“Someone like him isn’t worth your apology,” Delilah said as she strode over and firmly took Josie’s hand. She added, “Don’t let it get to you. If he can’t see your worth, I sure can. If he won’t take your work seriously, I will. Send me all your papers later. I’ll go through every single one with you.”
After saying that, Delilah took another step forward, planting herself right in front of David. She said, “David, if you really think these papers aren’t worthy of your attention, then don’t trouble yourself. There are plenty of professors here, and everyone’s got their own standards. How about we take a vote in a bit and see if Josie is just some clueless slacker like you say, or if she’s a hidden gem you’ve been keeping down? Let’s find out if her brilliance comes from her own talent, or if it’s just because I’ve been bending the rules to give her a boost!”
Delilah’s voice rose a notch as she turned to face the crowd. She said, “Mr. Rogers, Mr. Badman, let me make myself clear today. If any of you think I’ve broken school rules in how I’ve treated Josie, I’ll step down from my position. But if I haven’t, I hope Professor Lawson will let this go. Stop fixating on my student, and don’t be so bothered when she shines. That just makes him look small-minded!”
David’s expression soured at Delilah’s words. His hand curled slightly into a fist as he tried to come up with a decent excuse, but he found he didn’t have a single one. He hadn’t read any of those papers, and there was just no way to talk his way out of it. In his eyes, there was no way she could come up with anything worthwhile. He let out a quiet sigh and turned to the big screen. “I’ve already said I don’t want to get into these pointless arguments with you. Let’s just look at the facts. Josie’s paper…” But the moment David actually saw what was on the screen, the rest of his words just died in his throat. He stared in disbelief while raising his phone and frantically checking the paper on his screen against the one on the big screen repeatedly. David blurted out, “There’s just no way. Josie, you really wrote this? How could it be even better than Kyle’s? He’s two years above you.”
Josie said, “He’s a second-year grad student, and I’m a senior in a five-year program. So, to be exact, he’s three years ahead of me. That experiment from a couple of months back was actually about an elective course he’s been working on. He gave me a book on the subject ahead of time so I could help him out. If you remember, Professor Lawson, I really struggled with that book. I even came to you for help, but you were too busy to bother with me. You just handed me two textbooks. So, I spent my whole summer break reading them, but even when school started, I still didn’t fully get it. Kyle even chewed me out for it. I was so worried I’d mess up his experiment that I went and sat in on two extra classes.”
Josie locked eyes with David, her gaze burning with intensity. She said, “You can choose not to believe me, or question me all you want. But just face the facts right in front of you. You’re the one who brought this paper, and this whole public investigation is happening because you wanted it. I’m just a student, so I don’t get to question your decisions. If you look down on my work, I’ll accept it. But you can’t deny that all of this came from me. I’ve never tried to cut corners or play tricks when it comes to my studies. The only reason I left your team was because my paper lost out to Natalie. I joined Professor Wilcourt’s team only after thinking it through very carefully. I compared all the programs available, and only when I was confident I could graduate did I make my choice. Honestly, if I hadn’t shamelessly reached out to the hospital, and if Professor Wilcourt’s team hadn’t happened to need someone, there’s no way I would have found a new mentor so easily. Professor Lawson, you don’t have to like me, but please don’t keep doubting my abilities just because I was once a student you eliminated. Don’t deny me even the chance to graduate!”