Release (28 page)

“Whoa…what’s
goin’ on, sweetie?”

She whipped
around, surprised to see Paul packing up his bag behind her.  She hadn’t
seen him when she walked in.

“Paul,” she
stuttered.

“What’d she say
to you?” his voice filled with anger and concern.  “And don’t tell me that
ya didn’t just bump into MG, because I won’t believe a word of it.”

“It’s fine…I
just have PMS, and I’m overreacting…” she laughed lightly.

“Don’t ya dare
do that, Ryann.  Don’t belittle this situation,” he said furiously,
putting his hand on her arm.  “Tell me.  Right now.”

She sighed, and
collapsed into one of the chairs.  “Oh, Paul.”  Pause.  “She
just keeps making comments about Jeremy…and being…mean spirited.”  She put
her hand to her forehead, and rubbed it.

“So basically
she’s been harassing you, and being completely unprofessional, as well…and you
haven’t said a word.”  He continued drilling into her with his eyes.

She squirmed
under his scrutiny.  “I can handle her, Paul.”

“Ya shouldn’t
have
to handle her.  She’s an instructor at this Institute, which was founded
on good will toward their fellow man for god’s sake, and she’s a total bitch
who’s harassing an intern.  It’s gonna stop, and it’s gonna stop right
now.”

He turned away,
and slammed the rest of his things into his bag, then slung it over his
shoulder.  “Everyone on the staff hates that bitch,” he muttered
vehemently.  “Well, she won’t be here for much longer, if I have anything
to say about it.”

Ryann reacted in
a panic, and got up, “Please, Paul.  Don’t do anything.  This is
so…high schoolish.  The board shouldn’t have to deal with this kind of
thing.  It’s just her being petty and stupid.  I’ll take care of it.”

Paul took her
hand, and sat her back in the chair, then sat opposite her.  He leaned
forward, and said, “No, ya won’t take care of it. 
I’ll
take care
of it.”  He paused.  “Ryann, if ya were an instructor here, and ya
knew of another instructor harassing an intern, wouldn’t ya wanna say
something?  I need ya to think like the instructor that you’re
gonna
be in less than three months.  This horrible woman is a representative of
this Institute, and she’s completely
mis
representing us.”

When put that
way, she totally understood where Paul was coming from.  But she felt
extremely uncomfortable with him fighting her battles, and she told him so.

“I’m your
mentor, sweetie.  It’s part of my responsibility to make sure you’re taken
care of.  So, right now, I want ya to sit there and write down the things
she’s said to you.  Then, I’m schedulin’ a meeting with the Dean, and I’m
gonna say to him what I’ve been dyin’ to say about that woman ever since she
arrived here.”

Ryann
groaned.  “Paul, I really don’t want to do this.”

“Tough. 
We’re doin’ it anyway.  That’s an order, young lady.”

He opened up a
word doc, and said, “Start typin’.”

…..

By the time she
got home, it was well after seven.  She was starving, exhausted, and
mentally drained.  Paul had stayed with her the whole time she typed up
her complaint, then walked her down to the Admin office, where he submitted her
complaint to the Dean’s office, along with his request for a meeting that week.

Due to the
preparations for the gala, neither of them thought that a meeting with the Dean
would take place that week, but Paul was hopeful.

Ryann was trying
to get over the mortification of having her dirty laundry being aired out for
all to see, and only the second week she was there.  Especially since
Jeremy was part of it.  But as Paul kept telling her, it wasn’t about
Jeremy, per se.  It was about the fact that an instructor was being
unprofessional toward an intern, and it needed to be dealt with.

She unpacked the
grocery bag that she had filled with salad fixings from the store around the
block, and made herself dinner.  After eating, she took a shower, and
settled in, trying to wind down after her awful day.

She missed
Jeremy, and couldn’t wait to talk to him.  She was torn because she knew
it was best that they end whatever it was they had started, especially given
today’s events.  And because of his distance for the past two days, she
felt a moment of despair.  But the thought of ending it made her stomach
cramp.

