Page 69 of Loved

I smiled. I was happy for myself too. My phone started buzzing in my pocket and I pulled it out.

There was a text from Penny: "Can you come get me? I'm at my dorm."

What was she doing at her dorm? I quickly texted her back. "Why aren't you in Stat? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Please can you come?"

“I'll be right there." I looked back up at Dr. Clark. “I gotta go.”

“You still have 30 minutes left of your session.”

“Penny needs me.”

He frowned. “Is everything alright?”

“I…I don’t know. She should be in class right now. Something must have happened.” I stood up.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember that taking care of her and being in a relationship with her are two different things.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. At least, they weren’t two different things for me. If someone messed with my girl, you better believe I’d fuck someone up so it would never happen again.

Chapter 19

Friday

I walked out to my car. I had a feeling I knew why Penny was upset. She’d probably gotten an email from Joe similar to the one I’d received. I hit the button to unlock my car as I called Joe. He couldn’t hide behind his computer forever.

“What now, James?” he said after only one ring.

“An incomplete? Really?” I started my car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“That’s all you have to say about the matter?”

“What do you want me to say? I told you those girls were lying. Anyone else coming forward is lying too.”

He sighed.

“You’re giving everyone else an A who doesn’t deserve it. Including the girls that are lying. At least let Penny withdraw from the class instead of giving her an incomplete on her transcript. That’s bullshit and we both know it.”

“And we also both know that it’s past the window to withdraw from…”

“Joe. Don’t make me give you hell.” We both knew I would.

He sighed again. “As if you haven’t already?”

True.“What if I double that donation I discussed in our meeting the other day?” I was starting to like the idea of a Hunter Hall.

“Fine. I just want this all to go away.”

“Thank you.”

"You really owe me one, James. I can’t believe you were so careless leaving that note in your desk. It was just waiting there for the detectives to find.”

Shit.“Note?” But I already knew what note.Fucking hell.

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