I didn’t realize Dr. Haynes even knew who my father was, but I guess it made sense. You didn’t become a leader in the industry without studying the major players, and my father was a giant in his field. “Dad is definitely leading Plotify into the future. I actually hope to work for him after graduation.”

“I bet you do,” Dr. Haynes said. “You’d be a fool not to. Plotify is one of the largest music streaming services on the planet. I know lots of undergrads who would burn their thesis papers for the kind of connections you have.”

That statement left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I ignored it. Dr. Haynes wasn’t necessarily wrong. “Thank you,” I managed to squeak out.

“Anyway, I’m actually checking in with Mr. Davis a little later to hear his perspective on how things are going.” Dr. Haynes looked at me, almost as if waiting to see if there was anything I wanted to confess.

“Great!” I said with all the confidence I could muster. “I’m looking forward to hearing any feedback that will help me improve.”

Dr. Haynes seemed satisfied with that answer. He had a wrinkle that appeared in between his eyes when he really focused on something. It added to his appearance of sophistication. “Good. Let’s touch base tomorrow morning. We can go over the volunteer opportunities you find, and we can have an informal performance review to help identify where you are really shining and see if there’s anything we can do better. Have a good rest of your day,” he said with a warm smile.

I left his office and immediately sent a text to Oakley.

Me: Hey!

Oakley: Hello?

I cringed. I didn’t usually text him just to chat, so it was probably better if I just jumped right in.

Me: I heard you have a meeting with Dr. Haynes today. What are you going to tell him?

I stared at my phone screen and saw dots. Then nothing. I waited not so patiently for the dots to reappear. I needed to know if he was going to pull a stunt like last time. I didn’t think he would, but we also hadn’t really talked in the past couple of days since the party. He wasn’t super happy with me for trying to press him about his family.

Oakley: Wouldn’t you like to know.

Me: Actually, yes. I would. That’s kind of why I’m asking.

I continued to walk out of the building, waiting for his response. Why couldn’t he just give me a straight answer? It was like he enjoyed fucking with me.

Oakley: I should tell him that you put Life360 on my phone so you could track me. A bit invasive, don’t you think?

Me: It makes following you easier.

Oakley: You sound like a serial killer. Or a stalker. Or both.