Page 45 of Get Even

“What about your family?” Ryan asked and my stomach dropped. “Won’t you miss them staying here permanently? Or are they local?”

“I don’t have any family,” I said sharply and his eyes widened, instantly making me regret my tone and words. I tugged at the ends of my hair, “I mean, I have my Mom but we’re not close. I don’t speak to her at all, really.”

“Oh,” he said carefully, looking around the restaurant awkwardly and I knew he wanted to know why, wanted to knowmeand I supposed if I wanted to have friends or… more, that knew the real me then I needed to let them in a little. Offer up a bit more of myself than I had in the past.

“She’s an addict and the only time we talk is when she’s hitting me up for money,” I said emotionlessly, it was a simple and irritating fact. Didn’t seem to matter how often I changed my number, she would show up at some point, trying to guilt trip me into letting her stay or borrowing cash. “I moved out as soon as I was legally able, headed to Arizona with the money I’d saved up and got a job at a club in Phoenix. Then my Gran died. I combined the small inheritance she’d left me with everything I’d been able to save and applied for a bunch of scholarships. I got in at Radclyffe, bought the apartment and the rest is history.” It was odd really, how your life could be summarized in a few short sentences that minimized the pain, the loneliness. The days that had turned into weeks that I’d lived off of cheap noodles and tap water, how thin I’d been when I’d moved to Sun City and how my life had begun to change when I’d rented out the room to Taylor for relatively cheap.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Ryan said quietly, squeezing my hand. He seemed to sense that I was done talking about it and turned back to his pizza, swallowing a bite with a huge square of pineapple on top before speaking again. “We grew up very differently,” he said it off-handedly, like it didn’t matter to him, like he didn’t see me differently. “My family wasn’t well-off but we were comfortable. We lived in Detroit for most of my life before my folks decided they hated it here and filed to move to Canada.”

“Oh wow, really? That must be hard having them so far away,” I couldn’t empathize at all but I could imagine that if you actually liked the people you were related to then it must have been difficult for him.

“Yeah it was a big change, they moved to Toronto with my sister, Tate, and I came here,” he smiled and reached for his phone, flicking it open to show me the photo on his home screen. Ryan’s smile in the photo took over his whole face as he peered down at the chubby blonde toddler sitting in his lap.

“Big age gap,” I said and then smiled. “She looks adorable.”

“She is,” he said and the proud big-brother look on his face made me feel both sad and happy. I’d never had a sibling and it was something I’d both wished for and been happy about – I wouldn’t have wanted another kid in the same position I’d grown up in, but the idea of having someone who would love you and shelter you the way that siblings often did…

“You’re lucky to have each other,” I said softly and Ryan leaned across the short space between us and pressed a sweet kiss to my mouth.

CHAPTERTWENTY

HEAVEN - FINNEAS

I stood staringat the solid wood door to Professor Dick’s office. Whatever happened inside was going to change things, I could only hope that whatever transpired allowed me to still graduate and didn’t affect my permanent record too badly.

It had been an odd week in the run-up to Friday. Ryan had ended our date with a chaste kiss to my cheek at the door while Liv stood watching like a chaperone from the living room, but he had met me for coffee as usual on Tuesday and we’d made out as he walked me home. Kat had been at the apartment more than usual and Liv had been conspicuously absent. I’d finally thrown out my flowers from Ryan yesterday and only because they’d become so bare that I’d had to face that it was time for them to go. Class was still the new norm, Davis acting like I didn’t exist –even going so far as to leave me off class emails, though thankfully Nick kept me in the loop. At this point, I just felt tired. Tired of Davis being a dick for no good reason other than his personal vendetta against women in academia, tired of having to fight so damn hard for dreams that just seemed to be slipping further and further away.

Several texts popped in one after another from Liv, Ryan and Nick, all wishing me good luck in the meeting, and it felt like my breaths came a little easier knowing that somebody had my back at least.

The door swung open and Davis peered down his nose at me, the first eye contact we’d had since the disaster at the mixer.

“Get in,” he said curtly and I rolled my eyes discreetly as I followed his instructions, tugging at the white collar of my shirt so that it fell flat.

There were two other people waiting inside the office behind Davis’ large wooden desk. A stool sat in front of it that was so low down I knew that Davis had likely done it on purpose so I would have to look up at them while I spoke. Assuming they even gave me the chance.

“Do you have a representative from the student union accompanying you?” the first of the newcomers asked, a petite woman with her hair in a bun so tight it tugged at the edges of her face. Glasses perched precariously on her nose as she stared at me while I sat down.

“I wasn’t aware that I was allowed a rep,” I said carefully and the woman frowned, throwing an irritated glance in Davis’ direction that had hope flaring in my chest.

“Your department head should have informed you of this prior to your meeting,” she tried again and I shook my head. The other unfamiliar figure in the room looked disinterested in the exchange, watery blue eyes instead roving the office space.

“He didn’t,” I said again and Davis said nothing, made no denials and the woman jotted a note on her clipboard.

“Very well, a note has been made. Just so you are aware, we are recording these proceedings to help with our later verdict.” She raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded. “Please verbalize all responses.”

“Er, right. Yes, of course. Whatever you need,” I said, dread curling into a lead ball in my stomach and making me feel lightheaded.

“We’re here to address a formal complaint made by Taylor Walcross. Are you familiar with the student in question?” The woman appeared to be in charge and I glanced at Davis to find a sour look on his face.

“Yes.”

“What was your relationship with the student?”

“She was my best friend up until recently and she also rented the spare room in my apartment.” I fought to clear any tension from my voice as the woman nodded stiffly and the man scribbled several notes of his own.

“Taylor has claimed that you have harassed her multiple times in public as well as forcibly removed her from your premises.” The woman said it as if it were a statement of fact and I frowned. “As you are aware, we have a no-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying and physical violence at Radclyffe and we are taking this matter very seriously.”

“I dispute those claims,” I said formally and tried to remember what Bryn and Leo had advised me to say when I’d sat down with them for coffee during the week.

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