36. triple deke

The official disciplinary hearing was set to begin in less than an hour. Kitt felt nauseous.

She sat in an empty, undecorated office. A small couch sat against the wall, and the desk and chair had no personal touches. Even the beige walls were devoid of any type of visual interest, not even generic motel room art.

"Ok, so you don't talk. I know that will be hard for you, but your job is to exist until asked a question and be given permission to speak." Brad reminded her.

"Got it." She nodded. She clenched her jaw to fight the need to vomit.

"Do you need anything before we go in there?" Her dad asked gently.

"Water." She nodded.

"There will be water on the table, don't drink too much, there are no bathroom breaks." Brad warned.

"Gum?" Her dad patted his pockets.

"Mints. Gum means chewing." He shook his head.

"Mints." Her dad popped up from his spot on the couch.

"Get peppermint or spearmint. They help settle nausea." He said, looking over at Kitt, who had turned a very unbecoming shade of green.

"Spearmint." Kitt and her dad shared a hatred of peppermint.

"Do I have time to run out?" He asked Brad. He checked his watch.

"If you hurry." The lawyer nodded.

Kitt sat in silence, scared that if she started to talk, she would have word vomit or actual vomit.

In a few hours, she would know the university's response to their counter suit. She would know the names on the documents condemning her to this fate. A question that had been plaguing her thoughts since she received the first notice.

Brad was poised for a fight with his arguments ready. He had an energy that made it feel like he was buzzing. Kitt watched him look through his laptop for anything he may have missed. He sorted papers that were already sorted. He checked his phone and let Kitt have some time with her thoughts.

Kitt rolled the hem of her skirt between her fingers. She wished she had Josie or Leo or her mom with her. She felt very alone all of a sudden.

"Ok, I got every kind of mint, lozenge, hard candy, breath freshener, and spray they had." Her dad interrupted the silence with his breathless declaration.

"Wow, ok." Brad looked surprised.

"Thanks." Kitt nearly started to cry. Of course, her dad would go above and beyond. He would take care of her, and he would make sure even the smallest thing was done right.

"Ok, show time." Brad said, looking at his phone.

Kitt felt her heart lurch in her chest. She stood up too quickly and nearly fell back down. Her dad grabbed her arm to steady her. He handed her the small paper bag from the pharmacy. She tucked it into her purse.

Brad gathered his things and started out the door. Kitt felt her stomach lurch. She felt the pin pricks of water in her eyes. She froze.

"Have a mint." Her dad whispered, patting her purse.

She nodded and tried to open her bag to retrieve a candy, but her hands were shaking. She fumbled with her bag. Her dad placed his hand on hers. He opened her purse and grabbed the first container he came across. A pack of hard candies. He retrieved one and held her hand and put it in her palm. He squeezed her hand as she smiled weakly at him. She took a deep breath and popped the candy into her mouth.

"What ever happens on the other side of this, I am incredibly proud of you." Her dad said, squeezing her hand again.

***

"Order!" The loud voice called as Kitt sat down. Her head was spinning. She looked up at Brad with panic.

"It's OK, everything is OK." Brad whispered over the dull roar in the community room where all formal meetings were held.

"How did they even know?" Kitt asked. She looked over her shoulder at the sea of faces behind her.

"They are here to support you." Brad grinned.

"But I thought you said these things were usually pretty quiet." Kitt hissed.

"Usually, yes, but you have a lot of support. People are now seeing the hypocrisy." Brad grinned like the Cheshire cat again.

"Is this fun for you?" She accused.

"I love these kind of cases, I know how to fight them." He nodded.

"Kitt!" Josie called from somewhere in the crowd. Kitt looked up to see her entire team sitting together wearing their princess jerseys. She saw Trevor and Vin, she saw some friends from her classes, she saw professors, TAs and her RA. She saw another group of girls wearing a vaguely familiar jersey she couldn't quite place. She saw Choach Ten's team Canada alumni team in their jerseys.

There was standing room only.

Leo sat with her dad right behind her. She looked at them, and Leo gave her a thumbs up. Her dad pointed to a man with a tiny tripod attached to the bench. He mouthed 'Live Stream' to Kitt with a big smile.

Kitt had noticed the crowd in the foyer, but she had assumed that it was unrelated to this hearing, how wrong she had been.

"ORDER!" The loud voice called again, and the sound of a gavel echoed through the quieting room.

"For the official records, please note this hearing has been moved from the disciplinary review room to the community hall, due in large part to the apparent interest by the media and public at large." The official said.

"This hearing has come to order. For those of you here for the first time, I will explain the procedures and heed a warning. Disruption will not be tolerated and could result in disciplinary action, criminal charges, or removal from this hearing." He looked around the room.

"First, we will read the charges and the clauses in which they are pertaining to. We will then have testimony. After which, we will have personal statements, victim impact statements, and character witness statements. After both sides have laid out their case, the university representative will have the last opportunity to include a statement. The hearing will conclude with a reiteration of the charges in question and a reading of the contract into the records. Once the hearing is complete, the parties will have twenty four hours to amend, add or revoke any information collected by this panel before it is presented to a third party disciplinary committee who will render a verdict. The parties will return within twenty-four hours of the decision to hear the decision. Any appeal applications will be accepted after forty-eight hours and be assessed for merit on an individual basis. Do either side have any questions at this time?" The official asked, looking from Brad to the squinty eyed woman seated at the other table.

Both shook their heads.

"On the panel before you we have four randomly selected faculty representatives of Xavin Olitor University and myself, I am a representative of the admissions department. After each statement, I will open the floor to questions from the panel. There will be no cross examination during this time." He said with a firm even tone.

