Page 26 of Classroom Confessions

Rebecca not only blurred the line, but she also almost erased it completely.

“Thank you for coming to us.” I rounded the desk and walked Dean Scott to the door.

David and Cole would have to head back to their classes soon. Mondays were short days for all of us, but that didn’t mean we had all day to stand around and talk or defend ourselves.

“I hope this is the only time this year.” Dean Scott stopped again at the door leading out into the hallway. A few students mingled in the space, and several of them looked our way, almost salivating for a new story to spread around.

I shook the dean’s hand. “Always a pleasure to chat, Dean. Feel free to come by anytime.” My smile felt forced, but I’d used it often enough to know it looked genuine. To the observers, we were two men having a pleasant conversation. There would still be rumors about why Dean Scott showed up at my lecture hall, but every move, every look, even the tone of my voice, had to stay calm and above reproach or it would be all over campus that I’d been written up or fired by the end of the day. Gossip spread like wildfire on campus, and something as innocent as a handshake could be a violent encounter within hours as the story was twisted and changed by each person adding their own spin to the tale.

“I look forward to it.” Dean Scott had his own fake smile in place. He slapped my shoulder. “Keep up the good work.”

As soon as he walked through the door, I turned and headed back into my inner office.

“Is he gone?” David peered over my shoulder.

“Yeah.” I collapsed into my chair and scrubbed my face with the heels of both hands. “That is why this stops right now.” I spoke around the lump in my throat and despite the echoes of longing pinging through my heart. “We could lose everything.”

Cole opened his mouth.

I pointed at him. “Don’t say she’s worth it.”

She was, but I couldn’t let him say it. We had to keep our shit together and find a way to get through this semester.

“We all have to put it aside. Stop trying to come up with ways to see her. Rebecca is off limits. End of story.” I slashed the air with both hands. “Do you understand?”

David’s chin jutted out. Mutiny turned his face into a carved likeness of an ancient gargoyle. He stared me down and refused to answer.

“We’ve worked too long to let it all fall apart now.” I pushed to my feet and paced back and forth behind my desk. The musty scent of old books usually calmed me, but today it reminded me of Rebecca and how she’d challenged me. “Get through the semester.”

I drove the thought home, repeating it to myself as they stood and left my office. One day at a time. We could survive this.

13

REBECCA

I couldn’t remember a time when a day crawled by so slowly. On the upside, my chapter I’d posted was a raging success and I was on cloud nine as I unlocked the front door and stepped into my apartment.

Ethan had avoided even looking at me during class, and I’d felt the same kind of dismissal from Cole and David. It stung. I wouldn’t dismiss my emotions and say it didn’t, but I tried not to linger on the pain. I had a book to write.

My steps slowed when I crossed the threshold. The soft lavender scent from the blanket thrown across the back of the couch beckoned me over for a nap. I could give in, lie down and rest for a few hours, then write.

“But then you’ll lose all motivation.” I tapped my phone screen and checked my story again. Another hundred reads since I left campus. All the comments were about when I planned on uploading the next chapter.

My textbooks and laptop hit the end of the couch with a thump. I eyed the bag and chewed my inner cheek. I should study. Cole had given us a heads up about an upcoming test that I didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing without some serious cracking down on the books. I waved it off. Later. I’d gotten an idea for the next chapter while driving home. “Hope you’re not too mad at me, Fitz. I’ll fix your dinner in a little while.”

Two hours later, I’d finished the chapter, had Lily give it a proofread, and uploaded it to the site. I hovered over the button, and this time when I clicked, I kept my eyes wide open. “Welcome to the world, little baby book.” My grin stretched my cheeks, and I clapped both hands over my heart. “Come on, Fitz. Let’s eat.” Setting the laptop aside and stretching my arms over my head, I stood and waited. “Fitz?”

No answering bark. No sounds at all. Unease tightened in my middle. I’d seen him this morning on my way out. “Come on, boy. Don’t do this to me.” I scoured the room, tossing aside pillows and peeking under every piece of furniture, going room by room. There were only a handful of places a dog could hide in my one-bedroom apartment. “Fitz!” My voice turned frantic as I prowled through my closet. “Where are you?”

Still nothing but silence. After opening every cabinet door and even checking the bathtub, I finally admitted that Fitz was not in the house. He’d escaped. Again.

A gasp caught in my throat. David. David found Fitz last time, and Fitz liked David, which meant my fuzzy little terror might head the same way again in hopes of finding his new friend. It wasn’t much to go on, but I snatched up my phone and keys and took off down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop. I’d looked up David’s address after he told me he lived nearby. Three blocks away, to be exact. I’d tried to forget, but every time I stepped outside, I glanced that way. My apartment complex sat on the corner of a busy intersection. Across the street was a record store that shut down last month and an empty car lot.

Another apartment building butted up against mine, and then it changed to a housing development/suburb. Kids skated up and down the sidewalks. “Hey, have you seen a little dog today?” I held up my phone with the recent picture of Fitz on the screen. “One like this?”

“Nope.” The teenager didn’t even slow down, just glanced at my phone and kept going.

Fine. I asked the next kid, and the next one, making my way down the sidewalk and calling Fitz’s name in between stops. The sidewalk ended at another intersection. I pressed the button and waited for the signal to change, tapping my foot and scanning every inch around me.

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