Page 93 of Field Rules

ChapterThirty-One

Olivia set down her book. She’d read through the last paragraph three times, so apparently, her mind wasn’t on the history of Anatolian trade during the Hellenistic era. After talking with Dr. Roth at dinner the other night, she’d considered adding more source material to her dissertation. Usually, when she got on a new research tangent, she couldn’t wait to dive in. She loved finding evidence to support her theories. But tonight, she couldn’t focus.

Alone in the research library, she could hear the strains of Rick’s guitar. She wanted to join him but knew she wouldn’t be welcomed. He’d barely spoken to her since she’d broken things off two days ago.

More than anything, she longed to seek him out and apologize. Even if he’d blindsided her with his news about Turkey, that didn’t justify the demands she’d made. Or the way she’d dumped him as if he wasn’t worthy. If she’d been brave enough, she would have told him the truth—that she was in love with him and was hurt he hadn’t considered her in his plans.

But she could only imagine the pitying look he would have given her. The humiliation she would have felt when he let her down gently. She’d rather leave him feeling angry and frustrated than guilty that he couldn’t reciprocate her feelings.

With only eight days left of field school, she should have been taking pride in how far she’d come. Considering her lack of experience, she’d accomplished a lot—finding a site, leading her own trench, and uncovering a skeleton. She’d also enjoyed working with students beyond the confines of a classroom. But she was finding it hard to take pleasure in any of it. If anything, she wanted the time to pass as quickly as possible.

In a little over a week, Rick would be gone. Out of her life, possibly forever. Though the heartache would linger once she was back home, she wouldn’t have to see him every day.

How ironic was it that she’d warned the students about the consequences of hooking up, only to deal with it herself?

“Olivia?” Marisol’s soft voice broke the stillness. She hovered in the doorway.

“Hey, Marisol,” Olivia said. “Everything okay?”

“Not exactly. Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.” She shoved the book aside. “Would you rather go outside? It’s cooler out there.”

“I’d rather talk in private if that’s all right.” Closing the door behind her, Marisol slowly advanced toward the table.

“We can talk wherever you feel the most comfortable.” Olivia gestured for her to sit. “Did something happen with one of the students?”

“No.” Marisol perched on the edge of her seat and twisted her braid between her fingers. “It’s about the other day—when the site was vandalized. I didn’t hear about it right away because I was back here with a stomach bug.”

“Right. I remember.” Olivia suspected Marisol had come to offer up a confession, but she didn’t want to push her.

“Yesterday, Alisha told me Rick took the blame for not locking the gate properly,” Marisol said. “But it wasn’t his fault. I was the last one out. I thought I locked it the way Juno demonstrated, but I messed up. I should have said something as soon as I found out, but I didn’t want to get expelled.”

Olivia could only imagine how tormented Marisol must have felt, torn between admitting her mistake and keeping it hidden. “Alisha and Logan told me the truth. It’s okay.”

“It’s not. Rick got in trouble with Dr. Roth, didn’t he?”

From outside the window, Olivia caught the first few bars of Elton’s John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”—one of Rick’s favorite songs. An ache spread through her, making her wish nothing had changed between them.

Clearing her head, she focused on Marisol. “Rick will be fine. He’s already got another job lined up. Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s the thing—I can’t stop worrying. I wanted to tell everyone what happened, but I knew Grant—I mean Dr. Nilsson—would be furious with me.” She twisted her braid again. “If it wasn’t for him, I would have confessed right away. But he’s made me so scared of messing up that I don’t want to upset him.”

“That’s awful. I’m sorry you feel this way.”

“It’s not just me. We’re all scared of him.”

The revelation hit Olivia like a body blow. This wasn’t just about Grant targeting her or Rick. It was about him intimidating the students and making them so afraid that they’d rather lie than face his wrath.

Why hadn’t Frida told her Grant was such a bully? She’d called him a joyless control freak, but there was a difference between being hypercritical and blatantly abusing his power. Maybe Frida hadn’t realized how much he’d bullied them when she wasn’t around to see it. But now that Olivia was aware of it, she needed to take action.

“I apologize for not tackling the Grant issue sooner,” she said. “Would you be willing to talk to Dr. Roth about it? You’d need to tell him the truth about the gate, but you could also explain why you were too afraid to come forward immediately.”

Marisol’s eyes glistened with tears. “Will I get expelled? Or fail the class? If that happened, my parents would never let me forget it. I had a hard enough time convincing them I could handle this course.”

“Believe me, I know how you feel, but Dr. Roth won’t fail you. And he won’t blow up at you, either.” When Marisol hesitated, Olivia pushed a little more. “I’ll go with you if you want.”

Marisol wiped her eyes. “That would make me feel better. When should we tell him?”

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