CHAPTER 33
brEVAN
Istare at my drawing for a minute, not for the first time wishing that I could draw the imaginings in my head in a way that didn’t look like a three-year-old created this. Is it clear?
“What does this look like to you?” I ask Eddy and flip my paper over.
Eddy looks up, focusing on my paper. He leans forward and reaches for it. I watch as he studies it for several very long seconds.
“A car?”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
He grins and tilts his head.
“You need to at least look at it in the right orientation,” I say and sit forward on the couch to turn the paper in his hand.
“Ah. Now your words read like English. I’m going to say… a house with hidden doors.”
Well, I suppose that’s not the worst thing in the world.
“Am I close?” Eddy asks.
“Kind of? It’s supposed to be a really cool library. I want it to be a whole experience, you know?”
Eddy nods as he continues to study the page. “Now that you tell me what I’m looking at, I can see it, and it looks really great.”
Eddy is a good person. He never makes me feel stupid.
But I’ve always kind of felt like everyone in my life knows that I don’t necessarily follow along and that I need extra support for all my classes, which means I’ve always wondered how much they humor me.
Can he really see my vision? Does he actually think it’s cool?
“This for a class?”
I shake my head. “I want to build it,” I tell him as he hands it back.
“I thought you wanted to go pro.”
“Oh, I do. But football doesn’t last forever.
Full-contact sports are rough on your body, which is why players retire relatively young, depending on the position.
I run, jump, fall, collide, get tackled, or do the tackling.
” I shrug. “I’d like to play for a few years, but I need a plan for after.
This is my dream, and I figure I need to start somewhere so I can find the beginning of that dream, you know? ”
“Like a business model. How much the building is going to cost to build.”
“Yes, but in my case, I don’t want to build something new. I want to purchase an old mansion or an old castle. Maybe a Catholic cathedral.”
Eddy laughs. “Wow. One of those things is not like the others.”
I grin. “Okay, but it’s some of the most stunning architecture. They’re so iconic. How cool would it be to convert a huge cathedral into a stunning library?”
“And fill it with queer smut. Oh, we’re going to hell just thinking about it.”
Laughter bubbles out of me.
A knock on the door has Eddy getting to his feet. I stuff my paper into my notebook so no one else sees my toddler-esque art skills. He steps back, allowing Lane and Wulfe into the room.
“Hey,” I greet as they join me on the couch, sitting practically on top of each other.
“Hey, look what we just ordered,” Lane says and points his phone screen in my direction. I’m looking at an image of big foam… fingers? But they’re unicorns, and they say, ‘Give ’em rainbow hell, Brevan.’
“Okay, they’re really cool, but what are they and why did you order them?” I ask.
“I want one,” Eddy says with a giant grin.
“Since you’re taking Coach with you to the draft—”
“Totally jealous, by the way,” Wulfe cuts in.
“—we’re going to have to throw our own draft party so we can watch you get picked up. It’ll be set up in the gym. We have a huge projector to use, and we ordered a hundred of these to cheer with,” Lane says.
“What if I don’t get picked up?” I ask, frowning. This is a lot of pressure. “Then you’ve wasted your money.”
Wulfe shoves me. “Supporting our friends is never a waste of money. As far as we’re concerned, you’ve already succeeded. You’re the only one who’s actually been invited to attend the draft in person this year. You’re already a winner, Skeet.”
Yeah, I don’t know…
“It’s a big deal. You should be proud of yourself. You’ve worked so hard.”
I nod. “I have. But even being invited isn’t a guarantee.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be here chanting and cheering for you. Sending good vibes, positive energy, prayers if they’re into that, and massive football juju. You’re going to be on TV, and we’re going to sit here screaming that you’re our bestie,” Wulfe says.
I’m not excited about being on television. There are networks that cover college football, but I’ve been fortunate not to have ever had to talk to a reporter. I don’t imagine it’s happenstance. If I were to guess, Coach doesn’t call me forward purposely.
I tend to sound like a blundering idiot when I’m nervous. Being in front of a camera talking to a stranger? That’s the recipe for nerves.
There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by since being invited that Kendrick and I haven’t talked about his coming with me.
It’s only been a handful of days, but we talk about it often.
I want him to be with me so damn badly. He wants to be there too.
But we’re kind of at an impasse because there’s no way it won’t at least be hinted at that there’s something going on.
