“I’ve got you,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to her head. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Emmy didn’t reply. Instead, she just cried harder.
Finn closed the door behind him, then just stood there letting her cry until there were no more tears left.
“I’m sorry,” she said, when she finally lifted her head, then took a step back.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Finn insisted as he watched her closely. He had no idea what had upset her so much, but he knew that he was not leaving here until he got to the bottom of what that was.
“You really shouldn’t have come here,” Emmy sniffed, as she wiped her tears from her face. She turned and walked into the living room, sat down on the sofa, then wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t want you in any trouble because of me.”
“Right now, I don’t care what anyone thinks,” Finn said as he crouched down in front of her. “I just want you to tell me what happened.”
“Nothing happened, not really,” Emmy replied as she looked up into Finn’s eyes. “When you dropped me off earlier, I came in, had a shower, and then got dressed. I went to class, and as I was walking down the corridor, I knew everyone was watching me.”
“Okay,” Finn replied, sensing that wasn’t the only reason she was so upset.
“Then I got to my locker,” Emmy continued as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to Finn. “This was taped to my locker.”
Finn took the paper, unfolding it to see a picture of Shelby, just as Emmy had described her the night before, laying on the ground, pretending to be dead, with the words ‘slut got what she deserved’ written in red marker across the bottom.
“Wow!” He exclaimed, completely stunned by what he was seeing. “Emmy, please let me go to the Dean with this.”
“No,” she insisted. “It will just make things worse.”
“How can things be any worse?” Finn asked as he looked down at the photo again. “What does this even mean?”
“I have no idea,” she sniffed as she looked at Finn with a worried expression on his face. “But I don’t care. I don’t want any more trouble, and if you go to the Dean, then that is exactly what I am going to get.”
“What is it you’re so afraid of?” Finn asked not understanding why she was so reluctant to make Shelby pay for what she was doing.
“I just don’t want everyone knowing my business,” Emmy said as she stood up and walked across the room.
“What is it you’re trying to hide?” He asked still not following her.
“I just don’t want people to look at me like I’m this pathetic, broken mess,” Emmy replied as she turned back to look at Finn. “Because I’m not. I’m not who I once was.”
“I know you’re none of those things,” Finn assured her, as he watched her pace up and down the living room of her tiny apartment. “But why do you care what someone like Poison Ivy thinks?”
“Poison Ivy?” Emmy asked as she stopped, looking at Finn.
“It’s the name I gave her the first day,” Finn explained, now it was his turn to blush. He then sighed, knowing he needed to explain further. “Every year there is always a Poison Ivy in one of my classes. You know the mean girl who thinks that she can say and do what she likes, that includes hitting on me.”
“She hit on you!” Emmy exclaimed, and to Finn’s surprised, Emmy actually laughed.
“No, not exactly,” Finn replied, wishing now he hadn’t said anything. “She never got that far, but trust me when I tell you, this girl is not worth your time or trouble.”
“I know,” Emmy replied as she gave him a grateful smile. Then she gave him a curious look. “Do you have a nick name for me?”
“Of course I don’t,” Finn insisted, but couldn’t help but laugh at her question. “She is the only one.”
“Well it suits her,” Emmy sighed as she rubbed her sore, swollen eyes. “She isn’t a very nice human being.”
“Then why not go talk to the Dean,” Finn asked as he stood up, walking across the room to where Emmy was standing. “What is it you are so afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid,” Emmy replied as she gave him another smile. “It’s just; my past is so complicated; I don’t want it messing up my future.”
“You know you can talk to me, right,” Finn said, wishing he could understand what was going through her mind.
“I know,” she sighed, but the look on her face said she was not ready to talk about whatever it was that scared her so much. “And I will tell you about my past. Just not today.”
“Someday, though,” Finn asked hopefully.
“Someday,” Emmy replied, as she gave him a smile.
Finn stared at her for a moment as he considered her words. He had no idea what she was so afraid of, but he knew in his heart that he could never do anything that would make her life any harder, or hurt her in any way. If she didn’t want to go to the Dean, he would have to respect that, even if he didn’t agree with her decision.
“Promise me,” she pushed, giving him a pleading look.
“I promise,” he sighed as he frowned at her. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”
“I know,” Emmy replied as she gave him a grateful smile.
Finn couldn’t help but smile too.
The one thing that he did know was; maybe he couldn’t talk to the Dean, but there was nothing to stop him from keeping an eye on Shelby Cooper Smith, and the first chance he had to get rid of her from their lives, he would take it, with no doubts or reservation.
Chapter 12
Emmy
Three days later, Emmy was sitting in Finn’s class listening to him, and a boy called Bryce, debate their own interpretation of Harold Melville’s Moby Dick, which happened to be her father’s favourite book. It was the book he read to her as a child; it was the first proper book she completed once she was old enough to read herself. It was from her father she discovered her love for great literature. It was the one memory she had of him, that could never be tainted by anything else.
As they both talked, Emmy’s mind wandered to the night her father died, and she could feel her heart break all over again.
