Ethically Speaking

2.2

•- Elijah Fields -•

I ended the lecture after Quincie had left the lecture hall. And I felt no bit of remorse for doing so as I tried to follow her.

She had raced down the hall and by the time I had her in my sights she was too far for me to do anything about it.

I had ended class moments later and rushed off to my office feeling sorry for the situation I had put Quincie in this morning.

Even after her clear rejection I never wanted to hurt her. I couldn't make her feel the same for me as I did her, but knowing her feud with Katie had prompted me to invite Katie as a guest speaker.

Part of me wanted to bite back at her for saying yes to that date with Anthony. The truth was that I was jealous. Whether she had feelings for me or not, I wanted her to feel that same sting of heartbreak that I did. Really it was selfish and unkind.

I'd have to apologize to her later.

I buried myself in my work into the early afternoon. I was waiting for Dr. Jackson to knock on my door with a letter of termination. Quincie lashing out at Katie would most definitely cause a scene with the administration.

Katie was ruthless in her threats towards Quincie. And she had every source of proof she needed to take our partnership to the board.

They would hardly find it difficult to find evidence themselves. One sweep of my emails and I'd be done for. Yet I didn't care about my job or my future, but rather Quincie who was clearly not doing as well as I thought she would.

Growing angry I crumble a sheet of paper and throw it across the room. It taps against the bookshelf before falling the old wooden floors. I bury my head in my hands as I try and let my frustrations loose.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Katie flicks the switch of my light and I groan at the sudden light to my eyes. I force them open as I look ahead, seeing Katie opening the blinds I kept close to preserve the leather books.

"Here to tell me I'm getting fired? Did you think it'd hold more of a punch if it came from you? World's biggest fuck you, right?"

Katie's face drops as her arms crossed over her chest.

"You really think that low of me, huh?" Her tone was bitter and snarky but that was normal enough for her.

"I don't know what to think of you anymore, Katie," I stand from my desk and walk towards the door which she had left open. I close it and turn to her, "You're threatening my student and putting my job at risk based on some jealousy. Quincie had made it very clear that nothing was going on between us, and thanks to you she hates me."

I hadn't meant to let my angered thoughts out in such a way. But there were things weighing on my chest that I only ever released on Max and he'd only groan in response.

"She's just a student, Elijah. Stop treating her as more. I would never put your career in jeopardy and quite frankly I'm offended you think I would. But something had to be done about her attitude problem. She was representing this institution negatively and if I was any other guest speaker I'd have done much worse than telling her father."

I roll my eyes as I approach her, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"Leave Quincie alone for God's sake, Katie. She's done nothing to you. She is every bit kind as she is intelligent. You've made her out to be some villain which is not true. All you've done is hurt this young girl and threatened my career, not her's. What do you think happens if you tell the dean, huh? She gets expelled and I get to keep my position? It is you who has been putting my career on the line, not her. Because unlike you, Quincie is a kind and warm-hearted person. So I suggest you stop with your incessant need to be better than her."