Women's Studies Ch. 07

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I hated what I was about to do, but after what my friends had been willing to do for me yesterday, I had to do something for at least one of them. Still, after being treated as I had been, this would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Would it be possible for me to see Mr. Decker for a moment?" I asked his secretary.

"That shouldn't be a problem dear," she, said looking up to me from her desk. "Just a moment."

After that, she pressed a button on an intercom on her desk and announced, "Miss Allen is here to see you."

"Send her in," came his reply after a moment's silence.

There was a mechanical click at his door, which I assumed was the magnetic lock. Taking an even breath to calm my nerves and strengthen my resolve, I opened the door. Mr. Decker was sitting at his desk with several papers and folders spread out before him. His expression was curious as I slowly entered and stepped up to his desk.

"I realized that I never thanked you yesterday," I said, feeling bile rising in my stomach as I tried to keep an appreciative look on my face. "You didn't have to make that exception for me, and I know it could have been a lot worse. So, thank you."

He looked taken aback by my sweet tone and apology coupled with thanks. He studied me for a moment before he finally spoke, leaning back in his chair. "I appreciate you making the time to come here. It shows character. I was wrong about you yesterday, and today I can honestly say that I look forward to seeing you here for a long time."

"Thank you, Sir," I said, hating that I used that word for him.

"I'm sorry to cut this short Miss Allen, but I have a lot of work to do today," he said, gesturing to all the paperwork on his desk.

"Of course," I said, turning to go.

I opened his door a couple feet to slip out and paused, turning back to him sharply. This was the moment I was truly waiting for. I hated playing out this false pretense, inflating the ego and self-importance of such a profound douche-nozzle, but it was the only thing any of us could think of that would get me into this room without arousing suspicion or committing a felony.

I pressed my side against the open door and quickly dipped my hand into my purse. I easily found the open bottle of clear nail polish that had been carefully placed in a small plastic bag. Dipping my index finger inside, I came into contact with a cold wet substance. I carefully removed my hand from my purse, making sure I didn't smear any on the way out, and blindly found the keypad on the opposite side of the door. Feeling my heart race, I quickly coated the buttons with the clear polish, making sure every one of them had a thin coat.

"Oh, and Mr. Decker," I said, pretending like I had just remembered. "Have a great day!"

"You too, Miss Allen," he said, smiling his creepy smile.

My heart was hammering as I made my slow escape from his office and the Admin Building. The paint on my fingers was still wet, and my only hope was that the thin coat I had left on the buttons would dry before anyone had to use them.

When I had seen Skylar in the Assistant Deans office, things started slowly moving into place in my mind before I could realize it. She had been wearing that same red nail polish at the Library, and it had glowed in the black light. I figured there must be a clear kind that would act the same, and my plan began to form. With the buttons now coated in a thin layer, every time he used his keypad he would slowly rub away the paint, eventually leaving the buttons he didn't use to glow underneath a black light, greatly narrowing the amount of combinations we would need to try in order to guess the correct one.

The file Kennedy needed in order to find out the identity of her father was in the Endowment Files, hidden away in the office of none other than Assistant Dean Decker. Before, we knew what we needed, but had no plan as to how we would get it, now...it was only a matter of time.

Once outside the Admin Building, I quickened my pace, eager to reach the girls and tell them it had been a success.