My phone ringing jars me from my thoughts, and I reach for it. The caller ID says Rainbow Dorset Univ… “Huh,” I say and meet Lane’s eyes as I answer. “Hello?”
“Mr. Skeeter?”
“Yes? This is Brevan?” I try to swallow my nerves so that everything I say doesn’t come out as a question.
“Hello, Mr. Skeeter. This is Marny from Human Resources. How are you today?”
My breath catches, and I turn to stare at Lane. Why is Human Resources calling me? “I’m good, I think. How are you?”
“Very good. Thank you. How does your schedule look this afternoon, Mr. Skeeter? Are you booked with classes or football? Clubs?”
“No, Ma’am. I’m just studying?”
“Are you available for a meeting this afternoon?”
Okay, now I can’t breathe. “Am I in trouble?”
Lane and Wulfe lean forward at my question, concern on their faces.
“Not at all, Mr. Skeeter.”
“Then… why do I need to have a meeting with Human Resources?”
“Please understand that our top priority is your safety and confidentiality, so some conversations cannot be had over the phone. You’re not in trouble. This concerns your recent interactions with some members of the faculty, so we’d like to have a conversation with you.”
“Oh.” That’s not bad, right? I chew the inside of my lip. “Okay. Sure.”
“Are you available for one? In ten minutes?”
“Yeah. I can be there for one.”
“Okay, Mr. Skeeter. We’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks.” I end the call and look between my friends.
“What happened? What was that about?” Lane asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. Recent interactions with members of the faculty? They said I’m not in trouble, though.” I’m still nervous. My hands are practically shaking.
“We’ll go with you for support if you want,” Wulfe says.
My shoulders relax. “Thanks. I’d like that. We should go now, though. My meeting is in ten minutes.”
My friends do pretty well to keep their concern from me, though I don’t miss the way they exchange looks as we get closer to the Magnus Hirschfeld building, which is the home of Human Resources.
“Are you coming inside?” I ask as I look at the door. It feels imposing today.
“Wulfe will join you, and I’ll be right behind. I have to take this call,” Lane says, holding up his phone.
I nod. Wulfe takes my hand, and we walk inside. I stop at the desk where a woman sits. She greets me with a smile. Her nameplate reads Marny Smith.
“Hi? I’m Brevan Skeeter?” I tell her.
“Thank you for coming in on such short notice. Please have a seat. Miss Boden will be with you shortly.”
To avoid sounding dumb and answering with another statement presented as a question, I nod again. Wulfe tugs me gently to the chairs on the opposite side of the space, where I sit and stare at the clock, watching the second hand tick, tick, tick by, bringing us closer to one.
I think my heartbeat matches the seconds. I’m not sure if that’s healthy or concerning. The place is so damn quiet; I think I can hear the clock ticking.
Lane steps inside and joins us. He sandwiches me in instead of sitting on Wulfe’s other side. This is bad, huh? That’s why I’m between them. Ohmygod, what did I do that I was called into HR?
A door opens somewhere, and I hear the click, click, click of shoes on the hardwood. As they approach, my tongue feels like it swells.
The woman is wearing a pinstripe skirt suit, and she looks like someone on TV. Her smile is friendly enough, I think.
“Mr. Skeeter?”
I nod and jump to my feet. “Yes?”
“Thank you for making time for us today. This way.”
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I follow. I think I feel a little dizzy. Are there black edges in my vision right now? That’s also probably not healthy.
The office she leads me into also feels like it could be on television. The woman gestures to a chair in front of the desk while she shuts the door. I watch as she rounds the desk and sits behind it. Her smile is still in place. Still friendly.
Probably.
“My name is Dr. Celia Boden. I’m the director of human resources. It’s good to meet you, Mr. Skeeter.” She offers me her hand, and I take it.
“You as well?”
“How are you enjoying Rainbow Dorset University?”
“Oh? Uh… I love it here?”
“You can tell me the truth, Mr. Skeeter. There is no right or wrong answer.”
I take a deep breath. “When I’m nervous, I talk in questions. I’m sorry. I do love Rainbow Dorset. I love my classes and my team. My coach is amazing. My friends are great. I’m sad to be graduating next month.” If I still get to graduate.
“Very good to hear. You recently joined the provost on his inaugural trip for the Companion Alliance Program.”
“I did. It was amazing. The program is going to do such great things.”
“Good to hear. How did your visit go? Did you get along with everyone?”
