Page 19 of Broken Princess

“Logan, if there’s any part of you that cares about what she did over the break, sit this one out.”

I glare at the one person in this group on campus that I would sincerely and unquestioningly call my friend. “I’m not sitting shit out. All of our futures and our reputations are at risk here. If the other students think we went soft on her. ThatIwent soft on her. Nothing we do will ever matter again.”

Picking up my cup, I take a calming sip. “Besides, don’t forget how I spent my break. Working off my bad behavior, so I’m pissed I got punished and need to exact revenge on her just for that.”

“Hey nobody told you to submit your design to the auction under your name.”

“It would’ve been a bitch move not to.”

She nods. Slurping her iced latte through her straw. “And you’re nobody’s bitch.”

Jordanna

The door opens and I smile politely at the gentleman in front of me even though I’d like to scratch his eyes out. “Dean Allen, thanks for meeting with me.”

“Miss Felding, I was surprised when I got your note.” He says, ushering me into his office. “What exactly is it that you want to discuss?”

I take the same chair I did three months ago when we discussed my future with the university.

“I just wanted you to know that I followed up with Mrs. Dane. She’s a wonderful lady, and I appreciate her taking an interest in my education. She’s given me an incredible opportunity so I can continue at this great university, and I just want to be worthy of the investment she’s made in me. I know charity is a tenet of the school, and the families here are all active in their community in some way. So, I was hoping I could find a volunteer opportunity. Perhaps on campus.”

Pepper and I have gone over this several times. One of Dean Allen’s office assistants is about to go on bedrest, which means the rest of the staff will have to pick up her slack. He can’t fill her position without asking for more money or firing her. Terminating her is not an option, unless he wants it made known that she’s pregnant by the father of one of the grad students.

“Well, that’s a highly unusual request. Most students intern or volunteer out in town on the weekends or their breaks.”

“I know, but I don’t have a car and I’m not sure it would be a good use of my time or the money I’m receiving if I have to use the bus every day. You see, I was hoping for more consistency than just holidays and breaks. And well, dean, if I’m being honest, I need some positive marks on my transcripts to bolster my grad school applications.”

“Extracurricular activities will help with that.”

“Oh, I’ve put in a request to join the paper. The faculty sponsor, Mrs. Morgan, and I have our second interview tomorrow, to go over the articles I’ve written in the past.”

Everyone knows I’ve won prizes and accolades for my articles and some of my photographs. Having me on the paper is a no brainer. I miss writing, but this also gives me more access to Logan. As for the volunteering, I need access to the administration building, and the staff so I can earn their trust. That way, the next time shit goes down with Logan, they’ll be on my side.

His assistant knocks and enters. She drops a stack of papers on his desk and gathers up others to take away. It’s only eleven in the morning and she already looks like she’s put in a twelve hour day.

Reaching over to grab my bag, I bring our meeting to a close. “Thank you for your time, Dean Allen, and if you can think of anywhere I can help out, or anything…”

“You know, I might have something. One of our office clerks will be out for a while. We’d need help with filing and copying and whatever else my executive assistant needs done, two or three days a week. If you don’t mind that…”

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind at all. Thank you.”

“Okay, see Veronica when you leave and let her know you’ll be helping out. You answer to her, and you’ll have to work around your other obligations. That might mean evenings or weekends.”

“I understand Dean Allen. Thank you. I won’t let you down.”

Veronica doesn’t even give me a chance to say I’m the new office help. My guess is she was hovering around the door when the dean hired me. She tells me she’ll need help two days a week and one Saturday a month. I assure her the schedule works fine for me and that my classes and working at the paper won’t get in the way. I jot down my cellphone number so she can contact me and she tells me to expect to start next week. With that she hurries down the hall with a stack of manila envelopes in her arms, muttering they won’t mail themselves.

The muffled ringtone of my phone beckons me awake, and I slip my hand under my pillow to silence the offending device. I stayed up late last night working on an assignment, and all I want to do is sleep. My hand finally lands on the cool metal case. I stab at the screen and must’ve accidentally hit answer, because my mother’s voice chirps an over enthusiastic good morning to me.

“Mom. Can I-”

“You still coming down this weekend?”

“Yeah. I plan to.”

“Good, because the storage unit called and wants to know if we’re renewing the rental space.”

The last of dad’s things went into storage when she married step-dick. As if a few boxes would mess up the decor. We forwarded the items to a new unit when we moved to The Bluffs, because I think none of us really wanted to go through it. But it’s a waste of money, and the house has plenty of space.

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