plotting this the entire time. It makes sense.”
My body deflates as tension seeps from my pores. Thank God someone believes me.
“Why do you believe that?” Thomas asks. “How do you know she wasn’t just doing her job?”
“I wasn’t sure at first, if I’m being honest. I was really thrown off by the news. But yesterday I was going over some video notes I created and found this.”
We all watch as Satchi pulls his phone from his pocket. The video is about ten minutes long, but he fast forwards through most of it. We see Xia come into the office and speak to Satchi, who leaves a few minutes later. Then Xia and I talk for a while. I smile, watching the blood leave Felicia’s face when she sees herself walk in the room. This is where Satchi slows the video. I grit my teeth as I watch the girls argue and Felicia pushes Xia to the floor. Then, as I suspected, just as I’m helping Xia up, Felica does a double take and points her phone at my desk.
Felicia shakes her head adamantly. “No, I was just doing my job. I was trying to help.”
I can’t stop smiling.
“Ms. Lenord, you’re not the only person who has known Jordan for years,” Satchi says. “This boy has taken every one of my classes and has worked closely with me over the last month. He’s going to be an amazing engineer one day. I haven’t seen this sudden change in personality you are accusing him of. If anything, he seems happier, not unstable in any way.” The administrators look from Satchi to Felicia as fear starts to dance in her eyes. “If anything, Ms. Lenord should be the one considered for expulsion for stealing test answers and framing Mr. Black.”
Tears floods Felicia’s eyes as she desperately tries to blink them away. “No,” she says. “I didn’t.” She shakes her head as fresh tears begin to fall.
“It’s obvious you did,” I say harshly. “You did this and now you’re trying to break me.”
“She did this!” she says. “Of all people, you decide to walk around campus hand in hand with her! You’ve been friends forever and it makes me look like a joke. Everyone is assuming I have been being played all this time and you need to pay for it.” She’s yelling, leaning over the table toward me. I raise my brows as I watch clarity come over her, realizing what she just said out loud. Her gaze darts around the room as she watches the shocked expression on everyone’s faces.
“Okay.” Satchi draws out the end of the word and drops a stack of papers on the table with a thud. “I thought so.”
I exhale, my nerves relaxing as the room shifts focus to Felicia. The administrators speak in rapid succession as they go about the possible consequences of her breaking university policy. Fifteen minutes later, Felicia stomps from the room in tears with an invite to her own disciplinary hearing, and I rise from my chair feeling a lot lighter than I did when I walked in the room.
The administrators shake my hand before they turn and head down the hall, and I watch them gratefully before noticing Satchi standing behind me.
“Jordan,” he says, pride ringing through his tone. I turn to face him.
“Thank you so much, sir,” I say, offering him my hand. “Thanks for having my back.”
“Don’t mention it,” he says, giving me a firm handshake. “I meant what I said. You will be an amazing engineer one day and hopefully I’ll be there to see it happen.” He winks before taking a step back and turning toward his office. “I’ll see you in class Wednesday morning.”
23
XIA
The hissing sound of the oxygen machine echoes through the kitchen as the paramedics kneel at my mother’s side.
“Just relax, sweetie,” my father says, holding her hand. I watch through my tears as I stand over them all, wanting to wrap my arms around her, but knowing I need to give them space. My fingers knot at the hem of my shirt. Once everyone got here, I ran upstairs to put on some clothes and I can’t stop pulling at the material. My mother’s eyes are still open and she doesn’t seem as panicked as she pulls in the cool air, her breathing beginning to slow. I spent a few minutes answering questions from one of the paramedics. She wanted to know why Mom is covered in dirt and I waste no time filling