Chapter 3 Deep Breaths...

"Breathe in. Breathe out."

I muttered the words to myself over and over. 

I was sitting on a hard wooden bench in the hallway outside Dean Aris's office, with my head buried between my knees. My hands simply wouldn't stop shaking. 

My legs were bouncing up and down so fast that my cheap sneakers squeaked annoyingly against the scuffed linoleum floor.

"Chloe!"

I snapped my head up to see Skylar, my roommate, sprinting down the quiet corridor. Her blonde hair was twisted into a chaotic, messy bun, and she was double-fisting two massive plastic cups of iced coffee. 

Dressed in her oversized university 'Fashion Merchandising' hoodie, black leggings, she looked completely out of breath.

"Sky, you shouldn't be here," my voice cracked horribly as she skidded to a stop in front of me. "You have your textiles midterm in literally twenty minutes."

"Screw textiles," Skylar gasped. She slid onto the wooden bench next to me, nearly spilling the coffee as she shoved a freezing cup into my hands. 

"Drink the caffeine. You look like an actual ghost. I just saw your crazy, half-spelled text messages. What the hell is going on? Did Ryder Kingston actually break Liam’s jaw?"

"Yes," I choked out, gripping the freezing plastic cup like it was a life preserver. "But Sky, that isn't even the worst part. Linda took it. All of it."

"What do you mean, she took it?" Skylar paused, her straw halfway to her mouth.

"My grant account," I whispered, feeling the crushing weight of the day settling firmly on my chest. "The fifty grand for Gran's hospital bills. She went to the bank and withdrew everything yesterday. T-Then… then I went to the library to find Liam because I was having a literal panic attack, and..." 

I swallowed hard, fighting the bile rising in my throat. "He was with Mia. Making out in the history aisle."

"Mia?" Skylar shrieked, her jaw dropping open. 

A few freshmen walking past turned to stare, but Skylar just shot them a deadly glare until they nervously looked away. "Your wicked stepsister Mia? Oh my god. I’m going to physically murder him. I am going to find a rusty spoon and personally scoop out his kneecaps."

"Keep your voice down," I begged, wiping a fresh tear that had escaped down my cheek. "It gets worse. The hospital called me right after the fight, and in a nutshell, I need to pay up or they'll kick her out of the VIP care unit."

"Okay, okay, deep breaths," Skylar said quickly, shifting closer and rubbing my back. "We’re going to solve this one at a time.”

I nodded, thinking of a way… none was coming.

“But what does Ryder Kingston have to do with this?” Skylar asked with furrowed eyebrows. “Why are you sitting outside the Dean's office?"

"I don't know!" I threw my hands up in exasperation, nearly spilling my drink. "Apparently, Liam is telling everyone that I paid Ryder to jump him! Sky, I don't even know the guy! But if the Dean expels me, I lose my scholarship, and my grandmother dies."

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

I looked up as a girl strutted toward us, her designer heels clicking aggressively and echoing through the quiet hallway. 

She wore a tight red miniskirt paired with a cropped white sweater that showcased a perfect, expensive-looking spray tan.

It was Lexi. She was the unofficial queen of the campus 'puck bunnies'... the girls who practically lived at the ice arena and spent their entire college careers chasing the hockey roster.

"Can I help you?" Skylar snapped, instantly switching into protective mode. She sized Lexi up, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not talking to you, GAP catalog," Lexi sneered, waving Skylar off with a heavily manicured hand before locking her dark, heavily lined eyes directly on me. "I saw the library video on the campus feed. You're the little nobody who got Ryder arrested."

"I didn't get anyone arrested," I said tiredly, rubbing my throbbing temples. "I don't even know him."

"Please," Lexi scoffed loudly, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight. "Girls like you are all exactly the same. You probably threw yourself at him, batted those tragic little un-mascaraed eyelashes, and cried about your cheating boyfriend just to get his attention. He has a weird weakness for strays."

"Listen here, lip gloss," Skylar stood up suddenly, pointing a sharp, threatening finger directly at Lexi's chest. "My best friend is currently having one of the worst day of her entire life. If you don't back up right now, I am going to rip out those expensive extensions and feed them to the campus squirrels."

Lexi took a quick step back, looking genuinely disgusted by the threat. 

"You guys are literal animals. I'm just here to drop off Ryder's advanced economics notes. And to give you a warning, sweetheart." 

Lexi leaned in, glaring down at me like I was something she stepped in. "Ryder Kingston is completely out of your league. He belongs to the elite. Don’t think for one second that just because he punched your pathetic ex, it means he cares about you. Stay away from him."

"Are you deaf?" I shot back, finally finding a tiny shred of my spine. "I literally just said I don't know him! And considering he's facing a massive suspension right before the championships because of what happened today, I highly doubt he wants anything to do with me anyway!"

"He better not be suspended," Lexi hissed, her eyes going wide with pure, selfish panic. "My dad has VIP box tickets to the finals. The team needs him."

"Then go cry to your dad and leave us alone!" Skylar barked.

Before Lexi could fire back another toxic insult, the heavy glass double doors at the far end of the hallway swung forcefully open.

My stomach instantly dropped to the floor as Liam walked in. 

He looked completely pathetic; his jaw was wrapped tightly in thick bandages, and he was holding a bright blue ice pack to the side of his swollen face. He was limping slightly, which made absolutely no sense because Ryder hit his face, not his legs.

And walking right beside him was a tall, imposing man in a sharp, custom-tailored grey suit holding a sleek leather briefcase. 

The man had the exact same arrogant nose and cold, calculating eyes as Liam.

"Oh, great," Skylar muttered, sinking back down onto the bench next to me. "Daddy's here."

Liam spotted me immediately. His eyes narrowed with pure hatred as he tapped his father's arm, pointing a shaking finger straight at me.

Mr. Davis marched toward us, his expensive dress shoes echoing loudly through the quiet hallway, while Liam trailed cautiously behind him, looking every bit like a smug, beaten-up puppy hiding behind a much larger dog.

"Are you Chloe Evans?" Mr. Davis demanded. 

"Yes," I said, my voice shaking slightly as I forced myself to stand up. Skylar stood right next to me, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, refusing to budge an inch.

"I am Richard Davis, Liam's father and his legal counsel," he said. "I am going to make this very quick and very clear for you, Miss Evans. You are going to go into that office, and you are going to sign a full confession stating that you coerced Ryder Kingston into assaulting my son."

"What?"