The Scammer

Monday morning, Jordyn is exhausted for classes. She feels disgusted by food, throwing it away instead of eating. She reflects on how Devonte has started making them exercise, insisting that he is training them. He stayed up with Jordyn through the night, having her transcribe notes on parts of his life. He also suggests she make pamphlets for the campus. She is proud to have him trust and believe in her; she starts to wonder if she could truly write a famous book. Feeling as though she can’t make it through the day, Jordyn goes back to the dorm for a nap. When she walks in, she sees Devonte and Kammy on the couch together. Kammy jumps up in embarrassment, but Devonte laughs. Jordyn quickly rushes through to her bedroom and ignores them.

A while later, Jordyn tries to write, but all she can think about is seeing Kammy with Devonte. Kammy comes into her room to try to explain. She tells Jordyn that she broke up with Micah, feeling as though he and his family were trying to control her. She insists that she is not with Devonte but that he is helping her “explore” her sexuality. She is adamant that she’d rather do it with him than someone she doesn’t trust. Jordyn is unsure how to respond. She at first questions if it is what Kammy truly wants, then backs down and supports her.

That night, Vanessa, Loren, and Jordyn go to an off-campus party. When Jordyn tries to talk about Kammy, the others ignore her, insisting that Jordyn misunderstood what she saw. Loren is nervous about going out without Devonte, while Vanessa informs them that she told Devonte where they were going.

At the party, Jordyn talks with Nick and her friend, Kerry. However, she spots Devonte watching her from across the room. He comes to her, telling her that he wants to spend time alone with her. However, they are interrupted by a fight. Jordyn realizes that Vanessa is involved, so Devonte goes and pulls her away. As Devonte soothes Vanessa, Jordyn sneaks away.

In a hallway, Jordyn runs into Mercy and Brianna, two of her classmates. They talk for a while, then Brianna tries to find the coat room so she can leave. When they finally find the room, Jordyn realizes that Nick is passed out among all the coats. She panics, but Mercy and Brianna make jokes about looking at his body while he is passed out. Jordyn pushes them away, ready to fight if she needs to, but the girls back down, annoyed, and leave.

Unsure what to do, Jordyn decides that she needs to protect Nick and his reputation. She helps him out of the apartment and into a cab, with Nick remaining largely unresponsive. She takes him back to her dorm, then puts him into her bed. Because she still can’t wake him up, she goes to sleep on the floor.

In the middle of the night, Jordyn hears someone trying to open her door. They try for several moments, twisting the doorknob. Eventually, they give up and walk away.

The next morning, Nick wakes Jordyn up. He tells her that he didn’t drink anything the night before, but he is still unsteady on his feet. Jordyn isn’t sure what to believe.

After Nick is gone, Devonte confronts Jordyn about sleeping with him. She is adamant that nothing happened, but as Devonte questions her for over an hour, she begins to question what happened. She questions whether Nick pretended to be intoxicated so that he could be alone in her room. As Devonte imposes an 8:00 pm curfew as punishment, Jordyn feels guilty about being a bad friend to the others.

The next night, Jordyn makes sure that she is home well before the curfew. She gathers with the others, plus Kareem and Legacy. Devonte passes out the pamphlets that she wrote about Willie Lynch. As he starts to talk about the damage Lynch did to enslaved people in Virginia, Loren gets home. She tries to apologize for being late, but Devonte interrupts her, angry that his “sessions” aren’t helping her. His words make Jordyn question whether Devonte is spending time alone with both Loren and Kammy.

Devonte then calls attention to Loren’s makeup. He scolds her for wearing lipstick. He sends Kareem to the kitchen to get a rag, soap, and water. When he returns, Devonte makes him wash the lipstick off of Loren. He begins gently, but Devonte encourages him to brush more aggressively until Loren begins to sob. As Loren cries, Jordyn is overwhelmed with “guilt,” noting how Devonte is “right” because she is “not a good friend” (125).

The next evening, Jordyn goes to the FUSA office to work. Nick asks her for help with the paperwork from homecoming. She works alone for a couple of hours before Nick brings up the night of the party. He tells her that he thinks he was drugged. Jordyn dismisses the idea, but he points out that the last thing he did was take her drink and drink most of it. Initially, Jordyn is adamant that no one touched her drink; however, she then remembers that Devonte held it for her briefly. When Nick suggests that they go to the police, Jordyn convinces him that it would cause unnecessary trouble for him as the only white student. He is angry but agrees with her, warning her to be careful.

Jordyn rushes back to her dorm, upset with herself that she is 30 minutes past curfew. When she gets there, she finds over 30 students crowded in the living room, listening to Devonte talk about the recent protests and police shooting.

One night, Devonte tells Jordyn and the others that a tea will replace two of their meals. He also tells them that they will be vegans, explaining about the toxins found in meat and processed food. Jordyn checks in with Loren, worried about her diabetes, but Devonte explains that Loren’s diabetes can be cured through her new diet.

Afterward, Devonte goes to each of the girls’ rooms and has them throw out most of their belongings, especially their designer clothing and accessories. He tells them that he will be selling it all as payment for his work with them. When Kammy tries to keep a bag that was a gift from her father, Devonte yells at her. He calls her a “sheep,” then takes a can of corn from the kitchen and dumps it on the bedroom floor. He forces Kammy to eat it, screaming at her to get on the floor like a sheep.

On Wednesday, Jordyn goes to work with Nick for FUSA. He confronts her about an email that Kareem sent out. He rescinded his position with Kappa, writing about the atrocities of fraternities and their connection to white traditions. He also wrote about the “white infiltration” by Nick into the fraternity. Nick asks about Kareem and Devonte, questioning why someone as old as Devonte would be spending so much time on campus; Jordyn vehemently defends him and insists Nick doesn’t know anything about it.

Back in the suite, Devonte shows Jordyn and the others a picture of land that he owns in Virginia. He wants to build a sanctuary for them to live freely and call it “Emancipation.” Everyone excitedly agrees. He then tells them that they all have to contribute money. He has Lauren call her parents on speakerphone and ask for $10,000. She lies and says that there was an issue with her school bill, and her mother promises to find the money for her. When it is Jordyn’s turn, however, she begins to cry, insisting that her parents won’t help her. After Devonte scolds her, questioning her loyalty, he mentions her three credit cards, something Jordyn never told him about. She explains that they’re her parents’ cards, so he suggests opening her own account. Although Jordyn questions what it will do to her credit score and how she will pay it back, Devonte insists that once they are in Emancipation, none of it will matter.

Devonte helps Jordyn apply for credit cards online. She gets approved for one with a $5,000 limit. He tells her that they are going to the ATM together to withdraw all the money, reassuring her that everything will be fine.