The Greek Row Commons was a small,
one story building that was usually used for school approved mixers, or Greek
Row meetings. Tonight, though, the place was pretty much empty except for the
few people Willard had requested to attend.
Rachel and Alice sat at one table,
while Stephen, Chad and Lance sat at another. Willard stood between them,
sensing the tension in the room. He cleared his throat, and began.
“Alright, first things first, I made
copies of all the evidence Stephen has collected.” He pointed to the small pile
of papers and flash drives on each table. “Those are for you to take with you, and
examine. As for how we move forward from here, Stephen has already filled me in
on the Dean’s reaction to your meeting. I can’t say I’m surprised. While I have
never had to deal with anything of this… severity before, I am well aware of
the struggles Rachel has had with the new administration in this school.”
Willard paused, letting everyone
take a look at the materials he had provided.
“Now, knowing that our in school
options are limited, I have taken it upon myself to also submit copies of all
of the evidence to the local police, as well as a friend of mine who works for
the school paper. If these crimes are exposed, then we can at least hope to
force the school to react. The original incidents, as well as Bethany’s suicide
did place Hartford in the public eye, and with the release of these documents
we can only hope that the public will apply enough pressure to the Dean’s
office to force them to act.”
Alice shifted uncomfortably in her
seat. “Don’t you think this could backfire? The women in my house have already
faced so much ridicule after the photos were released, I mean…”
“I can deal with it.” Lance spoke up,
cutting Alice off. “If it means catching the bastards who did this, then bring
it on. I’ve already had any semblance of pride completely stripped, so what
else do I have to lose?”
Rachel nodded. “I have to agree with
Lance on this one. I know I wasn’t effected personally, but I have seen plenty
of the fallout. If this means the people responsible will be held accountable
for their actions, then I can’t see a downside.”
Alice spoke up again. “But that
could mean the pictures being brought back into the public. Things have finally
started to die down enough where people are starting to forget.”
“Until it happens again.” Rachel
looked at her vice president. “Alice, why are you suddenly getting cold feet?”
“I’m just worried. The more I
remember the media circus surrounding Bethany’s death, and the original release
of those photos... We need time to prepare the original victims, Rachel.” Alice
was chewing on her lip.
“I understand that.” Willard nodded.
“While I cannot control the speed at which the police act, I did ask the school
paper to hold off on releasing their story. They won’t release anything for a
week. That should give you enough time
to prepare anyone for the whatever happens next.”
The sound of a deep, masculine laugh
made Willard pause. He looked up, and standing in the doorway were three very
large masked men. Each of them held a weapon. The one on the right, a baseball
bat, the one on the left had a hockey stick and the one in the middle gripped a
very mean looking lead pipe.
“What happens next,” the one in the
middle said, “is that you learn to keep your mouths shut.”
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