Pushing Limits (23 page)

“Yeah, the blond,
uptight, bitchy one.”  She shrugs.  Her face is completely blasé, and
I try hard not to giggle.

Sally laughs, and
it echoes through the room, looking at me she says, “Your aunt is cool, Amber.”

Aunt Patty smiles
shyly as I continue, “Yeah, that’s her.  Apparently she didn’t like that
Sally moved out of her room and was assigned to this room.  She got
jealous, and she wouldn’t leave Sally alone.  She’s under the impression
that we’re sleeping together.  If she gets rid of me, she can get Sally
back
- ”

“- Are you guys a
couple?”

“I wish.” 
Sally sighs. 

“Westin…” I say,
eyeing her to shut up.

“What?  Have
I made it a secret?” she asks, giggling, “Because I think I’ve made myself
perfectly clear.”

Flashing my hand
in front of her face, I say, “Focus.”    I fling my hands up in
the air and giggle, “Not happenin’, Westin.  Uh, hello, you just met my
aunt.  Can you keep it in your pants for like five minutes?” 

I turn to Aunt
Patty, unable to resist an exasperated sign, “Lily’s the one spreading the
rumors about my buying my way in, she took the message down from mom and had
the billboard put up so there was no doubt that mother gave money to the
college.  After that she sent a video of me kissing a guy to my boyfriend
- ”

“ –
You have a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, Tommy.”

Her brows shoot up
her forehead.  “You’re dating Tommy?  The guy who drove us here when
we arrived?”  She smiles, squeezing my hand, “Oh honey.  Good for
you.  He’s really cute.”  

“Yeah, we were
- ”

“Were?” Aunt Patty
asks.

“Yeah, when Lily
sent him the video of me being kissed, she cut it off before I slapped the shit
out of the guy, so he thought I was cheating on him.”

“So, the video
came from Lily?”

“We traced it to
this building, but yeah, we think she sent it to him after we discovered all my
grades were changed.”

She furrows her
brow.  “How did she change your grades?”

“She’s an IT major
and works in the Chancellor’s office.  When grades posted and I had C’s
and D’s, instead of A’s and one B, I talked to my professors and had them file
correction forms.  I knew the grades were wrong so I thought it was some
mistake.  After a couple of them mentioned that they had transmitted an A,
I asked a friend of ours who’s a junior and an IT major.  He said that she
could have hacked in and changed the grades.”

“Can you prove
it?”

“I can’t prove it,
but Jerrod, that’s our friend, thinks with an investigation, they might find
that she left a digital fingerprint.  I can’t accuse her.  It’s a
serious charge and why would Chadwick believe me over her?”

She leans back,
smirking.  “She didn’t exactly take a shine to you, did she?”

“No.  If you
talk to my advisor, you could persuade, hell, insist, that he file a complaint
on my behalf.   He’s really cool, but if I had you there while I
talked to him, it would look less like schoolgirl drama and more like a
legitimate infraction worthy of a formal investigation.”

“I thought you
said he was probably leaving for the break.  Shouldn’t we head over to his
office, if we want to catch him before he leaves?” she asks, grabbing her purse
from the floor and standing to leave.

***

“Professor
Stewart?”  I stick my head into the open door of his office.  Piles
of papers are stacked everywhere on his desk but by the looks of things, more
papers have come in and none of gone out.  

“Yes, Amber. 
What can I do for you?” he asks as his kind eyes look up wearily.

“I’d like to
introduce you to my guardian, Patty Kennedy.  She’s in town this week for
a visit, and she wanted to meet you.”  I gesture for Aunt Patty to come
in.

Aunt Patty steps
into the office and stops for a fraction of a second once she sees Professor
Stewart.  It’s only a slight hesitation, but long enough for me to notice
her eyes drink him in.  She continues toward him, smiling and extends her
hand.  “It’s nice to meet you, Professor Stewart.  I’ve heard so much
about you.  I’m Amber’s aunt.”

Professor Stewart
stands gallantly towering above her and smiles broadly.  His blue eyes
twinkling as he takes her hand in both of his, saying, “It’s nice to meet you,
Miss…or is it Mrs. Kennedy?”

“Miss
Kennedy.”  My aunt smiles shyly as they continue to shake hands. 
Neither appears to want to end the touch.  “Please call me Patty.”

