Klein

Chapter 7: Klein

"Your father must care an awful lot about you and your future for him to pull the kind of strings he did to prevent you from getting expelled."

My teacher, who was once a renowned conductor for a philharmonic, looked less than pleased with me and the whole situation. No one wanted to listen when I told them my face looked the way it did because of an accident. This particular professor had been itching to get me out of his music program since my senior year started. He was intimately acquainted with my paralyzing stage fright and overwhelming shyness. If I couldn't prepare and perform something for my final grade, it didn't only make me look bad, but him as well. He was paid a lot of money to make sure those with talent shined big and bright, and I would be seen as nothing more than a failure on his pristine record.

I cleared my throat nervously and refused to meet the older man's eyes. I'd been on the brink of being suspended for a week when he called me into his office for a meeting last time. I had no idea what had changed between now and then, but I was absolutely certain it had nothing to do with my father. That man didn't spare me even a passing thought when I was right in front of him. No way was he pulling strings and manipulating situations when I was locked away, out of sight, and most definitely out of mind.

"I'm sorry, sir. I really don't know what you're talking about." I twisted my fingers together nervously and tried not to shift restlessly in my seat. I let the front part of my hair fall in front of my face when I bent my head, effectively hiding my face. Most assumed I kept it so long to fit in with my dreams of rockstar glory, but the truth was, it made a good shield when I needed a quick place to hide from the rest of the world. "I haven't spoken with my father in well over a year."

We had nothing to say to one another, and I firmly believed he was the sole reason my mother was no longer around. She might've been broken before he got a hold of her, but he never did anything to put her pieces back together. Instead, he shattered them even further with each infidelity, ensuring there was no way to repair the damage he’d done.

"You've attended this school long enough to know what a big deal the end-of-year concert is. Not only is it a great showcase for our students, but an opportunity to bring in well-known alumni who have succeeded in the arts. It is also, hands down, the school's biggest event for bringing in new donations from sponsors and parents. People want to invest in the best. They want to brag that their children go to a school that produces superstars and musical geniuses." He made an irritated noise and rocked back in his leather chair. "As of this morning, our headlining act has threatened to pull out of the concert if you get expelled or suspended. The school has already oversold tickets, so the loss would be unimaginable if the artist doesn't show."

Since I was part of the music program, I knew the headliner was a famous Broadway performer who had blown up in popularity in the last few years. He'd won several Tonys the previous season and was working on his next, much anticipated show. He was a notable alumnus for sure. It would be incredibly hard to replace him with someone of the same caliber on short notice. But, I still had no idea why he was suddenly involved in my situation, or why he was threatening the school on my behalf. And while his path might have crossed with my father's at some point, I highly doubted they had the kind of relationship where he would be willing to risk his reputation for me. The only person my father would ever stick his neck out for was himself.

None of what the former conductor was saying made any sense.

"I can understand why it may seem like I had some connections and pulled strings, but I assure you, that isn't the case. I have no idea why the school was threatened. I also have no idea why no one will listen when I say what happened was just an accident. I've never gotten into a physical altercation with another person."

I kept to myself and was far too introverted for that to happen. Conflict usually made my stomach sick, unless it was with my roommate. If I'd bumped into anyone other than Theo, I would've crawled into a hole and died from embarrassment.

"The school spent hours looking for footage of this so-called accident." The man's bushy eyebrows lifted in a thoroughly condescending manner. "None of the cameras in the area were working at the time. So, as it stands, you and the star of the baseball team are involved in some kind of cover-up. You should feel fortunate they were just looking at suspending you, not expelling you. The policy for fighting on campus is zero tolerance. The administration was already going lightly in your case. The baseball player is facing far greater consequences. And now, you've somehow managed to effectively tie their hands. It seems you won't be facing any kind of consequences."

I flinched because everything Mac had warned was going to happen was playing out in real-time. Theo and I had been arrogant and ignorant, thinking the truth would prevail in a place like this, where privilege was the most valuable commodity.

We should have listened to the frightening little maniac.

"I really had nothing to do with the punishment coming off the table." Not that I should've been facing any kind of criticism for a freaking accident in the first place.

The longer I was at this school, the further away from reality I felt I got.

The professor made a sound of disbelief and lifted his hand to shoo me away like I was an annoying insect buzzing around him. "Regardless, what is done is done. I wish you the best of luck on your final performance. All things considered, I would think you should be prepared to face your harshest criticism yet. You may have some of the best technical skills I've come across in all my years teaching at this school, but you lack any kind of presence, and disappear on stage. We cannot evaluate what we cannot see. This close to graduation, I hope you have put some serious consideration into what your back-up plan for your future looks like, Mr. Warren."

I was shaking.

Partly because I was angry, but mostly because it was never easy to hear your worst fears spoken aloud by someone else. I didn't need to hear from this pompous, righteous man that my dreams of being famous and playing music for a living were far-fetched and close to impossible. I lived with that knowledge every single second of every single day.

I pushed back the chair I was sitting in, making it screech on the floor. I got an annoyed look from the professor, but I was done caring about what he thought. It wasn't like he listened to a word I had to say in the first place.

I adjusted the strap of my backpack on my shoulder and lifted my hand to probe at my still-sore cheek. It was a startling kaleidoscope of colors now because I was on the pale side. Theo's face didn't look as bad as mine, and he looked like a badass even with his bumps and bruises, while I just looked like the loser of a fistfight. I hadn't seen much of him in the last few days, but he had mentioned his coach was also all over his ass about the condition of his face and his busted-up hand. All around, Theo got it worse than I did for the simple misunderstanding. And as sorry as I was about it, I also knew there was little I could do to help the situation since I wasn't forceful enough to make anyone who mattered listen to me.

And if my interactions with Theo were few and far between, Mac had been like a ghost over the last week. I hadn't seen him once, which was odd. He always seemed to have the habit of popping up when I least expected it just to stir shit up. Things around the dorm felt unnaturally still and quiet without the chaos Mac created on the regular.