Children of the Boss

Chapter 41: Dean

April 30th

Finals were next week. I had two final projects I finished already and then final paper I finished as well. So for finals week I only had two exams. One was on Tuesday, and of course the other one was on Friday, the last time slot. I wasn't too stressed about them.

On the last day of class, I walked to Colette's office. I stopped in the doorway, watching her put stuff into boxes.

"What's up?" I asked. Was she getting a new office? Or...did she get fired? Did she get fired because of me?

"Dean," she said gently, facing me. Her eyes were sad.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I stepped closer to her.

"Yes. Yes, actually, I have good news."

"Yeah? What is it?" I asked, smiling. Maybe she got a promotion and was moving to a bigger office.

"I'm going to be the Director of Women's Studies," she said.

"That's great! That's so great Colette."

She smiled sadly at me. "But at UCLA."

I jerked my head back. "What? Los Angeles?"

"Dean...I would be stupid to say no to this. I've been applying all over the country. You know that."

"Right...you should take it. But...what about us?" I asked.

"Well...Dean..." She shook her head. "You knew we were just having fun."

"No, I didn't know that. People who are just having fun don't introduce them to their families. They don't-"

"Dean, please. Don't make it any harder than it has to be."

I threw my hands up, getting louder. "If we're just having fun then what's so hard about it?"

"Dean," she said, her voice hard. She shut the door to her office. "Stop. What did you expect? Did you think we would get married? Did you think we would continue this? You're only nineteen. You don't want to spend the rest of your youth with me. You won't even be thirty by the time I'm forty. Don't waste your time with me."

"But Colette-"

"Dean." She rubbed her forehead, sighing. "I'm going to be in California. Even if we were to try it wouldn't work. I don't do long distance and I don't want to."

"We both know I have enough money I could fly there every weekend."

"I don't want you to. I don't want to continue this."

"But I...I love you."

She sighed quickly, her eyes glistening. "Dean, I didn't want you to fall in love with me."

"Colette." I stepped closer to her. 

"I don't love you Dean" she said.

I stopped and just stared at her. Everything I imagine around her, all the plans I wanted to happen - were gone. Her beautiful eyes, her smile, her everything - gone.

I grabbed the wooden chair and smashed it over the wooden table. I kicked one of her boxes off the table. She shared an office but I didn't care. I stormed out of the office and walked to the closest street, hailing a cab. I handed the driver a fifty and then stormed into my room, changing into my shorts and running shoes, heading to the home gym shirtless.

I started running on the treadmill as fast as I could. I hadn't had enough water or even stretched, but I didn't care. I liked the way my muscles burned, how my knees hurt as they absorbed the shock from my feet slamming onto the treadmill.