Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are owned by the Marvelous Ms. Meyers - no copyright infringement is intended. Please don't send your lawyers after me!

Author's Note: Love to my team, iadorepugs and athomejo for their support and encouragement. And many thanks to all of you who read Chapter 1 and are back for more.

Chapter 2

I clung to that letter like a lifeline, nervously waiting for my name to be called. There were several other students in the waiting room, with expressions that ranged from nervous to nauseous. The longer I waited, the more I leaned toward the latter.

"Isabella Swan!"

I stood quickly and wiped my damp palms on my jeans. I was led back through the cubicle maze to an office at the end of the hallway. The student assistant knocked twice on the door, opening it to a muffled "Enter," and ushering me inside.

The older, gray-haired woman behind the desk motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs. I sank down without a word. Shelley Cope was a legend and institution around these hallowed halls. I had heard my freshman year that she was a by-the-book kind of woman; the rules were the rules, and those who did not abide by them would be damned. This was my first ever meeting with her, and I could understand why people were intimidated by her just from her appearance and demeanor.

"Ms. Swan, thank you for meeting with me today. I assume that you called because of the letter you received from our office?"

"Um, yes, that's right. I sent in my application for graduation, and received this letter in response," I mumbled, handing it to her.

Mrs. Cope glanced at the letter quickly and frowned. "Ah yes, you're one of our lacks-language B.A. candidates."

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding," I stated, already starting to ramble in nervousness. "While I do not have a three-semester proficiency in a foreign language, Ms. Mallory assured me..."

"Ah yes, Ms. Mallory," Dean Cope interrupted, and I shrank back in my seat again. "Ms. Mallory is no longer employed by this university. I'm afraid that yours is not the only case in which she gave ... incorrect counseling." She looked at me over the top of her thick-rimmed glasses, and I felt my stomach plunge.

"But you don't understand," I said, my voice betraying my desperation. "I met with Ms. Mallory, and she told me that I could graduate without the language requirement. She told me that there was no way that the university would deny me graduation. I start my student teaching next month. I'm a Phi Beta Kappa, set to graduate cum laude, and I already have a job that is dependent on me getting my degree in the spring!"

I saw a hint of compassion in Dean Cope's eyes. "Ms. Swan, that is precisely the reason Ms. Mallory is no longer in our employ. She did not have the authority to tell you the things she did, and there are no notes in your file to even indicate that such a conversation ever took place." She sighed heavily. "I'm afraid that the only way you may graduate with your B.A. from this institution is to show a three-semester proficiency in a foreign language. An alternative is to switch your program to a Bachelor of Science degree, but that would require three additional classes, and I see that you are lacking the prerequisites for two of those classes, so you'd actually need five additional classes."

I couldn't stop the tears from spilling over, although I tried valiantly not to snot-snob as I was prone to do under stress. Dean Cope nudged the tissue box in my direction, and I gratefully grabbed a handful, dabbing at my eyes and discreetly wiping my nose.

"Ms. Swan, the university is not unsympathetic to your plight. Indeed, you are a model student, exactly the kind of young woman we are proud to matriculate. We would like to help you succeed in your efforts to graduate on time."

She placed another paper on the desk in front of me. "For those students who have been ... adversely affected ... by Ms. Mallory's erroneous academic advice, we are offering accelerated courses of study. We are offering placement in the 101 of your language choice this semester, with placement upon passing in a blended 102/201 in the second semester, to fulfill your language requirement. That structure will allow you to graduate on time, and save you the cost of a third class. We are assigning each of you a tutor in your chosen language, free-of-charge, although given your academic record, Ms. Swan, you will undoubtedly excel."

Please leave me your thoughts - see you tomorrow!