I do, pasting a bored expression on my face. I’m not gonna give him the satisfaction of intimidating me.
When I say nothing, an uncomfortable silence passes between the two of us, and he clears his throat before speaking.
“I’m not one to beat around the bush,” he says. Thank God. “So I’m going to start by asking you about an incident that came to light regarding you and another student—”
“You mean Cliff Montgomery trying to rape me?” I ask bluntly, because I can already sense the dean trying to spin it into something it’s not. I’m not going to give him the chance.
His eyes narrow at my words. A hardness comes into them as he laces his fingers together, resting his elbows on his desk.
“Ms. Wright, this campus prides itself on its safety and its culture of respect. If anything inappropriate were to happen between students, it should be reported to the appropriate authorities, who—”
“Are you suggesting that I should’ve let him do whatever he wanted and then come to someone after the fact?” I cut in. “Sounds like a shitty school policy.”
The dean’s steady gaze remains on me. The corners of his mouth turn down, and when he speaks again, he forms the words slowly like he’s talking to a child.
“I’ll be frank with you, Ms. Wright. Were you anyone else, I might look the other way. But your conduct at this school leaves much to be desired. That little stunt at the assembly, your nude photographs, now this errant act of violence against another student—”
“A student who’s a would-be rapist,” I interject, anger rising inside me. “Not to mention you’re blaming me for a bunch of shit that wasn’t my fault. You think I wanted my medical records laid out in front of the whole school like that? Why the hell would I do that?”
As if he didn’t hear a word I just said, Dean Wells leans forward a little, leveling me with a hard look. “And did you or did you not initiate a vulgar stripping session that was filmed at a school party? These things reflect on our institution, Sophie, and we can’t just let illegal and out-of-bounds behavior slide.”
“It’s Ms. Wright,” I bite out. I’ve never insisted anyone call me that in my life, but this fucker doesn’t get to say my name. He doesn’t get to act like he’s familiar with me, like he’s on my side or doing this for my own good or whatever bullshit lie he’s told himself.
Dean Wells stiffens. I know I should’ve kept my damn mouth shut. I should probably be ingratiating myself to him, acting contrite and begging for another chance, but I can’t bring myself to do any of that. I didn’t do anything wrong, and there’s no fucking way I’ll pretend I did.
The dean clears his throat again, his voice still bland and formal.
“As I was saying… Ms. Wright. Your conduct before this incident was enough to put you on thin ice, and it makes me question the validity of your claim about this incident. Cliff Montgomery is an accomplished student and member of the honor roll. He has no blemishes on his record, whereas you have had several incidents in your first semester alone.”
I shrug stiffly, my teeth clenching so hard my jaw aches. “Sorry.”
Dean Wells narrows his eyes, as if he’s not quite sure whether I’m mocking him or not.
“We’re quite proud of our scholarship program, and we take it very seriously,” he says. “It is our honor to shape the best and brightest minds of the future—even those who, due to life circumstances and financial restrictions, might not otherwise be able to come here. However, your enrollment here is a two-way street. Any action on your part that may reflect poorly on Hawthorne University is grounds for suspension and, pending review, even expulsion.”
My skin goes cold.
Fuck. This is exactly the kind of thing Max warned me about. And she was right. Cliff clearly wants revenge, and he’s willing to fight dirty to get it.
My heart thuds heavily against my ribs as my fingers dig into the armrest of my chair.
I wasn’t even sure I wanted to come here, and there were plenty of times over the past few months when I thought about leaving. But every single time, I decided against it. Because I want to be here. I want to stay.
I want a better life than the shitty one Jared and I and so many others like us were handed.
And now the future I was trying to build is about to be ripped away, all because I wouldn’t let an entitled, creepy asshole put his dick in me. Because I fought back. Because I defended myself.
I won that night in a flurry of fists and violence.
But somehow, I’ve still lost.
“I don’t understand,” I say thickly, forcing back the sting of tears as I clench my jaw. “I’ve kept my grades up. I’ve gone to class. I’ve done everything—”
“This isn’t about your academic record.” He shakes his head. “It’s about your personal record. That’s where you’re failing, Ms. Wright.”
My foot taps out a staccato rhythm on the floor. A torrent of emotions is brewing in my chest, and I can’t find the comforting blackness I used to rely on. It’s been slowly bleeding out of me over the course of the semester, and now all I’m left with is a bunch of feelings I don’t know how to handle.
I open my mouth again, prepared to keep arguing my case until the dean has me forcibly removed from his office—but before I can speak, the door opens.