Which was why I phrased it as I did. He was an older human, bitter to his core, and annoyed that he was on this case, and his boss—who was younger and promoted over him—was worried about some spoiled prissy brat.
That spoiled prissy brat being me.
I stared down the guy when his SAiC seemed ready to groan or pull out his hair. It was amusing, but the older human didn’t back down, ready for me to throw a fit… Which in itself was sexist and he didn’t even realize it.
“Your lack of understanding and depth to see the full situation most times doesn’t make others oversensitive,” I finally said, holding up my hand to hold off his blasting me. “Women can be oversensitive. I’m not arguing that point. My point is you don’t always see all sides, as you focus on what is right in front of you because it’s not happening to you. That is the part men tend to miss.
“It’s become too common and accepted, normalized by years of it happening. And now, a new generation has taken up the helm of the ongoing fight and has helped breathe new life into it, saying no more. The response is that we’re oversensitive. But here is the normal type of situation I put up with all the time that is common and sexist and men brush off, not seeing the full picture.”
“Please, do enlighten me,” he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall.
I smirked at him. “I do well in school, work hard, as my education wasn’t what most of the rich kids here had. A guy was giving me crap about my getting tutored and getting ahead, the grades I got and now at the top of the class, and shouldn’t I share? I threw it right back, asking if he was going to help me with a project or do something extra for me? No, he just wanted freebies because he was special?
“Oh well, sure, hold your breath, of course.” I left off the part that it was our potions class and it was more about my magic and access to ingredients, but the human shouldn’t know that. “A different guy in our class who likes to troll people jumps in—a situation that doesn’t involve him—and starts making baby wailing noises and declares I’m throwing another fit.
“He pulls the classic bullshit trope of females getting hysterical and throwing fits because someone’s mean to them and can’t handle anything tough. Boo-hoo. The guys laugh and it’s sooo funny. Not a half an hour later, two men get into almost the same thing in the same class about our project and one having a leg up. That same troll jumps in and you know what he says?”
“No, what?” the SAiC asked, genuinely curious as the other two guys seemed to be.
“He jumps on the desk and dramatizes about them getting to the starting line, like they’re muscle cars about to square off and have a throw down race,” I answer, my gaze locked with the salty older human. “So, the men are muscle cars squaring off when they give each other shit, but I give a guy shit when he busts my chops and I’m throwing a damn fit like a baby. Tell me I’m being sensitive and that’s not sexist.”
One of the other guys snorted. “No, that’s sexist. Stupid and sexist.”
Well I liked him.
I winked at him before focused back on Mr. Salty. “So, you would see me overreacting to the troll giving me crap but, I saw situations like how he handled the two guys, and that’s what women put up with all the damn time. We have that crap that fuels us when we say shit is sexist and unfair. That is what gives me the answer that McGrath is severely sexist.”
He studied me several moments before responding. “That is a clear example and I can’t even argue it, assuming it was clear like that, and I have no reason to doubt you. For one, that guy sounds like a tool getting involved in everyone’s business and wanting the attention, and you’re incredibly articulate and preceptive to have noted all those details.”
I raised an eyebrow. “But?”
He shook his head. “No but. I want to know why you thought McGrath was sexist.”
“Off the record?”
He glanced at the SAiC and they both nodded. “Off, sure.”
I sighed, sitting back in my chair. “My roommate’s parents are power-hungry, ladder-climbing assholes who would sell their daughter to whomever would give them the best option to get more. She broke free of them. It’s all a big thing and lots of drama. He tried to interject himself and ‘handle her’ to get in good with them because the poor, poor little girl can’t handle this world without her father guiding her.”
“For real?” one of the other guys asked.
“Yeah, for real,” I drawled. “Oh, and she’s a lesbian, which to McGrath isn’t a real thing, simply a mental condition that some deluded women suffer from and the right man would fix for her.”
Even the sexist guy was disgusted at that, so his job had made him salty and bitter, not completely devoid of his humanity.
“We were informed that McGrath was working with some gentlemen who—according to him—have influence and wanted you under their control,” the SAiC hedged. “The whole situation sounds a bit…”
“Hinky?” I offered, smiling when he didn’t deny. “Very Skull and Bones?”
“Cultish, Illuminati,” the last guy who hadn’t spoken yet muttered, shrugging when the others shot him a look. “She clearly isn’t part of these circles and fell into his place because of the inheritance. Private colleges like this freak me out anyways. A lot of them are two jumps away from cults instead of respected
