Page 33 of Blake University: HBCU Chronicles – Yon & Imole

The crowd was still on their feet as the final stomp echoed through the gym. Ten new brothers of Mega Phi Psi stood dripping sweat and grinning from ear to ear. Flashing their signs. Chanting. Hugging. stood off to the side, chest rising and falling with pride. His line had just crossed. The room pulsed with energy, testosterone, and triumph.

Ace clapped him on the back.

“Yo, we just made history, bro.”

Gravy jogged over, breathless and grinning, until he got close enough to see ’s face up close and then it turned serious.

“Yo… we need to talk. Like, now.”

Before could respond, he spotted Imole and Lala pushing through the crowd. They looked frantic. Faces pale. Eyes locked on him.

“,”

Imole called, out of breath.

“We gotta talk. It’s Tree. You’re not safe.”

immediately stepped down from the stage, signaling to Porkchop to cover.

“What happened?”

Lala grabbed his arm.

“We saw him. Just now. He was on campus talking to Dean Whitmore.”

blinked.

“Wait… what? He’s not even allowed on school grounds.”

Imole pulled out her phone and played a muffled but clear video. The shaky recording showed Tree standing toe-to-toe with Dean Whitmore in the faculty lot. The sound was distorted at first but grew louder:

Dean Whitmore: “Terrence… please, don’t make this worse”

Tree: “Nah, Dean. I do. You keep your mouth shut, or that little video of yours hits the Chancellor’s inbox…”

’s jaw tightened.

Imole stopped the video.

“That nigga is a menace. The Dean is scared of him. And whatever Tree has on him, it’s big enough to keep his ass from getting reported.”

Gravy’s eyes went wide.

“So, that’s why he’s been bold enough to pop up. Damn.”

Imole added, “That’s not even the worst of it.”

Lala stepped in and opened her voice recorder.

“We cornered Stormi after the crossing. She admitted everything. Tree’s been threatening her with photos. Videos. He made her spy on me for weeks. And Shawna. Shawna knew the whole time.”

Porkchop had joined the group. His jaw clenched as he overheard bits of the conversation, “What kind of photos?”

Imole looked away.

“Enough to ruin her. He drugged her, too, or got her to take something.”

’s hands curled into fists.

“So, she was a pawn this whole time?”

“Not completely,”

Lala said.

“She chose to stay in it. But we got her voice. On record. She didn’t know we were taping.”

took a deep breath, running his hand down his face.

Ace looked between them.

“So what now? What do we do with all this?”

Imole looked straight in the eye.

“You protect your line. We’ll handle the recordings. But Tree is not finished. He’s planning something tonight. I don’t know what but it’s bad.”

Gravy shook his head.

“That explains why he wasn’t at the game. That man been plotting in the shadows. I tried to pretend it was nothing, but now...”

cut him off.

“You knew something?”

Gravy hesitated.

“He’s been sneaking around and moving weird. I know....”

gritted his teeth.

“Wait, what?”

Gravy’s head hung low.

“Listen, I always wanted to be a Mega Phi Psi. But…”

“But what!”

said between clinched teeth.

“I been fucking with Tree on the low. I’m gay.”

Gravy confessed.

“Nigga, what!”

“I knew if I came out, there was no way I’d make the line. I kept everything on the low. But Tree, he was planning on using our relationship against me to get to you. Dude has a weird obsession with you, . And that’s not the worst of it. I saw him with a gun. I know he is planning on using it.”

Imole and Lala were stunned by the confessions and added information.

“Yo, you knew me better than that shit. None of that would have mattered. We will deal with that shit later. Right now, we need to find Tree before he does something stupid.”

said as he tried to process everything he had just heard about one of his closest friends.

He turned to Imole.

“You got the files?”

She nodded, eyes glinting with fury.

’s voice dropped to steel.

“Good. We end this tonight.”

The Group

The mood inside the Mega House had shifted. The once-boisterous celebration of new brotherhood had given way to tight whispers, serious faces, and a war-room-style huddle around the long dining table.

stood at the head of it, phone in hand, replaying the recordings again, Imole’s voice clear as crystal, Stormii’s tearful confession, the Dean’s pitiful pleas to Tree. All of it laid out like evidence in a courtroom.

Gravy leaned forward, eyes scanning each face.