“Patty, it is,” he
says, lightly patting her hand.  “It’s not often that I have guardians
come by to meet me.  It’s refreshing to see you take such an interest in Amber’s
education.”  He smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners as they
discreetly sweep up and down.  “Certainly not one as tidy as you, my
dear.”  Flashing a charming smile, he turns to his small make-shift tea
station.  “May I offer you some tea?”

“Do you have any
Earl Gray?” she asks, smiling and apparently delighting in the fact that he is
checking her out.

“A woman after my
own heart, Earl Gray is my favorite.” 

“I’m good,
Professor,” I say dryly. 
Do they even notice I am still in the
room?  Uh, hello?

“Of course.” 
He turns to make the tea. 

Aunt Patty turns
her face to me, mouthing, “Oh my God…Gorgeous…those eyes,” fanning her face to
belabor the point.

As he turns, she smiles graciously, “Thank you,” taking the cup and
saucer.

“Where are my manners?  Please sit,” he says.  He waits for
both of us to sit before taking a seat himself.  “Now, what I can do for
you.  Oh, incidentally, Amber, I filled the correction report yesterday
with Ms. Chadwick’s office.”

“Thank you, Professor,” I say, wiping my hands down my jeans I take a
deep breath and continue, “I actually wanted to discuss that with you.  I
spoke with all of my professors yesterday and more than one mentioned that they
had transmitted the correct grade for me.  What is the likelihood that four
professors would transmit a grade for a single student correctly and that grade
would be posted incorrectly by the Chancellor’s office?  I could
understand if one grade was incorrectly posted by the professor, but all of
them transmitted the correct grade.  Have any other students come to you
asking for a correction from my class?”

“No, you are the only one who requested a change, so far.  The
summer break is next week though, so I may see some students the following week
who disagree with their grades.”  He turns to my aunt, his lips form a
gracious smile encased in his salt and pepper beard saying, “That happens all
too frequently I am afraid.”

“I’m sure it does.  Kids nowadays,” she says.  Her sympathetic
green eyes and gentle smile garner a sweet smile from the professor.

“That’s my point.  Students complain that they didn’t get the grade
they deserved.  You gave me an A and transmitted an A, correct?”

“Yes, I believe so.  Let me look at the transmittal report.” 
He shuffles through pile after pile mumbling about it being right here and
switching to another pile and mumbling “Bloody Hell” and “Bullocks” as he
searches.  After several minutes, he finds what he’s looking for and
studies the page.  “Yes, I transmitted an A.”

“Don’t you think that’s a tad suspicious, Professor Stewart?”  Aunt
Patty suggests.

“Please call me Alec.”  His mouth curves into an inviting
smile.  Considering it for a moment, he says, “Yes, I do think that’s
suspicious.”

“We would like to request an investigation.  Amber has had some…difficulties,
with another student who works in the Chancellor’s office, and it seems
suspicious to me that her grades appear to have been changed after they were
transmitted to the Chancellor’s office.  Is there anything I need to do to
get this underway?”

“No, I can file the complaint on Amber’s behalf.  May I ask the name
of the student that Amber has been having difficulty with?”

“Lily McAllister,” Aunt Patty says, placing her teacup on one of the few
available spaces in the room. 

Turning to me, he says, “Not to worry, Amber, we’ll sort all this out.”

“Thank you, Professor Stewart.  I appreciate your help.”  I
stand to leave.

He stands and crosses gracefully around his desk, taking my aunt’s hand
in both of his, and says, “It was delightful meeting you, Patty.   I
know you are here to see your niece, but are you by any chance free for dinner
tonight?” he asks, still holding her hand.

“I’m sorry, but we have plans tonight.”  She smiles shyly. 

He nods, releasing her hand.  Disappointment flashes across his face
briefly.

She glances tentatively at me and says, “But…if you are free tomorrow, I
would love to go to dinner with you.” 

He grins broadly, “Wonderful.  Which hotel did you book?”

“I’m at the Four Seasons.”  Aunt Patty smiles, her light green eyes
darkening as she adds with a low murmur, “Room 612.”

“Wonderful.”  Professor Stewart replies, “Seven o’clock?”

“Yes, I’ll look forward to it.”  She smiles coyly.

As we walk into the hall, she says to me, “I hope that was ok.  You
don’t mind that I accepted, do you?”

“Not at all.  If you like him, you should go out with him.”

Glancing down, smiling shyly, she muses, “Wow, that accent.  Imagine
hearing that all night.  Incredibly hot.”

