Sam
My footsteps were sure as I walked toward the administration building, never faltering despite the ice beneath me. I made it to my seat in front of the disciplinary board, passing by Harrison and his wife, a slender woman with a beautiful face and a bitter mouth. They’d already been fired. He was here as my accuser, and she was pending trial for criminal charges for what she’d done to us, but her only purpose today was to see what my punishment would be for hitting her husband.
My phone buzzed, and I took it out of my pocket.
Grayson: Thinking about you. I hear the weather is gorgeous today for a verdict.
My heart swelled to the size of the Colorado sky.
Sam: I’ll call you after. And blue skies would be perfect for flying, just saying.
Grayson: You make Colorado perfect. I’m so proud of you.
Missing him had become the status quo the last month, but it struck even harder right now. I got out one last text before the board walked in.
Sam: I know I said I needed to do this alone, and I did. But I really wish you were here right now.
I slipped my phone into my purse as they took their seats. This would be my only opportunity to speak…to any of them. If I could keep lunch in my stomach, it just might work.
Dean Miller, flanked by equal parts faculty and student disciplinary committee, cleared his throat before speaking. “Ms. Fitzgerald, we’ve spoken at length both about your offense and what you have suffered since. Is there anything you’d like to say before we discuss your future?”
I nodded my head and stood, holding on to the corner of the table with my fingertips. Don’t puke. “What I did that day was inexcusable. I’m not asking for consideration for the circumstances. I struck a member of the faculty, and I’ll accept whatever punishment you decide. Colorado is the only home I’ve ever really known. I came to UCCS so I could stay here, in what I love as my hometown. I’m just asking that you allow me to finish my degree here.”
My stomach tightened, regret washing over me with the force of an unbreakable tidal wave as I turned to face the back of the room where the Proctors sat. Michelle raised her chin, hatred evident in the set of her eyes. “I’m truly sorry for the pain I caused you,” I said to her, ignoring Harrison. “I never knew he was married, and if I could take it back, or take some of the pain away from you, I would. You don’t deserve what happened to you.”
She tore her gaze from mine, blinking back tears. What she’d done to me was reprehensible, but there was a small part of me that understood, and an even bigger part that already forgave her.
I turned back to the committee and remained standing.
Dean Miller gathered himself with a deep breath. “Ms. Fitzgerald, we do find that you struck a member of the University faculty. While there are extenuating circumstances, we feel that were we not to impose a punishment, it would be a detriment not only to you but to the university itself. However, we are not willing to lose a student like you. So we ask that you provide twenty hours of community service to the University, preferably by tutoring the lower sections of freshman math, while you finish your degree here at the University of Colorado.”
My eyes burned, and my throat closed. I managed a nod of my head and a broken “Thank you,” before the committee filed out.
It was over. I was free. I would graduate from CU.
The chair caught my weight as I collapsed, braced my elbows on the table, and let my head fall into my hands while I sucked in deep, gulping breaths. Then I folded my hands and sent up a heartfelt prayer of thanks for my second chance.