by Lexi Wilson
I just knew I had to find Josiah.
He’d know what to do.
Chapter 28
Josiah
I walked toward the university building with my head held high. There were still a lot of students staring at me and gossiping amongst themselves when I passed, but I no longer cared what they had to say about me or the situation. I’d put a sign on the door of the Chemistry class informing the students who would have attended that it was skipped for the day and would resume the next week, and not to worry about the first two weeks we’d studied.
I knew I could work out the details with the new professor they would hire for the position, and they would be able to pick up where they left off, or they would be able to start fresh with credit for what they had already done.
I had more important things on my mind now, and I wasn’t going to worry about this job anymore. I had been sent home after the meeting with the dean that morning, and I had done a lot of thinking. I hadn’t been able to get a hold of Zia, and I decided it was best to let her come to me.
For all I knew, she already was aware of what was going on, and I didn’t want to show up at her place and have to deal with her roommate if she was there. I would let her get a hold of me when she felt the time was right, then I would talk her through it.
I would tell her what I had done – what I was about to do.
In my hand there was a letter of resignation. I didn’t want to lose the job, but I wasn’t going to risk them doing anything to Zia because of this, either. It wasn’t her fault, and I wasn’t going to let her take the fall for something she hadn’t done intentionally. I wasn’t sure what I was going to tell the dean, but I knew the best place to start would be with the letter.
When I was called back to the school for a disciplinary meeting that afternoon, I knew that I had to do what I had to do. I had the letter already written, and I slipped it into an envelope to take with me to the meeting. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew I would fall on the sword for Zia in a heartbeat. I wasn’t going to let them do anything to her, and I would make it clear it was all my fault.
“Professor, glad you made it, come in,” the dean said when I appeared in the doorway of his office. The members of the board were all present, and many of them were glaring at me with disgust in their eyes. I knew how they all felt about this sort of thing going on, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to deny how I felt, and I wasn’t going to let the opinions of these people change what I was doing with my own life.
I was an adult, and I would make my own choices. Sure, some of those choices might come with mistakes, but I knew Zia wasn’t a mistake, and I knew our baby wasn’t, either. I was proud to be hers, proud to be with her. And I wasn’t going to let any of these people tell me otherwise.
“Please, sit,” the dean said. “We have been discussing this at length, and we have come to the conclusion that we are going to suspend you for a period of time which you will learn when you go through the meeting. You will be suspended without pay, and you will return with a letter of apology. We don’t feel that it is necessary to fire you as this is the beginning of the year, and we caught it early. But we do expect you to break off the relationship you have with this student, and you aren’t to have another.”
“Sir,” I started, but he held up his hand to stop me.
“You are to sit through this meeting without speaking. At the end of the meeting, you are free to ask any questions you may have, or to insert any commentary on what is said. But you are not in the position right now to argue with any of us, nor to tell us how you feel about anything,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. I sat back in the chair, wishing I could just hand him the letter and walk out of the office. If I was the only one who was at stake, I would have done that very thing. But knowing that Zia could also get in trouble for this, I wasn’t going to risk them doing anything to her.
Perhaps there would be something in the meeting about her, and I would be able to address it when they were finished with their lecture.
One by one, the members of the board spoke, telling me how they felt about my actions, telling me how disgusted they were with what I had done. Informing me that there was a reason why we had the protocol meeting at the beginning of the year and telling me how they felt this was a direct breach of the contract I had with the university.
“You don’t seem to realize that we could face lawsuits for things like this,” one of the members said.
“You don’t want to drag this university’s name through the mud, do you? We work hard to provide the atmosphere we do, and we aren’t going to let it go down the drain because you don’t care about the rules,” another said.
The meeting took longer than an hour, and by the time they had finished, I felt like I was a student in the principal’s office all over again. I had made several trips there when I was younger, but it wasn’t often I felt that way as an adult. Still, I sat through the entire meeting silent as a lamb, taking what they had to say in stride.
At long last, the dean spoke once more.
“If all the members of the board are satisfied with what they have shared here today, then I will give you the chance to respond. Anything else to add?” he looked around the room at each of the professors, and one by one, they confirmed they had said all they had come to say.
“Alright then, Professor Bleid. You may give your response now,” he said.
“In response to all that was said here today, I would like to hand in my resignation letter,” I replied. I pulled the envelope out of my pocket and slid it over the desk to the dean. “I understand that this is seen as a mistake by the university, and I would take the punishment with grace if it was only me who was involved here. But as it stands, I can’t take the terms of the suspension.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I mean, I’m not going to stop seeing this student. I am in love with this girl, and I’m not going to stop seeing her because of some job. I can get another job, but I can’t get another one of her. I know this may come as a shock to you, but I’m telling you that this is how I feel. I will hand in my letter of resignation to make your job easier,” I said.
