Page 3 of Tenure

“I’m good. But thanks.”

“I’m not going to strip you in line, you know. It’s just a coffee.”

I eye him and can practically hear SJ screaming that it’s now or never. She’d approve. But she’d approve of most things in a backwards baseball hat.

“Fuck it,” I say.

As we wander towards—I guess a coffee shop? I don’t know, I haven’t had a chance to tour the campus yet—he starts probing.

“How’s your first week going?”

“First day, actually. And I’ve had better.”

His mouth twitches. “I think he broke his teeth clenching his jaw after you left. Most of us decided it was probably a good idea to bail.”

“Yeah, well, I doubt you’re missing much.” I scowl. “Sorry, what’s your name?”

I sound tired. Already. Cool.

“Graham.”

I extend my hand. “Kiernan.”

But Graham is looking behind me and he pales a little.

“James,” says a deep voice.

Goosebumps raise on the back of my neck.Fuck.

“May I speak with you for a moment,Kiernan?”

It’s not a question.

Graham glances back and forth between the two of us, eyebrows raised, before sticking his hands in his hoodie pocket and shrugging.

“See you in class, Kiernan?” And then he heads off down the corridor at little less than a run.

Super cool.

I turn around to findJamesstanding inappropriately close to me, well within my personal bubble, towering over me with a twitchy glower. I fight the urge to step backwards and glare right back at him.

Dick.

“What do you want?”

He cocks his head and studies me. Like I’m a problem he needs to fix. Like something’s gone wrong in his formula, but he isn’t sure what. He just knows he’s getting the wrong answer.

“I’d like to go over your questions,” he says smoothly, his voice low.

I shrug, still vehemently fighting the urge to back up, my heartbeat accelerating and palms starting to sweat.

“I’ll email them,” I say.

He narrows his eyes at me, dark hazel and clearly irritated, reaching out to cup my elbow and gently steer me back the way I came.

“You’ll ask them now,” he says, his voice falsely pleasant.

It feels like a threat.

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