Dean Colton sits across from us, and for a couple of minutes, it’s deadly silent. His eyes drift between Ellie and me a couple of times, and while I’m staring right back at him, Ellie doesn’t so much as make a sound.
“Then,” he clears his throat. “I assume you two know why you’re here.”
Ellie finally looks up, though she only looks at Colton. From the corner of my eye, I see her own swelling with tears that threaten to overspill at any moment, if Colton so much as raises his voice.
“Yes,” she all but whispers, clutching her hands on her lap.
“What the hell were you two thinking?” His voice is filled withanger, and it’s obvious in the way his shoulders tense as soon as the words leave his lips.
“I don’t think it should be anyone’s business who I’m sleeping with.”
His eyes snap to mine. “You absolute moron,” he hisses. “You’re sleeping with your professor. It’s against the rules for a reason. But nevermind that, why the fuck did you two decide to have intercourse in a fucking classroom?!”
“Adrenaline.”
Ellie gasps from beside me, and I immediately regret allowing my tongue to act faster than my brain. Colton’s eyes narrow to slits, and he’s not amused. He taps his index finger against the wooden desk, impatience written all over his face.
“I’m not amused, Mr. Ford,” he says, his voice dropping lower. He turns to Ellie, “and you, Ms. Stewart, you should know better than to entangle yourself with your student! What the hell were you thinking?”
Ellie swallows, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Colton sighs, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes momentarily. Silence falls around us, and nothing could be heard except Ellie’s rapid heartbeat.
“And the worst part, whoever it was that recorded you, sent it to that damned website. They claim to be exclusive, but nothing is stopping other students from spreading around, and it will ruin the school’s reputation. You need to understand the severity of this situation.”
I scoff, crossing my arms. “Of course, you’re worried about the reputation.”
“What else am I supposed to be worried about? Mr. Ford, this is the classic example of fuck around and find out.”
“What are you going to do?”
The question comes out of my mouth, and Colton sucks in a deep, sharp intake of breath. The tension inside the office is as high as ever, and Ellie’s not moving at all, staring at Colton, waiting for a response.
“Ellie, you’re fired, effective immediately,” he says, turning to me. “Andyou… you’re suspended.”
A choked sob comes from Ellie’s mouth, and a pang of guilt twitches inside my chest. I shove the feelings to the side, focusing on Colton instead. There’s no emotion on the man’s face; he’s as stoic as ever, though I can feel irritation creeping up his eyes.
“How long is the suspension?”
“Three weeks,” he says. “And unfortunately, given the severity of the situation, your parents were called.”
“What the—” I stop myself, taking a deep breath. “I’m an adult, why?”
“They’re the ones paying for your tuition, and they’re on the board.”
I clench my jaw. “Did they say to fire her?”
“Yes. The headmaster agreed.”
“I’m sure he did,” I mutter under my breath. “Who the fuck sent the video?”
“I don’t know,” Colton says, and I believe him. “You know how the website works. Everything is anonymous.”
“Have you people ever tried shutting down that damned site?”
“Obviously,” Colton scoffs. “Especially after what happened last year.”
Last year, the previous seniors threw a party, and although at times alcohol is tolerated, drugs aren’t. People were doing weed, but someone brought heavier drugs, and a student ended up overdosing.He lived, but the reputation of the academy took a massive hit when someone sent the clips of the party to the gossiping website, and it spread like wildfire, even reaching national news.
“How is it possible that a simple website can’t be shut down?”