“So, what’s the move? Do we go public? Take it to the Chancellor? Social media?”

Porkchop shook his head.

“Nah, not yet. We do that and Tree goes underground. We need something airtight. Something he can’t wiggle out of.”

Lala crossed her arms, pacing.

“We already have a voice recording and a video. What more do we need, him caught in the act?”

Ace added, “Y’all keep forgetting: he’s already on campus illegally. The Dean’s covering for him, which means going through the school won’t help us. We need outside eyes.”

Imole stood silently, her hands clenched. She was done talking. Done being scared.

Suddenly, CRASH!

A loud thump echoed from upstairs. Everyone froze.

“What the hell was that?”

Gravy whispered, already on his feet.

was already moving.

“I got it.”

“Wait…”

Imole reached out, but he was already halfway up the stairs. Ace stood at the bottom of the staircase watching him.

“!”

Ace called out.

The house was supposed to be empty. Everyone else was still out partying. Whoever was up there… wasn’t supposed to be.

turned the corner at the top of the stairs.

“Yo,”

he called out cautiously.

“Who’s up here?”

Another creak. A shadow moved in the hallway. tensed.

Then click.

He felt it before he saw it. Cold metal pressing into the back of his neck.

“Hands up, pretty boy.”

slowly raised his hands and turned.

Tree.

Dark hoodie. No smile. Gun steady in his hand, glinting in the dim light.

“Let’s go downstairs. I got a message for all your little friends.”

didn’t speak. He backed down the stairs slowly, Tree just behind him.

The moment they turned the corner, everyone in the room jumped to their feet.

“Yo!”

Ace shouted.

“Don’t move!”

Tree barked, waving the gun.

“Ain’t nobody pulling no hero shit.”

Imole gasped, instinctively moving behind Lala.

Tree scanned the room, his eyes wild but calculated.

“Well, ain’t this cute? Mega Phi’s finest plus the rat bitch and her cheerleader sidekick.”

Gravy’s voice was low and dangerous.

“Tree, you’re not thinking straight, man.”

“Oh, I’m thinking real clear,”

Tree sneered.

“All this time, y’all thought you could take me down with a damn voice note? A grainy video? Please.”

Porkchop stepped forward.

“You’re done, Tree. Whatever this is, this ain’t gon’ end how you think.”

Tree laughed.

“Y’all keep underestimating me. I told you, I own this campus. One of the many perks that came from being a Cyber Security major. I can tap into anything, and find shit on anybody. The Dean? Mine. The secrets? Not buried. But y’all couldn’t just leave it alone. So now…”

He pointed the gun at Imole.

“…now, we finish this.”

“NO!”

yelled, stepping in front of her.

“MOVE!”

Tree shouted.

“No,”

said firmly.

“If you want her, you gotta go through me.”

Tree’s grip tightened.

“That was always the plan.”

Just then, another voice echoed from the back hallway.

“Drop the gun, Tree.”

It was Stormii.

Her voice was shaking but strong. Behind her, two police officers stepped into view, weapons drawn.

Tree whipped around, caught off guard, but hesitated just long enough.

Click.

Gravy lunged forward, slamming into him.

The gun flew across the floor. Ace grabbed it. Porkchop had Tree in a chokehold. The room exploded in chaos, yelling, movement, and adrenaline.

In seconds, Tree was on the floor, pinned, cursing and screaming as the guards cuffed him.

stood over him, breathing hard.

“You done now.”

Tree snarled up at him.

“This ain’t over.”

leaned in.

“Yeah it is. You lost.”

Blake University Students

The Mega House was swarming with campus security and two local law enforcement officers before the hour was up. Tree, still spewing threats and curses, was hauled away in cuffs while cameras and cell phones caught every moment.

It was over.

Or at least, the part they had feared the most.

Imole sat on the bottom step of the staircase, her knees pulled to her chest. Lala was beside her, hand resting gently on her shoulder. Neither spoke. Their silence was heavier than anything Tree could’ve ever inflicted.

Across the room, stood with his arm around Gravy, his face unreadable. Porkchop was giving a statement to the officers. Ace was calling one of their alumni lawyers.

And in the center of it all was Stormii.

She hadn’t moved since the cuffs clicked around Tree’s wrists.