She had fallen
for him so fast.  It blindsided her.  And now, things were getting
complicated.  A lone tear escaped her eye.  Maybe she
did
have
PMS, because she was a weepy wreck.  She needed to get it together before
her conversation with him at nine.  She rested her head on the sofa
pillow, and closed her eyes.

…..

‘I feel like
makin’ love…’

Ryann jolted
awake as she heard Jeremy’s ringtone go off.  She stumbled off of the sofa
and ran to the phone on the dining table.

She fumbled with
it, then answered.

“Hey,” she
breathed, slightly out of breath.  She looked at the time and noticed it
was nearly twenty after nine.  Her phone told her that she had missed a
text from him about 15 minutes ago.

“Hey. 
There you are.”  Pause.  “Were you sleeping?”

“I must’ve
fallen asleep on the sofa.”  Her heart was racing.  “Are you at the
airport?”

“Yeah, I should
be boarding in about 10 minutes.”

“I’m sorry I
fell asleep,” she said, disappointment lacing her voice.

“Don’t be
sorry.  You’re tired.  You’ve got a new schedule you have to get used
to.”

“Yeah.” 
Pause.  “How was your time with your mom?”

His voice took
on a loving tone.  “It was great…it was…a good conversation.  One
that needed to be had.”

“Good,” she
said.  Wondering if everything was ok, she asked, “Is anything wrong,
or?…” she stammered, knowing it was none of her business.

“No, nothing was
wrong.  Just needed to talk to her about a few things.”

“Well,
good.  I’m glad it was a good talk.”

There was a
moment of silence, then they both started talking at once.

He chuckled, and
said, “You go first.”

“I was just
going to say that I wish I could’ve said goodbye to you.”  She squeezed
her eyes shut.

“Me too, baby,”
he said, his voice low.  She could hear the sounds of the airport in the
background.  “But I didn’t want to interrupt your class.”

“I know,” she
murmured.  “I just…wish we could’ve seen each other before you had to
leave.”

“I know,
baby.”  Pause.  “How was the rest of your day?” he asked quietly.

She swallowed
the lump in her throat.  “Fine.”

“That’s
good.”  Pause.  “Did…Armand talk to you again?”  His voice
hardened.

“No.  I
never saw him again,” she sighed.

“And, no…other
problems or anything?”

She squeezed her
eyes shut again.  “Nope.  All is good…” she said, forcing happiness
into her voice.

“Ok.  I
have meetings all day tomorrow, and given the time change, I may not be able to
call you again until you’re already in bed, but let’s definitely plan on
talking on Wednesday, ok?”

She blinked back
the tears, and fought to keep the waver out of her voice. “Ok.”

“Baby, I…” 
Pause.  “I should go.  They’re going to start boarding soon.”

“Ok, be safe.”

“I will.” 
He paused again.  “Ryann…I know we’re a little…off…right now…I promise
when I get back, we’ll talk, ok?”

The tears were
flowing, and she couldn’t stop them.  “Ok,” she whispered.

“Please don’t
cry, baby.  Are you crying?” he asked, concern in his voice.

Ryann,
she
could hear her mother saying in her head,
a crying female is not what a man
wants. 

“Jeremy, I’m
fine.  Have a safe trip, ok?”

“Ryann…”

“Text me on
Wednesday, and let me know when you want to talk.”

“I can text you
tomorrow.”

“That’s
ok.  I know you’ll be busy.”  Why was she doing this?  She was
self-sabotaging...saving her heart, and erecting a wall.

“What’s wrong?”

She could hear
the squawk of the announcer at the gate, and said, “Nothing.  Just be
safe, ok?  We’ll talk on Wednesday.”

He let go of a
harsh exhalation of air, then said, “Ok.  I’ll text you Wednesday.” 
Pause.  “I…” he sighed.  “I’ll talk to you in a few days, baby.”

“Ok. 
Bye.”  She disconnected, and covered her mouth, holding in a sob.