She was sitting in a lecture hall just like the one she was in now, only it was in Berkley, and her teacher was a sweet lady called Lorna Birmingham.
They were discussing a book Ms. Birmingham had read as a little girl. She was talking about how she fell in love with Pip, the first time she read Great Expectations, and while most people in the world of Literature think that Mr. Darcy was one of the greatest leading men, for her, she loved Philip Pirrip, or Pip more than any other great leading man. While her Professor was talking, a girl walked into the class and handed the Professor a note. The minute she looked up, Emmy knew that the note was for her, just like she also knew that it regarded her father.
She was only six weeks in Berkley, and she had been summoned to the admin office several times. A couple of times it was because there had been an incident with her father at their home. Once because he was drunk and causing trouble in a store, they needed her to come and take him home. The other times she had been called to the Admins office was because her father had turned up to work, drunk, even though he was officially on administrative leave. He had turned up in her class several times too, putting on quite a show.
When the professor called out her name, there was a low hum of whispers around the classroom, and once more Emmy knew that she was the topic.
Without looking at anyone, she packed up her belonging and walked towards the front of the class. Ms. Birmingham gave her a smile, but Emmy knew it was one of pity and not affection.
She followed the girl down the hallway, to the admin's office, when the girl continued past it, Emmy could feel her heart quicken a little
“Where is it we’re going?” Emmy asked as she quickened her pace to catch up alongside the girl.
“I was told to bring you to the Dean’s office,” the
girl replied in a disinterested voice, without even looking at Emmy.
This was bad, Emmy knew it. She tried to tell herself that whatever it was she could fix it, but something told her that this time it was serious.
When she reached the Dean’s office, the girl turned and walked off back in the direction they had come without saying a word to Emmy. She glanced over at the secretary that was sitting at a large mahogany table, just outside the Dean’s office, but when the lady didn’t even look up, Emmy turned to the door, taking a deep breath, before she knocked softly on the door.
“COME!” A voice bellowed from the far side of the door. Emmy straightened her shoulders and took another deep breath before she reached for the handle, pushing open the door.
“Ah, Emmy,” Dean Forbes exclaimed as Emmy stepped in through the door. “Please, come in.”
As Emmy stepped through the door, she was surprised to find two police officers sitting in the Dean’s office, waiting for her too.
“Is everything okay, Dean Forbes?” Emmy asked as she walked further into the office.
“Ms. Warner,” one of the officers said as he stood up. “My name is Officer Murphy; this is my partner, Officer Rosenberg."
“Hello,” Emmy said as her heart pounded in her chest.
“Miss,” the officer continued. “I’m afraid we have some bad news. Earlier today, there was a road traffic accident involving three cars downtown. We believe your father was the driver of one of the cars.”
“Okay,” she replied as the sound of blood rushing in her ears was almost deafening. “My father is dead. Isn’t he.”
“I’m afraid so, Miss Warner,” the Officer said, and Emmy could see the pity in his face. It was a look she recognised only too well.
“We will need you to come with us,” The officer continued, but Emmy was no longer listening. At that moment, the only thought she had was she needed to try and remember how to breathe.
She looked up at the officer, who was still talking, but she couldn’t hear a word he was saying. She could barely even focus on his face.
“I can’t breathe,” she whispered as her chest felt like it was caught in a vice. She gasped for air, but her lungs were burning, and she couldn’t seem to fill them with the precious air she needed. Her legs gave way, as she crashed to the floor.
“Emmy, I need you to breathe,” the officer said as he crouched down in front of her. “Just breathe.”
Emmy stared up into his eyes, but it felt like he was moving further and further away from him.
“Emmy,” he called out, as the room turned darker and darker. “Emmy….”
“Emmy!” Finn called out, pulling her from her thoughts. She was surprised to see him crouching down in front of her, while the rest of the class was turned in their seats, looking at her too. She looked up into Finn’s eyes, and she could see they were filled with worry.
“Professor!” Emmy said as she sat up straighter in her seat. “I’m sorry…”
“You were miles away,” Finn said, and Emmy knew he was worried about her. “You gave us all a bit of a scare, Ms. Warner.”
“I’m sorry, Professor,” Emmy replied as her face burned with embarrassment. “It won’t happen again.”
“I know,” he said, and he gave her a warm smile. “But right now…”
He said as he handed her a piece of paper.
“The Dean would like to see you in his office,” Finn continued.
“The Dean?” She asked as a sickening feeling settled in her stomach. “Why?”
“I have no idea,” Finn replied, and she knew that he was telling her the truth. “But you need to go and see him.”
“Okay,” Emmy said as she stood up, picking up her belongings before she hurried towards the door.
By the time she reached the Dean’s office, her mind was running wild. She had absolutely no idea what he wanted with her, but if history had thought her anything, being summoned to the Dean’s office was never a good thing.
When she reached the Dean’s office, his assistant looked up and smiled at Emmy when she saw her walking into the office.
“Emmy, isn’t it?” She said as she stood up to greet her. “My, my, I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl.”
