Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“It’s because it’s done,” Brandon says in a throaty voice. “There wasn’t that much to discuss.”
“What?” I ask in a startled tone while pulling back. “How can that be? I must have talked to Susan Carroll for hours. She kept saying all these nasty things about you guys—”
“Shhhh,” Brent rasps before gently placing a big finger over my lips. “It’s bullshit, but we need to tell you more.”
Kiki takes the hint. My pretty friend grabs her jacket and makes for the door.
“I’m just going to meet my study group!” she calls. “It was great seeing you, Brandon and Brent! Bye, have a good time!” Then, my buddy disappears, leaving me in the silent suite with the handsome twins.
“Why were your interviews done so early?” I ask in a slow voice, taking in the football players’ somber expressions. “I kept telling Susan Carroll that everything was legit, and that I wasn’t coerced into being with you guys. I wanted it.”
Brandon and Brent look incredibly weary all of a sudden, and lead me to the couch in the common area before sitting.
“Yes, but this is the problem, sweetheart,” Brent says in a low voice, his blue eyes fatigued. “We were already on probation at Western. One more infraction and we were out. We’ve been expelled.”
“Wait, what?” I gasp. “How can that be? They can’t do that without you going before the academic board, or some kind of tribunal, or the board of overseers, right?”
Brandon looks grim, the skin around his eyes tight and his lips pressed into a thin line.
“No, they can because we were already on probation, so there’s no more due process. One small slip and boom! We’re out of Western.”
I gape at them.
“No way,” I whisper. “We need to hire an attorney. We need to press the issue because this isn’t fair!”
“It’s not,” acknowledges Brent with a disgusted twist to his lips. “But nothing’s ever “fair” in life. Even our original “infraction” was completely bullshit and made-up.”
I shake my head.
“What happened?” I ask in an almost-whisper. “Why were you on probation?”
The twins’ broad shoulders slump, their huge forms taking on an air of defeat.
“It happened sophomore year,” Brent begins in a low tone. “We were living with a bunch of athletes in a suite and got drunk one Friday night. We were being dumb and had one of those huge Batman paper cut-outs from the movie theater in our common area, and decided to play a prank.”
I look on, confused.
“What prank?”
Brandon sighs while gently rubbing my knee with a big hand.
“A woman we know was walking past the building in the darkness, and we had the shitty idea of taking the paper cut-out and hiding in the bushes with it. When she went past, we had Batman talk.”
I squint at the twins.
“Well, what did Batman say?”
“It said, ‘hey baby,’” Brandon answers in a dry tone. “Yeah, the life-size paper cut out was trying to pick her up. But she went ballistic,” he adds. “The woman got really scared, screamed, and started to run.”
“In retrospect, the prank was dumb,” Brent acknowledges. “Because it was dark, and the woman had no idea that it was a paper cut-out. She legit thought Batman was an actual dude, and freaked out. Anyways, the long and the short of it is that we were reported to the Title IX office at Western, and put on probation for sexual harassment. They made it clear that one more infraction during our academic career was grounds for immediate expulsion. And now, here we are,” he said in a low voice. “We were formally expelled, and will be receiving letters from the school terminating our academic careers here. Three years for nothing,” he snorts. “And all because of a Batman cut-out, and making love to our girlfriend.”
I start a bit at the word “girlfriend,” but manage to keep my cool.
“Did you tell them that I wanted to be tied up, though?” I ask. “That I’m a veterinary science major, and the leash and collar are tools that we use to manage livestock? We shouldn’t have to tell them because it’s not their business, but still.”
Brandon nods, his expression grim.
“We disclosed everything, but they don’t give a shit. It was too much for Susan Carroll to see a young girl being violated by two men while leashed to a bedpost. You know these DEI folks. They’re so militant and narrow-minded. They don’t acknowledge that people have kinks, and that power exchange in controlled settings can be desirable. They think everyone is a victim, and leap to conclusions so quickly that it’s fucking berserk.”
I nod, as tears form on my lashes.
“Yes,” is my despairing murmur. “Dean Carroll was like that when I spoke to her. Completely deaf to opposing viewpoints, despite seeing herself as a model of open discussion and candid exchange. My, how the atmosphere of tolerance and learning at the university-level has been perverted,” I say in a trembling voice. “Seriously, something needs to change.”