"Okay," said Lucy, "I got good news and bad news."

"Lucy..." I said testily.

Lucy had refused to tell us anything until we were back in her office. That wasn't a good sign. Neither was, you know, the giant protest to protect the guy we were relying on to get expelled. I wasn't in the mood to deal with any of Lucy's nonsense right now.

Nick placed a warning hand on my shoulder.0

"What's the bad news?" he asked.

I huffed and sat back in my seat. I tried to shrug off Nick's hand. He tightened his grip.

Lucy grimaced, "The good news is that your professors sent me your test results, and—"

I tried to wiggle out of Nick's grip, but he was too strong. I slapped his hand, and he let go.

"Lucy," I growled, "What's the bad news? Are you getting rid of this stupid jerk or not?"

"Well, hey," Lucy raised her hands defensively, "I never said I was gonna get rid of Kermit—"

"I was talking about Nick!" I said, "Lucy! What's happening with my room?"

"Okay," Lucy sighed, "That's the bad news. I really thought the kid was gonna go. The school board were pissed, you know? And I knew there was that petition going around, but, come on. College kids are always complaining about something."

"No shit," Nick muttered, casting me a glance.

"Maybe if the people who work here were any good at their jobs—" I started.

"Alright, alright!" Lucy protested, "Well, the board was all set to ignore the petition. But then, before the kid's hearing today, Dean Monroe took a look at it. And he realized that one of the names right at the bottom belonged to the son of one of the school's biggest donors."

"Oh no," Nick groaned.

"What!" I said, "So they just let him go? They just completely changed the rules because some stupid rich kid complained?"

I realized Nick and Lucy were staring at me. My cheeks went red. Why were they looking at me like...

Oh.

Oh no.

"So in a way," Lucy said, "I'm not really the person you should be mad at."

"You're right," I turned on Nick, "You made me sign that stupid petition!"

"I didn't make you do anything!" Nick said, "Isn't your dad a lawyer? Didn't he teach you not to sign shit before you read it?"

"First of all, my dad's not a lawyer," I said, "His law firm holdings aren't even a significant part of his portfolio. And second, it never would have happened if you weren't drooling over that ACORN girl in the first place!"

Lucy arched an eyebrow, "Really, Big Dom? Miel Trudeau? You don't get enough of the whole feisty, shrill thing at home?"

"Excuse me!" I snapped, "Can you not mock me? To my face? Right after you've ruined my entire life?"

"Okay, kiddo, easy," said Lucy, "Look, it's not forever. They didn't let Kermit off the hook, not officially. That would've been, y'know, a decision. And Victor's a lot of things, but god knows he ain't decisive. They just postponed his hearing."

"Until when?" I said.

"Next semester," Lucy said.

"Fuck," said Nick.

My mind was racing. Okay. The Kermit Tsu thing hadn't panned out. That revelation had felt like a punch to the gut — or at least what I assumed it would feel like to be punched in the gut. But I was not putting up with Nick for the rest of the semester! I had clothes in the mail! There had to be another solution.

"Who else?" I said, "Kermit Tsu can't be the only rebel at this school. Is anyone else getting kicked out?"

"Nobody with a single room," said Lucy, "I could move you in with another roommate—"

"How about exchange students?" I said, "Is... is someone going overseas? And you could put Nick in their room?"

"Kiddo, we don't have an exchange program," said Lucy, "I don't know if you've picked up on it, but this place isn't super well run."

I gritted my teeth and glanced around the room, hoping to find some kind of miracle amongst the clutter of Lucy's office. As usual, Nick was in the way, hunched over with his head in his hands.

"Give up, man," he said.

"No, wait!" I said, "Lucy, you said that Nick was meant to be in another room. Why can't he just go back to that room?"

Lucy winced, "Well... it wouldn't really be fair to kick the kid out after a month..."

"And this is fair?" I said, "Lucy, we made a deal! And I lived up to it! I don't know who this other kid is, but boo hoo for him! He got a month of luxury, now he can give up his private room and go back to—"

"It's a fucking handicapped room!" said Nick.

"What?" I looked at him. He had a sour look on his face. I looked back at Lucy.

Lucy shrugged, "Yeah."

"I thought you got a single room because of your scholarship," I said, "The... you know, the Shirley Templeton—"

"The Shelley Tuberton Scholarship for Disabled Athletes," he muttered, "It comes with an accessible room, with, you know, fucking rails everywhere, and there's a nurse on staff, and... look, I don't need that shit, okay?"

"Oh my god," I said, "So then don't use the rails! Don't call the nurse!"

Nick barked out a laugh, "I don't need that shit, and there's some other kid who does. And they can't go to college unless they have that room, and I'm not gonna take it away from them!"

"So instead you're taking it away from me?" I said.

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but then he sighed and deflated.

"Yeah," he muttered, "Sure. I guess so."

I gawped at him. That was it? I looked at Lucy.

She shrugged helplessly, "I'm sorry kiddo. Next semester."

I stared at Nick. His dark eyes, which I had seen blazing with anger so many times, were downcast, dull, empty. He slumped back in his seat.

I couldn't believe it. That was really it? He had nothing else to say? This loud, obnoxious boy, who had spent the last month yelling at me and slamming doors and had pushed me up against my desk and threatened me to my face... he was just sitting there.

"Fuck!" I burst out, "What the fuck? Are you serious?"

Nick looked at me in shock. Lucy blinked.

"Kiddo, I—"

"Don't call me kiddo!" I yelled. I leapt to my feet, "I'm eighteen years old! I'm an adult! I'm a grown..."

My voice wavered for a second, but I pushed through, "I'm a man! I came to college to be my own man, and now I have to spend the next fucking semester with him?"

"Nick," Nick said sharply, "You're being an asshole."

"Good!" I flung my arms out, "I fucking hope so! Why aren't you? You're always yelling and stomping around and giving me crap for everything I do, but this, this is where you just sit there? This is where you shut up?"

"Nick," he said, firmly. The fire had returned to his eyes. My heart pounded. "It's not Lucy's fault. Let it go."

"What?" I snarled, "Are you seriously just gonna sit here and take it?"

"Yeah!" Nick exploded, "I fucking am, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because sometimes life just fucking sucks!" he burst up from his seat, looming over me, "Life just sucks, and there's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes shit goes wrong that you can't fucking fix. And you can bitch and whine as much as you want, but guess what, Nick? There's no fucking maid who's gonna show up and clean up your mess. So just sit down, and shut up, and fucking deal with it."

I stared at him, aghast. He was so mad, he was actually shaking. But then his gaze dropped, and I saw him glance at his plastic right hand.

"Just fucking deal with it," he muttered again.

We stood there in silence for a few seconds, then Nick sighed and sank back down onto his seat, his slender body folding back in on itself like a collapsing building.

I shook my head.

"No," I said, "No. No. No, no, no. Fucking no!"

I turned on my heel and stormed out the door. I heard Lucy call out from behind me.

"Little Dom!"