“I found RDU. A place that had the foundation to help people that need it. I’m no longer trying to convince people to change when they don’t want to. If you choose to be hateful while still trying to convince yourself that your hate comes from a place of love because of your beliefs, I think those people are going to have a very rude awakening when they face judgement. That’s of their own doing and, not to sound like an ass, but I hope they burn in hell.”
Brevan grins.
“I’m choosing to do good because I believe everyone is human and deserves the same opportunities and safety that the supposed ‘majority’ experience. That’s why I’ve dedicated my life to continuing RDU’s advancement. Not because they’re special and deserve special treatment, but because they deserve fair treatment. That’s why I don’t want my students or staff to feel fortunate. I want them to feelnormal, whatever that means.”
Brevan looks down, a smile on his face. His name is called, and he steps forward to take his drink from the barista. “Do you want a drink, Dr. Keller?”
“No, thank you. And we’re off the clock. You can call me Kendrick now.”
He inclines his head again, and we move toward the door. I watch him from the corner of my eye as he sips his drink.
“You didn’t want to go exploring this afternoon?” I ask.
Brevan raises one shoulder. “I have a paper to write.”
“For which class?”
His eyes flicker toward me. “Not a class. For Coach.”
“Ah.” I try to piece this together. “I didn’t realize Coach Frost has his athletes write him papers.”
He bows his head. I’ve decided this is a sign of his feeling bashful. “He does when he thinks we need to be taught something that we’re not getting from a class or otherwise.”
“What did he assign you?”
Brevan sighs. “To tell him why I deserve to be here.”
“Here? In Iceland? On the football team? Or are we talking on a cosmic scale, so here as in alive?”
He flashes me a smile. “Here in Iceland.”
“You don’t think you should be.”
He chews the inside of his lip before taking another sip. “I don’t know,” he admits, though I feel like that’s an improvement on an outright no. “Maybe. I guess I still need some convincing.”
I let the subject drop as we continue toward the domes. I don’t want him to feel like he’s being put on the spot, so I bring the conversation back around to this afternoon. “Everyone loved your exchange student idea.”
“Did you?” he asks, glancing my way.
“I did. As Dr. Albertson said, I’m surprised we didn’t already think of it sooner. I’m looking forward to getting back and seeing how to get it up and running for the fall semester.”
His eyes widen. “So soon?”
I smile and knock my shoulder against his. “It’s anincredibleidea, Brevan. It’ll help streamline everything we want to accomplish between the two schools, and I think it’ll help us bring the environment we’re looking for to fruition on a much quicker timeline. It’s one thing to explain to someone over the phone or in an email how something works, looks, and performs,and why. But if someone was there to help it along? So our partners have hands-on and visual aids?” I shake my head. “In fact, I think we can do this not just with students but with faculty, too. Students will be able to help with student life and inclusion. But faculty will be able to do what faculty do.”
“I didn’t think of the teachers. That’s a good idea.”
“All yours.”
“I only thought about the students,” he says.
“You did, but I bet it wouldn’t have taken you long to bring up staff, too.”
He smiles. It’s easy to see he’s not convinced of that. But he smiles all the same, and I’ll take that as a win.
CHAPTER 19
BREVAN
