9781618857958KissMeLikeYouMeanItLeveyNC (2 page)

“Carlie.”
The dean sighed and
steepled
his fingers.

Frustration
radiated from him as he struggled to pick the right words. His unease made her
shift uncomfortably under his curt appraisal.

“I
know all about peer pressure and being young. I am sorely disappointed in your
choice of behavior, not only because now when people see you they will not see
the bright girl who has a promising future, but the girl who broke rules and
protocol, who posed nude in a cheap rag magazine.”

“I
know this—”

“I’m
not finished. You posed in a wet sorority shirt bought here in our campus
store.”

“In
my defense I was really drunk. We all were. Jenny and Lisa were with me. I
don’t understand why I’m taking all the heat.”

“Did
Jenny or Lisa pose?”

“No,
but…”
She wanted to tell him about
the mud wrestling tournament the three of them won during that trip. They were
videotaped receiving their prizes and got pictures taken as well.

“Did
Jenny or Lisa sign a contract giving legal permission to use them?”

“No,
but there has to be a way to protect me, make that magazine accountable for
shady tactics. I’d never have made the choices I made that day sober. They took
advantage of me.”

“Ms.
Stevens. No one forced alcohol down your throat or made you continue to drink.
You are still responsible for your actions. We take our code of conduct serious
here. You’ve not only opened yourself up for expulsion, but also ridicule from
your peers. I’ve heard the slurs on campus already, the pictures posted in the
common areas. You cannot run from this, I’m afraid and we cannot afford or
tolerate the media explosion your actions have brought about.”

“What
exactly are you saying? Am I expelled?” Her voice cracked and she forced a
straight face needing to have some sort of control, although it was a false
sense of security.

“At
this time the only recourse is for you to leave this school. We are willing to
allow you to set up online courses to finish out this semester so you don’t
draw incompletes. I will also write you a letter of recommendation to another
school of your choice.”

Dean
Wallace dropped a bomb. Her mind struggled to comprehend his words. She’d
dreamed of graduating from this school, like her mother had. As a
Darthmore
legacy, she had a place in the upper hierarchy in
the alumni once she graduated. She worked hard to maintain her perfect grade
point average. “I will do anything you ask of me but please do not kick me out.
I don’t know how I’m going to explain this to my mom and dad. I don’t know
where to go.”

A
look of compassion crossed his studious features. She felt for sure he might
have clemency on her and find another solution out of the mess she embroiled
herself in.

“Carlie,
there is nothing I can do. The board of directors met this morning in an
emergency meeting regarding this situation. As a father myself, I can assure
you, parents are understanding, and while we may be disappointed at times we
still love our children.”

“My
family is super conservative. Aside from my brother and his band, we were all
raised with a short leash. I cannot tell my family why I’ve been expelled. I
don’t think I can bear to see the look of disappointment in my father’s eyes. I
can barely take it from yours, sir.”

“Carlie,
the chances they don’t know already are slim. You’re all over the social media.
We’ve denied every magazine entrance to our school for a scoop but there are
going to be students or others who will jump at the money offered for an
exclusive. You’ve really opened up a can of worms. The outcome is out of your
hands.”

“Did
you see?”

“The
board members have only seen the image of you in the shirt. We wanted to give
you some dignity. I had sincerely hoped that person wasn’t you.”

“How
long do I have to pack and leave campus?” She quit trying to compose herself
letting her tears fall. Shit was beyond fucked.

“You’ll
need to turn in your student Identification badge now and pack. You have an
hour to gather the things you need. A security guard will accompany you to the
sorority, for your safety and our peace of mind. In the meantime, we’ll arrange
for a moving company to pack anything else you have left behind. Pick a company
for us to ship them to wherever you like.”

Crushed.
Dreams and aspirations shriveled before her eyes. She complied, digging her
student id out of her wallet. “I’m so sorry.”

“So
am I,
Carlie
. I also need your key to the sorority
house.”

“Okay.”
She fumbled with the key through her tears, working it off the ring. After
setting it on the desk, she stood.

“Don’t
let this hurdle bring you low enough to do anything foolish. If you feel you
can’t handle your emotions please call someone and get help. One action doesn’t
dictate who you are for the rest of your life. Please remember these words if
nothing else I’ve said.”

“Can
I ask one more question?” At his nod she continued, “If my brother wasn’t in a
high profile band and there wasn’t any media would I still be expelled?”

“I’m
afraid we’ll both never know the answer to that. I’m sorry to see such a bright
young woman leave our school. We always want the best for our students.”

“You
voted to keep me here, didn’t you?”

“Yes,
I did. I’m sorry my vote didn’t allow you to remain.”

Carlie
believed him and her heart broke a little more. She offered him a sad smile and
squared her shoulders before leaving the office. As promised an officer waited
to escort her to her house.

They
picked a decent time to give her the boot. Most of her sisters had classes in
the morning. She’d have time to gather her things without harassment. Carlie
followed the guard to his security car. With one final look behind her, she
climbed in. Neither spoke as they headed toward her residence. As he parked the
car, she swiped a fresh set of tears from her face. His expression brooked no
emotion. He was a man simply doing his job.

The
short walk up the paved staircase to her door seemed to take forever. He slid a
key into the hole, letting them in. Fury swamped her as she looked around the
place that had been her home for almost two and a half years. She had fond
memories in this place. Now her final memory would be unsavory.

“One
of the guards dropped off some boxes for you.”

