I was waiting outside his office after classes. He smiled when he saw me—or at least did the best he could with what he had. “Everything okay?” Simon asked. “Doug alright?”
I nodded. My stomach was once again tied up into so many knots that it would take a team of Boy Scouts with a slew of merit badges to untie them all. “Everyone’s fine,” I replied. “I was just hoping we could talk.”
He c****d his head and shrugged. “Sure.” He pointed to the door of his office. “Please.”
And so, I pleased. A second or two later, I was sitting across from him. It felt weird to be alone with him. It felt even weirder to be about to tell him what I was about to tell him.
“The grant you mentioned yesterday,” I began with. “Was it out of the ordinary that the councilman-turned-senator was the one who reque
