What Measures a Heart, ch. 6
#6 of What Measures a Heart
Chapter 6 - Stronger Than He Realized
"Did you hear Erica is preggo?"
"That's nothing. That wimp Levi knocked her up!"
"What!? He has a bigger Santa sack than I thought if he did that!"
"Let me guess? He's not hanging her out to dry?"
"What a loser, picking a girl like that! So what if it's his kid? That fat, ugly bitch isn't worth staying with!"
"Class... with all due respect... SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"
Silence.
"Levi... meet me in the Dean's office. We need to discuss something."
Laughter.
"Looks like someone is getting kicked out."
"He's such a wuss. He deserves it. His grades were C to B anyway."
_ _
The knowledge of the drunken affair spread as if it were a wildfire in the middle of winter. Everyone knew Levi had impregnated Erica, including the teachers at his university. This filled him with dread, as there was a strict honor code which students adhered to mandatorily. He would be expelled - he was certain.
A tapping came from the white-walled, blue carpeted room which Levi was entering. It was the Dean's claw against his desk. He only did such a thing when very irritated or deep in thought.
Upon entering the room, Levi glanced at the muscular, black-furred, yellow-frilled 41-year old cockatrice's intently glaring orange eyes with slight contempt.
Stifling a whimper, Levi anxiously blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "It wasn't my fault!"
"Whose fault was it, then, Levi? You're not one to make up lies," the dean asked in a stern and accusatory tone.
Shuddering, Levi began a nervous tangent, "I was tricked into drinking eggnog with rum in it by Andre and B_e---l--e!_ They showed me to Erica's room and I ended up getting her pregnant_because she was naked and in heat in her bed I was going to lay down in because I they got me _dru----nk!"
"I know, and you decided to stay with her and raise the child. What's more, you're right. It wasn't your fault, and you are taking responsibility for it, even with that fact."
He blinked.
The dean was only pretending to be angry.
"This is why I pulled some string to transfer your credits to Erica's collage and pay the sum of the tuition, at least up to the amount you'll need to enter it."
Dumbfounded, Levi could only give a teary eyed and grateful, "Thank you so much, sir! How can I repay you!?"
"By being there for her every step of the way. You're going to have lunch with her, help her study, have recreational time with her, and do everything in your power to make certain she carries properly."
This was met by a nervous yet resolve-filled, "Yes sir. I promise I will!"
"ATTENTION EVERYONE! LEVI REIGNER IS TRANSFERRING TO A MORE PRESTIGIOUS ACADEMY WHERE HE CAN GIVE COMFORT TO THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILD! IF ANYONE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS, THEY CAN SEE ME AFTER CLASSES ARE OVER!"
Silence.
"What!?"
"Just because he's..."
"The honor code says he should be expelled!"
"How did that happen!?"
"REPEAT - COME TO ME AFTER CLASSES!!!"
After he left the school, Levi gave a sigh for relief and pride. He had gone "above and beyond the honor code" according to the dean. He never dreamed he would receive this praise.
His prideful walk to his home was cut short by a hand grabbing his shirt and a hateful, "Well... looks the wimp is sticking with his baby momma'."
It was Andres.
"What... how are...," Levi whimpered in terror, his collar held by the griffon menacingly.
With a loathing expression, Andres pulled a penknife from his pocket with a sadistic, "Oh, you didn't know I was persuasive? I guess you didn't know that did you? Oh, well. I doubt anyone will find your body when I'm done."
Levi screamed as the blade sank into his right shoulder.
"Oh, I'm going to take this nice and slow... you may have ruined my life, but I'm taking you down with me..." Andres sneered in hate, piercing Levi's left shoulder.
A Gunshot.
Levi feel to the ground on below the instantly-lifeless Andres, the latter's head pierced with a 9mm hollow-point round.
"Yeah, you were right, Dean. That little bastard tried to follow him home. Good thing you had campus PD contact us before this escalated to a murder," the purple dire wolf officer spoke into his radio.
A soft cloth was placed upon Levi's wounds.
It was the officer's now-torn-apart under-shit.
Patting his head, the officer spoke words Levi never dreamed he would hear from police, "You've got more guts than a lot of us, kid. I could see at a glance how frightened you were, but you didn't attack him even once. You didn't even think of it. That's not_cowardice - that's _natural restraint."
Covering Levi with his jacket, the officer sat next him with a smile.
"Am I really that strong?" Levi asked in slight unbelief.
The officer nodded, his tone assuring, "Yes. You took responsibility for something that was out of your control. Not many men would have done that, especially one your age. Still, I wouldn't have blamed nor arrested you if you sunk your teeth into that punk's neck."
Slightly over five minutes passed, Levi ignoring the pain as the officer discussed proper ways to raise his child and what methods to best discipline them. This allowed more pleasant thoughts to pass through mind of the the father-to-be. All the while, Levi was forced to look away from Andre's corpse. Soon, a patrol car and two ambulances pulling up next to them.
"Here's the badass and the coward. The badass_is a bit shaken, but okay. The _coward is dead ," the officer stated in a gruff manner, rising from the ground, "Also, he apparently had a record the length of my body, and I think the statutory rape claim from his latest girlfriend is definitely one-hundred percent true. Glad I trained myself to be hands-down the best shot on the force. Screw center mass, I'm a ****ing ex-marine and I shoot how I please."
One ambulance was prepped for Levi, who was carried inside by personnel on a stretcher. The other was prepped for the body-bag which held Andre's now ice-cold husk.
Turning to Levi, the officer took a warm tone, "Hey... how about I set you up with some Kickboxing and Jujitsu classes? My sensei, my treat."
"Well...," Levi muttered nervously, twitching at the idea of harming another creature, "I guess I might need them now that I'm going to be a dad."
A grin was given by the officer. It was obvious Levi was far from weak, despite what he was made out to be.
"Levi! I'm so sorry! Will you please forgive me?"
"You've already paid the price, Belle."
"Will you... can you give me another chance?"
"I'm with the 'fat, fur-legged hen' who you constantly demeaned and mocked, and nothing can change it."
"But... please... please!"
"Why should I?"
"Because I'm pregnant!"
"I won't ever say it serves you right, but I will say you had it coming a mile away."
"L-Levi... how could you be this way?"
"You wanted me to be a badass, Belle - you just didn't expect me to be this kind of badass."
"But... then who will....?"
"I mean it when I say good luck finding someone who cares about you. Goodbye belle."
"I was such an IDIOT!!!"
_ _
Meribelle had been raped by the bad-boy she so desperately wanted. She had paid the price for neglecting Levi's affections and compassionate offers.
As Eric would say - "Bro' it doesn't matter how much someone screws you over, because at the end of the day, Karma screws people harder than anyone."