“Am I in trouble? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
“Not at all, Mr. Skeeter.”
I chew my lip as I think about her question. Do I bring up Anna and Philomena? I shake my head. “I got along very well with the other students. I’ve made some new friends.”
“Good to hear. What about the faculty who joined you?”
“Oh, they’re great. Dr. Weaver is so smart! And Dr. Keller is incredibly selfless. I can’t believe how much he’s done for the school. We thought of even more things to do to grow CAP while we were all there, and Dr. Keller is already looking into putting them into action as soon as next fall!”
“I’m glad to hear that. Mr. Skeeter, have you ever felt preyed upon?”
Prey? Does that mean there are wild animals on campus? Have they been spotted around Bluff? “No?”
“Have you ever felt pressured into participating in something and it made you uncomfortable?”
I stare at her, wondering what that question even means. “No?”
“Do you feel you were put into situations where you could have been the victim of any kind of sexual misconduct?”
My eyes shoot wide. “No!”
A commotion outside the door makes us both look at it. I recognize the voice immediately as Coach Lemon. Oh god, I really am in trouble.
There’s a knock on the door, and the woman, Marny, looks thoroughly harassed when she opens it. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but Coach Lemon Frost is here, and he insists that you’re badgering Mr. Skeeter.”
“Please step aside,” Coach says, voice clipped.
“Coach,” Dr. Boden says as she gets to her feet. “This is highly—”
“Yes, yes. I understand. You’re going to fire me.” He breezes past Marny and steps inside. “However, as HR, you should also know that putting someone under examination who doesn’t understand what you’re asking them is cornering them into making false statements, Mrs. Boden.”
“I would never—”
“Brevan is a really smart kid, but he doesn’t read people or conversations well, so I promise you, you’re doing more harm right now than good.” Coach looks at me. “Do you know what this is about, Brevan?” he asks.
I shake my head. “She asked if I was preyed upon,” I murmur.
Coach sighs. He gives Dr. Boden a hard look. “Have your nice lady close the door.”
The friendly, nice smile that Dr. Boden wore just minutes before is completely gone. She gives Marny a nod.
As soon as the door clicks, Coach looks at me. “She’s asking if you’ve been sexually assaulted by any members of the staff,” he says.
“Oh god.” I look at Dr. Boden. “No. Never.”
“Have you ever been pressured to be sexual with anyone? Anyone at all, but specifically, members of the faculty. Such as Dr. Keller?”
My breath stops entirely. I stare at Coach. He knows. They all know. “No,” I whisper. “He’s never pressured me at all. For anything. I swear.”
Coach pats my hand, and then gently pulls me back into the chair.
I’m not sure when I got to my feet. He looks at Dr. Boden.
“Ask your questions, but you need to make them specific. You’re freaking him out far more than you’re putting him at ease.
Your HR-ese is only appropriate for those who understand what you’re on about, Dr. Boden.
I’ve told you this before. Confusing the students with questions and words they don’t come across in a regular setting is more harmful than asking them outright.
If you looked into the students you called in here more than what you can find on their transcripts, you would know that. ”
There’s a moment where I swear I can feel fire rise between them. Silence spreads. No one moves. I may pass out.
I wince when Dr. Boden looks at me again. “Mr. Skeeter, we have been made aware that you’re currently in a relationship with Dr. Kendrick Keller.”
The floor practically drops out from under me. I grip the arm of my chair to keep from falling into the abyss.
“I’d like to speak to you about that situation.”
“And I’ll be her translator,” Coach says. “Take a breath, Brevan. You’re not in trouble.”
“Not at all,” Dr. Boden says.
I suppose if this is one thing they agree on, it must be true. “Okay,” I whisper.
“Let’s talk about consent,” Dr. Boden says.
Coach shifts to look at me. “Did Dr. Keller bribe, trick, coerce, promise, or otherwise entice you into a sexual situation or relationship?”
“Coach,” Dr. Boden says sternly.
“Of course not,” I say, ignoring her as Coach does.
My gut twists, and I can taste bile in my mouth.
“I’m with Kendrick because we make each other happy.
That’s the only reason anyone should be with a partner.
” I look at Dr. Boden. “Kendrick is a good man. He’s done everything for this school.
Everything. It’s really rotten that you’re making him out to be a bad guy! ”
Coach smirks at Dr. Boden, but it seems the conversation isn’t finished.