“I was told that Dean Webber wanted to see me,” Emmy said as she gave the lady a nervous smile.
“He does, Emmy,” the lady said as she walked around her desk, towards the door of the Dean’s office. She stopped before she opened the door. “You look so like your mother. She is still very missed here.”
“I miss her too,” Emmy said with a sad smile before the lady opened the door, stepping back to let Emmy in through the door.
“Ms. Warner,” Dean Webber said as he stood up to greet Emmy when she walked into the office. “How lovely to see you again, my dear. Please, take a seat.”
“Thank you,” Emmy said, as she quickly took a seat in front of the Dean’s desk.
“So, how are you finding things here at the university,” Dean Webber asked as he pulled off his glasses and sat back in his seat. He watched Emmy with interest, but she had no idea what it was he was looking for, no more than she knew why she was even here in his office.
“Good, I think,” Emmy replied, with a nervous smile. “The work can be challenging, but I am enjoying it.”
“From what I hear,” The Dean said with a genuine smile. “You are doing remarkably well. All your professors have nothing but good things to say about you, I think your grade point average certainly speaks for itself. You’re doing yourself and your parents very proud. Though I would expect nothing less from Alison Hagen’s daughter.”
“Thank you, Dean Webber,” Emmy replied, giving him another smile.
“Actually,” The Dean said as he sat forward in his seat, slipping his glasses back on. “Your mother is the reason I asked to speak to you.”
“Oh?” Emmy asked as a sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “Is there a problem, Dean?”
“It has been brought to my attention that there was an incident at a party on Halloween night, between you and another student from the university.”
Emmy’s heart hammered in her chest as she sat there, staring blankly at the Dean of the University.
“I know what happens outside the classroom, is normally considered a private issue,” the man continued, and Emmy thought she was going to be sick. “But given the nature of the disagreement, and the fact that it involved a valued member of staff, I don’t feel it’s something that can go unaddressed.”
“Dean Webber,” Emmy said, but she had no idea how she was going to make this go away as fast as possible.
“I can tell from your face that this is not something you want to discuss in great detail,” Dean Webber continued. “And normally I would respect your wishes. But this was found taped to a locker in the hallway this morning, I really can’t sit by and allow this to continue.”
The Dean slid a piece of paper across the desk, but Emmy didn’t even have to look at it to know what it was. It was the picture of Shelby dressed as her mother. The same picture that had been stuck to her locker for the last three days. Emmy had been surprised that there hadn’t been one that morning, but now she knew why.
“Emmy,” The Dean said as he sat forward in his seat once more. “I don’t need you to tell me anything. The person that came forward told me who was in this photograph. He also told me that he saw Ms. Cooper Smith taping this paper to your locker. He also informed me, that he believed today wasn’t the first time that she did this either.”
Emmy sat there, staring at him, but all she wanted to do was cry. This was the one thing she didn’t want to happen. She couldn’t deal with another drama in her college career. Her stomach heaved, and she thought she was going to be sick.
“Emmy,” Dean Webber stood up, walking around the desk, then sat down on the seat next to her. “I know this is not what you want. I know what you have been through in the past, and I told you when you ca
me back here that we would do whatever it took to make your college life as easy as possible, but I can’t sit by and allow this to continue.”
“I understand,” Emmy whispered as tears silently spilled down her face.
“If it’s any consolation, the person who came to me with this said that he was sure that you would never come forward yourself,” Dean Webber continued as he picked up the box of tissues from his desk, offering them to Emmy. “He said that in no way did you do anything to start this conflict between you and Ms. Cooper Smith.”
That’s when it hit her. It was Finn that had gone to the Dean. After everything she said to him; after he promised her, he went behind her back and did it anyway.
“What is going to happen now?” Emmy asked as she wiped her nose with the tissue in her hand.
“I’m going to send for Ms. Cooper Smith,” he explained as he kept his voice even and calm. Emmy knew he was doing his best to keep her calm. “She has a right to answer to these accusations, but I don’t see how she can explain this piece of disgusting trash away. She will be suspended until there is a full investigation. But I think Ms. Cooper Smith’s days are numbered here at Stanford.”
Emmy felt her stomach heave once again. The last thing she wanted was for someone else’s life to be destroyed, and definitely not because of her.
She didn’t know how she felt. She was sad and disappointed that this was happening, but she was also hurt and angry that Finn betrayed her trust like this.
“Would it be okay if I just went home, Dean?” Emmy asked as she stood up, looking at him and held her breath. “I don’t think I can really deal with going back to class today.”
“Certainly, Emmy,” he replied with a smile as he stood up too. “You know my door is always open to you.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Emmy said, giving him a grateful smile before she turned, heading toward the door.
“Emmy!” He called out to her as she reached for the handle of the door.
“Yes, Dean Webber,” Emmy said as she turned back to him.
“You know your mother was very loved here at Stanford,” he said, and Emmy could feel her heart break at his words. “There has been a huge hole in all our hearts since we lost her, so I can’t even imagine how you feel. But we here at Stanford are family, and I want you to know that you are not alone in this world.”
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