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“What if we get Moreno fired?” Emma bit her lip.
“Moreno said he’d go down with this ship. Teaching isn’t his long-term profession, and he’s well off enough that it won’t hurt him. Plus, think about the shitstorm of bad press Fletcher would get if they did fire Moreno. All he or his wife would have to do would be to speak out about the reason, and Fletcher’s reputation would be destroyed by the media,” Leo pointed out.
“What if I’m the only one?” Emma’s voice came out timid, and Leo felt the anger rise in his chest toward the person who had made the powerhouse he’d cast as Adelaide afraid. But it would all change soon. Waylen Hornbill was going to pay for scaring Emma and anyone else he had threatened with his power.
“Predators typically don’t do things just once. Even if no one fills out the form, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t done this to someone else,” Piper said and turned the flier on top of her stack over to the backside. Leo flipped one, too, so he could read it over. It wasn’t like they could change anything unless they reprinted one thousand fliers, but he knew Piper’s perfectionist brain was rereading over the blank sexual assault and harassment form for any errors. The one they had created had been embellished a bit from the original that Moreno had had Emma fill out.
“We’ll start when you’re ready.” Sam held his phone at the ready to shoot off a text to the masses to start canvassing.
Emma took a deep breath and looked up and down the path before nodding. “Let’s do this.”
Leo watched as Piper set her shoulders back, put on a straight face, and made her way to her designated spot on his right.
And so it began.
The first fliers they passed out were to a group of sorority girls who barely looked at the paper before they moved along. After that, Leo could tell that Emma and Piper were getting more comfortable with the idea. No one was stopping to talk about the backside of the flier. They were all just trying to get to their next class or the nearest dining hall, so there was a slim chance they would find out what exactly they were holding until they were far down the path.
Partway through the day, Leo had gotten rid of most of his stack and only had a few fliers left. “Our first show is Saturday night. Tickets are going fast, so make sure to get yours,” he said, holding out a flier to a shy girl he had seen idling nearby, staring but not approaching.
“Uh, one of my friends said you’re passing out… forms?” The girl’s voice quieted to a nervous whisper at the end, and Leo carefully flipped the page over and handed it to her. “Oh. Great, thank you,” she mumbled. Before Leo could even respond, the girl raced off, and the pit in his stomach dropped further. It wasn’t the first time someone had come specifically for the form that day. Word was spreading throughout campus like wildfire, and he knew that a lot of the other cast members were having similar experiences.
“What is this?” The voice made Leo’s blood boil as he turned to see Professor Hornbill standing directly in front of Emma. Leo had never moved so fast in his life, crossing the distance and sidling up to Emma’s side just as Piper moved in.
“We’re spreading the word about our show.” Leo spat out an answer as he stepped in front of Emma. Piper quietly pulled her over to Wes and Sam on the path, putting several feet of distance between Emma and Hornbill. Leo didn’t look their way for fear that he would absolutely lose it if he saw the fear on Emma’s face again. Instead, he pulled out the packing tape from under his arm that they had used to tape up fliers and ripped off a piece. He stuck it to the top of a new page, harassment form side up, and gave Hornbill a conniving smile as he reached up on his tiptoes, asking, “Want one?” before he stuck it to the professor’s forehead out of pure spite. It was an absolute joy to watch Hornbill rip the flier down as Leo started his spiel in a monotone voice. “Our first show is Saturday. If you show up, Professor Moreno has advised security that you’re not welcome, and you will be escorted from the building, hopefully by force. Also, if you have been sexually harassed by a student or faculty member at Fletcher University, please fill out this form. As you can see, we have provided directions on how to fill it out properly. For example,” Leo drawled. “Under the perpetrator, we’ve listed Professor Waylen Hornbill, but you can list any name on that line.”
“You think this is funny?” Hornbill snarled.
“The opposite.” The look Leo gave him was nothing short of deadly. “I think sexual harassment and assault should be punished by the full extent of the law and then some. Don’t you agree?”
“I—of course I agree.” Hornbill’s face turned sheet white as he looked in Emma’s direction before he blinked and quickly turned away, his fist clenching at his side.
“Your body language is giving you away, Professor.” Leo cocked his head.
“Putting my name down is entirely inappropriate,” Hornbill said.
“Oh, okay, so you do know what’s inappropriate. Good to know.” Leo shrugged. “If you’ve done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about. It’s just an example. Hypothetically, though, if in the future you did decide to do anything without someone’s express consent, I would gladly end your miserable existence.”
Hornbill seethed. “Is that a threat, Mr. Diaz?”
“Hypothetically? Yes. Now, if you’ll move along, we have show fliers to pass out. Have a fantastic day!” Leo gave Hornbill a fake grin and then patently ignored him, moving around his side to hand fliers to two students passing by.
Hornbill stutter-stepped before stopping in front of Emma again. “I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry if you misconstrued anything between us.” His tone had a sick sweetness to it, like he was practicing his sincere and caring voice—the one he probably used to manipulate people on the regular. Emma stiffened beside Piper, and Leo halted his canvassing efforts.
“Do. Not. Speak to her,” Piper seethed.
Leo had been about to step in again when Emma set a hand on Piper’s arm and spoke. “I misconstrued nothing, and you know it. Go to hell.”
Hornbill’s eyes widened before the mask fell away, replaced with a cruel look. “Nothing will happen to me. I have tenure.”
“We’ll see,” Emma countered.
With that, Hornbill turned over his shoulder to leave, and it felt like Emma had won the battle. But it was high time to win the war.
Fifty-Three
LEO
The energy backstage was so palpable Leo could feel it vibrating through his veins like an electric current. The cast of Guys and Dolls was all huddled together in costume, quietly whispering their anxieties to each other. It would be easier after opening night, but the first show was always nerve-racking.
