Moose and Goose

Chapter Fifty-three

"Welcome back," Mitch O'Connell greets her with a toothy smile, but she silently glares at him. "And you're dressed like a – somewhat – proper lady. Hopefully, the other students will feel inspired to do the same."

"Why am I here," she asks him, her arms folded and her body leaning against her chair. He blinks back and looks down at the paper on his desk as if her question reminded him.

"I spoke with the arresting officers and Frank Muller, and had them drop the charges against you and your band of Black Panthers," he says, and she rolls her eyes onto the window to his left. "It didn't take much to get them to agree. Frank must've been feeling gracious."

"Thank God for Frank." Judith flashes her top row of teeth at him, and he furrows his brows at her forced smile.

"Yeah," he drones with discomfort. "Anyway, I'll tell you like I told them, you three can stay on one condition: keep your noses clean and your heads down. Any more talk of rioting, and you'll be behind bars faster than you can scream Attica."

"Who?" He stares at her, unsure if she's joking.

"The riot that happened eight years ago in New York," he explains with a questioning undertone, and she looks from her left to her right, then at him again. "Just stay out of trouble. Also, I went ahead and changed your schedule."

"You changed my schedule?" Judith leans forward in her chair, and Mitch lifts a stapled stack of papers from his desk drawer. He licks his thumb, then flips to the next page. He rips it from the rest and extends it to her.

"Yes, I noticed that you and your friends have too much free time in between classes." She takes her new schedule and looks it over as he returns the rest to his drawer. "I'm hoping that my method of adding more classes will keep you kids out of trouble."

"Math and literature," Judith reads, then catches his eyes. He leans back and interlocks his fingers over his beer belly. "This says I'm taking Math and Literature classes."

"I know. I was the one who had it written on the school's typewriter," Mitch smugly informs her. Judith rereads her schedule. "If I'm correct, you have a course with Professor Chandler soon, so I wouldn't dally in my office if I were you."

"Sir, I have to catch the Palmetto Breeze at a certain time. I can't go to any of these extra classes." She sets the paper on his desk.

"Well, then I'll just have to inform your mother that you declined my offer to be back on campus." Judith shrugs nonchalantly. They stare at each other for a moment, and as he rolls his eyes, he exhales his annoyance. "Okay, alright, how's about I get you a dorm room?"

"What?" She creases the skin above her nose bridge.

"I can head downstairs when you leave and grab a residential request form, and with your mother on the line, the three of us can get you approved today." Judith stares at him, waiting for him to laugh so she can, but he leans forward with sweat gliding off his temples, and her stomach churns.

Yeah, he's up to something because this is too good of an offer.

"I'll think about it. Can I go," she asks, and he nods, then reclines in his rolling chair.

Mitch watches Judith stand and lift her bag off the floor by her feet. She heaves it over her shoulders, takes her schedule, and leaves his office. When the tall door clicks shut, and she continues down the hall, she allows her inner voice to distract her.

I can't believe I'm back at this stupid school, and I still don't understand why. Shit. Maybe I should've asked.

She stops at the top of the stairs and stares down the bright corridor.