Jordan stopped. Move. Tyler leaned closer. What if I don't? Rain blew beneath the awning.
Jordan could hear silverware clinking through the glass doors. A car horn sounded at the curb. Nobody intervened. Emily Collins stood near one of the stone columns holding a small camera bag. She had been gathering footage for her campus life project throughout the reception.
Now she froze. She saw Logan recording. She saw Tyler blocking Jordan. She saw Chase smiling. And once again, she said nothing.
Jordan looked at the faces behind them. Some knew exactly what had been happening all week. A few had seen the first video. One student from his engineering lecture looked away. Jordan felt that silence settle over him again.
He took one breath. Tyler, move. Chase stepped closer. What's wrong, Jordan? Jordan ignored him.
You were pretty confident in there. Jordan kept his eyes on Tyler. Chase continued, "Talking about buildings, acting like you're already somebody." Jordan's fingers tightened around the portfolio. I earned my place in that room.
That stopped Chase for half a second. Then he smiled. "Sure." Tyler reached out. Jordan shifted back.
Tyler's hand closed around the edge of the portfolio. Let go. Relax, Tyler. Logan's camera stayed fixed on Jordan's face. Let go of it.
Tyler pulled. The portfolio slipped from beneath Jordan's arm. Its clasp struck the stone. The cover opened. Pages spilled across the terrace.
A diagram slid beneath a cocktail table. Two calculation sheets skittered toward the curb. Jordan's internship recommendation landed face up near the edge of the awning. Rain touched it immediately. Dark drops spread across the signature.
The crowd went quieter. Jordan stared at the paper. For the first time all week, something inside him cracked. Not rage, something sadder. He saw the hours behind those pages.
Early buses, late labs, his mother asleep at the kitchen table after hospital shifts. Rachel feeding him after he repaired something at Ruth's kitchen. His father gone. Every small thing that had carried him toward a future people like Chase seemed to assume had simply appeared. Tyler smiled.
My bad. Jordan knelt. He picked up the first sheet, then the second. No one moved to help. A donor stepped around one page rather than bending for it.
Jordan saw the shoe pass beside his work. That image stayed with him. Emily took one step forward. Stopped. Logan kept filming.
Chase watched. Jordan gathered another page. His recommendation letter lay just beyond reach. He extended his hand. Tyler's shoe came down beside it.