Chương 9
“Not in those words.”
“What words?”
Another pause.
“Questions were raised about flexibility and availability.”
Elena leaned against the cold metal cart rail.
“And Connor’s father represents the foundation.”
“I do not know whether that influenced anything.”
“You know it looks bad.”
“Yes.”
“Does the university know?”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Bell?”
“Yes.”
The parking lot seemed to tilt, though Elena’s feet had not moved.
“Is that why he opened my file?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you tell him I worked nights?”
“I wrote your recommendation. I described your work ethic.”
“My emergency childcare grant?”
“No. I had no reason to mention it.”
Elena looked through the grocery-store windows. Connor and Priya were still sitting at the table, not speaking.
“Why didn’t you tell me I didn’t get the fellowship?”
“The foundation asked us to wait until contracts were finalized.”
“Connor thought I got it.”
“I am aware there were rumors.”
“You were aware?”
“Only recently.”
“How recently?”
“Friday.”
The day before commencement.
Elena closed her eyes.
“Professor, I need you to send me every communication you are permitted to share about my application.”
“I can send your submitted materials and my recommendation. Committee deliberations are confidential.”
“I want the criteria.”
“That is public.”
“I want the scoring sheets.”
“I do not know whether those are releasable.”
“Find out.”
“Elena.”
“What?”
“I am on your side.”
The sentence made Elena unexpectedly angry.
“Then stop telling me where you are standing and help me see what happened.”
Professor Shaw went quiet.
“You are right,” she said.
Elena returned home to find Marcus on the floor building a tower from plastic cups while Lucy knocked it down.
“You look like you found another problem,” he said.
“I found three.”
“Efficient.”
She told him about the fellowship, the retention campaign, and the possibility that the university had been discussing her before commencement.
Marcus listened without interrupting. When she finished, he stacked two cups and watched Lucy crawl toward them.
“So Connor was jealous because he thought you got a fellowship that he got.”
“Probably.”
“And the principal knew you didn’t get it.”
“Probably.”
“And he praised your GPA onstage while the university was preparing to use your story to raise money.”
“Yes.”
Marcus rubbed his face.
“That is… layered.”
“That’s one word.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
Lucy slapped the cups apart.
Marcus rebuilt them.
“You could talk to a lawyer.”
“Mom said that.”
“Mom is occasionally right. Don’t tell her I said so.”
“I can’t afford a lawyer.”
“There are legal clinics.”
“For what? They used a ceremony photo covered by a release. They accessed records they were probably authorized to access. They drafted something they didn’t publish.”
“You don’t know they didn’t publish it somewhere.”
Elena stared at him.
Marcus stopped stacking cups.
“Sorry.”
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Nina asked her to call before Monday’s shift.
Elena went to the kitchen.
Nina answered with office noise behind her.
“HR scheduled a meeting for eight tomorrow morning.”
“I start at six.”
“They want you off the floor until the meeting.”
“Am I suspended?”
“No.”
“Am I being paid?”
A pause.
“I asked that too.”
“And?”
“They’re deciding.”
Elena gripped the edge of the counter.
“What is there to decide?”
“The company is receiving calls.”
“About me?”
“Some positive, some not. Patients have posted reviews praising Northline for employing a single mother. Other people are accusing us of exploiting you. We have not said anything.”
“You shouldn’t say anything.”
“I agree.”
“Then why am I off the floor?”
“Because one of our hospital clients saw the badge in the video and asked whether patient information could be visible in your social media content.”
“I didn’t post the video.”
“I know.”
“No screens were visible.”
“I know.”
“I was at graduation.”
“I know, Elena.”
The repetition slowed her anger but did not lessen it.
Nina continued. “Bring a written statement. Keep it factual. Do not speculate.”
“I have a meeting with a university lawyer tomorrow afternoon.”
“How did that happen?”
“It hasn’t. I’m going to request one.”
Nina sighed.
“Get your own lawyer before you meet theirs.”
“Everyone keeps saying that as if lawyers come in the mail.”
“I know someone at the Women’s Employment Center. I’ll send you the number.”
“This isn’t employment law.”
“Lawyers know other lawyers. It’s how they reproduce.”
Elena smiled despite herself.
Nina’s voice softened. “Write down what you want before people with titles tell you what is reasonable.”
After the call, Elena opened her laptop at the kitchen table. Lucy sat in the high chair crushing banana slices with intense concentration.
Elena created a document.
At the top she typed:
WHAT I WANT
She stared at the words.
She wrote:
My job protected.
Lucy’s image removed.
My records reviewed.
The fundraising draft explained.
The fellowship process examined.
No threats against graduates or families.
Then she added:
To graduate without owing everyone a performance of gratitude.
She deleted the last line.
It sounded like something people would quote.
At four that afternoon, Connor sent the exported messages.
Elena searched for references to the anonymous complaints.
Connor had emailed one complaint openly. Madison had joked that she could send another “from a burner.” A third graduate, Tyler Brooks, replied that his cousin worked in student affairs and could “make sure admin sees the circus coming.”
Priya had reacted with a question mark.
Later, Tyler posted: Done. Included screenshots. Let them sort it out.
Elena found Tyler’s name among the five graduates in the front row. He was the one who had pointed first.
The screenshots he submitted included jokes, speculation, and Connor’s claim that Elena received altered grades. They also included a message from Priya warning that the accommodation list might be confidential.
May you like
The university had known before commencement that Connor accessed restricted ceremony information.
Yet no one removed him from the volunteer team. No one warned Elena that classmates were discussing her baby. No one investigated whether someone had shared confidential material beyond the chat.
