Chapter Thirty

It was Monday afternoon and I was spending my break period with Alex and Keith. We were playing a game of volleyball at the gym. I dived and the ball bounced into the air. Alex came up from behind me to strike it. Keith smacked it in mid-air and the ball came back to our side. It went on and like this for another twenty minutes.

"I need a break." Alex cried as she sat down in the sand.

I sat down beside her. My blue skinny jeans would no doubt be covered in sand from my butt to my legs. "So how's everything going with your kid girlfriend?" Alex teased me playfully.

"It's going and she's seventeen I hardly call that a kid. I'm only nineteen and quit making me seem like a predator." I replied, tossing sand at her.

"I'm all for it, Mi'a. I dated a fifteen-year old when I was eighteen. I wasn't hurting anybody." Keith defended me.

"Ok, see that's some predatory shit." I laughed and Alex joined in. My phone was ringing from my bag on the sidelines. I walked over to see who was calling. It was Ms.Bunch.

"Hey Mi'a. You put four am for your leaving time and that's what the tip was for. It was just a lot of money for yesterday with a Lyft to pick you up and bring you back. Can you put it to three am?" Ms.Bunch said into the phone.

What about money game, I thought to myself. Is she really whining about an extra hour of pay? She should have specified that before I left. "I can't fix it after I submit it. Call SitForMe and they can reverse the hour." I shouldn't be so nice but because she did pay me a good tip I'll let this slide.

"Okay." She says and she hangs up the phone.

An hour later and we all decided to grab some tacos at Chipotle on campus. My crunchy shell blended with spicy taco meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a dab of sour cream hit the spot. I'm talking about the spot like in the middle of your back that you can't reach until someone finally scratches it for you. Aghhhhh!

"Are you guys signing up for summer classes?" I asked after I swallowed a scrumptious bite of my meal.

"No, I could never do summer classes. I need a break." Keith sighed into his third taco. He had extra sour cream, which was flowing out of this taco from each side.

"What he means to say is that he hasn't done summer classes since he almost got kept back in sixth grade."

"Hey, I told you that in secret." Keith whined.

Him and Alex continued to mess with each other while I picked up my phone that had started ringing. "Hello."

"Hi, Mi'a. We have an issue with the family you babysat for last night. The mom said you arrived late and that you put in the wrong hours." It was Aurora's mom, who owned SitForMe.

This bitch. This bitcn was really going there by lying over one measly hour of pay that she could have easily gotten fixed but she went the extra mile just to lie on me and say I arrived late. "I texted her when I arrived and can send you the screenshot. I messed up on the hour. It should be three not four."

"Okay, thanks Mi'a. You're a good worker and will be paid promptly. Thank you and go ahead and send that picture."

I told Alex and Keith the situation. Alex couldn't believe how petty and mean she was being. Keith on the other hand couldn't stop laughing. "I mean dang Mi'a what did you do to get such bad karma thrown your way?"

"Noth-" well, "Nothing, I mean who lies like that. My mistake was honest and here she goes and tries to take advantage of the situation." This was starting to get a little too ironic. "I didn't deserve that. Lying bitch!" I say as I angrily take a bite out of my taco. A few beans fall onto my plate.

"No one ever does."

The school day was finally over and I was heading home. My mom needed to use my car and I didn't want to be out all night doordashing with her. "One second Mi'a." My teacher called as I was exiting the class.

"You've just been called to the dean's office?"

"What for?"

"I don't know. Go there now."

I left the class and made my way to the admissions office. What did I do? I made some good grades this semester but not any better than last semester. Oh man, what did they want? Was I getting a reward? A semester without loans. Hey, a girl can dream.

It wasn't until I entered the admissions office that it dawned on me. What if I wasn't here for a reward? What if I was here for something far worse? My heart started pounding harder and harder. I felt like Tom off of Tom and Jerry when he saw the dog, Spike. I shook my hands trying to shake out my jitters.

"Hey Mi'a." It was Aurora Lionel. She was coming from a room in the admissions office.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had some papers I needed to turn in. What are you here for?"

"None of your business. Bye." I move around her and start walking again.

"I heard," Aurora started before stopping mid sentence. She waited. She knew I was waiting. "I heard you write a nice paper."

"How?"

"For a certain fee."

"No way-"

"And a slice of pie."

I was caught. Someone had been caught and turned me in but how? But who? Why now? "How do you know? Did you snitch on me, seriously Aurora? You have no idea who you're messing with." I said with fury. I turned around and got in her face. I wanted to slap her so bad. Who was I becoming? Violence was so not my thing.

"Relax Sherlock. I overheard some jock talking with the president of the school. So are you guilty?"

What was the point, "Yeah."

"Then don't deny it. Own it and then attack." Aurora advised me.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Aurora began walking backwards from me but I could still hear her, "I always thought you were a goody two shoe babysitter. I was wrong you might have some promise after all. If you can get away with this."

Aurora turned the corner and she was gone. Don't deny it. Own it. Attack. Would that work? I knocked on the principal's door and waited for a reply. The president was sitting down and Mr.Sports Boy sat across from him. I took the empty seat beside Mr.Sports Boy and sucked in my cheeks. His face was puffy and covered in dry blood. He looked horrible with his messed up hair and filthy clothes.

"Do you know Mr.Adams, Ms.Davidson?" The president asked. He sat up straight in his chair with a single stack of paper on his desk.

"Yeah, he's my friend's boyfriend." I answered.

"Is that all?"

"Pretty much." I finished. "What is this about?"

"Mr.Adams here has made some claims that he was beat up by someone who knew you and that you wrote papers for him in exchange for his money. Is that true?"

I scratched my hair. Be cool Mi'a. Damn you Trick. It had to have been him who else would randomly target Mr.Sports Boy the week he owed me and I was about to have Trick beat him up. I should have just let him. Oh wait- "It's true." I said. "About the papers, I have nothing to do with whomever beat him up."

"See, she sold papers for money. Have her expelled." Mr.Sports Boy cried. He winced in pain and recoiled into his chair.

"I'm getting to that. Ms.Davidson we have a strict no cheating policy and this is clearly cheating. I'm going to have to expel you." The president said as he handed me the stack of papers.

I pretended to look them over and then threw them back down onto the desk, "And I'm going to have to tell my lawyer. If you expel me you'll need to expel the whole team because I wrote all their papers and they're just as guilty as me."

'Now wait a second-"

"If you don't then I'll happily speak to whomever wants a good story and sue you. You'll pose your job, your team and this school's precious, ivy league reputation." I finished with a poised expression. I sat up straight in my chair with my hands in my lap.

Mr.Sports Boy looked from me to the present and back. He'll break. "Now, all of that isn't necessary. I'm sure we can come to an agreement of sorts."

"Depends what the arrangements are?"