Her lips trembled as the weight of everything crashed down on her: the manipulation, the blackmail, the humiliation and finally, the guilt. Her eyes searched for Imole’s, but Imole wouldn’t meet them.

The Dean was nowhere to be found.

Whispers had already started. Someone said he left campus minutes after Tree’s arrest. Another claimed he was already placed on administrative leave. Whatever the truth was, it would come out. The video Imole and Lala captured was already circulating through BU’s private message boards. By morning, it would be viral.

BU News Alert – 12:07 AM

"brEAKING NEWS!: Allegations of blackmail, sexual coercion, and campus cover-up rock Blake University. Arrest made. Dean implicated. Student-led investigation exposes years of abuse swept under the rug."

Later that night, the new Neos of Mega Phi Psi and Veta Xi were huddled together in various pockets on the yard. There was no more music. No more celebration. Just whispers.

Stormii stepped outside of the Mega House alone. Her Veta Xi jacket clung to her like a weight. Some of her line sisters looked away. Others stared with disappointment.

Imole finally walked up to her.

Stormii looked up, eyes red.

“I’m sorry. I never meant for it to go this far. I was scared… and stupid.”

Imole’s voice was steady.

“You helped him.”

“I know.”

“You let me walk into that library alone.”

Stormi nodded slowly, tears streaming.

“I’ll tell it all. Everything. I already talked to the police. I’ll testify. I’ll do whatever I have to do.”

Imole stared at her for a long time, then finally nodded.

“You should.”

Stormii flinched but didn’t argue.

Lala joined them, her arms crossed.

“You better not fold when it counts. Because we’ll be watching.”

Stormii didn’t respond. She just walked off into the darkness away from the crowd, the chaos, and maybe, finally, toward accountability.

Back inside the Mega House, sat on the couch, head in his hands. Imole joined him. He didn’t say anything at first, basking in the comfort just being in her presence brought him.

Imole’s voice cracked.

“Thank you… for everything.”

He finally looked her in the eyes.

“I told you I’d have your back. I meant that Imole. I’ll always be here for you.”

The courtroom was silent when the verdict was read.

"Guilty."

Terrence "Tree" Wallace showed no emotion as the judge listed the charges: aggravated assault, attempted sexual assault, illegal possession of a firearm, and conspiracy to commit criminal coercion.

The sentence: 28 years, with the possibility of parole in 17. He barely flinched. Just like he promised Shawna—if it all fell apart, he’d take the fall.

But what Tree never expected was Stormii.

Her testimony was the linchpin. When she stepped onto the stand, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room not because she played the victim, but because she owned her role.

She told it all.

How Shawna used her insecurities against her. How Tree blackmailed her with explicit photos and videos. How she betrayed Imole and allowed herself to become a weapon.

When she finished, she looked at Imole in the courtroom gallery and said through tears, “I can’t undo what I did… but I’m not going to let him or her do it again.”

Shawna's fall was swift and brutal.

Once the recordings, testimonies, and digital paper trail were submitted, Veta Xi’s National Council wasted no time. Shawna’s membership was revoked, and within 48 hours, she was formally expelled from Blake University.

Her expulsion made national headlines, not because of what she did, but who her family was.

The Everet- James family had been BU royalty for three generations, endowed scholarships, buildings named after them, and one of the top Black philanthropic dynasties in the region. After Shawna's disgrace, that legacy crumbled. Endowments were pulled. Partnerships dried up. Invitations disappeared.

The Everett - James name was now a cautionary tale.

Stormi's path wasn’t as clear.

She finished out the semester quietly, under constant watch. Veta Xi allowed her to remain a member, but she requested to go inactive and later transferred to a small college upstate. No big announcements. No send-off. Just a girl trying to pick up the pieces.

She sent Imole one final message:

“Thank you for not destroying me when you had every reason to. I’ll never forget that. I’ll never be that girl again.”

Imole never responded. She just hoped Stormii meant it.

As for Imole, she and stayed close. Their bond, forged through chaos and betrayal, had been tested and it held.

They walked the yard together hand in hand, no longer hiding, no longer looking over their shoulders. Her necklace with their initials sat over her heart.

The campus healed slowly. The Dean quietly resigned. A new Title IX policy was announced. BU held workshops, open forums, and began a student-led safety initiative named after the young woman who refused to stay silent.

The Imole Grant Initiative: For Survivors. For Justice. For Change.