“I’m not sure this is going to make anything easier,” the dean replied.
“But it is. She can’t date a professor, but if I’m not a professor, then it doesn’t matter to any of you who she’s with. My only requirement is that you aren’t going to do anything to the student. She entered into this innocently. She didn’t know I was a professor here when we got together as I didn’t tell her the truth about that, and when she found out, she tried to break it off. I was the one who maintained the relationship, and I am the one who should take the fall for it,” I said.
“I’m shocked,” the dean replied, but I wasn’t going to take any of his judgement on what I had done.
“I know I should have taken care of this sooner, but I didn’t, and now I’m going to assure you that you aren’t going to have to deal with it any longer. I’m resigning, and I’m going to be off campus for good as of today. Don’t touch her scholarship, and don’t discipline her, either. This was entirely my fault, and I’m the one who should be punished,” I replied.
There was silence in the room for a moment, and I knew none of the other professors thought I was going to give up my job for this. They didn’t know how I felt about Zia, and they clearly didn’t understand why I would give up such a good position for the sake of a relationship.
But I had made up my mind, and I wasn’t going to change it for anything. I was happy with my choice. I was going to be with the love of my life, and if I couldn’t be with her and have the job, then I was going to give up the job. I could always get another one, as I had said to the dean, but there wasn’t any way to get another Zia.
She was the mother of my child, she was the love of my life. This was just a job I would get sick of sooner or later, and that was all there really was to it.
“Does the
board accept the terms of the resignation?” the dean asked at last. He didn’t know what else to say, and I knew he would take the offer if it meant this wasn’t going to blow up into something big with the media. Sure, it was going to be gossip on campus for a while, but if I was gone and they didn’t have to remove the student, then that’s all there was to it.
“The board agrees,” one of the professors said.
“Then that’s the end of this,” the dean said. “You may go.”
I gave him a curt nod as I rose, then I shook his hand. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Good luck,” he replied with a dry tone to his voice.
“Thanks,” I said. I turned and walked out of the office with my head held just as high as it had been when I walked in.
I couldn’t explain it, but I felt free as a bird. This wasn’t what I thought I wanted, but I now knew it was the best thing I could have done. I was now free to be with the love of my life, and I had taken care of things for her.
She wasn’t going to have to worry about losing her scholarship or anything. I was the one who took the fall, as I would do over and over if it meant I could be with her forever. She was the love of my life, and I didn’t have a single doubt in my mind about that now.
I always thought I would put my career above anything else in my life, but I now saw there was something even more important to me. Something I wasn’t ever going to let go. And no matter what anyone else said, I knew I had done the right thing.
Now, I only had to wait to see Zia. I would give her the news and let her know everything would be okay. I’d kept my promise to her, as I always would. We were free to be together at last. I was the happiest man in the world, and I knew she would be happy, too.
I could hardly wait to share the news.
Chapter 29
Zia
I’d prepared for the worst as I walked to the dean’s office. I’d received the email that morning, telling me to come directly into his office as soon as I got to school. I wasn’t speaking to Kira, and I knew I was the talk of the entire university, but I was doing my best not to care.
There were some students who thought I was incredibly stupid for what I had done, then there were others who thought I was incredibly brave, but I was doing my best not to think about what any of them thought. What mattered is what I thought and what Josiah thought.
That was it.
I was sure I was going to be expelled. Perhaps permanently. I was torn on whether I deserved it, though I was going to take it in stride if that’s what happened. I didn’t know he was a professor when I started sleeping with him, and I tried to break it off.
But I had also slept with him after I knew the truth, and I had gone to meet his mother. Clearly, I was thinking that a real relationship might be possible, even if it was against the rules. Now, I was scared. I didn’t want to lose my scholarship. I didn’t want to have to tell my mom that I was pregnant and that I was kicked out of school all at the same time, either.
But there was no changing it now. I had done what I had done, and now it was time for me to face the consequences.
“Zia, please, sit,” the dean said when I appeared in the doorway. There were several other professors there, and I was sure they were members of the board.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m alright,” I said. “Nervous.”
“As you should be. You violated a major rule on campus, and you deserve to be taken out of the university.” he said. My heart sank. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Only that I’m sorry that I broke the rules. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did, and then I didn’t want it to stop. I’m sorry,” I said. I didn’t want to beg them not to expel me, but I didn’t want to just walk away from this opportunity, either.
This was my dream, and I hated to think that I had thrown it all away. I hated not being sure of what to do. I hated feeling like this.
“You should be expelled,” he said again, “But instead we are willing to work with you.”
“You are?” I asked in surprise. He gave a short nod.
