Roland shot to his feet.
"Desiree! Enough! This is you re-traumatizing the victim all over again!"
He jabbed a finger toward the office door.
"Here's my decision. Christian will issue a public apology, forfeit every honor and scholarship he qualifies for, and take a formal disciplinary mark on his record. If you won't accept that, I'll take this straight to the administration and have him expelled outright!"
Keith was hopping with panic. He rushed over and grabbed at me.
"Desiree, would you just shut up already! Advisor Lambert is being lenient here, what more do you want?"
I looked at Roland's righteous, self-satisfied face.
"Advisor Lambert, if the footage is broken, how exactly do you plan to convict my son on nothing but her word?"
"You think anyone would gamble with their own good name?"
Roland drew himself up, all noble indignation.
"A girl is a weaker party by nature! Look at the state she's in. You think she'd lie about this?"
I nodded, and pulled out my phone.
"Fine. Since the school can't dig out the truth, let's bring in someone who can."
I pressed three digits.
The call connected.
"Hello, is this 911? I'd like to report a crime."
The instant the line picked up, the office went dead silent.
Layla's head jerked up, her eyes locked on my phone.
Roland's face changed in a heartbeat, and his hand shot out to snatch the phone from me.
"What do you think you're doing? Who told you to call the police?"
I dodged his hand.
And spoke calmly into the phone.
"Yes, the registrar's office at Kingsport University. Someone is accusing my son of attempted rape, but I suspect the other party is running an extortion scheme and filing a false accusation. Please send officers right away."
I hung up and looked at Roland.
"Advisor Lambert, why the panic? If it's a crime, then it's a matter for the police. Since when did a school have the authority to enforce the law?"
Roland was shaking with rage, his finger pointed right at my nose.
"You are completely unreasonable! Dirty laundry stays in the family. You won't rest until you've blown this wide open and ruined the school's reputation, will you?"
Keith came charging over like a madman, both hands clamped over his head, screaming himself hoarse.
"Desiree! If you've got a death wish, leave me out of it! Once the police show up, the whole school will know! Where does that leave my pride? How is Christian ever supposed to show his face again?"
He whirled and lunged at Christian, his eyes bloodshot.
"You worthless son! I'll beat you to death today and pretend I never had you!"
He drew back his fist to smash it into Christian's face.
I snatched the thermos off the desk, the one full of scalding water, and hurled it straight down at Keith's feet.
A dull, heavy thud rang out.
"Keith, you lay one more finger on my son and see what happens."
I stared him down, my eyes ice.
"Smoothing things over with strangers, throwing your weight around at home, what else are you good for? Someone dumps filth on your son's head, and instead of chasing down the truth, you force the boy to his knees to confess. What kind of man are you?"
Keith pointed at me and couldn't get a word out.
At that exact moment, the office door was shoved open.
A crowd of students poured in, phones raised high.
Camera flashes went off in a frenzy.
"He's in there! That pervert's right in there!"
"Scum! Get out of Kingsport University!"
"Protect Layla! Punish the lowlife!"
Leading the pack was that guy in the designer clothes from down by the dorm building.
He pointed at Christian.
"Take a good look, everyone. This is our year's top science scorer in the whole state! A sanctimonious hypocrite through and through!"
Beyond the door, students had packed in three deep, ring after ring.
Seeing them, Layla shrank back into the corner of the couch, trembling.
"Please stop filming... I'm begging you, stop filming..."
She wept like a rain-soaked blossom, and the sight only made that pack of boys ache for her more.
"Don't be scared, Layla! We've got your back!"
