Learning Curve

Finn

I am surprisingly calm when we arrive at the Dickson Campus Police station. Officer Walters leads me into a conference room at the center of the building. I sit down after he removes the cuffs, and he rounds the table to the door. “Would you like some water?” he asks, looking back at me.

I shake my head, and he files out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts. They aren’t crisp or tangible, but a buzzing chaos just behind my eyes.

I know this is a big deal—I’m not an idiot—but I can’t seem to find any remorse.

Moments later, he’s back with Officer Marks, who’s followed by Dane and Nadine.

Dane’s face is a fucking mess. Dried blood is still evident on his skin and the stupid snowman sweater he had on last night, and bruises have settled into dark circles below both of his eyes. There are cuts on his cheeks, chin, and forehead, and his lips are both swollen and busted.

They sit down in two chairs on the opposite side of the room, against the wall instead of at the table, and the officers drop some paperwork on the surface at the other side of the table before stepping out of the room again. Nadine’s eyes are both hard and frightened, but Dane is back within the bounds of his bravado. He’s confident I won’t beat his ass here. Though, I have to admit, I’m tempted to prove him wrong.

“You’re going to fucking pay,” he says on a hoarse whisper, the grip I had on his throat last night obviously having done a number on his voice.

I don’t respond, but I also don’t avert my eyes.

“Did you hear me, fucker?” he taunts again, leaning forward in his chair to use an angry pointing finger. “You’re going to pay. My father’s lawyer is already on his way, and you’ll be lucky if you don’t get prison time.”

He’s trying to goad me into losing my cool, but I don’t give an inch. His scowl is brittle by the time Officer Walters comes back into the room with Dean Kandinsky, who’s sporting jeans, a sweatshirt, and an old pair of boots.

I know it’s not in my best interest that he looks like he just got out of bed. I’ve never seen him in anything but a pristine suit and tie before now, and this morning, his eyes are red, and his hair is ruffled.

He sits down in one of the chairs on the other side of my table, and Officer Walters sits down beside him. Officer Marks posts up by the closed door in a chair next to Dane and Nadine.

“Let’s hear it. What happened?” Dean Kandinsky asks me through a deep sigh, his jaw flexed and rigid.

Dane, with absolutely no intention of letting me give my side of the story, rambles his bullshit behind him. “Sir, Finn Hayes assaulted me at the Delta Omega Christmas party last night.” I don’t miss the fake-as-fuck frown on his face or the trumped-up shake of his hands. This prick’s plan is to milk this for all its worth as the dean spins his chair to face him.

“And you were a witness, Nadine?”

She nods several times. “Yes, sir. Finn just showed up and attacked him. It was terrifying.”

“These are serious accusations.” Dean Kandinsky looks back over at me. “Assaulting another student in this manner is an immediate expulsion from the university as well as whatever charges you face criminally. And since this is the second time something like this has happened with you on campus, I’m inclined to tell the judge this is patterned behavior. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Finn?”

“No, he doesn’t have anything to say because he knows he assaulted me! He deserves to pay for what he did!” Dane chimes in yet again. Dean Kandinsky lifts a hand toward him without turning around this time, a silent shut the fuck up. But Dane, of course, doesn’t listen. “Just look at my face. I probably should’ve gone to the hospital, but I felt it was my civic duty to come to the police station and press charges. No one on campus is safe with this lunatic around. That’s why, once my father’s lawyer gets here, I’m going to make sure I press charges and this guy is arrested.”

“Dane,” Dean Kandinsky chastises, throwing a cutting look over his shoulder. “That’s enough.”

Two knocks sound on the door, and Officer Marks peeks his head out toward the disturbance. Not even five seconds later, he turns back around toward Dean Kandinsky. “There’s a professor by the name of Ty Winslow here. He’d like to come in.”

What the fuck?

Dean Kandinsky nods and sighs, sitting back in his chair and steepling his hands. “Let him back.”

