Chapter 4 Room 009

The email arrived at 6:07am sharp. From the office of Academic integrity.

Her stomach dropped. The air around her thickened as she re-read the short, clinical message:

You are required to be at room 009 at the administrative building by 10:00am today regarding an investigation on misconduct and inappropriate behavior.

She stared at the words, heart pounding in her ears. Her mouth went dry. What the hell is happening? She knew it had to be some sort of mistake or misunderstanding.

She didn't give it much thought before she rushed to get ready for school and prepare for whatever was ahead of her.

In room 009

The room was windowless but cold due to the air conditioning. The walls were white and the air was still.

Leah walked in to meet a long mahogany table, where three committee members sat across. A fourth chair was empty.

"Miss Morgan, thank you for coming", the chair of the committee, Mr Albright said looking at her through his thin rimmed glasses.

She sat down slowly, flicking her eyes around for clues as to why she was summoned. "Can I be briefed on what this is about?"

Professor Albright cleared his throat. "We received anonymous evidence earlier this week, uhm photographs showing what appears to be an inappropriate relationship between a faculty member and a student."

Leah's skin went cold. Her throat tightened. "I don't understand. What kind of photographs?"

Without a word, the woman next to Albright slid a file across the table.

Leah opened it and froze. It was the photo. The one from the club. She hadn't remembered anyone taking any photo.

"I...I..." her voice cracked, she couldn't speak.

"We need full transparency. Miss Morgan, do you confirm that this image is of you and Professor West?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But I was drunk. And nothing happened. We didn't do anything, I...."

"You were seen with him in a highly inappropriate setting," the third committee member cut in. "There's concern that your position as a student placed you in a vulnerable role. Professor West is expected to uphold strict boundaries."

"We will invite Mr West shortly" the second member spoke.

A few minutes later, Julian walked in, one hand in the pocket of his coat.

"Now" Mr Albright started, facing them both. "Mr West has been questioned earlier and has stated that nothing appropriate happened that night. Is that correct"

"Yes" Leah nodded.

"What about subsequent times?" The third member asked

"No, never" Leah spat.

"But that night, Mr west didn't uphold any strict boundaries as expected from a faculty member"

"I did uphold them" Julian finally spoke. "We didn't touch, we didn't kiss, the picture was taken out of context".

The committee didn't blink. "The picture says otherwise"

"Regardless," said Albright, "your conduct, given your authority over her thesis as her supervisor creates a serious conflict of interest. And it's not the first time your name has come up in student complaints."

Julian's eyes flicked dark, "That's a lie"

But it was too late. The tone in the room had shifted and it seemed like they already made up their mind.

"We are recommending administrative leave pending full investigation. Effective immediately."

Julian stiffened. "You're suspending me?"

"No," Albright said, sliding over another document. "We're asking for your resignation before this escalates further."

Valerie walked out of the room first, strolling into the empty hallway. Followed by Julian. Immediately the door closed behind them, he turned to Leah like a storm.

"You reported me" his voice was ice.

Her eyes widened m, "What? No, I didn't. Why would I?"

"I don't believe in coincidences," he snapped. "The week after that night, that photo shows up, and suddenly you're sitting there looking like a goddamn innocent lamb while I'm being gutted."

"I didn't tell anyone," she hissed. "I was scared too, Julian. I didn't even remember half of what I said until the next day."

"You knew what you were doing."

Her mouth dropped open. "You think I planned that? To trap you? Get you fired?"

He stepped closer, voice low. "I don't know what to think anymore. But someone's pulling strings. And they want me out. And you conveniently get to stay."

She stepped back. "Because I'm a student, Julian. You're the professor. And they think you took advantage of me."

His jaw worked. Fury warred with disbelief. And somewhere, beneath it, pain.

"I protected you," he said. "I could've kissed you. I could've taken what you were offering, but I didn't."

They stood in silence. The echoes of their argument bouncing off the cold hallway walls. Then he turned, walking away without another word. Leah leaned against the wall, pulse racing.

****

The campus felt quieter now. Or maybe it was just her.

Whispers still followed her down the hallways. Some were sympathetic, some scathing. She could feel the weight of their judgment even behind closed doors. No matter how much she denied it, the label stuck: the student who got her professor fired.

And Julian? He hadn't looked at her again since that day. She hadn't even seen him since.

She was still trying to understand how everything spiraled so fast. One drunken night. One blurry almost-kiss. One picture. And now... silence.

She pushed the thought aside as she entered her apartment, dropping her bag by the door. The blinds were half-open; sunlight filtered through in gold slats across the floor. Ava wouldn't be back until later. For the first time in days, it was quiet.

She moved to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and returned to the table where she'd left her books, then she stopped. There, slid under her front door, was an envelope.

Her chest tightened.

There was no stamp. No markings. Just her name, scrawled in sharp, bold ink on the front.

LEAH.

She stared at it for a beat before crouching down. Slowly, carefully, she picked it up and opened it. No letter. Just a photograph. Her breath caught in her throat. It was her, in the club that night. She was dancing and laughing, clearly drunk.

There was something written in red ink at the bottom of the image: "Careful who you touch. Some things aren't yours."

She stumbled back a step, gripping the edge of the table to steady herself. She turned the envelope over again, hoping for a clue, anything, but it was clean.

She grabbed her phone. Her fingers hovered over Julian's name. Then stopped. What would she even say? No. She needed to think. She didn't want to involve him or make it bigger than it already was. But what if he was already somehow involved?. She stared at the red ink again, the ugly scrawl that felt like it was carved right into her skin.

Without overthinking it, she snapped a photo of the writing and attached it to a message. Her thumb hovered over his name. She hadn't spoken to him in a long time. She hit send before she could even change her mind.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. Nothing. She locked her phone and threw it on the bed, pacing around the room. Then her phone buzzed.

It was Julian: Where are you? Don't go anywhere. I'll come.

Leah panicked about sending her professor her address but she dismissed it anyway. She exhaled, suddenly aware of how fast she was breathing. She hoped she was doing the right thing.

Julian sat in his parked car outside his apartment complex, engine off, phone in hand, jaw tight. He hadn't slept much lately, not since the resignation letter he had typed with shaky hands and dead eyes. Academia had always been his fortress, now he was dragged out.

How scrolled through his messages for the first time that night. He had a dull habit of letting messages pile up before he attended to them. Then he saw it.

Miss. Morgan. Her contact name on his phone. The name alone made something twist in his chest. He wondered why she had messaged him. Was she feeling guilty? He hadn't stopped thinking about her, since she had betrayed him after giving her word.

He clicked on the message and his eyes caught the image first. He was confused. Looking closer, he read the words in red ink and he froze. Leah had gotten a threatening message too. He tried to convince himself that it was all some set up. That Leah had purposely done that so he would think she didn't expose him to the university board.

He read the words again for the second time. He was unsettled. What if she was really being threatened? She's probably in danger because of something he must have done. After sudden realization, Julian didn't hesitate to send a message to Leah, "Where are you, don't go anywhere, I'll come"

He hadn't waited for Leah to respond, he had no idea where she was or where he could find her but he started his engine and left the parking lot. A minute later Leah responds with her address and Julian sped off in her direction.