If You Dare: A Hockey Bully Romance

Wes

My leg bounces while I wait outside the office for the Dean of Student Affairs, fists clenched in my lap. This has to be a goddamn joke. An oversight. Who lets a fucking murderer return to a college campus? These people can’t be that fucking stupid.

When the door finally opens, my hands reflexively jump to adjust my collar. Now that I’m a senior, all my professors have advised that we dress for college fairs to impress the recruiters. Just so happens that my button-up works well for an official meeting with the dean too.

“Mr. Novak!” Dean Forrester calls. “Great to see you. Please come in.”

I put an extra ounce of squeeze into the handshake so he knows I mean business. By the time he offers me a seat, my ass is already in the chair. “I won’t take up too much of your time, sir. I’ll get straight to the point. I want Violet Harris off campus.”

Dean Forrester takes a seat behind his desk and that easygoing smile is already replaced with a frown. “I’m afraid we can’t accomplish that, Mr. Novak.”

I nearly spit, why the hell not? But I manage to bite my tongue. I’m not going to get what I want by giving in to my temper. “I don’t think it’s in the student body’s best interest to have a murderer walking around campus.”

Dean Forrester folds his hands together on his desk. “Therein lies the issue. Miss Harris wasn’t charged or convicted of murder, and she was acquitted of her reckless endangerment charges.”

Acquitted. The word swirls in my mind like a raging storm. The same way that bogus judge’s verdict did. Not guilty.

How? How is that fucking possible?

“She killed somebody.” I can’t keep the edge of fury out of my voice now. “Isn’t that enough?”

How can they just let her keep walking around and going on with her life like she didn’t do anything wrong? Where the hell are the consequences? My sister is in the ground. And no one’s doing a damn thing about it.

Dean Forrester leans back with a sigh. “I understand this is a difficult time for you and your family—”

“You understand?” I snort. The words are flying out of my mouth now, and fuck it. I’ve never been good at playing nice guy. “No, you don’t understand at all. If you did, that bitch wouldn’t be on this campus right now.”

Dean Forrester’s face pinches. His patience with me is thinning. “I’m sorry we’re unable to do more for you at this time, Mr. Novak. What I can suggest is avoiding Miss Harris as much as possible. From what I understand, she’s a sophomore and an English major. As a finance major, you shouldn’t have any issues with running into her on campus or in any of your classes. I expect as captain of the hockey team, you’ll be especially busy this year.”

If it were as simple as avoiding and ignoring her, I wouldn’t be here right now. But the reality is, I can’t get my mind off her. My thoughts always drift to my sister, and when I think of Chloe, I think of Violet. I fucking hate that my memories of my sister are now tainted with the image of her killer.

The injustice makes my blood boil. And no one else seems to give a shit. Not my parents, not the administration, and certainly not that fucking idiot judge. No one wants to do what needs to be done.

So I guess that leaves me.

Maybe there’s a reason she’s here. Even if she transferred, even if she moved to another state, I still wouldn’t be able to get her out of my head. I’d still be out for blood, no matter where she was, so maybe it’s actually better she’s stuck here with me.

I stand and hold out my hand to the dean. “Thank you for your time, sir.”

His brows lift as he shakes my hand and stands to walk me out, but I’m already through the door.

I will be judge, jury, and executioner.

I’ll get the justice my sister deserves.