Chapter 42 Chapter Sixteen Of Grade Me Harder
Straight to a room at the end of the hall was a conference room. Curtains drawn. A table already filled, two school administrators, one student liaison, and a legal rep. There was a camera set up in the corner.
My palms started sweating.
“Miss Clarke,” the older woman said, nodding. Dean Harrow. She looked like she hadn’t slept either. “Please. Sit.”
I did, without meeting anyone’s eyes.
“This will be recorded for documentation purposes only,” the legal advisor said. “This is not a criminal proceeding. Yet. But you are advised to speak carefully and truthfully.”
“Understood,” I murmured.
Dean Harrow folded her hands in front of her. “Let’s start from the beginning. We need you to confirm the nature of your relationship with Professor Wolfe.”
I swallowed. My throat was so dry it burned. “We were involved… personally.”
“And how long has this relationship been going on?”
I hesitated. “A few weeks.”
A beat of silence. Pens scratched paper.
“Were you aware that faculty-student relationships are a direct violation of school policy even if consensual?”
“Yes.”
“Were you coerced in any way?”
“No.”
“Did you know the sexual intimacy would be recorded?”
That one hit like a punch to the chest. “No,” I whispered. “I had no idea we were being filmed. We didn’t consent to any footage being taken.”
The student liaison narrowed her eyes slightly, then leaned forward across the polished table. Her voice remained calm, but there was a new edge to it.
“Do you and Serena Cross have any form of conflict or animosity? And if so, when did it begin?”
Serena Cross.
I stared at the wall behind the liaison’s head, trying to steady my thoughts. My palms were sweating, and my spine was rigid against the back of the chair.
“Yes,” I said finally, my voice steadier now, colder. “We’ve never gotten along. Not since she got transferred here, actually. But this... this is different.”
“How so?” the liaison asked.
I took a breath, trying not to crumble under the weight of it all.
“Serena is calculating,” I said slowly. “She doesn’t just act out of jealousy or pettiness. She waits. She plans. And she doesn’t go after people unless she’s sure she can ruin them.”
A pause stretched between us.
“She set that camera up. I don’t know how or when, but it was her. She wanted this to be seen. She wanted to destroy me. And… Professor Wolfe.”
At the mention of his name, my voice faltered. I clenched my hands in my lap, trying to keep it together.
Dean Harrow nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. “You understand this has put the university in a difficult position. Not just reputationally. We are now under legal scrutiny for failing to protect student privacy.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” I said. My voice cracked. “I didn’t plan it. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“We’re aware,” the legal rep replied. “That said, we must treat this fairly and objectively. Professor Wolfe has been placed on immediate administrative leave pending further review. And… the board is currently deciding your status as well.”
My heart sank. “Am I being expelled?”
“Not yet,” Dean Harrow said carefully. “But you will be suspended from all academic activities until the investigation concludes.”
The room spun for a second. I held onto the table to stay grounded.
“One more question, Miss Clarke,” the liaison said, her pen hovering over the notepad. “Have you ever engaged in sexual relations with any other member of school leadership to obtain the awards or recognitions you’ve received?”
My heart stopped.
For a beat, I didn’t speak. Couldn’t. My mouth opened, but no words came out. The air felt thick and stale like I was breathing through the fog.
When I finally found my voice, it cracked. “No,” I said, the word sharp with emotions. “Absolutely not.”
My fingers curled tighter around the edge of the table. “I earned everything. Every grade, every medal, every damn hour I spent studying while everyone else partied; I earned it.”
The liaison didn’t blink. Her expression stayed neutral. She just nodded and scribbled something down, as if my world hadn’t just shattered in front of her.
I swallowed hard, trying to hold onto what little dignity I had left. Rage was starting to creep in now, replacing the shame with something hotter. Something steadier.
I was being treated like a criminal here.
Meanwhile, the person who planted a hidden camera violated my privacy and weaponized it in front of an entire crowd… she hadn’t even been called in yet.
“I earned that award,” I whispered again, wishing someone would believe me. “My GPA. My work. That was mine. And now…”
“And now it’s complicated,” the Dean said quietly. “We’re not here to take away what you’ve earned. I believe you didn’t sleep with anyone for those awards.”
He paused, looking at me with a tired expression.
“But none of that matters to the public. They won’t look at the facts. All they’ll see is that you slept with a professor, even if Professor Wolfe had no say in those awards, even if it had nothing to do with your achievements.”
I swallowed hard.
“No matter how unfair the exposure was, consequences still follow choices. That’s just how it is.”
I stared at the table. My reflection was shown in the polished wood.
“I’m not the villain,” I said. “I know how this looks, but I didn’t seduce Professor Wolfe. I didn’t plan anything. I fell in love.”
The student liaison gave me a soft, almost pitying smile. “That may be true… but truth doesn’t always protect you.”
Before I left, the Dean pulled me aside. His tone was firm but not unkind.
“For now, it’s best if you’re not seen on school grounds,” he said. “Avoid crowded areas. Stay indoors as much as possible. If you absolutely need to go out, wear a cap. A mask. Keep your head down.”
I guess I was being treated as a criminal.