Page 76 of MC Princess
“If you're going to talk about somebody you should really sit further away from them.”
The professor hasn't released us from class yet but I pack up my stuff and leave anyways, this is my last class for today, so I go to the coffee shop at the end of Greek row and wait for my meeting with the dean. I haven't gone back to the house yet, I've gotten a few text messages asking me if I'm coming by, and even more asking how Zoe is doing, but none of the girls suggested wanting to talk to me. I talked to Raven for a little while when I dropped the keys off to the car this morning, but I didn't stick around. Zoe was still sleeping and I needed to get to class. She told me that Zoe had nightmares, which I figured was going to happen, but that every time Raven grabbed her hand she would calm down and go back to sleep. Being back at the house is going to be hard for her but I think it'll help more than staying in a hospital bed.
“Finley?” A petite blonde girl asks as I walk up to the counter.
“That's me, do you want to ask me something about the Ghost Riders?” I shouldn't snap at her because I don't know who she is or what she has to say, but my nerves are already fritz today.
“Noooo,” she drags the word out like she's uncomfortable.
“I'm sorry, yes, I am Finley is there something I can help you with?”
“I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I was working that day, the day that Zoe left with Noah. I had seen them together before so I didn't think anything of it, but I should have.”
“People have been telling me for 24 hours that I shouldn't blame myself, and I'm going to tell you the same thing. Zoe didn't even think anything of it. We have hung out with Noah on several occasions there was no reason for her to be fearful of him. But he's behind bars now, well no, he's in the hospital, but he's going to be behind bars.”
“He's in the hospital?” She's not surprised, honestly if I had to put an emotion behind her words, I'd say she is glad.
“He is.”
“Did the bikers do that?”
“They did.”
“Good, now what can I get you?”
I order my coffee and go over to the table by the window to sit down, I have a few assignments for my classes that are due at the end of the week, so I go ahead and knock them out, I have about an hour before I must meet the dean. Once my coffee is gone and my assignments are done, I put my computer back in my bag. I still have about 15 minutes before my meeting with the dean, but I go ahead and go across campus to his office.
His receptionist gives me an ugly look—which is nothing new for today—I simply smiled back at her. You know, kill them with kindness, only in my case the smile just makes people more scared of me. Perfect.
When I walked through the door, she hadn’t been doing anything but the longer I stare at her the more she fidgets, eventually she grabs what looks like random papers off her desk and mumbles something about being right back.
“Ah. Miss Whelan. You’re early.” He doesn’t ask a question, so I just look at him.
The dean is a large man, and I don’t mean in the muscular way. He has wide shoulders, but his stomach is just as wide, his belly sticks out far enough that it gives the impression his belt and buckle are working as some kind of shelf for the weight of his gut. His hair is a mousey brown color and whatever he uses in it makes it look like it hasn’t been washed in a week. His office smells like cheap cigars and bottom shelf whiskey, and everything in here is outdated.
I have no patience for people that want to play nice today, so I don’t even give him a fake smile. I know better than to think being called to his office today is anything more than a man in power trying to scold a young woman. You would think that he would know better, but he might not know enough to have that healthy level of fear.
“Have a seat. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Funny, because we didn’t have anything to discuss before yesterday.” The way that he looks at me makes me think that this meeting is going to go way worse than I had initially thought. If Lex gives off the vibes that he is a snake, this man is some kind of spider. Sitting and waiting for their pray to get stuck in their trap without having to work for it.
“Yes, well, something very large has transpired since yesterday, hasn’t it?”
“Nothing that affects my ability to be a model student. And I have been a model student.” I cross my ankle over my knee, leaning back in the chair and resting both of my hands on my thighs. It’s the epitome of a man’s power pose and—buy the slight unease I see in his brow—I know that it has done just what I wanted it to.
The dean in unsettled.
“I don’t know that’s exactly true. I don’t know how you got tangled up in the MC but the whole state knows that they are bad news. I heard that the president of your sorority was found yesterday, raped and abused. Are you saying that the MC had nothing to do with that?” My skin starts to burn, a flush rushing across most of my body. I grab the arms of the chair firmly, trying to anchor myself.
Launching myself over the desk and sticking his letter opener in his throat isn’t going to help this situation.
“The MC is who found her in that apartment. Something that the police wouldn’t have been able to do. And if you know so much about the state that she was in when she was found, then you also know that she was found with one of the brothers of DIK.” My voice is like acid, burning my throat with no mercy. I shouldn’t have to discuss Zoe’s situation with a man that did nothing to help any of the other girls from this campus that have been harmed.
“Poor Noah. He had quite a rough life growing up, it wouldn’t surprise me if he got in with that type of crowd,” I can feel myself losing the battle with my rage. I have never been great at controlling it, but I hope that I can mange to keep it down enough that I don’t do something stupid.
“Noah has no connections to the Ghost Riders. No one on this campus does but me.”
“Silly girl. There is no way that you could know that.” I roll my eyes at how stupid he sounds only having a tidbit of information.
