Page 7 of Get Even

Liv shook her head slightly, teeth biting deeply into her bottom lip. “Luckily I already had access to my trust at 18 otherwise… Well, they’ll get over it at some point. Or I will, I guess.”

“You will. I don’t talk to my Mom either.” I hadn’t really meant to let the last part slip out and I frowned down at the softly smoking remainder of my weed before tapping off the ash. Damned stuff was worse than truth serum. My phone was still sat on the dining room table from where I’d left it last night and the shrilldingof a notification popping in made my ears ring as it was followed by another and then another. I heaved myself up off the sofa as I made for it, freezing and then lowering the zoot from my mouth when I saw what was on the screen.

“Oh my god,” I breathed and then laughed in disbelief.

“What is it?” Liv called from the sofa and my eyes burned at the casual concern in her voice. Poor girl, what had she gotten into by being friends with me? The now freshly-branded campus slut.

I held my phone out for her to take and then dragged harshly on the joint before stubbing it out, letting the smoke wreathe my head and obscure my expression as I looked up to the ceiling, blinking away tears of anger. Bastard.

“Shit,” Liv said, eyes flying wide as she looked at the picture of me, Brad and Cody that had been anonymously submitted to the campus gossip page on socials. Considering only two people had that photo and one of them had just left my apartment seething with anger, it was a pretty good bet who had posted it. “You’re naked in this – can’t you report him?”

“It’s not worth the trouble,” I said, taking a deep breath and removing the tag from the photo so at least it wouldn’t show up on my profile. “Aaron’s rich and co-captain of the football team. I’m a history major with no friends and no money. I’m just surprised is all, normally the thought of a scandal would be enough to scare Aaron away. I guess he wanted to hurt me more than he cared about his rep,” I laughed and Liv didn’t join in, the faint remnant of my hangover throbbed through my temples and I rubbed at them absently, wanting this day to be over despite it only having just begun. “Anyway… I better go get ready. First flatmate meal together tonight though?”

I held my breath as I waited for her response. Had she changed her mind? Did she only want to be friends with me when she was drunk?

Liv blinked at me, “You’re going to class?”

“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Liv glanced pointedly at my phone and I shrugged, “What’s there to be ashamed of really? So some people are going to see my boobs? I had a threesome, it was great and I bet they’ll all just be wishing they were me really. I mean, I have a great rack.” Liv snorted and the sound loosened some of the tension still swirling through me. “Dinner tonight then?”

Liv smiled and nodded firmly, “Sounds good.”

“Well, let’s hope I make it through class with Professor Dick alive then,” I shot her a saucy wink, “Pray for me?”

* * *

“I’m sorry,what?” My heart was pounding so hard my hands were shaking as I stared up into the flinty eyes of Professor Davis – or Professor Dick, as I was now going to forever be calling him. I had been determined to ignore the stares, to just go to class and then get home – it was a nude. One nude! Yet people were gaping like they’d never seen a pair of boobs before. Or maybe it had more to do with who I was in the photo with? I wasn’t really a big sports fangirl, but I knew that a lot of people treated the college athletes like they were gods or something.

“I’ve had my doubts about you since you joined this class–”Yes, a fact he’d been oh so subtle about“–but this is the final straw. You are making a mockery of this department and as such, you are on probation to be reviewed in three months’ time.”

I gaped at him, willing the rising flush away from my face. I wasnotembarrassed by this asshole. It was perfectly normal and healthy to enjoy sex and I wasn’t going to let Professor Dick make me feel otherwise. “So, just to make it absolutely clear, you’re putting me on academic probation for having a threesome?”

Davis threw his hands up into the air, spinning around to walk back to the front of the class. “You are ruining the–”

“Yes, yes, the reputation, I heard you the first time. What Idon’tunderstand is why you’re bringing this up in the middle of class,” I said pointedly as my classmates' eyes ping-ponged back and forth between us, expressions ranging from pity to amusement. “Also, do you really think I’m the only one in this room having some fun? Nick practically has an orgy at his frat house every weekend!”

“Nickdoes not advertise that fact on social media!”

“Oh, I get it, you’re blaming me for being a victim of revenge porn?” I’d never been particularly good at ‘respecting’ authority, especially when that authority was being wielded by a sexist pig looking for any reason to screw me over. For a second I toyed with the idea of reporting him, as Nick frequently suggested, but Davis had something worse than money or a high-brow reputation, he hadinfluence. My other professors took their cues from him, he had tenure and he ran the entire History department, so while they weren’t outwardly awful, they didn’t speak up for me either. Nor would they if I brought this to the higher faculty – I would be alone. I could stick it out until graduation.

Davis’ face flushed red, making an interesting contrast with his white hair. “This is not up for debate or discussion. You’re only making this worse for yourself. I think that’s quite enough for today, hm?” He snatched up his briefcase, stuffed his papers inside and swept out of the room while I scowled. It was more than a shame, really. I loved History, I’d always found it fascinating, but since having Davis as our third-year professor some of the joy had started to trickle out of the subject. He’d had it in for me as soon as he’d seen me and realized thatBenjaminwas a girl, and not one of his carefully selected sweet little damsels either.

There was only awkward silence for a couple of minutes and then slowly chatter began to creep back in as people left the room, more than one gaze darting to me and then away. I knew Aaron was an ass, but I hadn’t expected him to forward-on the photo of me in bed with his brother and best friend to what felt like the entire student body. Still, I couldn’t say I was sorry for showing him the door earlier.

A heavy hand fell on my shoulder and I looked up tiredly to find Nick peering down at me. I sighed, “Can you believe this?”

Nick shrugged, “Yeah, kinda. He’s always had it out for you. You should–”

“I know, I know,” I waved him off as I stood up and shoved my notebook and laptop into my bag. Nick had been on at me for ages to complain about Professor Davis, but some part ofhead of the departmentandtenured to bootalways seemed to be conveniently forgotten whenever he brought it up. “Why would they believe me over him? Why would they even care? He’s not really breaking any rules by disliking me.”

“Maybe,” Nick said, dark eyes running over my face carefully, “but he would definitely be breaking some rules if he had put you on probation based on discrimination.”

I paused half-way down the steps to the exit, “What do you mean?”

“Well, he was talking to someone when I arrived, before you got here,” he ran a hand across his shaved head and then over his stubble and I followed the movement with my eyes before raising an eyebrow. Nick was always confident, self-assured, he never seemed worried. Not like this. “He wasn’t only mad about the photo of you with Brad and Chad.”

“Cody,” I corrected absently and Nick sucked on his teeth lightly and I couldn’t help my laugh. He was right, big difference.

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