Mob Princess - Tess DiRosa's Story
Copyright© 2025 by Argon
Chapter 14: Fitting In
Kenneth Wilder was not an impressive man. He was of middling height, slim but soft and showing early signs of a receding hairline. Yet, he carried himself with a sense of self-importance, likely due to his family’s money and political position. The first time Tess saw him, he entered the lecture hall while the two agents of his protective detail had to stay outside.
“Sit! Stay!” he told them and laughed over his weak joke.
Tess had arrived a little earlier and watched him with silent amusement. She was in a carefully assembled wall flower outfit, her hair loose and going in all directions, and Wilder’s visual scan swept over her without pause. As planned, she was beneath his notice, and she kept her distance from him, sitting in the back of the auditorium where the first-year students assembled.
The dean gave a rather short and to the point speech, listing the rules and regulations, but also reminded them of the multitude of prominent and successful law scholars who had graduated from the school and attained lofty ranks in the court system, the legal system in general, and in politics. He tried his best to be unobtrusive, but Tess noticed that his gaze swept over the students, trying to identify the most prominent one, Wilder, and the most secretive one, Tess. Seeing her sit demurely in the back between two other nerdish girls, he seemed relieved.
Next, the full professors introduced themselves to the student body and listed the courses and seminars they offered. Tess already knew a few of them from her undergrad studies, not that they ever bothered with undergrad courses, and she watched those for whose courses she had registered with interest. She also kept an eye on her mark. Wilder was already sitting with two other guys, all of them dressed in preppy outfits, and a blonde debutante who reminded Tess of her friend Patricia.
After that, they were told to gather outside on the lawn and try to form informal groupings for when their tutors would give them further instructions and help.
Since it had been decided that Tess would not try to become a part of Wilder’s circle of friends, Tess approached another group sitting next to Wilder’s coterie. They were four already, two men, two women.
“Hi, I’m Tess. Mind if I join you?”
“Sure, sit down,” one of the women invited her. “I’m Janis Bender.”
Tess sank down limberly, sitting Indian style. “Thanks. Tess DiRosa, from Philadelphia.”
“Marc Conway, and this is my twin sister June. We’re from Coopersburg.”
“John Adams, from Boston. And no, Quincy’s not my middle name.”
“I’m from Glencove, Long Island,” Janis Bender added. “We might as well get to know each other. I am a Fordham graduate, majoring in Political Science.”
“Criminal justice, Penn,” Tess contributed.
“We’re Penn graduates, too, but I don’t think we ever met you?” June Conway said curiously.
“I took a two-year sabbatical in Japan, preparing for my second Dan,” Tess offered her legend. “I was sick of seminar rooms and need the break to recharge.”
“So, you’re some Ninja?” Adams asked with a smile.
“Nope, Aikido. I received my first Dan after graduation.”
“Cool! That’s what Steven Segal does, right?”
“Yes, but I can still smile,” Tess grinned.
“Well, I graduated from UC Berkeley, but I needed some change.”
Just then, a woman approached Wilder’s group. She was a little older than most. Her clothes were neat but in no way hip, but she moved with a sinewy grace and extreme confidence. A vet, of that Tess was sure. She looked at Wilder’s group.
“Mind if I join?”
Wilder shrugged. “Sorry, but we’re waiting for two buddies to join us.”
The woman looked at Tess’s group and at Tess in particular.
“You guys have a free slot?”
Janis, the self-appointed leader, looked around and collected nods.
“Sure. Have a seat!”
“Thanks. I’m Stella, Stella Pershing.” Then with a shrug, “This is a bit strange for me. I did my undergrad studies years ago on a ROTC scholarship. This is my first time attending a school after five years.”
“Army?” Tess asked easily.
“Yeah. I was a 1st Lieutenant when my hitch ended. I hope I can hold my own with you young folks.”
She didn’t say ‘against’, Tess noted. “Don’t worry. Hi, my name’s Tess, Tess DiRosa.”
The others also introduced themselves and exchanged biographic sketches with Pershing, but now, a group of other students swarmed out, each of them joining one of the groups. Tess noted that Wilder’s group was still two shy of the planned group size when their tutor joined them and she exchanged a grin with Pershing.
A bearded fellow joined them and sat down in the middle of the group.
“Hi, I’m Stan Woijitch. I’ll be your nanny for the first weeks. I’m a third year of course. You guys got to know each other a little?”
