Page 2 of Campus Muscle

My grip on my notebook tightened. “What happens if I don’t do it?”

“You won’t pass the class.” His words landed without hesitation, and they left no room for argument.

I stood there for a moment, weighing the options I already knew I didn’t have. Then I gave a stiff nod. “Fine.”

“Good,” he said, as if this had been an amicable negotiation. “I think you’ll end up surprising yourself.”

I really doubted that, but I wasn’t the type to shy away from a challenge. I didn’t know this Penny chick all too well, but I was sure the two of us would get along splendidly and she’d help me find a way out of this.

*

The newsroom smelled exactly as I’d expected it to. There was a faint lingering of coffee and printer ink, and the air was thick with overlapping conversations and the hum of computers.

I paused just inside the doorway, taking a moment to adjust to the cluttered desks, scattered notes, and half-finished drafts that were left open on a shocking amount of still-running screens.

It felt so disorganized it could be considered careless. It was so bad that I had to force myself to resist the urge to turn around and leave.

A girl at a desk in the far corner glanced up. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and she had a pen tucked behind one ear. “Can I help you?”

I swallowed my disappointment in myself. If only I had the guts to split on this assignment and take the fail...

“I’m looking for Penny Donovan.”

“That’s me,” she said, jumping up eagerly.

I took a careful step forward. “Professor Adler sent me. I’m supposed to join the contributor team.”

Penny’s eyes quickly moved over me as she assessed her newest potential hire, and I couldn’t tell if she was pleased or not. She wasn’t what I expected in an editor, and that concerned me because I didn’t know if we’d be able to get along at all.

“So you must be Dakota Hayes,” she said, catching me completely off guard. Professor Adler must’ve been quick on the draw to get news of my arrival down to her so fast.

“The one and only,” I said awkwardly.

“I’ve read your work,” Penny said with a nod. “You don’t pull any punches.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I don’t see the point in pretending something works when it doesn’t.”

“Fair enough.” Penny gestured to the chair across from her. “Sit down. We have a lot to discuss.”

I took a seat and maintained my usual posture: back straight, shoulders open, and a fake smile concealing my ever-growing concern. My notebook was still clutched to my chest, and it provided a great distraction for my busy fingers.

“We’ve already assigned most of the beats for the semester,” Penny said, flipping through the folder in front of her. “Campus culture has been full since the beginning. Arts and lifestyle just closed up, and the Opinion column has had a waitlist for the last three years.”

My stomach tightened. “Features?”

“Not even close to being an option.”

Of course, everything I was good at had already been taken. Professor Adler was determined to give me something I wasn’t familiar with, and throwing me into the game now ensured he would get what he wanted.

Penny closed the folder and gave me a tight smile. “That leaves you with football.”

“No.” I couldn’t stop the word from leaving my mouth if I wanted to.

Penny’s brow lifted slightly. “No?”

“I’m not covering football.”

“Then you’re not writing for the paper,” she said simply.