CALVIN

thirty-two: the confrontation

My expulsion hearing was scheduled for the twenty-first of January. However, Mr Taylor approached me after environmental class to tell me this: "Your case is being reconsidered."

"Oh," I said, not knowing what that meant. 

"Ms Vecoli has vouched for you. We're thinking of delaying the hearing until February. But..." he made sure no one was left in the class, and dropped his voice, "...we may not have one at all."

"Oh."

"Considering the... uh... the context of... of your situation, you see, we think that perhaps you should uh... undergo the - um - mandatory counselling hours. And be issued a very serious warning."

"Oh - okay - "

"This is all, of course, under the assumption that you... you... you are a good person, and won't make the - uh - same mistake again. Be warned, Elias, if you were to be, uh, caught with narcotics again - or drugs of any kind - there will follow immediate and irreversible consequences."

I caught up with Marc on the steps outside. He clapped my back. "Thanks, man," I said, feeling a weight come off my shoulders.

...

I went with Pat and Louisa to clubhaus on Tuesday night. It was a bit awkward for me, being with them, since I still remembered seeing Louisa and that other boy on the bed at her party. I had thought about telling Patrick, but never found the right time or place.

"Do you think we'll live forever?" asked Olivia, appearing suddenly at my side. I was leaning against the railing in the loft, watching the colourful lights swoop across my vision.

"Everyone dies," I said.

"Project yourself into the future. Even twenty years from now. By then, routine organ replacement might start coming into the stratosphere of  commercial product. Give it fifteen more years after that and immortality will be the new assumed norm. As long as we can keep replacing our organs, and if we can find ways to modify our aging hormones, why ever die?"

Olivia and I found ourselves back at her room. We had most of our clothes off, were making out on her bed, when suddenly she said, "Pee on me."

I stopped kissing her. "What?"

She was so urgent she was panting. "Pee on me. I don't mind. I don't think it's gross."

"Um..."

She kissed my jaw, kissed my lips, my cheeks. Started undoing my belt. "Just a little?"

"I..." I started leaning away from her, "I guess I just don't, you know, feel comfortable... peeing on you, exactly? It's just not something I usually do."

"I don't usually do it, either," she said, a look of excited crazy on her face, "but I'm trying to go through all the kinks. Just last night I had Furry sex."

"Ah," I said. "I mean, I guess I could... try?" I unzipped my trousers, and then realized what I was doing. "On second thought," I said, zipping them back up, "I... uh... I respect your... kink exploration," I got off her, off the bed, got my jumper off the floor, "but I gotta go."

"Okay," she said, "see you later."

Leaving her room, I came face to face with Ana, who was just leaving her own room. We stared at each other for a second. I realized I was still shirtless. "Hi," she said.

"'Sup." I was trying to find the right holes in my jumper. I put it on; it was inside out, but that didn't matter to me just then. "You good?"

"Yeah," she said. "Olivia?"