When Officer Marks stands and opens the door, Ty rushes into the room with frantic eyes, messy hair, fucking pajama pants, and a T-shirt that says NYU. If I thought Dean Kandinsky looked bad, I was sorely mistaken.

This motherfucker looks like he came here by way of a rope tied to a taxi as it dragged him through the streets.

“What are you doing here, Ty?” Dean Kandinsky asks as Ty takes the seat next to me. It’s unexpected and, quite frankly, uninvited. My whole body tenses with the intrusion into my space. He touches my forearm, and my eyes jump to the spot like I’ve been zapped.

“Sir, I awoke to several phone calls this morning about the situation, a number of which came from students and some of this year’s endowment donors.” Dean Kandinsky sits up in his seat at that, the word “donors” hitting him in his metaphorical pockets. “There’s more to this story than meets the eye.”

Did Ace call Ty? Or Thatch? Maybe both of them did, for all I know. I don’t want him here, but I know they’re trying to help.

“What do you mean?”

“Dane and Nadine have been harassing Scottie Bardeaux. They set up an elaborate embarrassment, lured Scottie to the scene of it, and baited her friends, including Finn Hayes, to do something about it.”

“We were not harassing Scottie,” Dane tries to interrupt, but no one in the room gives him any attention.

“An elaborate embarrassment?” Dean Kandinsky asks. “What does that mean?”

“I think it’s best if we step outside the room for me to update you. It’s a bit of a delicate issue.”

Dean Kandinsky frowns and stands, gesturing for Ty and Officer Walters to follow him out of the room. Officer Marks stays behind and, as the door closes behind them, sets up shop on the other side of the table, between Dane and me. I have no intention of starting anything at this point; I’d rather let Dane continue to dig his own grave. Plus, Ace told me not to say shit, and I’ve taken the directive seriously.

It feels like a decade before the three men walk back into the room, but when they do, Dean Kandinsky looks more pissed than I’ve ever seen him.

“The two of you aren’t giving the full story here,” Dean Kandinsky barks at Dane and Nadine, making both of their eyes go wide. Dane recovers quickly, though, spewing mock outrage right back at him.

“What? Finn Hayes assaulted me, sir. That’s the story!”

“We’d like to see both of your phones,” Officer Walters orders, his face stern too. Nadine hands hers over, even unlocking the screen with her passcode, a shit-scared expression shattering her normally cocky face. She looks like a little girl now, all of her normal persona eradicated.

“What the hell, babe?” Dane snaps, annoyed. “You didn’t have to fucking give that to them without a warrant.” Nadine looks helpless as the weight of what she’s done crashes all around her. Her knees are bouncing up and down at a wild pace, and her fingers fidget with her clothes.

She fucked up hugely, but I don’t think she’s the mastermind of any of it. I think she got swept away in a plot concocted by her butthurt boyfriend and was too dumb to see it for what it was. That doesn’t excuse anything, though. Shitty behavior produces shitty results, and now, she’ll pay the price.

“I’m scared, Dane,” she whispers, but her boyfriend is too busy worrying about himself to comfort her.

“I have rights. I’m not giving you my phone,” he tells Officer Walters. “I’m not doing anything until my father’s lawyer arrives.”

His father’s lawyer. It’s all he keeps talking about, but I’ve yet to see actual proof this man exists.

Officer Walters scrolls around through Nadine’s phone, unfazed by Dane’s refusal. It only takes a few moments before his mouth turns down in a frown as he stares at the screen, nodding to Dean Kandinsky and Ty Winslow. Evidently, Ty’s version of the events has been confirmed.

“Nadine, did you have the approval of both parties to post this explicit footage on the internet?” Officer Walters asks, and Nadine stutters over her words.

“I don’t… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to do it! Dane told me to film it and post it, and I don’t know…that’s just what I did.”

“I didn’t tell you to post shit,” Dane refutes, turning on his accomplice without a second thought. “You’re such a liar, Nadine.”