“Eww, stop…
TMI
, Aunt Patty.”  My hands up
to stop her.

“Just warning you kiddo, I may have to jump his bones after dinner. 
He’s positively gorgeous.  And so gallant, hmmm,” she says fanning herself
again, “Yum-my.” 

“
TMI
,
TMI
,
TMI
.”  I laugh.  In a pleading tone, I say,
“Please stop talking.”

“I love convertibles, don’t you?” Aunt Patty says, her ponytail flapping
around in the wind as we head down ranch road 620 toward the lake.  The
sun is beaming down and it’s already warm as we cruise down the two lane
stretch of road.

“Yeah, this is awesome,” I say.

“So, keep going down this road until you get to Comanche Trail, and I’ll
let you know when the Oasis is coming up.  They have good Mexican food and
decent margs. 
It’s
a few more miles.” 
Sally leans back and continues to partially recline in the back seat.  Her
long tan legs can’t quite fit flat on the seat so she has her feet propped up
on the side of the car. 

My aunt rented a blue mustang convertible for the entire week, and we are
stylin’.   The wind blows a nice breeze.  The sun is shining,
and there’s a ting of summer heat.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Tunes
waft on the breeze.  The radio is set to some old rock station that plays
bands like the Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Boston.  The radio
blasts some classic Allman Brothers and we’re on our way down to the lake in
cutoffs and bikinis ready to catch some rays.

“Ok, here’s the turn.  It’s Comanche Trail.  Go down this road
and turn in.”  The parking lot drops us at a huge stone three-story
building that looks like someone’s house.  Trees and flowers decorate the
front of the brown stone house. 

When we walk in, to the right and left are private party rooms. 
Ahead is an expansive open area with hundreds of tables.  The main dining
room contains stone pillars reaching from floor to the top of the three story
building framing the edge of the room.  Straight ahead is a wall of
windows. 

“How many?” the hostess asks.

“Three.  Can we get a table outside please?”  Sally flashes her
broadest smile.

“Sure.  Lower deck, ok?”  Sally nods.  “Right this
way.”  The hostess leads us down a corridor to the farthest part of the
house and out onto a deck looking out over the water.  The lake is clear
and blue.  Peaceful.  The place isn’t too busy even though it’s
summer.  We keep our sun umbrella down so we can catch some rays, even
though the sun is beating down, a cool breeze is blowing.

My aunt points to a statue hanging from the highest deck of a woman mid
swan dive her arms outstretched.  “Wow, look at that.” 

The bats are still the coolest thing I’ve ever seen here, but that
statue?  It’s amazing.

“What can I get you ladies?” our waiter asks.

Sally looks at us and giggles, “Pitcher of margaritas, por favor. 
Can you make it top shelf and keep ‘em comin’, sweetie?  If the pitcher is
getting low, don’t be shy, bring us another one, ok?”  Her eyes glitter
with mischief, and her smile is something akin to a Cheshire cat.  “And,
let’s get some guac and chips for now.”  Reaching into her purse, she
pulls out some plastic and her ID, handing it to the waiter saying, “As far as
food, goes, I think we’re going to need a few more minutes, but feel free to
bring a pitcher as soon as that’s ready.”  She smiles with a wink. 

The star struck waiter checks her ID – barely – and grins.  “Can I
see your IDs?”  He smiles expectantly at Aunt Patty and me.

Aunt Patty giggles and hands him hers.  I hand him mine after
digging it out of my purse.  He checks them both and returns them with a
smile.  “I’ll be right back with your pitcher and those chips.”

“Thanks, Darlin’,” she calls to his back.

“You are such a flirt, Westin.”  I smile, rolling my eyes and
studying my menu.

“Jealous?”  Sally teases.

“No.”  I snort.  “Not happenin’…nada.”

She giggles and says, “So, should I call you Patty, or would you prefer
Ms. Kennedy?  Or as my mama would say, ‘Sally Westin, do not be so
sassy.  Always address adults as either Mrs. Whatever or Mrs. with their
first name.’  Would you prefer Ms. Patty?”

“Patty is fine.  I’m not that formal.”  She points at me
chuckling.  “Now, this one would never dream of calling me Patty.” 

“You’re Aunt Patty, always will be.  I can’t help it.”  I smile
at Patty.  A glimmer of a smile is there, but there’s something
else.  Her shades hide her eyes, but her mouth has a strange twist to it. 
“Anyway, since when have you ever wanted me to call you Patty?”

Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.  “Honey, call me whatever
you want, either Aunt Patty or Patty works for me.”

The waiter is back with a pitcher of margs and the chips and guac. 
We study the menu while he pours us each a margarita. 

“So, Sally, where are you from?”  My aunt asks. 

“Alabama.  Birmingham, born and raised,” she says with a proud grin.

“So, what brought you to Austin, Texas?” Aunt Patty closes her menu and
leans back in her metal chair.

“I went to my first year of college at the University of Alabama, but
that didn’t work out so well so I transferred.”  Sally glances at me and
continues, “This is my second term here.”

“What happened at the University of Alabama?  Did you party too
much?” My aunt says with an understanding look on her face.  “I know it’s
easy to forget about classes and want to party all the time the first year
you’re away from home.”

“Nope, it wasn’t grades, or partying.”  Sally hesitates and then
launches in with her head held high.  “I had an affair with a teacher, and
her husband walked in on us.  He kinda lost his shit, really.  He was
a teacher at the university, too, so he complained to the dean.”  She
shrugged.  “Everyone,” using air quotes, “thought it was in the best
interest of all concerned if I left rather than launching an investigation into
a fraternization charge.”  Sally reaches for the pitcher and pours another
for herself looking at my aunt impassively.

I guess part of what the girl in the liquor store said was true.
 
I wonder if it was all true.  Taking a sip from my drink, I realized it
didn’t matter.  I didn’t give two shits what Sally has done. 
Ever. 

Aunt Patty pats her hand.  “Well, I hope if nothing else, your
teacher was good in bed for all the grief you went through.”  She takes a
sip of her margarita, giving Sally a wicked grin.

“One of my top ten, actually.”  Sally leans in, her lips stretch
into a leer.  “If I had it to do all over again, I most definitely
would.”  Scoffing, she flips her hand in the air.  “Why in God’s
green earth she was married is still a mystery to me.” 

“People do strange things when they’re young.”  She looks across the
lake.  Her voice trails off, softening as she says, “Pressure from family,
conformity with social standards.  My generation was not as free is
yours.”  She sighs, pouring herself another marg. 

Sally shakes her head and looks out over the deck.  Her voice has a
tinge of sadness to it as she says, “My parents expect me to get married so I guess
things haven’t changed that much.” 

“When they heard about you, and the professor was that when they realized
you were gay?”

She says with a smirk, “Nah, my mom caught me in high school. 
They’ve known for quite some time.”

“Did they give you a hard time?”  Aunt Patty ventures a look my way.

“Nah, we’re WASPs.”  She sighs with a soft giggle.  “We prefer
to ignore diversity within the family.” 

“My sister takes it one step further,” Aunt Patty looks at me with a
sneer.  “She tends to ignore anything that does not directly affect
her.” 

“Yeah, when she found out I was seeing Angela she ripped me a new
one.”  I sigh with a frown.  “Not for my sexual orientation but
because it would take the spotlight off of her if I came out.  I would
become the focus of her campaign instead of her.”  I turn to Aunt Patty, I
lean toward her.  “I think she knew something was up between Angela and
me.  I would catch her staring at us when she was at campaign
headquarters, and she would ask these completely innocent questions about
Angela.  I bet that’s how she got the story out of you.”  I smile a
lopsided smile. 
Yeah, I’m finally giving you an opportunity to tell
your side of the story.

“Yeah, she did her homework.  She acted like she already knew, and
we were merely talking about something we both knew all about.”  She grits
her teeth.  “And I was so gullible, I fell for it hook, line and
sinker.  I thought my sister was happy, like I was.  Happy that you
had found someone.   Someone who would make you happy.  You were
always so sad while you were growing up.  I guess when your parents ship
you off to boarding school, you had to get pretty lonely.”

I pick up my glass in a toast laughing, “So it’s agreed, my mom is a
total bitch.  Here’s to saying fuck off to your parents.”

Aunt Patty snickers with a devilish grin.  “I couldn’t agree
more.  I wish I had the same courage when I was your age.”

“Yeah, but she still holds her money over my head,” I say, taking a swig
for courage and glancing at Sally.

She grins at me and nods her head at Aunt Patty saying, “Go ahead. 
Ask.”

“What?” Aunt Patty says.

