Page 86 of Pucking Good Girl

“We don’t have weeks,” Talia sounds panicked. “Victor wanted an answer from me before our group project presentation. That’s in three days.”

“Decline his offer and let him give you a failing grade. He’ll have to forge your paper to do that. Professor Cantucci knows there’s no way you’d fail that exam; that would confirm that he’s been messing with the grades.” Tucker suggests.

Vaughn has been engrossed in his phone for the last few minutes; he lifts his head from the screen to look at us. “That would only prove that he’s a disgusting creep and that he used Gen’s cheating to try to get sexual favors from two students. It wouldn’t prove anything about last year.”

“Like I said, the investigator hired by the Dean didn’t find anything conclusive in the Econ system, and he’s still⁠—”

“Wading through all the exam papers from all your classes.” Vaughn interrupts her. “Yes, that was clear. While you were discussing our options, I got in touch with the Head of System Software and Network Solutions at one of the startups my dad acquired recently. She just said she can be here tomorrow morning to look into the Econ network. She’s young, but she’s a real genius. Before founding the startup with a couple of her college friends, she’s helped federal law enforcement uncover several cases of large scale cyber fraud. If there’s something to be found, Kelsey will find it.”

Professor Cantucci isn’t immediately sold. “I’m sure someone like that would charge accordingly. I’d have to ask my head of department to approve the expense, and he probably will have to escalate it himself. It might take a week or two minimum.”

“Kelsey won’t charge the college for her help. She’s going to do it as a personal favor to me,” Vaughn promises.

“Oh,” the professor looks impressed for once in her life. “Thank you, Mr. Heston. I’ll still need to inform my superiors, but if the young lady is willing to work pro bono and comes with your father’s endorsement, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Vaughn looks satisfied with the change in the professor’s attitude toward him. “Perfect. I’ll send Kelsey our family’s private aircraft. She’ll be here tonight and ready to start bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“Why would this computer genius help you for free?” Becks asks. “Is it because your dad is her boss?”

I snort at how naïve Becks can be.

“No,” Vaughn shrugs his shoulder. “I met Kelsey after summer training when she signed the contract with my dad. She hadn’t been to Star Cove, and I showed her around, took her on a mini cruise on the small yacht my parents keep moored in Star Cove at the Country Club.”

Yup. In other words, he fucked her.

“What if she doesn’t find anything?” Talia is tormenting her bottom lip with her teeth, like she always does when she’s nervous. “How will you justify not giving me a failing grade, Professor?”

Professor Cantucci reassures her. “Don’t worry about that, Talia. I’ll make up some extra credit, or something like that. This is all my fault,” she sighs. “I’ve been preoccupied first with writing and then promoting my new book about the ancient Greek warship I helped recover off the coast of Sicily last summer and dropped the ball. I left too many things in Victor’s hands. Things are going to change from now on. Whatever happens, this was definitely a lesson learned.”

The professor’s words don’t help appease Talia. “But what are you going to do if he accuses me of cheating? He’s obviously keeping my original quiz sheet somewhere. He has two identical quizzes that show that someone copied. What if he reports me?”

“I know you didn’t cheat, Talia. I believe you,” Professor Cantucci says.

“But he’s going to have proof of his claims, and we’re going to have nothing but my word to defend my position. And we know whose side Genevieve is going to be on.”

I take her hand in mine, trying to calm her down. “But if he does that, he’s going to cause trouble for Gen. And she’s giving him what he wants. He would be going back on his deal with her.”

“Macklin, he’s going to find a way to make me pay for turning him down. If he can forge an exam paper with wrong answers, he could forge notes claiming that Gen passed them to me. He could say that Gen went to him for help or something to protect her. You know, like some sort of informant.”

Surprisingly, Tucker agrees with his sister. “To be honest, I think Talia might be right. Gen has proved countless times that she’s vicious and devious, and she seems to have found her perfect match in your T.A., Professor.”

Professor Cantucci is twirling one strand of her long blonde hair around her index finger, deep in thought. “I could postpone the group project presentation by a week and buy you more time? I could send an email to the whole class right now. That should buy you more time with Victor and hopefully by then Kelsey will have found some evidence to bring to the Dean.”

“But what if Victor insists on having an answer now? And there is always the chance that he was so good at covering his tracks that Kelsey might not find anything, just like the investigator hired by the Dean. I/we need to get a confession from Victor. And I think I have an idea on how to get it.”

“No,” Becks, Tucker, and I bite out when Talia tells us her plan. “Absolutely no way in hell.”

Vaughn is the only one who agrees with Talia’s risky plan. “I think that might work.”

“No way.” I say in my sternest tone. “It’s way too dangerous. Tell them, Professor.”

Of course, Professor Cantucci disagrees with us. “We can take some steps to protect Talia. But I think she’s right. This would give us what we need to expose Victor’s conduct and maybe find out if he’s involved with last year’s false grades.”

In the end, I have no choice but to support my girlfriend. We discuss a detailed plan.

“Macklin,” Talia whispers as we walk out of Professor Cantucci’s office. “I’ll be ok.”

“We’ll make sure you’re ok and we’ll support you no matter what,” Becks bites out, unlocking his car. “But we don’t have to like it.”