“You have shown a lot of promise in the short time you were here, and we don’t want to lose a star pupil because of a mistake they have made. Because of this, we are willing to give you a two-week suspension from the university, and after that, you may return to classes,” he said.
“Really?” I looked at him like he was joking. “You’re not going to kick me out of school?”
“Well, there is a catch. You see, we aren’t going to reward bad behavior, and since you clearly felt that you were above the rules, you’re going to have to work harder now to prove that you deserve to be here. There are a lot of students who try to get into this school every year, and you were one of the lucky ones who did,” he said. “Because of that, you owe it to all the students who didn’t make it to prove that you really should be here despite the fact you made a mistake.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to prove to you I do deserve to be here.”
My mind raced. I didn’t know what they had in mind, but I was willing to give it a shot. I didn’t want to lose my scholarship, and I would work damn hard to prove that. I had worked harder than anyone else in my school to get it in the first place, and I would work just as hard all over again to prove that I should keep it.
I didn’t care if I had to fight through the nausea and being tired to prove it. I was going to make it happen no matter what. “Just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll make sure I follow through to the letter.”
“You are going to take the two-week suspension,” he said. “And when you return, you’re going to study, and study hard. You may keep your scholarship and continue to attend this university if you pass all of your exams. And I’m not saying barely passing, either. You must be in the top percentile of your classes if you wish to remain here.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “I can do that. I will do that. You can count on me.”
“Furthermore, you aren’t to have any more relationships with other professors. You are in several classes, and I don’t wish to deal with this situation again,” he said.
“It’s not going to happen again,” I replied. “I’m going to follow all the rules, I swear.”
“Good, now your suspension is effective immediately,” the dean said.
“Thank you, sir,” I replied. I wasn’t happy about the suspension by any means, but if it meant I was going to be able to stay, I would take it. I would work hard throughout the entire two weeks and keep up with the rest of the classes. I knew I could get the assignments online, and I would work through each one.
I didn’t care if I had to stay up all night, every night to make it happen. I had worked hard to get to where I was, and I wasn’t going to throw it all away now. I might be pregnant, but I was going to still make it through college. Kira was wrong. I could have a child and still chase my dreams.
Maybe she couldn’t if she was in this position, but I wasn’t her. I was my own person, and I was going to show the world that I had it in me to do this.
As I walked out of the dean’s office, Clara, one of the other professors, stopped me.
“How are you really feeling?” she asked. “I know early pregnancy can be rough.”
I tried not to blush with shame. “It is. I’m nauseous and sick most of the time, but I’m going to push through it to prove to the dean I deserve to be here. I’ve wanted this since I was a freshman in high school, and I’m going to fight to keep it now.”
“You know there’s a reason why they went easy on you,” she said quietly.
I looked at her in surprise. “I was wondering why I didn’t get expelled. He said more than once that I should have, and I was certain that’s what was going to happen when I walked into the office this morning.”
“He’s right,” she said. “You should have. I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of students expelled for less. But t
here was someone else involved who took the fall for this. He made it clear if he were to resign from the school, then you should get the chance to keep your scholarship.”
“Josiah resigned?” I asked in shock. Professor Clara nodded, and I couldn’t help but notice she looked pretty upset. I wasn’t going to go into how she felt about it, but I was shocked to hear that he had done that.
“Why?” I asked.
“He said that it was all his fault, and he didn’t want you to be in trouble for it,” she said. “He’s a great man.”
“Yes, he is,” I said. “I’ll see you in a couple weeks.”
I felt the need to get out of there as soon as I heard what he had done. He promised me things were going to be okay, but I never thought he was going to sacrifice his job for my sake. As soon as I was out of the building, I called a cab, going directly to his apartment.
I didn’t care about the nausea as I nearly ran up the steps and knocked on his door. He opened it, looking surprised to see me on his doorstep.
“Why did you do that?” I asked. “Why did you give up your job for me?”
“Because you are more important to me than any job,” he said. “I told you I was going to take care of this, and I did.”
“But you didn’t have to give up your profession!” I cried.
“I did,” he said. “I was the one who put you in that position, and it was up to me to get you out of it. I love you, Zia, and it was the only way I could prove to you just how much I do. I wasn’t going to stand by and let you get in trouble for something you didn’t mean to do. I knew all along that I was a professor, and I was the one who told you I wasn’t going to accept the breakup. You don’t deserve to lose your scholarship because of that.”
I shook my head. No one had ever done anything like that for me before. Now, I knew without a doubt he meant it when he said that he loved me. There was nothing else he could do that could show it more. He stood by me when I told him I was pregnant, and now he had given up his career for my sake. I could now follow my dreams because he had been willing to give up his livelihood for me.