How the hell had
their relationship gone from playful sexual banter, to this somber
disconnection so quickly?

She walked into
the bedroom, laid down, letting the emotional exhaustion take over, and fell
asleep.

Tuesday had been
a nightmare...at least from five o’clock on.  Now, sitting on her bed at
10 o’clock, Ryann was happy to have it end.

It had consisted
of a long, but fruitful day of classes, only to end with a meeting with Jack
Willis, the Dean of Faculty.

For an hour,
Paul had talked of his issues with Jennifer, and then went line by line through
Ryann’s complaint, along with mentioning all of the times he had witnessed her
being inappropriate and unprofessional with others at the Institute.

Jack had
listened intently, and had taken notes, then looked at Ryann.  “I’m going
to be talking to Jennifer about this, Ryann.  You understand I need to
hear her side of this.  But, I’m glad Paul brought this to our
attention.  If she really is doing what you both say she’s doing, then it
needs to be addressed.”  He paused. “No matter what, it’s no one’s
business who you date, and it’s certainly not Jennifer’s.  Jeremy’s
already mentioned it to me, and we’ve already talked through how your
evaluation will take place, so from the Institute’s perspective, there are no
issues.”  Pause.  “But unfortunately, when the new VC and an intern
are dating, it makes for some salacious talk around the water cooler,” he had
said dryly.

Thinking back on
it now, she still blushed with embarrassment.  She had never been so
mortified in her life.  She couldn’t think of a time when her reputation
had ever been called into question.  Not that he had, but she hated that
people weren’t looking at her because of her skill set and accomplishments, but
rather this stupid complaint about adolescent behavior.

She had
told
Paul she didn’t want to do this, but he hadn’t backed down.

On Wednesday,
the Institute was hustling and bustling, readying itself for the big gala on
Friday.  She laid low, and went through her work schedule, thankfully
never bumping into MG, and went home right after work.

Jeremy had never
texted.

All she wanted
to do was go to bed.  Which she promptly did, right after she ate and
showered.

…..

“I feel like
makin’ love…”

Ryann awoke from
a dead sleep, and tried to get her bearings.  Jeremy’s ringtone.  She
began looking for the phone, and found it on her nightstand.  She looked
at the time.  11:05pm.

She
answered.  “Hey,” she said sleepily.

“Hi, baby. 
I’m sorry I didn’t text.  I know you were sleeping, but…I needed to hear
your voice...I wanted to talk to you.”

She smiled and
sighed.  “Hi,” she said snuggling into the pillow.

“Hi,” he said
back.

She smiled
again.

He paused. 
“How have the last two days been?”

“Good,” was her
automatic reply.  “How have the meetings with your clients been going?”

“Very
productive.”  Pause.  “Anything eventful happening while I’m gone?”

“No…just
everyone getting ready for the gala.”

“Ryann,” he
paused, then his voice hardened.  “Things at the Institute have been going
ok?”

Fuck, she
thought.  Did someone tell him about her complaint?  Shit.

“Yes,” she said
hesitantly.

“Wrong
answer.  Try again,” he said in a furious whisper.

He knew.

“Jeremy…” she
stammered.

“Ryann, I’m so
fucking pissed at you right now, I can’t even see straight.  If I were
there, I don’t know if I’d want to fuck you senseless, or spank that ass of
yours until it’s red.”

Not liking his
tone, and misunderstanding the reason for his anger, her back went up. 
“Hey!  I didn’t want to write the complaint.  Paul overheard me mumbling,
and I didn’t intend for him to know about anything, and he wouldn’t take no for
an answer.  He
made
me submit it,” she babbled.

“And you think
that’s why I’m pissed?  Because you
submitted
a complaint?” he
huffed.

“I never wanted
you to be brought into this mess.  It’s just so…stupid and
childish,
”
she said in an exasperated tone.

“I’m not worried
about
me
, Ryann,” he said, equally exasperated.

