“Hey, I can’t wait around here all day. I’ve got shit to do,” Eric said.
Sed left the studio and picked up the phone in the entryway. Before he could dial the number, Jessica came through the door. When she saw him standing there, she paused and then burst into tears.
He hung up the phone and drew her into his arms. “What’s wrong?”
Jessica stuffed a piece of paper in his hand. “I lost my scholarship.”
“What? Why?” His first thought was they’d found out about their little sex video. He gazed down at the crumpled paper in his hand and read the first few lines. “Academic probation? Why are you on academic probation?”
“Because Ellington failed me on my final paper, I got a C in Legal Research and Writing last year. A C minus.” She gulped air and sniffed her nose. “To keep my scholarship I can’t get a grade below a B. They usually give the student a chance to retake the class before they strip them of their scholarship award. Especially someone who has A’s in every other class.”
“They aren’t gonna give you another chance?”
She shook her head. “According to this, they had a meeting of the deans and because they had no way to contact me, they took the word of the instructor. She despises me, Sed. No telling what she told them.”
“Why didn’t they just call your cell phone?”
“They still have my old number.” She lifted a hand at him. “Yeah, duh, I know.”
He shrugged. “So, you go talk to the deans and try to get their decision reversed.”
“They won’t listen to me. Dr. Ellington is one of the most respected professors at the university. She carries the dean’s balls around in her pocket.”
“I’m not going to let you give up that easily, Jessica.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to let me?”
“Nope.” He took her by the arm. “Let’s go. I’ll drive you to the college right now.”
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “This is the exact reason why I broke off our engagement. You can’t tell me what to do, Sed.”
“I am telling you what to do. Get in the car.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Get in the car, Jessica.”
“Or you’ll do what?”
He knew exactly what would piss her off most. “I’ll write a check for your tuition and send the receipt to your mother.”
Her jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t!”
“Wouldn’t I?” He lifted an eyebrow at her.
“I hate you sometimes,” she sputtered.
“Only sometimes? We’re making progress.”
“I know what you’re trying to do. You can’t fix this for me, okay? So just butt out of my business.”
“I wasn’t planning on fixing it for you. I was just going to give you a ride to the college and wait outside while you fix it.”
She stared at him as if he’d grown a third eye.
“I can’t fix this,” she said finally. “And I can’t afford another twenty thousand dollars a year for school if I lose my scholarship.” But her expression had turned thoughtful.
“If?” he prodded.
“Maybe if I show the dean my term paper, he’ll recognize that Dr. Ellington graded me unfairly. I didn’t deserve to fail that paper. I know I didn’t.” She scowled, crossing her arms across her chest. She was entirely adorable when she threw tantrums. He doubted she wanted to hear that at the moment, however.
“Good. And if that doesn’t work?”
She sighed loudly. “I’ll take out loans.”
“That’s my girl.” He touched her cheek gently and she glanced up at him.
“You really are an overbearing prick sometimes, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know. I have your best interest at heart, so you forgive me. Right?”
“Heh. Hardly.”
“Yo, Sed, what’s taking so long?” Eric called from the end of the hallway. “Is Trey coming over or what?”
Sed had completely forgotten that he was supposed to call Trey. “Change of plans, dude. I have to go do something with Jessica real quick.”
Eric rolled his eyes and made a sound of annoyance. “You know bands break up because of their singers’ girlfriends for a reason.”
If Eric had been within range, Sed would have decked him.
“Just stay here and finish your session with the guys,” Jessica said. “I’ll go by myself.”
“I said I’d drive you.”
“I can drive, you know.”
“I want to be there. In the unlikely event that you need me.”
She hesitated, then turned on her heel and stalked out to the car. She even let him drive and didn’t pull away when he reached over to take her hand and pressed her knuckles to his lips.
Chapter 26
Jessica sank into the leather-upholstered chair across from the dean. She was glad she’d changed into a neat skirt and sweater set when she’d stopped by her mother’s house to pick up her term paper. She needed the self-confidence boost.
Dr. Taylor set his elbows on his desk and folded his hands in front of his chin, assessing her with piercing blue eyes beneath arched gray eyebrows. She imagined he’d been a very attractive man in his youth. Still was in that distinguished older gentleman way.
“How can I help you, Ms. Chase?”
“I received this letter in the mail while I was… out of town. It says the council of deans decided to revoke my scholarship for the upcoming semester.”
“That’s right. Dr. Ellington made it clear that you’re undeserving of such a prodigious award.”
Jessica figured it had been something like that. Why did Dr. Ellington have it out for her? “The rest of my grades are exemplary,” Jessica said. “I’d like the chance to prove myself.”
“What kind of a chance?”
“I’ll retake her class.”
“Dr. Ellington doesn’t want you in her class.”
So she wasn’t just imagining things. “Why not?”
“Maybe she doesn’t think you’re living up to your potential.”
“So she fails me on a final paper worth fifty percent of my grade? That doesn’t make sense.” She pulled the graded paper out of her folio. The huge red F emblazoned on the coversheet made her wince. “Read it. Tell me if you think it deserves a failing grade.”