After my meeting with Dean Whitman, I needed air and space to think. The academy felt suffocating, with every student and faculty member watching me like I was a celebrity caught in a scandal. Which, I supposed, I was.
I was heading toward the library when I ran into Nick and Roni near the main entrance, both looking suspiciously pleased with themselves despite the morning’s drama.
“How did the meeting with Dean Whitman go?” Nick asked, though his attention seemed divided.
“About as well as you’d expect. Apparently, I’m a threat to academic integrity and institutional reputation.”
“Ridiculous,” Roni said, but she was checking her phone with the kind of focused attention that suggested she was planning something. “Though I have to admit, the timing of this scandal is... convenient.”
“C