She continued,
not even hearing him.  “I
told
you ...this…relationship, or
whatever it is wouldn’t be a good idea, Jeremy.  I don’t want your
reputation to be sullied by this, and I hate what people will think of me if
they find out about me...complaining.  I feel like a tattle tale or
something.”

“Number one, our
relationship has
nothing
to do with Jennifer Edwards, or that she’s a
bitch who’s been misrepresenting the Institute for years.  Don’t you dare
use her as an excuse.  And number two, you know what people are going to
think of you?  They’re going to think finally someone had the balls to
stand up to Jennifer Edwards.”  He let out what sounded like an agonized
breath.  “Why didn’t you tell me all of this? 
That’s
why I’m
pissed.  You should’ve told me, Ryann.  You.  Not the Dean of
Faculty.”

She sighed and
rubbed her head.  “It’s such a babyish thing to get you involved in. 
You’re the VC, Jeremy.  This is just day to day shitty stuff that you
shouldn’t have to be brought into.”

“Ryann,” he
growled.  She could picture him running his fingers through his
hair.  “You make me fucking
crazy
.”

They were both
breathing heavily, and needed a moment to calm themselves.

Ryann was
suddenly exhausted.  “Let’s talk about this when you get back.  There
might be nothing that will even come of this.”

“Ryann, why do
you think Jack Willis called me?  There
is
something that is coming
of it.  She was asked to hand in her resignation today.”

Ryann gasped,
“Oh, my god!  Are you serious?!  From my complaint?”  She
groaned, “Jeremy, please don’t tell me you had her fired over this!”

“How could I
have had anything to do with this when you didn’t even tell me about it?!” he
yelled, exasperated.  “You make me fucking crazy,” he mumbled again. 

“Why did they
fire her?”

He lowered his
voice, and said in a controlled voice, “She had a multitude of complaints
brought against her last year, unbeknownst to me, and they were apparently
going to give her another shot this year.  Yours was the one that broke
the camel’s back…that, and the fact that she told Jack Willis to go fuck
himself.”

“What?!”

Jeremy let go of
a rush of air.  “I have a feeling even if Jack didn’t believe your
complaints, she would’ve been given her walking papers.  When he asked her
about yours and Paul’s charges, her true colors came out, and she went off on
him.”

“So what’s going
to happen to her?”

“Out of respect
for her father, and the fact that her sculpting students will be auctioning off
their pieces on Friday, they’re allowing her to attend the gala, but after
that, she’s history.”

She let out a
deep sigh, but remained silent.  She had to admit she was thrilled. 
Jennifer had shown over and over that she wasn’t a good representative of the
Institute, and treated people atrociously.  Was it really possible she
wouldn’t have to deal with her snarky remarks anymore?  Ryann smiled, feeling
positive for the first time in days.

“We
do
need to talk when I get back,” he said quietly.  “After the gala, Ryann.”

Shit.  And
they were back to this again.  Her moment of happiness was short lived,
and her stomach sank back down into nervous flutters.

“I know.” 
Pause.  “When are you supposed to be home on Friday?”

“My flight
leaves at four, so as soon as I get in, I’ll run home and get changed, then
I’ll head out to the Institute.  I’m hoping to be there by eight or so.”

She hesitated,
then said, “Why don’t we take tomorrow to do some thinking, and we’ll just see
each other on Friday.  Okay?”

He paused. 
“You don’t want to talk tomorrow?” 

“I always want
to talk, but when it’s by phone, there are too many opportunities for
misunderstandings, and I’d rather save it for when we’re face to face.”

He was quiet,
then he said softly, “We’ll play it your way for now, Ryann, but…” He
sighed.  “I guess I’ll see you Friday, then.”

“Yes.” 
Pause.  “I hope the rest of your meetings go well.”  Pause. 
“Have a safe flight, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”  He hadn’t
said anything.  Her stomach was in knots  “Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m
here.”  Pause.  “I’ll see you on Friday,” he said quietly.

Then he
disconnected…and that’s exactly how she felt.