Page 72 of Campus Daddies

I brush the hair from my face, sure my cheeks are red, but a cool wave of unnerving calm washes over me as my hand closes around the microphone. “Wow, Doctor Squires, I didn’t realize you had such an interest in my love life.”

She merely smiles at me, like she’s won another contest I didn’t agree to compete in.

“Well, what you just saw was a personal recording of mine for my thesis project. Part that didn’t make it past the editing stage. As everyone can clearly see why. So, I’m wondering…” I put ahand on my hip and tilt my head Squires’ way. “How did you get your hands on it?”

This is my only defense. To twist it back on her and Leann. She stole my footage, and if Leann had the thumb stick, I have to imagine she’s the one who got it from my computer. I bring my laptop with me everywhere. It’s always at our meetings, and it was certainly sitting unsupervised a lot of the time we filmed our movie.

Had my calling Leann jealous been the final straw for her to invade my privacy? Did she think this would endear her to Orion?

It seems like a case of if she can’t have him, no one can.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s considered at least an invasion of privacy when you take footage from someone without their permission. And since I haven't given anyone permission to access it, this could be considered theft.” I address the ballroom of professionals. We discuss this very thing in film classes frequently.

“We’re all professionals here—well, most of us are. Can someone confirm that fact for me?”

I spot my dad right then, his face dark with fury, but I can’t tell whether it’s at me or for me. Not with the fact that he certainly recognized Brax in that clip. Not with the implication that his best friend is sleeping with his daughter.

Him and two other professors.

Don’t be disappointed in me, Dad.

The crowd’s murmurs grow in volume, asking who leaked that footage. Who was filming me without my consent?

A breach in morality from a tenured professor, one who roped in a student for her dirty work, is ripe for a lawsuit. And they’d better believe I will sue Dr. Squires for this. I know more about my rights than she likely does.

How could I not? It’s not like she doesn’t know who my father is.

And that’s part of the problem. The other is how she’s been rejected by one or all of them. She certainly hasn’t been subtle about eye-fucking Orion in the office.

“I mean, beyond the impropriety of your watching this to begin with, if you found that someone stole this footage from me, shouldn’t you have brought it to me instead of revealing it to the public? I believe there are legal terms for this as well?”

Voices sound around the room. Collin is one of the first to speak up for me, calling this bullshit, offering to call his dad for me, a high-priced attorney.

That has other voices sounding in response.

She’s having an affair with three men, presumably professors here at the university.

Even if that’s true, it doesn’t give anyone the right to expose her like that.

It should have been brought to me. Quietly.

She hasn’t even denied the accusation.

It’s clear enough.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. This is unacceptable behavior from our faculty all around. Victimizing a student in this way.

I sigh. The room is divided among their uproar against my affair and the way Dr. Squires revealed it. No sense will be made of any of this right now, and I’m certainly not going to stand here and wait for them to decide who’s more wrong in this situation.

“Well, if you want to know the truth of it, you’ll just have to wait until the actual project is complete. I am a film student, and we all know how snippets of footage can be deceiving.”

Refusing to look at my men, to indicate them in any way, I settle the mic back on its stand.

“Don’t let this ruin the work of the Film Club and the beautiful story they told.” And I walk off the stage and out the door with my head held high.

When I’m done with my story, they won’t be able to do anything other than root for me.

I guarantee it.

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