So he speaks
.
She nodded in thanks, not trusting herself to say anything. Side by side they
walked up the main stairwell and down the hallway to her room. Silence met her
ears. The unnatural lack of noise bothered her.

“They
sent everyone away, didn’t they?”

“Yes,
Ms. Stevens.”

The
words whore and slut in big block letters took up most of the white space on
her personal dry erase placard. Carlie’s face flushed in embarrassment as she
opened her door. The strong smell of bleach caused her lungs to burn. She
gasped at the disarray. The majority of her items appeared ruined at just a
glance. They even ripped her poster of Jackson down the middle.

“Fucking
bitches.” She’d held onto that photo for years, from Crimson Rage’s first big
tour.

“Is
everything all right?” The guard knocked on her door as he entered. She heard
his intake of breathe before he started to call into the station from his CB
radio.

“Don’t.
Please. I don’t want more trouble. I’ll gather anything not drenched and leave
the rest.”

“You
should file a report. Harassment is against the law as well as willful
destruction of a person’s property.”

“They’ll
never tell who did this. Besides we don’t have cameras up here.”

“All
right, if this is what you want. I hope you change your mind. No one deserves
to be treated this way.” Carlie couldn’t stomach the look of pity on his face.

“Don’t
worry. I’ll only be a few minutes. They made packing easy for me. Would you
mind waiting outside for a minute?”

Carlie
went to her closet and pulled out her luggage. In an attempt to make her more
girly, Carrie had sent her a few dozen pairs of designer shoes she never wore and
some pretty clothes still remained on hangers. Looking at the destroyed
footwear, she felt guilty for never wearing one pair.

She
opened her drawers and shoved her T-shirts, jeans and unmentionables in the
bag, then her running shoes and rummaged in her bathroom for her toiletries. Reaching
under her mattress, she heaved a sigh of relief as she found her scrapbook
intact. The link to her family and Jackson helped her through the days of
loneliness she sometimes faced. She thanked the gods the crazy bitches hadn’t
ruined the one book of memories that got her through the tough times.

Her
cell phone rang in her pocket. She sniffled and glanced at the screen. She
couldn’t deal with anything else right now. Far beyond the breaking point, she
sent the call from her twin to voicemail. Once she figured out a game plan
she’d call home. But not a single solitary second before she was ready to deal.

With
over three-fourths of her belongings permanently damaged, she packed her
scrapbook and zipped up her luggage. After one final glance, she wheeled her
one sad suitcase to the door.

“There’s
time to file a report.” The guard pressed her to do the right thing.

“I’m
good. They didn’t ruin what meant the world to me. Clothes are replaceable.”

“I’m
also talking about what is written here and all over campus. No one here
condones this type of behavior. You have rights even though you’re leaving. We
will still prosecute after your departure.”

“Can
we drop it please?” she asked as they left the house.

The
guard nodded and secured the door behind them.

“I’ll
wait for you to get in your car and follow you to the gate.”

Carlie
jogged down the steps to her vehicle thankful her baby wasn’t defaced. Seemed
the gaggle of
frenemies
were choosy about what to
vandalize. She stowed her suitcase in the trunk and slid into the driver’s
seat. Taking a deep breath, she left without a destination in mind.

How could I have ever thought they
were not backstabbing bitches?

Dance With My Father
by Luther Vandross blared from her phone. Carlie sent the call to voicemail. Her
dad called again. But she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone in her family. She
drove with the security tail on her and didn’t even care, not anymore. Really
how much worse could the situation get? Her tail dropped off as she hit the
security gate leading her off campus. She signaled with a thank you wave and
swerved to avoid crashing into a van popping out of nowhere. Incensed, she
flipped off the man hanging out the window hovering like a vulture and
maneuvered herself away from the idiot snapping her picture. She found a hidey
spot in thick traffic away from the zealous paparazzi and sighed for small
miracles.

Her
phone went off. She stopped for a red light and flicked her screen to her
incoming text.

Carlie
girl. Your voicemail is full.
Answer your damn phone. Don’t make me have to come and find you. Expelled?
Bring your ass home. I don’t care if you’re a legal adult. What were you
thinking? Never mind we can deal with the
shitstorm
once you are here.

The
magazine and other tabloids just released, how did he find out so damn fast?
She took a steadying breath.

“Okay,
Dad, that’s going to make me pick up my phone and talk to you or come home.
Really? Who gets a lecture in a text message? Someone needs a time out,” she
mumbled to herself. To say he sounded pissed was an understatement. Her parents
spent an ungodly amount of tuition on her. She understood his anger and
wondered if the emotions stirring in her were what Carrie felt when she upset him.
Her stomach rolled as her anxiety raised a notch higher. She hit the steering
wheel with the palm of her hand and shrieked.

Carlie
moved in and out of traffic. The assholes got the images they wanted, giving
her room to drop her guard. She needed time to gather her thoughts. Spying a
gas station, she stopped to fill up.

Gym Class Heroes’ Take A Look At My
Girlfriend
played another incoming call. Jordan’s
name flashed across her screen.

“Hey,
little brother.” She tried to hide her runny nose sniffle.

“Hey
yourself, not so picture perfect.” Jordan laughed making her smile. He always
called her picture perfect, now he’d need to find a new nickname for her.

“Not
funny. What’s up?”

“Got
into my first fight and suspended. Dad’s anger is through the roof, just wanted
to make sure you don’t let him bully you into coming home today. I wouldn’t if
I was you.”

“I’ve
never really pissed him off like this before. What would Carrie do?”