They all nodded.
“Great! Now, I’m going to help you pick the right lectures and seminars for the first semester, depending on your background and aims. So, why don’t you give me a brief synopsis of what your plans are? Who wants to go first?”
Everybody looked at Janis, but she seemed apprehensive, and Tess filled in.
“Tess Di Rosa. Graduated from Penn two years ago with a criminal justice focus. I applied and got accepted at Cornell law, but I was offered a chance to study under 4th Dan Ryoki Tanaka in Nagoya, to work towards my second Dan in Aikido, so I postponed my graduate studies. I interned at Stansfield, Lipton & Croft here in Philly. My latest assignment there was litigation under Ms Darling. She’s a former Senior ADA, and I admire her greatly. My aim is to work for the state.”
“Any specific reasons?”
“I am a violent crime victim. I want to help putting the right people behind bars, not just the poor slobs.”
“Okay; that’s a worthy goal. Next!”
“I’m Stella Pershing, formerly of the US Army. I went to Alabama State on a ROTC scholarship, five years ago. I wasn’t a very good student then. I finished my hitch in the Army as a 1st Lieutenant a half year ago.”
“Why’d they accept you here with sub par grades?”
“I was awarded the DSC after my last deployment.”
Without thinking, Tess spoke up. “Thank you for your service, Stella, and welcome!”
Stella smiled back. “You’re welcome. Well, the DSC sort of added weight to my application. I hope you guys can live with that.”
“I may have issues with the wars, but not with the people sent there to fight,” Marc Conway said seriously. “So, thank you!”
“Okay, what’s your aim?” Wojiitch asked.
“Like Tess, I was on the wrong side of violence as a kid. It’ll be prosecution for me too, if I can hack law school.”
Marc and June Conway were interested in environmental law, Janis Bender in corporate law — her father was an insurance big shot — and John Adams aimed for a career in civil rights.
“All righty! You guys all have ideas of what you want apart from making money. Now, let’s talk about your options during the first semester...”
Thirty minutes later, Wojitch left them again, and they sat for a few moments, exchanging their impressions, before they split up. Pershing stayed with Tess.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure! What’s on your mind?”
Pershing looked around before she spoke. “Look, it’s none of my business, but do you have issues with the preppy boy next to us?”
“No, well, maybe a little. He ticks me off. He’s a lightweight, but he throws his weight around.”
“Yeah, I saw. I noticed that he’s followed by two bodyguards.”
“It’s an open secret. He’s the VP’s son, from his first marriage, and the guys following him are probably...”
“ ... Secret Service, and they hate his guts.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“Probably. You sure that’s all that bothers you about him?”
“I don’t know him at all. If I did, there’d be more reasons I’m sure.”
“Why do I have the feeling you’re just a bit disingenuous?”
“Probably because you spent too much time shooting and being shot at. Shit like that doesn’t make you a trusting person. I know.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you be. Maybe we can work together a little. You seem to be one of the few grown-ups here.”
“Yeah, why not? The only other military person I know is a former jarhead. He works for the FBI now, but he’s okay. His sister is my friend.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Not a clue; FBI stuff I guess. My family and the Bureau don’t share information,” Tess laughed easily. Pershing raised an eyebrow and Tess explained. “My family was supposedly part of the Cosa Nostra, way back when. My great uncle cleaned up the family’s act, but the Feebs still have a hard-on for him and my cousin.”
Later, she filed a report about Lt. Pershing and asked for a background check, but feeding a search machine with her name, Tess saw the announcements and the photographs of 1st Lieutenant Stella Pershing being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. This was only one step shy of the Congressional Medal of Honor, so Stella was definitely the real deal. Receiving the DSC, the DoD must have checked her thoroughly for any warts and skeletons. Still, she was relieved when a courier handed her a dossier in the next morning as she was getting ready to leave for Penn. Pershing was a friendly, so much was clear.
Over the following weeks, Tess immersed herself in student life, her days planned to the last minute, and still making time to keep an eye on Wilder. She had two seminars and three lectures with him, and he did not strike her as particularly smart. He failed the first pop quiz and had to repeat it, and his contributions to the discussions were not very lucid. If Tess had been accepted with the Secret Service twisting the dean’s arm, Wilder’s acceptance had likely come from even higher-up twisting.
