Tuesday, 3:55 PM.
I stood outside the conference room in the Administration Building, checking my reflection in the glass panel of the door. I wasn’t wearing a tuxedo today, but I wasn’t wearing a hoodie either. I’d opted for a charcoal sweater over a button-down—academic, serious, but approachable.
"You look like a professor," Darius muttered. He was leaning against the wall down the hall, scrolling through his phone. He wasn’t allowed in the meeting, obviously, but he insisted on walking me to the door.
"That’s the point," I said. "I’m the Chair. I have to look the part."
"Just don’t bore them to death," Darius said, pushing off the wall. "I’ll be at the vending machines."
I took a breath and opened the door.
The conference room was imposing. A long mahogany table dominated the space, surrounded by high-backed leather chairs. At the head of the table sat Dean Vance.
To her right sat Roger Thorne (no relation to Marcus, thankfully), the President of the Student Council. Roger was a senior, a poli-sci major, and the kind of guy who wore a tie to an 8 AM lecture. He had a binder open in front of him that was thicker than my arm.
"Mr. Hart," Dean Vance said, not looking up from her tablet. "You’re on time. Take a seat."
I sat at the opposite end of the table. The power dynamic was clear: Vance at the head, me at the foot, Roger flanking her like a loyal vizier.
"We are here to discuss the implementation of the Sterling Grant," Vance began, her voice crisp. "Mr. Sterling has released the first tranche of funds. We need a roadmap for the ’Legacy Initiative’ by the end of the month."
"Dean Vance," Roger interrupted, raising a hand. "If I may. The Student Council has already drafted a preliminary proposal regarding the allocation of resources for the new center. We believe a subcommittee should be formed to evaluate the environmental impact of the digital archives."
He slid a packet across the table. It was color-coded.
Vance looked at the packet, then at me. She didn’t say anything. She was testing me.
The System flickered.
[Social Encounter: Bureaucratic Ambush]
[Opponent: Roger (Rank: Bureaucrat)]
[Objective: Seize Control of the Narrative]
[Strategy: Decisive Action]
I didn’t open the packet.
"That’s excellent initiative, Roger," I said, my voice calm. "But Mr. Sterling was very specific. He doesn’t want subcommittees. He wants results. He signed that check because he believes we can preserve history, not debate it."
Roger bristled. "Process is important, Jake. We can’t just—"
"We have a timeline," I cut in gently. "The environmental impact is minimal; it’s a digital archive in an existing basement. What we need isn’t a subcommittee. We need a curator. We need to identify the first hundred documents to be digitized. That’s the story we sell to the alumni."
I looked at Vance.
"I propose we bypass the council review and work directly with the History Department. I can have a list of artifacts on your desk by Friday."
Roger looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. "Friday? That’s impossible. The department head is—"
"Already on board," I lied. (I hadn’t asked yet, but I knew Nia could get me his schedule). "We move fast, or the money sits in an account doing nothing. And Mr. Sterling hates idle capital."
Vance watched the exchange, her face impassive. She tapped a pen against the table.
"Roger," she said finally. "Jake is right. We don’t have time for committees. The Council’s input is noted, but Mr. Hart is the Chair. We proceed with the digitization plan."
Roger deflated. He closed his binder with a snap. "Understood, Dean."
[Authority Established]
[Respect Gained: +10 (Vance)]
[Rival Created: Roger]
The rest of the meeting was a blur of logistics. I assigned tasks, set deadlines, and kept the conversation moving. I didn’t act like a student. I acted like a project manager.
At 5:00 PM, Vance dismissed us.



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