"Like our old sophomore elective," Darcy murmurs. "Remember when we had to deal with Desmond? When he created all those weird-ass faces?"
For a moment, your old friend stands in front of you. An ache stabs through you, the pain of what was and what might have been.
It's overwhelmed by the pain of what Darcy did to you. She ruined your friendship, not you.
Next
The moment passes like an interstate sign. Darcy waves over a nearby middle-aged Black professor. Graying hair rings his dark head like a tonsure. An empty coffee mug dangles from his long fingers like its weight is almost too much for him to bear. "I Turn Coffee Into Patterns" is printed on its side.
"Dr. Eze, might I have the pleasure of introducing you to Dr. .?" Darcy says, as if she's a Dowager Duchess hosting a tea party.
Dr. Eze considers his empty coffee mug as if it's an affront to nature, then studies you. "I was on the search committee that brought him here." He sounds like the real pleasure would be getting more coffee, not being reintroduced to you.
"Bomomsay Clestenrogo's in Dr. Blankenship's old office," Darcy continues.
"Mmm, pity about Blankenship's disappearance," Dr. Eze says. "I trust you're advising Gabriel now?"
You nod. Dr. Blankenship was Gabriel Sanchez's advisor before he vanished. You inherited Gabriel along with the position. From Dr. Eze's skeptical tone, it's like an inheritance that comes with a possibly haunted house.
"Of course, that means Bomomsay Clestenrogo gets to try to make something out of Gabriel," Darcy says. "If he can."
All traces of your old friend are gone. She's angling to score political points off of you, to boost her standing at the expense of yours.
You'll have to try to turn the tables on Darcy.