Lily
“I’ve been expelled. Kicked out of school before it even started.”
“What?” I scream, staring at Claire uncomprehendingly.
Expelled? Oh god. I figured she might deal with some backlash from yesterday night, hence my preemptively making that deal with Cross, but expelled? That was a hell of a lot worse. Expulsion meant that the faculty was involved now, not just the students.
I snatch her phone and scan the email; she doesn’t even protest, too shocked to react.
Notice of Enrollment Termination
Dear Ms. Fairmont,
In light of recent events, it is with our deepest regrets that we must notify you of the termination of your enrollment at Rothford University, California, as well as the termination of your scholarship, effective immediately.
The termination is due to a breach of section 7, paragraph 12 in the Code of Conduct signed by yourself on the 21st of July.
Please surrender your keys and student pass by 6:00 pm today.
Regards,
Marissa Collins
Executive Assistant
Rothford University Board of Directors
“Oh god.” I get flashback to my own email informing me I’d lost my scholarship last year, except this one is a hell of a lot worse. “Section seven, paragraph twelve, what is that, even? Fuck. Let me check.”
I grab my own phone and navigate the university app until I find the Code of Conduct. I never bothered to read it properly, scanning it quickly before I signed when I got enrolled.
“The section is ‘Tarnishing the reputation of the school.’” I grimace. It’s about the cop, then. “Shit, Claire. God, let me get to twelve…student privacy on private premises.” Oh, no.
“I’m so sorry. Oh, Claire.”
She tries to smile, tears filling her eyes.
“I suppose you tried to warn me.”
I did, but even I wouldn’t have imagined this.
“I’ll call Cross. Ask if he can help.”
Technically, I made him agree to not encumber Claire, but with a bit of luck, he’ll agree to actively help her. And if I have to bargain another hour of my time, well, that’s just a bonus.
She snorts. “Right. The same guy who told them in the first place.”
“I sincerely doubt that, Claire,” I reply, strangely defensive. “I mean, you talked to the cops. In all likelihood, they made a report. What happened to Charlotte at the Shark House had minor media attention.”
I read the article when I mindlessly scrolled this morning, to stop myself from replaying Cross’s many touches in my head.
“Don’t you think it’s about the video I took?”
“No,” I assert. “For that, Cross would have made you pay directly. Or me. Tattling to his daddy isn’t his style.”
I don’t know why I’m so certain. It’s not like I know Cross all that well. But there’s zero doubt in my mind.
“But the cops—shit. I should have seen this. Stopped you from saying anything at all.”
The tears that have gathered in her blue eyes fall onto her cheeks.
“Oh, Claire. Please, don’t cry. We’ll…” My voice somehow makes things worse: she starts to bawl her eyes out.
“I’m going to make Cross help, okay? His family’s part of the board.
And you can appeal to Keller too. His uncle’s the most powerful man in town.
It’ll be okay. In this town, it’s all about who you know, and you already know people. I promise, we’ll make it okay.”
Cross worked a miracle for me. Surely, between him and Keller, they could do one for her too.
She sniffs, but seems a bit less dejected.
“That’s it, Claire, just breathe. We’ll manage. I can vouch for you—I was there the whole time. We’ll make sure this doesn’t stick.”
“Okay. Okay, yes, we can—I can,” she bravely says. “Do you know Keller’s number?”
“No, but Cross probably does. I’m going to call him, okay?”
She nods.
“It’s all going to work out,” I soothe, determined as I grasp my phone.
Once I’m in front of the café, some of my confidence disappears.
What am I doing? I know Cross. Everything works in deals with him.
Yes, he helped me last year—for three blowjobs—and yesterday, he made a specific agreement not to make Claire pay for her mistakes.
I know better than to think actually helping her out of her mess now falls under that agreement.
I’m going to have to give him something else.
And? part of me asks.
It’s not like I didn’t enjoy myself this morning.
The thought of finishing what we started certainly is no hardship.
To be honest to myself, I fully intended to confront him and possibly make him lick me out again—until I scream this time—so this phone call doesn’t truly change my plans.
It just gives me an excuse to call him today.
Plus, I like Claire. I’ll help if I can.
I’ve never actually called Cross, but I do so now, self-conscious as the phone rings.
He replies before I can second guess myself. “Lily darling.”
I don’t tergiversate. “Claire was expelled. Expelled, Cross.”
He takes a beat to answer. “Huh. Bold move.”
“Bold? Bold!” I repeat. “Classes haven’t even started. Can you do something? Anything. With all your contacts and stuff.”
I blush at the idea of asking him to use his influence like that, but he offered last year; that wasn’t different.
“Listen, Trueman—”
“No, you listen,” I barge in, not letting him weigh in. “I like her. She’s sweet, and innocent, and clueless. She was trying to help me yesterday, you know that. She did CPR to that girl. You have to help. We agreed you would! I said I’d do anything and I meant it.”
He snorts. “That’s starting to become a recurring theme.”
“I mean it,” I assure him, flushing. “You don’t get what it means for someone like her—like me—losing an opportunity like studying at Rothford. It’s our entire future at stake.”
I’m getting flashbacks to my panic last year.
“Give me a second, I’m checking my messages,” Cross tells me.
I worry my lower lip as moments pass.
“Looks like she has a meeting set up this evening.”
“What?” I blink.
The email said nothing about any meeting.
“Your roommate’s not mine to handle,” Cross says. “Keller’s in charge here. I’m sure she’ll get the details shortly. She’s seeing the board at six.”
I gasp. It’s always games upon games with these people, isn’t it?
“And she can get re-enrolled?”
I can practically hear his smile through the receiver. “Not without a price, but in all likelihood, yes.”
I glance back to Claire, eating a sundae, tear stains still on her cheeks.
She has a boyfriend; she told me all about him. It doesn’t matter to Keller, I saw as much yesterday. Frankly, it doesn’t seem to matter too much to Claire either.
I exhale slowly.
She will likely have to agree to terms she’s not comfortable with, but she fucked up last night, and she’d have to pay for it. This is how things work in Rothford. The sooner she learns that, the better. If she’s not cut out for it, it’s probably best she leaves sooner rather than later.
“All right.”
“Was there anything else, Lily darling?”
I flush, my treacherous mind replaying his mouth against my clit. “Yeah. You’re a fucking dick for leaving me hanging.”
Cross chuckles. “Now you know how it feels.”
He hangs up and I grumble the world asshole, pocketing my phone.
So that was about my botched blowjob from last year, wasn’t it? Except mine was truly awful. What he did with his sinful tongue was far worse, because he made it clear just how good he was, before stopping.
I can’t decide who’s more despicable.