Kitt wished she could melt and hide or disappear. This was way more than she bargend for.

"We would like to open the floor to Ms. Pirretto, for the reading of the charges and the clauses in question." The officiant directed the squinty woman to take the spot at the podium.

"The charges of misconduct under the behavior clause are as follows:..." The woman began.

Kitt tuned her out. She knew what the violations supposedly were, but even better, she knew the truth. She trusted Brad knew those contract clauses inside and out. She tried to look at the crowd of people behind her without looking too obvious. This wasn't an actual courtroom, but it sure felt like one.

***

The room was silent as Axel stood at the podium in his freshly pressed suit and his hair neatly tucked away from his face.

He had just been called up to give his statement. Everyone strained to hear since it was the thing that had them all in that room.

"Mr. Maxwell Laywood, would you please take us back to the date in question and describe the events of that day." Ms. Pirretto encouraged. Kitt nicknamed her 'squinty'.

I'm sorry, who? Axel's real name is Maxwell?? That makes so much sense! Asshole! Kitt thought to herself

"On the date in question, I, along with my teammates, were invited to join some other athletes from the school in a celebratory barbecue. My teammates and I had spent the early part of the day volunteering at the arena where our team practices. We were all ready to relax and have a good time with friends that evening." He smiled charmingly.

Kitt was already getting angry. He was playing it off like he suffered from altruistic choir boy problems. Yeah, he and the team were volunteering at the arena to repaint their own dressingroom. Not save underprivileged children from the depths of poverty! She seethed quietly in her seat. The excessive amount of mints in her purse helped her from jumping out of her chair and yelling.

"We arrived to find a number of fellow students already enjoying themselves. We went to Mingle. There was food made available by our wonderful women's hockey team and coolers of drinks, including alcohol for those of us old enough to have a drink." He smiled and had the nerve to blush a little. Kitt couldn't contain herself she coughed, a subtle protest against his 'version of events'.

"I have to admit that after such a long day, I had had a few drinks too many, and I was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. As soon as I realized I had had too many drinks, I decided to go for a walk and clear my head. That's when I bumped into Ms.McCoy." He gestured to Kitt. She wished again that she was invisible, only this time she wanted to go kick him in his favorite appendage again.

"Ms. McCoy was sitting by the water alone. I'm not sure if you are aware, but she is a super star on the ice for the women's team. She is my counterpart. We both play first line center. Ms. McCoy and I had spoken in a social setting numerous times prior to this occasion, my long time girlfriend Amber and I had shared a table with Ms McCoy and some of my teammates only a few weeks before this. so I didn't think anything of going over to speak to her. I have never told her this, but I admire her skill on the ice, and I was excited to talk shop. She had been instrumental in her team beating mine at the charity exhibition game earlier in the spring. I had previously been too shy to ask her for tips, but that night, I think the alcohol had lowered my inhibitions." He might as well have said 'aw, shucks ma'am, I just couldn't help myself, I was just so hungry.' And she'd a single tear.

Kitt but the inside of her lip until she tasted blood. Her freshly manicured nails dug into her palms.

"So I joined Ms. McCoy on the rock overlooking the river. She seemed to be in a bad mood, and I don't know why, but I stayed to talk. I guess I was just hoping to help her. We talked a little about some mutual acquaintances, and I have to admit that sometimes I have a hard time hearing voices, especially if the person is turned away from me. So I moved in closer to hear her better. At one point, she seemed more upset, so I will be the first to admit that I reached out and touched her arm. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, you know, as her friend. I fear Ms. McCoy may have taken it the wrong way. She moved forward and slipped into the river. It was nearly impossible to get back up onto the rock from the river side, so she walked down a ways in the water to a grassy spot where she could exit the water safely. I followed along on the shore to ensure she was OK. Where she decided to get out of the water the river bank had a steep bank, I worried she would slip and injure herself so I jumped in to help. I admit I might have gripped on a little to hard in my fear for her safety." He used his rehearsed boyish mannerisms and soft tone to paint the picture of an innocent guy's actions being misconstrued. Kitt thought she might vomit.

"Once Ms. McCoy was safely on the top of the hill I grabbed her in a hug. I was just so relieved she was OK. I think the alcohol had me feeling a little over emotional. I don't drink often, so even I wasn't prepared for that reaction. I think I accidentally got my championship ring or watch caught in Ms McCoy's hair. She started yelling, and rightfully so, that must have been quite scary. I was so concentrated on freeing us both I must have done something to further scare her and she started to hit me. I did my best to let go and put my hands up to show her I was no threat, but she was ready for a fight. So even though I had my hands in the air, she proceeded to kick me quite hard between the legs. I doubled over, unable to move and that's when she punched me in the face breaking my nose. At that point, I also panicked, my watch was still caught in her hair, making it impossible to get away. I went to use my free hand to help untangle my watch, and I fear I accidentally struck Ms. McCoy in the cheek. She jumped away from me at that point, falling back into the river. All I remember after that was my teammates helping me. They took me home and eventually to the on campus medical office where I was transferred to the local hospital and underwent surgery to put pins in my nose to reset it. The medical staff suggested I fill out an incident report, which I agreed was a good idea. I had no idea that it would lead to Ms. McCoy facing disciplinary actions. I don't have any ill will towards Ms. McCoy, but she does have to face what she did, like we all do when we make mistakes." He concluded with a very fake concerned look towards Kitt who was almost purple with rage. The panel members nodded and made notes.

When none of the panelists were looking a voice interrupted the silence from somewhere in the back.

"BULLSHIT!"

Now that's the kind of support she needed!