Tess herself was getting by, being a very mediocre student, never excelling and never bombing. This was the plan after all, to be as invisible as possible and to melt into the background for Wilder, but also for possible non-friendlies.
Their group of six pretty much held together during the fall, studying together and even interacting socially. Pershing was not asking questions anymore, having presumably gleaned information from internet resources about Tess, Joey, the DiRosa family and the Kaçanis. They both treated each other with respect, and Tess even invited her to the family Thanksgiving Dinner.
Lisa had flown in, too, and they shared a room for three days. For once, Tess was okay with the world. Accordingly, she was in the doldrums after the weekend, but she took some solace from the prospect of having some time off during the coming Christmas break, time which she could use for visiting Lisa and seeing Lydia, too.
Wilder was by now showing signs of stress and the word was that he was finally hitting the study materials. Sadly, one cannot compensate for years of slacking off with a few weeks of reading up, and he was steadily falling behind most of the rest of the class. Even his preppy cronies were distancing themselves from him.
One Friday in mid-December, Tess received a summons to Washington DC and the service headquarters for a 10 o’clock debriefing, and at 6 am the next morning, she was on the road. This being a Saturday, she snatched an employee parking space at headquarters and reported at Asst. Secretary Willard’s office at 9:40. His PA offered her coffee which she gladly accepted, and she settled down in a plush chair in the anteroom, sipping her coffee and forcing herself not to fret over the reasons of her summons.
It was only 10:03 when Willard breezed in and ordered her to follow him. Five minutes later, they sat in an agency limousine and were on the way to the Observatory, the official quarters of the VP.
“The VPOTUS wants to interview you, Agent. He’s worried about his son.”
“With all respect, Sir, he should,” Tess answered, hiding the relief she felt.
“You are doing all right, though?”
“Yes, Sir, middle of the pack, as planned.”
“You really live up to all our expectations, Agent. Now, the VP is worried as I said. Try to find a few positive things to say about young Wilder. Are there any?”
“He’s been trying to dig himself out of the hole, but that’s difficult after goofing off for too long, Sir. He’s trying hard, but falling further behind.”
“Oh dear, better leave off the falling-behind part and concentrate on the trying-hard stuff. In the event that young Wilder is sent packing, your academic career will also stop, but we’ll find you a good posting. You’ve paid your dues, Agent, and we noticed.”
“Thank you, Sir. I’m still happy about choosing the Service over Cornell.”
“Good to hear. Okay, we’re there. Remember to always add ‘Mister Vice President’ to each answer you give.”
“Yes, Sir.”
They alighted from the limousine in front of Nº1, Observatory Circle, and produced their IDs to an agent. An usher then led them to a small office on the ground floor and announced them.
“Assistant Secretary Willard and Special Agent DiRosa, Mister Vice President!”
In the office they were received by the VP and his wife, but also the VP’s press secretary.
“Morning, Clark! Thank you for coming, Agent DiRosa. You probably know my wife from the news, and this is Charley Cameron, my press secretary.”
“An honor to meet you, Mister Vice President, Madam, Mister Cameron,” Tess said politely.
“You are rather new in the service, Agent?”
“Yes, Mister Vice President. Two-and-a-half years.”
“Clark here says you’re doing well at Penn?”
“Yes, Mister Vice President, trying to keep a low profile.”
“Less formal, Agent, please. Just ‘Sir’ is good enough.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Have you interacted with my son, Agent?”
“Only indirectly, Sir. I share most of his classes, of course.”
“How is he doing, honestly?”
Tess cast a quick glance at her superior and decided to answer honestly. “He’s struggling, Sir. He failed a few tests right at the start. Since then he must have put in quite an effort, but he’s lacking too much basics. Undergrad material, Sir.”
“Damn! Do you think he may catch up?”
“He may, Sir. He may need tutoring though to catch up. He’s not asking for help, though, and his friends from the start of the year are distancing themselves.”
“Not real friends, I gather?”
“No, Sir. Some rats don’t wait for the ship to start sinking.”
“So, he needs help but has no friends.”
“Yes, Sir, that’s my impression.”
“Is there anybody you can recommend from among the first-years who could help him catch up?”
Tess thought about it. “The Conway twins, Sir. They are not flush with money and very serious students. There’s also Lieutenant Stella Pershing, late twenties, Army vet. She has a strong personality, is a natural leader, and she’s also coming up from behind, with a spotty undergrad education.”
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