Refuse the drink

“Forget it,” you tell her. “I have to drive home, and the police already don’t like me. I’m not giving them any excuses.” You firmly push the glass back toward her. “Besides, I don’t need to be drunk to have a good time.”

Alex’s expression is mild, but you can tell she’s impressed.

“The only reason you can possibly be here is that you want to beg,” she says. She’s reading between the lines intelligently, but you already knew she was smart. You can’t underestimate her. “So beg.”

You snort, then pull your glass back over and pick it up, but you only take a sip.

“Begging doesn’t have to be such a bad thing,” you say, twirling a little of your dark, curly hair in your fingers and letting her see your eyes rove her body. “But that would be pleasure. This is business, Alex. I have a problem. And you have a responsibility to help me with it. You aren’t going to help me because you love charity, you’ll help me because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Did you forget the part where I’m a dangerous criminal?” she asks, draining her drink in one gulp.

“So’s the person I have a problem with. She’s even more dangerous than you. She’s using her authority to take advantage of girls at the university, and to make it worse, they’re falling for her. Trust me, Alex. She’s doing more damage to them than you are to anybody.”

Alex isn’t smiling anymore. “What the hell are you talking about, kid?”

“I’m talking about Professor Martha Austen. You’re at the center of this community,” you say, pointing a finger at Alex. “Don’t tell me you don’t know about what she’s doing to those girls.”

But you can tell from Alex’s reaction that she didn’t know. You can also tell that Alex knows Martha Austen, just as you guessed. You weren’t sure it would be her, but you knew that someone in Free Gurls would know. You were right.

“What are you claiming that she’s doing?” Alex asks neutrally.

“Grades for sex. God knows what else.”

“That’s not exactly **** and terrorism.”

“You saying it’s OK?” you ask, raising your voice.

“I didn’t say that, kid. Keep your shirt on,” Alex tells you with a sigh. “Are you asking me to take your word for this?”

“I’m sharing a roof with the witnesses, and I have some evidence.”

“How am I supposed to help with this?”

“I have most of what I need, but I need a witness from outside CCL,” you say. “Otherwise it just looks like CCL has it in for her. We don’t have a great relationship with the school. You believe me. It’s written all over your face.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, kid.”

“No, I think I should,” you say. “I know Free Gurls care about this community. I do too. We’re on the same team. It’s not just schoolgirls that are ****. Are you in or out? Even if you didn’t know what she was doing, there’s no way that someone doesn’t. One witness. That’s all I need.”

“I have one in mind.”

“So you’re in?”

“Sure,” she replies, extending her hand toward you. “Long as I get a favor in return.”

“What favor?”

“You want my help or not?” she asks.

Great. She wants you to write her a blank check. You sense that you avoided certain humiliations by taking this approach, but there was no chance that she wasn’t going to assert herself in some way over you. Free Gurls aren’t going to be bullied.

But she’s asking a lot. These women are criminals, and you have a plan for your life that does not involve biker gangs.

Shake Alex’s hand?

Or walk away?