Wait, Which ‘Off Campus’ Character Was Almost Killed Off?
What To Know
- Author Elle Kennedy originally considered killing off a different beloved character in her Off Campus series.
- Ultimately, Kennedy’s editor persuaded her to spare the character she’d picked.
- The character she chose instead dies in The Score, which will be the basis for Off Campus Season 2.
Those who have been entrenched in Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus books for years may already know this shocking piece of lore, but those newer to the hockey romance game — or only familiar with Prime Video’s TV show adaptation — may not know that the author was close to killing off one of her lead characters. (Warning: Off Campus book universe spoilers ahead!)
In Kennedy’s book universe, there’s no plot twist more shocking (or heartbreaking) than Beau’s (Khobe Clarke) death by car accident in The Score, which follows Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) and Dean Di Laurentis‘ (Stephen Kalyn) romance, and will be the primary source material for Off Campus Season 2. It turns out that Kennedy almost picked another character whose impact would’ve been a million times more devastating.
“Tucker [played by Jalen Thomas Brooks in the show] was supposed to be the one that you fell in love with, and then you were gonna grieve for,” Kennedy revealed during a June 25 appearance on the Off the Shelf podcast.
Liane Hentscher / Prime
The Score readers know that Dean spirals after losing Beau, the quarterback he befriended when he got to college. (In the show, it’s worth mentioning that Beau is instead Dean’s best friend from childhood.) In the book, Dean starts drinking and taking drugs heavily. Just before his senior year ends, Dean gets himself kicked off the hockey team and pulls away from Allie, who breaks up with him. It’s what prompts Dean to get his life back on track and make amends.
“I always knew that for Dean, this guy is so perfect,” Kennedy explained. “His life is so perfect. Someone just needs to shatter Dean’s entire world. But I think [Tucker] became too likable.”
That’s exactly right. Can any Off Campus fan imagine a world without Tucker, Sabrina, and their book, The Goal? Even before we got to the fourth book in the main series, we fell in love with the mother hen-like, apron-wearing chef of the Briar U hockey team, who remains a steady presence for his three roommates. Kennedy revealed that it was ultimately her editor who advocated for Tucker to remain alive and well.
“My editor, the fandom should thank her for a lot of things, because she knew what people would want as well,” she said. “And she loved Tucker, and he’s such a good friend, and she was just like, ‘We can’t lose him.’ And I was like, ‘Well, I have this whole arc for Dean, so you gotta lose someone. And I said, ‘Take your pick.'”
That editor landed on Beau. “I had no idea they would feel [Beau’s death] that hard though. But again, it could’ve been Tucker, so I think…” Kennedy trailed off, laughing. Yeah, it could’ve been worse.
Off Campus, Season 2, TBA, Prime Video
