"You can do this, Pierce," I said looking at myself in the mirror, as I got ready to leave. "Smile and be polite, and he won't be able to say no."
I'd pulled my hair into a low ponytail and dressed conservatively in a black turtleneck and pants with boots. I swept a layer of mascara onto my lashes before finishing with a bit of bright lipstick. I looked like a responsible adult, I thought as I smoothed my hair and pulled on my coat.
I practiced my appeal on the way down in the elevator, and when I got to the lobby, I saw my landlord standing behind the front desk. I took a deep breath and approached with a smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Deaver," I said.
"Well, good morning, Miss Pierce!" he said with a big smile. It confused me for a second, but I recovered quickly and continued smiling.
"Mr. Deaver, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be a little late with my rent, and I recognize that I'll probably owe you some late fees," I began. The words tumbled out of my mouth in a fast and furious attempt to get it all out before he stopped me.
"I'm sorry?" he said, looking very confused.
"The rent? I'm going to be late," I repeated, feeling a little confused by the question.
"You don't owe me any rent, Miss Pierce," he said, frowning a little. "You're paid up through the end of the term."
"But I haven't given you any money," I said, furrowing my eyebrows as I tried to understand what he was telling me. "I need to give you the rent money, but I haven't gotten my financial aid check yet."
"There's no money owed," he repeated as if he were speaking to a small child. "Your boyfriend gave me a check for the whole balance a few days ago, so we're good."
"My...wait, what?" I asked, unsure that I'd heard him correctly.
"Your bae, isn't that what you kids call them these days?" He laughed. "The young man came to my office and gave me a check, so you're good until the end of the term."
It suddenly dawned on me what had happened. Fortunately, I had the good sense to keep myself focused on what was happening in front of me.
"Oh, great! I guess he forgot to tell me he'd done that," I said with a forced smile. "Thanks, Mr. Deaver. Oh, and could you get one of the guys to fix the sink in the kitchen? It's leaking underneath."
"I'll send someone up to take care of it this morning, Miss Pierce," he said with a smile. I was immediately suspicious as to what else Cam Connor had done since Mr. Deaver had never before agreed to take care of any maintenance issue that quickly.
"Have a great day, Mr. Deaver!" I called as I headed out the door. I stomped two blocks before I was able to do anything but swear at Cam under my breath.
He'd paid my rent. He hadn't even discussed it with me. And how in the hell did he know about my financial situation before last night? I hadn't said a word to him about it prior to that.
Liz. She must have mentioned what was going on when Cam was with her in the hospital room. Dammit. I could forgive Liz for trying to help, but I was mad as hell at Cam for butting into my business without saying a word to me. He'd treated me as if I was a child who couldn't take care of herself.
My entire litany of complaints and grudges about money and the people who had it came flooding back into my brain as I walked toward class. There was no way in hell I was going to let Cam Connor pay my bills and treat me like some helpless damsel in distress. He'd gone behind my back and not said a word about it.
That made me even madder when I thought about the fact that we'd spent the entire day together and he had had numerous opportunities to tell me what he'd done. He should have discussed it with me! I could feel my anger building with every step, and by the time I reached the classroom, I was in full rage mode. I picked up my phone and started punching keys on the screen as I typed out a message to Cam.
"Ms. Pierce, could you come up here, please?" Professor Jackson asked quietly. I set my phone down and went to the front of the room.
"Yes, ma’am?" I said when I reached her podium.
"Ms. Pierce, until the issue with the cheating is resolved, you are not allowed to take any of the exams in this class," she said, keeping her voice low and her back turned to the classroom.
"Why not?" I asked, shocked that I'd be barred from taking tests when I was innocent.
"It's school policy," she said, giving me an apologetic look. "I can't let you take this exam today. Your case will come before the review board on Wednesday, and if it's determined that you did nothing wrong, then I'll schedule a make-up test for you."
"I see," I said, looking down at the floor as the shame burned on my cheeks. "I'll get my things and go."
"That's probably best." She nodded as she reached out and patted my shoulder. "I really am sorry about this."
"I know you are." I nodded. "I am, too."
I went back to my desk and gathered my things knowing that everyone else in the class was watching me. I could feel Violet's stare even though my back was to her.