reid by the collar mid-swing, yanking him backward so abruptly the punch sliced harmlessly through air. Reid staggered two steps before Camren shoved him aside like he weighed nothing.

The quad fell silent. Camren stepped between them, broad shoulders blocking the line of attack as his gaze drifted lazily from Reid to Konnor and then out toward the watching crowd. His mouth curved into a dark, entertained smile. “Well,” he said calmly, voice carrying easily across the quad. “Bradley. Huges.” His eyes flicked between them again. “Which one of you geniuses wants to explain why I had to walk all the way down here?”