3: 3
The findings came back fast.
Veronica's academic misconduct was confirmed.
Her award revoked, her paper retracted, a formal reprimand entered on her record.
She'd come close to being expelled.
The day the notice went up, the whole department blew up.
The same people who had cheered Veronica on in their feeds quietly deleted their comments, pretending nothing had happened.
Lowell ran into me in the stairwell, his face flushed red, head down, trying to slip past.
I stopped him. "Lowell."
He froze, unable to look at me.
"Margie."
"From now on, do your own work. Someone else's results are never going to be yours."
His head dropped even lower. "I'm sorry, Margie."
I said nothing more and walked on.
That night, Leslie called from a number I didn't recognize.
His voice was hoarse.
"Margie, are you satisfied now?"
"I only took back what was mine."
"You destroyed her! Do you have any idea what this means to her? She's completely fallen apart!"
Every word carried his ache for Veronica and his blame for me.
Suddenly the whole thing struck me as absurd.
"Leslie, did you call just to stand up for her?"
The line went quiet.
"I thought you'd at least ask how I'm doing."
He lowered his voice. "The company suspended me. This looks too bad."
"Oh."
Flat. Nothing more.
"That's it? Just 'oh'?"
His voice rose.
"Margery, I'm a victim too! Veronica tricked me! I thought she was really in trouble. I only wanted to help her!"
"So you helped her by stealing from me?"
"I didn't steal anything! I just let her look at your weekly reports. I never thought she'd use them outright!"
"Leslie, you're stupid, but don't treat me like an idiot too."
I hung up.
A few days later, Leslie's mother showed up again, marching straight into my lab.
She grabbed my arm, her eyes bloodshot.
"Margery, you jinx! You ruined Vera, and now you're out to ruin my son too! What are you really after?"
Everyone in the lab turned to look.
I tried to pull free of her grip.
"Please let go of me, Mrs. Dickerson."
"I won't! Today you're coming with me to apologize to Vera! Or I'm not finished with you!"
She was strong, her nails digging in until it hurt.
Professor Finch heard the noise and came over, frowning.
"Ma'am, please calm down. This is a laboratory."
"I can't calm down! My son lost his job because of her! Is this how your school teaches its students? Turning out a woman with a heart like a viper!"
She launched into a full scene, her voice climbing higher and higher.
I looked at her face, twisted with rage, and spoke.
"Do you know something, Mrs. Dickerson? Leslie said I was stupid."
She stopped short.
"He said, 'She's too stupid to catch anything.' Those were his exact words, with his arm around Veronica."
The color rushed in and out of her face.
"You're lying!"
"Whether I'm lying, you can go home and ask that fine son of yours."
I pried her fingers off my arm one by one.
"And don't come looking for me again. Next time, I go straight to the police."
She stared at me, opened her mouth, and in the end said nothing, slinking away.
