Page 42 of Open Water
"What does that mean?"
"It means you are suspended from all classes, athletic activities, and campus organizations effective immediately. You will retain access to your dormitory and dining facilities. You may not attend practice, compete in any events, or participate in the joint rowing program until the hearing is concluded."
The quad. The lineup that had clicked yesterday morning — four bodies and a cox and a boat that moved like it was breathing. Liam at stroke. Me at bow. It was a whole new world we barely got to explore.
Gone.
"When is the hearing?"
"We'll schedule it within five business days. You'll receive formal notice with the specific charges and your rights under the student conduct code. You're entitled to an advisor, not an attorney, but a faculty member or staff advocate."
"And if I'm found responsible?"
Patterson looked at me over his glasses. The counsel's pen was still.
"Suspension. Potentially expulsion. It depends on the findings."
I sat in the leather chair in the building my grandfather had probably donated money to build, wearing a fading Riverside t-shirt. I really was becoming a disgrace to the Harrington name.
"Is there anything you'd like to add to the record at this time?" Patterson asked.
I thought about Marcus. The texts. The video. The photo. Calling my father. The manipulation and the wordsick.
"Not at this time," I said.
Patterson nodded. "You're free to return to your dormitory. We'll be in touch regarding the hearing date."
I stood. The leather chair exhaled behind me.
"Mr. Harrington."
I stopped at the door.
"I've been at this university for twenty-two years. I've known three generations of Harringtons." His voice had shifted. Not warmer — but something underneath the administrative mask. "Whatever happened in that library, I'd encourage you to think carefully about how you want to present it at the hearing. The full picture tends to serve people better than the partial one."
I looked at him. At the bookshelves and the class photos and the oak desk that had been here since before my grandfather enrolled.
"Thank you, Dean Patterson."
I walked out. Down the hallway of class photos. Past my grandfather's face. Past my father's face.
Through the oak doors into the November cold.
The campus was waking up. Students with backpacks and coffee cups, heading to morning classes, living their normal Wednesday. None of them looked at me. I was just another person crossing the quad.
I pulled out my phone. Three missed calls from a number my father.
I didn't call back.
I texted Liam instead.
Alex
Suspended pending hearing. No practice. No classes.
Chapter 9: Liam
The quad went out without him.
