“I guess,” I sigh.
“Connor Evans and Dillon Mitchell,” he says. “It’s their first offense, so you’ll be deciding if they go on academic probation.”
“Wow… uh… okay,” I say. “You said four?”
“Mhmm. You have class with them so they know they cannot talk to you. Your professor knows as well.”
“Alright, well I’m going to go clean the library. I will see you at four, I guess,” I say. I end my call and get dressed.
It’s still dark as I walk to the library. No one is ever out this early, especially Monday mornings. When I unlock the door, I hearmovement behind me. I don’t bother turning around because I know it’s Connor and Dillon. I slip inside and pull the door closed so I can lock it back. It will automatically unlock at six thirty, so I have some time before I end up having to deal with them. I don’t know why it unlocks that early but some people wander in as soon as it does.
I go through my usual routine of cleaning the bottom level first. This time I have both headphones in so I can distract my thoughts. I don’t know if they’re still waiting, but I focus on cleaning then go upstairs and start. I get all the way through vacuuming before I sense a presence. This time I leave my earbuds in and only glare at them when they sit at one of the tables. They watch me but say nothing as I wipe the table down and move to the next. Once everything is clean, I take my supplies to the closet before I head downstairs. They step in front of me to block my way, but I pivot around them and continue walking. I don’t want them to end up on probation just for talking to me so it’s best I ignore them.
For the rest of the day, I go through my classes and blend in with my surroundings. No one bothers me or even really notices me. When I get to Human Sexuality, Connor and Dillon sit on either side of me again like last week. They say nothing and don’t even look my way through all of class. They are respectful to the professor and neither of them make a smart ass comment.
When class is over, I have to walk straight to the Dean’s office. Connor and Dillon follow because they are going to the same place. They walk beside me but don’t look at me. Each time wecome to a door they open it before I get a chance, but I can’t object because I can’t talk to them either.
We get to the Dean’s office and he smiles when he sees me. “Chloe,” Aaron says.
“Hey, Aaron,” I say.
“Have they talked to you?” he asks, gesturing to Connor and Dillon.
“No. We just came from class,” I say. “So, what do you need from me?”
“Basically, they will tell you their version of things, you’ll get to read the report, and you’ll get to ask them anything you want pertaining to the incident. Then you’ll get to make your decision,” he explains.
“Okay. What happened?” I ask them.
“Well, we were supposed to be at a party off campus but we weren’t feeling like being social. We decided to just come back to the dorm and drink. We shouldn’t have brought it on campus,” Connor says.
“Why did you then?” I ask as Aaron hands me the report. I look at it and it says they were not drunk and they were respectful to the person who caught them. They didn’t give any trouble.
“Because we’ve been trying to get a girl’s attention, but she keeps rejecting us. We were feeling a bit down after finding out about her trauma and how we unintentionally added to it. Knowing she is saying no because she’s afraid she will get hurt isn’t something money can fix, so we were trying to come to terms with that,” Dillon explains.
“Are you going to do it again?” I ask.
“No. It was a mistake. We shouldn’t have disregarded the rules,” Connor says. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out.
“So, I just make my decision?” I ask Aaron and he nods. I look back at the guys and sigh. “They shouldn’t be on probation for a one-time lapse in judgment. They were cooperative with the person who caught them. They were respectful and didn’t lie. I think they handled the situation appropriately and are accepting of their wrongdoing. Therefore, I am deciding that they are not placed on academic probation.”
“Okay,” Aaron says with a smile. “Boys, next time buy her flowers or something instead of beer. The results are better when you take the time to show her you care about her.”
“Thank you, Dean Mathers,” Connor says.
“Yeah. Thank you,” Dillon says. “And thank you, Chloe.”
“You’re welcome,” I say with a smile. “Am I good to go, Aaron?”
“Why do you call him Aaron?” Connor asks.
“It used to be Uncle Aaron until she started here,” Aaron says.
“He was my father’s best friend before he died,” I say.
“How did he die?” Dillon asks when I stand.
“Brain cancer,” I say. “I’m going to go get dinner. I’ll see you all later.”