Officer Walters continues to look through her phone, and when he finds something else, he lets out a sigh. “Looks like the other students’ claims of harassment toward Scottie Bardeaux are correct. We’ll have to verify that this is her phone number, but it appears that Nadine was utilizing an app that scrambles her number and sends on a ten-minute delay to send harassing text messages as well.”

“Dane was sending those messages!” Nadine cries. “He’s the one who downloaded that app to my phone!”

Dane rolls his eyes. “She’s lying, Officer. You heard her before. She’s just scared to face the consequences of her actions. I had nothing to do with those text messages.”

Officer Walters hums. “What about the ones with Ms. Jones where you two discuss a premeditated plan to bait Scottie Bardeaux’s mother into coming to the university?”

Dean Kandinsky runs a hand down his face while he lets out a deep, exasperated exhale of air from his lungs.

“So what—we sent Scottie some text messages,” Dane scoffs. “It’s not our fault her mom is a drunk and had sex with Randy Evans in the middle of a party.”

“By law, the text messages are a form of harassment,” Officer Walters states. “And the posting of the explicit video footage to the internet and sharing it across every platform available without either party’s permission is a cybercrime.”

“Randy Evans won’t give a shit we posted that,” Dane says as Nadine cries into her hands, sobs making her body buck.

“I think we can all agree that you did not have permission from Stephanie Bardeaux,” Officer Walters states.

“I take cybercrimes and harassment very seriously on campus,” Dean Kandinsky says, his eyes fixated on both Dane and Nadine. “I’m appalled at both of your actions. It’s clear that your goal was to do everything in your power to bully another student, and that type of vile behavior is not welcome on campus.”

“Are you expelling us?” Nadine asks, her voice so small it might as well be a mouse.

“Yes,” Dean Kandinsky states firmly. “I’m expelling both of you. But if you ask me, that’s the least of your worries. These are serious crimes you’ve committed, Ms. Jones, and the legal system will do with those what it sees fit.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dane shouts. “What about Finn? He’s the one who assaulted me! That’s the whole reason we’re here!”

“Finn Hayes faces his own set of circumstances, none of which are any of your business at this juncture as far as the university is concerned. Officer Marks and Walters will inform you of your legal rights on the matter, but for now, you’re dismissed.”

Officer Walters pulls Dane to his feet and escorts him and Nadine out of the room. Dane shouts about his father and his father’s lawyer, but when the door shuts behind him, the sound muffles almost entirely.

Officer Marks gestures for Dean Kandinsky and Ty to step over to talk to him, and I listen intently, trying to catch all that I can of their hushed conversation.

“We were unable to reach Scottie Bardeaux, but we did get ahold of Stephanie Bardeaux. She lives upstate but is currently staying at a hotel nearby,” Officer Marks updates. “She’s coming in to give a statement and discuss the situation. It sounds like she’s going to want to press charges against Nadine Jones and Dane Matthews. She was unaware of the explicit video that was posted of her, was very upset to find out about it, and is adamant she did not give permission.”

“Let me know what happens once you talk to her,” Dean Kandinsky states. Officer Marks tells them something else, but this time, it’s too quiet for me to make out.

As Officer Marks steps outside, both the dean and Ty take a seat across from me.

“Finn, our university has a strong policy against violence of any sort,” Dean Kandinsky says, and his mouth turns down at the corners. “I’m sure you can understand the position I’m in when it comes to you. You stood up for someone who was clearly being bullied and harassed by other students, but this is also your second transgression of the year, and I’m burdened with being the one who is in charge of keeping an entire university of students safe.”

“I understand, sir.” I nod. Everything he’s saying is valid, and I’m prepared to face the consequences. I know they’re serious, but unlike Dane, I’m ready to face them like a man.

Officer Walters peeks his head into the room, interrupting the dean. “Jeff Hayes is here.”

My father is here? My eyes jump to Ty as the reality I’ve been chasing for the last two years comes crashing down around me.

Our dad is here, and a family reunion is moments away from busting this scene wide open. As we saw last night, drunks aren’t exactly known for making the best choices in intense situations.

Oh fuck.