44. Lyric

44

LYRIC

T he campus cafe is tranquil in the early morning light and the soft hum of the espresso machine is the only sound that breaks the stillness. I sit at a corner table, my hands wrapped around a paper cup of tea that does little to warm the cold dread in my stomach. The boys sit around me, their presence both comforting and tense.

Archer leans back in his chair, his eyes scanning the room intermittently. Zane taps his fingers on the table in a steady rhythm that matches my heart's racing. Levi sits closest to me, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder, his touch a reminder that I'm not alone.

"It's going to be okay, Lyric," Levi says softly, his voice a balm against my frayed nerves. "We're here with you."

I nod, though the knot of anxiety in my chest doesn't ease. "What if they don't believe me? What if they think I'm lying?"

Archer's gaze snaps to mine, fierce and protective. "We've got your back. We'll make them listen."

Zane leans forward, his eyes serious. "They can't ignore the truth, Lyric. Just stay strong."

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The thought of the disciplinary hearing looms over me, a shadow I can't shake. The accusations, the whispers, the fear of losing everything—I feel like I'm drowning in it all.

"They've already made up their minds about me," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "What if it's not enough?"

Levi squeezes my shoulder gently. "It will be. You're not alone in this. We're going to be right there with you the whole time. We'll fight this."

The determination in their eyes gives me a sliver of hope, a small light in the darkness. I clutch my tea tighter, trying to draw strength from their unwavering support.

"We're not going to let them ruin your life," Archer says, his voice firm. "We're going to make things right."

I look around at the boys, feeling a surge of gratitude and love. Despite everything, they're here, standing by my side. I take another deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. I can do this. I have to.

"Thank you," I say, my voice stronger now. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

Zane smiles, a rare softness in his expression. "You'll never have to find out."

I check my phone once more, realizing that it's time to go now. I have to face the music and try to convince the disciplinary board that I haven't broken the code of conduct, that it's all a misunderstanding started by slanderous lies and petty revenge.

The four of us walk together across campus to a smaller building near the dean's office. This building is mainly used for student government meetings and hosting special guest lectures.

As I walk into the auditorium, the dim light of the room casts long shadows across the faces of the board members. It feels strangely ominous.

We're directed to take seats at the front of the lecture hall, facing the board who are sitting at a long wooden table. The panel has a mix of faculty members and some of the higher-ups of the student government.

Dean Harrison is present, sitting slightly apart from the others in a tall-backed chair. His face is impassive, hard to read from here.

Professor Bainbridge stands up, addressing us. "Lyric Shaw, you are here today to address several serious allegations," she begins. "You were caught on three separate occasions engaging in sexual activities in public. You were warned each of those times."

I shift uneasily. For every one of those, I was with Archer, Levi, and Zane. Once, I was caught deep in the library stacks with Zane, but he got away before I did. Another time, I was with Archer and Levi in the bathroom. Someone reported the noises and I foolishly opened the door while the other two hid. The last time was with Levi and Zane. They were teaching me a lesson in a broom closet, but at that time, all three of us were warned.

It feels unfair that I'm being targeted for those incidents.

"Next, someone reported that you posted fliers all over campus proclaiming yourself and I quote here, the ‘slut of Alpha Lambda'."

I swallow, trying to force back the frustration that threatens to erupt. I never posted those. The boys did. They should be the ones on trial here, not me!

"Additionally, you were seen engaging in underage drinking at fraternity parties on several occasions."

This is ridiculous! It's not like I was the only person in the whole school to drink underage. Why am I the one called to the carpet about this? The charges aren't complete bullshit, but they failed to take any context into account, either.

I glance over at the boys, who are avoiding eye contact with me, guilty expressions on their faces.

"We are here to determine whether or not your behavior is problematic enough to expel you from Sterling Heights University," she finishes. "You have the opportunity to speak on your behalf."

My voice trembles at first. "I never meant to cause any trouble. There's been a lot of manipulation and misunderstanding…" I glance at the boys, drawing strength from their supportive gazes. "I was targeted by some individuals who seek to take revenge on me for petty reasons."

"I do see here that you brought accusations against an upstanding member of the Sigma Theta fraternity," Professor Bainbridge states, shifting her glasses down the bridge of her nose as she examines the paper in front of her. "You accused him of assault, which he was cleared of."

My stomach drops. I knew Cameron only got a slap on the wrist, but I didn't realize they cleared him of the assault charge. I grip the arms of my seat tightly under my fingers, trying to make sense of what's happening.

It feels like the world is being yanked out from under me. My cheeks are red and I try to fight the tears that threaten to fall. I know I've been behaving badly. Hearing this stuff brought back up is humiliating for me.

I don't even know what to say in my defense. I feel helpless and tiny right now, as though these strangers are judging my life choices without understanding them.

"We're going to take a short break and when we come back, we'll discuss the situation in more detail," Bainbridge states. I glance over at the dean, whose expression is schooled into one of stern authority, offering no reprieve. I feel a lump in my throat and I let out a shuddering sob, leaning against Levi, who wraps his arms around me comfortingly.

"This is all our fault," Archer mutters, anger in his ocean-blue eyes. "Everything they're accusing you of, it's because of us. You wouldn't be here if we weren't fucking idiots!"

I can feel the fury radiating from him. "You shouldn't have to deal with this. I'm going to explain what we did. We'll deal with the consequences, even if it means facing our own expulsion. It's the least we can do."

"No!" I say, grabbing him. "Please."

Archer looks down at me, a puzzled look on his face. "Why?" he asks, his voice going hoarse. "We deserve it."

"I don't want to lose you," I tell him, giving him a pleading look. "I can't lose you guys. Life without you here would be miserable and I'd have a bigger target on my back with you gone. That's what they want, anyway. They want to get rid of you by going through me. They'll be expecting you to confess, to bring yourselves down for me."

"Lyric is right," Zane says, pain in his eyes. "We can't let them win. We have to do whatever we can to protect her, but we can't do it if we simply sacrifice ourselves by falling on the sword. What if we got witnesses to testify on your behalf?"

"The charges might be trumped up, but they're true," I tell him. "I can't get people to lie for me."

"It's not about lying, though," Levi says, his expression turning thoughtful. "What if we took the angle of having character witnesses come in and talk about how much good you've done for the school?"

"That's a great idea," Archer agrees, snapping his fingers. "We're going to fix this, baby. Don't worry about a thing. Let us take care of it. We'll testify for you and we'll find others who can attest to your quality of character."

"Will that be enough?" I ask, misery filling me. I'm so fucked if this hearing doesn't go well. If I get expelled, that's the end of my college dreams, the end of my hope for a better life for myself and my son.

"It has to be," Zane says, determination crossing his features.

The council calls us back in and we file back to our seats, facing them once again.

The professor stands in the center of the table, the rest of the committee on either side of her. "We've discussed the situation and we're in agreement that your behavior is unbecoming of a student at such a prestigious school as this," she says. My heart aches.

"Right now, unless you can provide compelling evidence to the contrary, we're leaning heavily in favor of dismissing you from our university."

I feel like throwing up.