I nodded. “I see. Let me address this point by point, then.”
The Dean leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, waiting.
I continued. “Number one. At no point whatsoever did I ‘flaunt my disregard for the rules.’ If you were doing your jobs correctly, you might have noticed that I was the victim of vicious rumors, culminating in someone stalking me, harassing me for months, and posting about it in our magazine without approval. Not a single bit of that is something I have any control over whatsoever.”
The Dean shook his head. “You—”
“I’m not finished,” I said.
“You’ll stop—”
“No, sir, I will not stop,” I said. “You’ve spent an awful lot of time wondering who I’m sleeping with and how it’s affecting your institution, as though it’s any of your business whatsoever. How about you do your job for once?”
The Dean fumed, but I continued on.
“I am a legal adult, and whoever I choose to associate with is absolutely, completely, one hundred percent my choice. Your investment in my sexuality is, quite frankly, disturbing.”
“Now wait just a—”
“And further,” I said, raising my voice. “Your campaign of silence when it came to slut-shaming and horrendous bullying has got to make a fantastic case for discrimination. How many children of lawyers do you think go here, again?”
At the mention of legal trouble, they looked between each other.
“Let’s not be—”
I stood up from my chair, setting my hands down on the desk before him. “If you so much as breathe another word about what goes on in my bedroom, I will have you in court so fast it’ll make your sad bald head spin. And you know what? I’ll win. Because in a reasonable world, outside of your fiefdom, there are standards for accountability. And believe me, I will not rest until you are held accountable for your actions. Or lack thereof.”
The Dean stared me down. I stared right back. I wasn’t going to blink. He thought he wouldn’t, but in the end, he was wrong, and he finally averted his eyes.
“You’re dismissed,” the Dean said. “This matter is closed for the moment, but know that we will be taking a very keen interest in your academic career from this moment forward.”
“My flawless GPA, you mean? Feel free to take as much interest as you want.”
I turned and opened the office door, stepping through and closing it behind me. I looked at the Dean’s secretary. He was smiling at me.
“Good for you,” he whispered with a thumbs up and a wink. “You go live your life.”
“I plan to,” I said, walking towards the main door, opening it. “I very much plan to.” I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me.
All three of the boys were still there. They practically leapt to their feet.
“That was rather fast,” Luka said.
“They didn’t expel you or anything, right?” Jaeson asked.
“They’ll regret it,” Riot finished.
I smiled to myself. Ryan. Not Riot. I cupped his cheek in my hand.
“Ryan,” I said. “It’s handled.”
He visibly relaxed, his lips quirking in the barest of smiles at my touch.
“What did you tell them?” Jaeson asked.
“I told them if they didn’t stop being creeps about my sexuality, I’d sue them into dust.”
“If you need backup, you know who to call,” Jaeson replied.
