Read Hot Off the Press (Ridgemont University Book 1) Page 17

The week after Olivia left had been a frenzy for Simon. He had been calling and emailing management, telling them that he would like to discuss abuse in university residences, but everyone was giving him the runaround. It was frustrating, but he was already putting together a good draft of the story to publish, and he knew that only a single interview with management would be enough to legitimize his article and boost its credibility.

  Simon sat in the office as the week was drawing to a close. He was exhausted, and had hardly been sleeping because of being so focused on the story. He was, of course, also consumed with guilt over the way he had treated Olivia. He knew that she was only trying to help him. He knew that he should’ve done nothing more than be supportive about her engagement. But everything was getting too much for him. He was glad that he didn’t have to deal with the distraction of Olivia constantly pushing him to talk to Ian. He could focus all of his energy on the story and make sure that Zuko got some justice. Simon massaged his temples with his thumbs and shut his eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. His vision was blurry from a lack of sleep. He had compiled news stories on his desk, and even though they were neatly stacked, there was so much material that Simon began to feel claustrophobic in the Weekly’s offices. He decided to call the office of Professor Riley again, to try and confront him directly about what his son had done. All of his previous calls had gone unreturned, and Simon was already familiar with the perky voice of Riley’s secretary.

  “Professor Riley’s office, can I help you?” she answered in her high-pitched, pleasant tone.

  “Hello, this is Simon Northbrook from the Weekly again. I’d like to find out if Professor Riley is able to make an appointment with me yet?”

  The secretary did not answer in her usual stern way with another excuse. Instead, she maintained her pleasant tone and said, “Ah, Mr. Northbrook. Yes, I’ve passed on your many messages to the Professor. And I have some good news to report, young man! Professor Riley says that a meeting can be arranged for this afternoon at 4. Would that suit you?”

  Simon was shocked. It would have been much easier for Riley to just ignore his call again. But he had to see him, to see his reaction when asked about what his son, Conrad, had done. He obviously knew about it if he was willing to help pay off disgruntled students. Conrad was terrorizing others and he deserved to pay for it.

  “I’ll be there!” Simon said, and took down the details of the meeting from the secretary. He felt exhilarated. This could finally be the piece of the puzzle that blew the story wide open. Would Riley really be able to deny what they had done?

  Simon decided that he deserved a nap before the meeting. Besides, he had to be fresh and awake in order to confront Riley with the truth. He walked back to his flat, feeling the sun on his face. He had been indoors for most of the past week, and only then noticed that the telltale signs of summer fading were all around him. The streets were littered with leaves and the wind had a slight bite. Some of the students he passed were wearing jackets. Simon reflected on the many changes that he was being confronted with recently. Olivia was getting married. Ian was retiring as editor. Simon felt like he was changing as well; a new sense of determination was sparked inside of him. He lazily opened the front door, ambled slowly to his bedroom, collapsed onto the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.