“I want to get a job, at a recording studio.  I
-
”

“ –
You want to drop out of school?” she asks,
clearly alarmed.

“No.  Hear me out….I want to start learning the ends and outs of
being a producer.  The best way to do that while I go to school is to get
a job, or an internship at one of the recording studios.”  I glance at
Sally for some reassurance. 
Time to jump in with both feet
. 
“I’m lucky I’m here in Austin.  They have a ton of studios.  The
competition is hardcore, I’m sure.  I have to be able to work when they
need me, and I don’t relish trying to get there by taking the bus.  Most
of them are downtown and it wouldn’t be the safest way to get back to school.” 
Straightening my back, “I’d like to get a Harley.  Do you think you can
persuade mom to let me get one?” 

I wait in anticipation as my aunt pulls her phone out and sends a
text.  “Ok, done,” she says with a smile.  “Your mom made me your
guardian.  She put the decision making in my hands.”  Giggling to
herself, she says, “I don’t think she realized what that would entail…and this
may successfully push her over the edge if she puts two and two
together.”  Looking at both of us with a flippant shrug of her shoulders,
“I guess that’s tough shit for her, huh?  She told me to e-mail her
accountant for anything you needed.  As long as you get good grades, and
you did,” She squeezes my hand wiggling with excitement, “that we could get a
loan in your name and get you transportation.  What was your GPA this term
again?”

“Three point seven five,” I say with pride, surprising even myself.

“Great job.  I’m proud of you, sweetie.”  She smiled with
sincerity.  “I’m also proud of you for wanting to get a job.  You could
be satisfied with just going to school.  You don’t have to work, but I
admire you getting out there and trying to learn the industry.  I think
that’s great.  We’ll get something this week.  We can go tomorrow,
but I plan on being indisposed the next day,” she says with a wink.

“Aunt Patty!”

“What?” Sally asks, her eyes looking from me to Aunt Patty.

I roll my eyes, take a swig of margarita and say, “Aunt Patty has a date
with Professor Stewart tomorrow night, and she plans to jump his bones.”

“Damn straight.”  Aunt Patty’s mouth curves into a wicked grin as
she pours herself another margarita.

“Way to go, darlin’.” Sally says, raising her hand for a high five.

Aunt Patty laughs and gives Sally’s hand a firm slap saying, “It’s been
too long.  That man will have no idea what hit him.  I plan to keep
him talking all night long.”  She giggles.  “I love an English
accent, don’t you?”

We all crack up, and the waiter arrives holding a fresh pitcher.  I
look out on the lake and think about him, again. 
Damn it.  I need
to get over him.
 
Tommy obviously has, or he would have called by
now
.

“What’s that look about?” Aunt Patty asks, her face filled with concern.

“Tommy?” Sally asks, pensively.

“Yeah,” I say looking away.

“No.  You don’t get to do that to me anymore.  Spill it,” Sally
says with a frown.

“I miss him.  I know I shouldn’t, but I do.  He had a way of
getting under my skin.  It seemed like he really wanted to know me,” I say
looking at my margarita.  “I know I’m completely lame.  It’s not like
I knew him that well after such a short time.  How could you know a person
after such a short period of time?  I feel like such an idiot.”

“No you’re not.”  Aunt Patty’s sea green eyes narrow. 
“Sometimes it only takes a few dates to make a connection with someone. 
Some couples date for years and never have that kind of a connection. 
Others have just a few dates and run off and get married.”   Aunt
Patty’s eyes are filled with concern.  “Don’t minimize the time you had
with him and waste time beating yourself up about it.  You obviously cared
about him.” 

“I did.  I have to face facts.  I wasn’t up front, and it bit
me in the ass.  It’s just…I thought he would at least tell me he was
done.  He tells me he needs time, and I never hear from him?  The
very least he could have done was to text me that he was done.  Who does
that anyway?”  I ask my voice rising.

“I don’t know.  Maybe he hasn’t contacted you for some perfectly
good reason,” Sally says. 

“Yeah, like he’s back with his ex or something.”  I scowl muttering,
“He said they were still friends.  He probably hooked up with her.”

“You don’t know that,” Sally says.  She’s trying to stop my temper
from rising, but it’s a bit late for that.

I murmur, “My head says that, but my heart still fucking feels like he
ripped it out and stomped all over it.”  I grab my glass and suck down the
rest of the margarita.

“Sounds like we need to get some shots.”  Sally gestures for the
waiter.