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“Hey,” I started but stopped as Brian glared at me. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days with dark circles under his eyes as he stormed out of the room.
My stomach swirled as I watched him go. I hadn’t seen Brian even in class since that night at the party when Jacob came to my defense. To be honest, I almost forgot about him. But now it was just me and I felt more than a little lucky he just knocked into me and was walking away.
“In my office,” she suggested.
I narrowed my eyes but nodded as we walked down the hall. Once we reached her office she trailed around the back of her desk. I dropped my bag and sat down in front of her desk.
She dropped my paper down in front of me. I stared down at my paper. On the top of it was one large X. It wasn’t even graded.
My forehead creased. I only just submitted the assignment a few hours ago.
I looked up from the page.
Ms. Meyers was still standing, eyebrows raised.
“This is my paper,” I said. As if it wasn’t obvious.
“It is,” she agreed. “It is your paper that has been turned in two weeks early.”
I nodded. “Right. I thought you agreed that would be for the best considering I may not be able to make it to class on the days surrounding the midterm scheduled currently to be due.”
“It’s been rushed.”
I looked back down at it. I researched it just as well as any other paper. Sure, it might’ve been done sooner than I normally would’ve since I didn’t have the time.
“When I asked you to take a more active role in the class, I expected you to understand what I expected from you,” said Ms. Meyers.
“I thought…”
“Well, I’m sorry. This is sub-par work.”
“Excuse me?”
“I understand that you needed to turn this in early due to your upcoming… medical issues.”
I clenched my teeth together.
“However, I still expect the same standard from you as everyone else.”
“I followed the rubric and made sure I had plenty of different resources within the paper listed appropriately,” I explained, though my voice came out small and low.
“I’m not trying to be mean at all Vera. I received word from another student as well that you have been skating by for a while. You have been receiving extra assistance or cushioned classes due to your…” She waved her hand. “If you plan on having even the slightest possibility of succeeding here or in a science-specific course of study or position in the future post-graduation, you need to work harder and produce work that is beyond the rest of your classmates. Beyond the rubric.”
“Another student.” My mind immediately flashed to Ben. I didn’t understand it. After that night outside the party, he had left me alone entirely. Or so I thought.
“I don’t condone using your classmates to better yourself when it affects your classwork and learning to begin with, but I expected more from you.”
“I didn’t?—”
“Brian Wolosyn was very concerned.”
“Brian and I aren’t friends,” I said.
“It has come to my attention that you two often compete against each other in classes.”
He competed against me. Heat roared in my veins and for once it wasn’t about me being an omega. It was anger.
“But that’s not what this is about.” Clearly! Couldn’t she see that?
