“That’s great to hear. I was just over at Top O eating before this,” he said, talking about Top of the Hill, a local restaurant and bar. Brady paused as cheers rang through the crowd. “I swear the food gets better and better every time I go there. I can’t even tell you how many things I miss about Chapel Hill—Pit sitting, lazy days on the Quad, dribbling circles around my friends in Rams Head.”
Liz looked around to see the students nodding along. They all loved these things as well. He was appealing to their shared experiences. Clever.
“My four years at UNC were the best of my life, and I’m sure most of you feel the same way. You live and breathe the university as well as the community while you’re here and want to see as much done for it as possible, but you won’t always be here. Chris, my best friend growing up, followed me here to Chapel Hill. We were, of course, upstanding gentlemen as a part of the university.”
The crowd chuckled. Liz knew as well as anyone that any basketball player at UNC was not only treated like a god, but was as far from an upstanding gentleman as they came. Had Brady been one of those guys? With his looks and charm, Liz wasn’t sure he would have needed to rely on the fame. Then again, he didn’t need it now, but he was smart enough to use it to his advantage.
“Chris graduated from UNC with me, and instead of staying here, he took a job in New York City. Likely many of you will do the same. You’ll get the best education you possibly can from one of the best universities in the country, and then you’ll leave,” he told them frankly. Liz was curious where he was going, but she had her guesses. “You carry the weight of your university on your shoulders the rest of your life. Now, I know most of you are thinking about how great it is to have the UNC flagship stacked at the top of your résumé. Go ahead, admit it. I know you do.”
His captive audience laughed, some jabbing their friends in the rib cage and whispering to each other.
“Now, stack on student loan debt, a struggling economy, poor job growth, and a depleted basis for internships, externships, and real-world experience that is crucial to success outside of these four walls. How heavy does that weight feel now?” The room quieted entirely. “That’s what I’m here to address today: what I’m planning to do when I’m elected into office to offset these complications all students are facing pre- and post-education.”
Bam! Liz felt like jumping up and down. She had been entirely on point from the very start. She knew he was going to address education at this event. It was a topic that resonated, and it was a fluff topic, because he likely would never be a part of any substantive education policy. His father was a budget guy, and a prominent member of the Senate Budget Committee at that. No way was his son getting stuck in education policy.
Now all she had to do was wait for him to slip up. She knew his education policy inside and out. Plus, she had the benefit of knowing ahead of time where his reasoning was wrong.
Liz listened to his speech with one ear to the ground for any slipups. She assumed he wouldn’t talk about how his help in balancing the budget had cut funding for the university, but she paid close attention to make sure. Most of what he was saying was entirely symbolic, posturing and position taking on policy he would never be grilled on. It just happened to be policy she found the most important.
Near the end of his speech, Brady touched on exactly what she had been waiting for. “Some people are advocates for what they’re calling NC Pledge, which provides a free college education for students who graduate from a North Carolina high school as long as they maintain a certain GPA. Sounds great, right? But where is the money coming from to support new students? How will that affect the growth in UNC system schools? Will that negatively impact the number of out-of-state students who attend North Carolina universities? In an already floundering economy, where will the support come from to stabilize a new influx of students, and where will those jobs come from? These are merely a few of the questions regarding NC Pledge that I am fighting for answers to. I need those answers to better assist you in the future and ensure that our educated youth just like you and me are getting enough help to find jobs once you graduate.”
Liz couldn’t wait to wheedle her way backstage for an interview. She had answers to some of these questions, and quite a few more that she would like to ask him.
Brady moved on to another topic and then wrapped up the speech. The whole thing had been less than an hour, but a significant hour. Liz had more questions scrawled onto her notepad than when she had entered, which she thought was a success.
And as distracting as his pretty face had been, she was proud that she had kept to her work as much as she could. Perhaps it was because they couldn’t immediately disappear behind closed doors. Though that sounded like an appealing option.
Brady offered to stick around after the speech and talk to any students or faculty who were interested in speaking with him. Liz wanted nothing more than to rush over there and talk to him, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Flipping her notepad back to the front, she tucked it into her purse and walked back toward the sound booth. Brady had a line of adoring admirers that could take up another hour of his time at least. Liz certainly wasn’t going to wait in line. She would wait until he was done, then approach him for an interview…just an interview.
“How did it go?” Liz asked Justin when she entered the sound booth. She leaned against the counter, anxious to see how the material came out.
“Perfect shot,” he said with a shrug, as if his work wouldn’t be anything less.
“Great. I know your work is fantastic. I really appreciate you doing this.”
“It’s no problem.”
Liz tore out a piece of paper from her notebook and handed it to him. “Do you mind getting all of this to me from the video?”
Justin scanned the paper. “You did all this while the speech was going on?”
“Yes. There are people who can multitask.” She chuckled softly. “I know it’s a lot, but I know the material will look great on the website.”
“Yeah, I should be able to do all this. I can multitask.” He winked at her in that typical Justin way and then started adding his own notes. “When do you want it?”
“Tonight would be amazing.” She crossed her fingers, hoping he wouldn’t charge more and just see it as a personal favor.
He nodded. “All right, Liz. For you.”
Liz smiled. “Thank you. Can’t wait to see how it turned out.” She turned to leave, ready to wait out the flock of admirers.
“Hey, Liz?” Justin called as she reached the door. “What are you doing this weekend?”
“Working.”
“Me and some of the guys are having a party over on Frat Court if you’re interested,” he said with a lazy shrug.
Liz never expected him to be in a fraternity. It still amazed her. He just didn’t strike her as the type. “I’ll let you know,” she said.
The chances of her going to Justin’s fraternity party were as close to zero as possible. He had invited her to more than she could count, and she had only been once. Victoria had come with her, and they had bailed around midnight. She didn’t have Victoria this time to make it tolerable.
Veering back out into the auditorium, Liz made a survey of the room. The Advance Team was already hard at work breaking down the event. Fliers that had been left behind were being collected and stacked to one side. The sound crew was fixing the special accommodations that had been made for the Senator.
Heather Ferrington was off to the side talking to a shorter bulky man that Liz was surprised she recognized. He was the jackass who had made fun of her at the club that night after the press conference. It all felt so long ago. What the hell was he doing here anyway? Was he involved in the campaign somehow?