Cooper was still there. He was staring at him. Holy shit, he was losing everything come Monday. His place at the academy, this job, his home, his reputation, and, worst of all, the respect of someone he truly liked so much. Eli wanted to throw up even as he kept pretending to be fine, using the pole to get him back up to his feet.

He never saw the man leave. He wasn't sure he wanted to.

The rest of the weekend was a literal nightmare for him as he spent every waking moment when he wasn't doing something in terror of school on Monday. Of being called to Cooper or the administration and told that his life as he knew it was over. Shit!

Still, he packed his bags on Monday anyway and went to school anyway just to see what...would happen.