Devil's Fate

Independent

Mike sat nervously in the upstairs hallway outside of the Dean's office. He already had two text messages from Matt, asking if everything was okay, and why he wasn't in class. It frustrated Mike, and as he slid his thumb down on his phone to look at more and more of the one-sided text message history from this T.A., the more empowered he felt. I have more than enough here to show. Maybe I won't even have to get into everything that happened at the apartment, I can just show the Dean that Matt won't leave me alone.

The last message was the most incriminating, and the one Mike was most worried about. He didn't want to have to give too many details, but he also didn't want his concerns to fall on deaf ears. He needed to be able to get the point across that Matt was a creep, and Mike wanted to change classes without penalty. He wasn't looking to get Matt fired. All Mike wanted was to get away from him. The screen started to fade and Mike tapped it again to read the last message from Matt, just six minutes ago.

Matt: If this is about what happened a few days ago, just come back to class. I'll behave.

Mike scowled at the phone. It's exactly about you kissing me, and I'm not going back. He looked up as the office door opened, and clicked his phone to black right as the Dean poked his head out.

"Michael?"

"Yes, sir," Mike answered, standing up and stuffing his phone into his pocket while the Dean introduced himself and invited Mike inside. Dr. White closed the door behind the two of them and crossed the room with purpose to sit in his giant leather desk chair, his eyes looking over Mike curiously. The inspection made Mike's hands fidget as he sat down across from the Dean, and he had to stop himself from twisting them up into the hem of his flannel shirt. It felt a little like being across from Mark in the office at YRS, and the thought made Mike uneasy.

"I understand you have some concerns about your music theory class," Dr. White said, his eyes moving from Mike to his computer screen. He saw that Michael Kenji Shinoda was a second semester freshman, all A's in the fall, on a full scholarship. He also saw that he wasn't talking to an eighteen year old. This student was twenty-two, and that piqued Dr. White's curiosity.

Mike took a deep breath. "Yes, sir. Thank you for meeting with me, Dr. White. I know you are very busy." He watched the Dean quirk an eyebrow behind his small, round, wire-rimmed glasses and then nod before he sat back in the chair and gave Mike his full attention. "My concern isn't about the content of the class, but rather, the teacher."

Dr. White peered at his computer screen again. "Matthias Harris?"

"Yes, sir." Mike stopped and his eyebrows furrowed as he considered what he wanted to say next. The last thing he wanted was for the Dean to not take his concerns seriously, and for things with Matt to get worse. He hoped he sounded honest in his delivery, and that Dr. White would know that Mike was trustworthy. "I don't feel comfortable with him as my teacher. He seems more interested in being my friend than being my teacher, and I'm here to learn, sir. I worked hard for this opportunity and I don't want Matt to mess it up." There was a beat of silence, and Mike reminded himself to sit still. He lifted his chin slightly and waited, looking at the laugh lines around the Dean's thin face and his shockingly white hair that seemed too long on an older man.

"That's a vague concern, Michael," Dr. White said, lacing his fingers together on the desk. "Most of our T.A.'s are friendly, and identify well with the student body. I'm afraid if you have a specific concern you'll need to tell me a little more."

Mike pulled out his phone, but didn't unlock it yet. "I thought Matt was friendly at first, too. But I feel that he singles me out because I'm older than my class. He's always asking me to come out with him and the other T.A.'s, to go to bars or clubs. And he won't stop messaging me. I've asked him repeatedly to stop, but he keeps doing it. I have the entire text history, back to before the winter break, if you would like to see it."