Chapter 5 Your Problem

"Take a seat," the Dean finally said as we entered. 

The secretary had made Skylar wait outside, leaving me alone in a room full of wolves.

The office smelled like strong lemon polish and expensive leather. 

Dean Aris sat behind a massive mahogany desk, his hands folded neatly over a plain manila folder. He didn't look up right away, letting the silence drag on just long enough to show us exactly who was in charge.

Mr. Davis didn't wait to be asked twice. He claimed the nice leather armchair on the right side of the room. Liam stepped right behind his dad, hiding in his shadow like a fragile little prince.

Coach Miller dropped heavily into the chair on the left, pulling out a wrinkled handkerchief and wiping the sweat off his bright red forehead.

That left me standing awkwardly in the dead centre of the room.

Ryder didn’t sit down either. He walked straight past the expensive chairs and ignored the Dean completely. 

Instead, he leaned his broad shoulders against the far bookshelf and crossed his massive arms over his chest, looking completely bored. 

"Let’s get straight to the point, Dean," Mr. Davis started, not waiting for the Dean to open the meeting. 

He slammed his sleek leather briefcase onto the corner of the desk. "My son was the victim of a targeted, unprovoked physical assault. His jaw is wired shut. He has a severe hairline fracture. He will be drinking his meals through a plastic straw for the next six weeks."

"Richard, please, lower your voice," Dean Aris sighed, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "I assure you, the university takes this matter very seriously."

"You better take it seriously," Mr. Davis snapped in anger. "I didn't pledge two million dollars for the new science wing to have my only son beaten like a stray dog. And by a known campus delinquent, no less."

"I completely understand your frustration," the Dean said smoothly. He finally shifted his gaze away from the lawyer and looked directly at me with cold eyes. "Miss Evans. You are currently attending Briar University on a full-ride academic scholarship. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," I answered. My voice shook a little, even though I tried so hard to sound brave. "I maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA. I’ve been on the Dean's list every single semester. I even volunteer to tutor the freshmen."

"And yet," Dean Aris slowly opened the folder and stared at the paper inside. "Liam has officially filed a formal administrative complaint against you. The charge is Orchestrated Assault. He claims you deliberately sent Mr Kingston to physically attack him as violent revenge for a romantic dispute."

"That is a total lie!" I grabbed the edge of the desk till my knuckles turned white. The injustice of it made me sick to my stomach. "I didn't send anyone to do anything!"

"Keep your voice down, Miss Evans," the Dean warned.

"But he's lying to your face!" I pleaded, looking desperately at the Dean. "I didn't send anyone to do anything! I was having a massive panic attack over a family emergency. When I went to the library to find my boyfriend for help, he was hiding in the aisles making out with my stepsister! He’s just embarrassed and trying to blame me to cover it up! I didn't even know Ryder Kingston existed until he threw that book! How is any of this my fault?"

"Lies!" Liam mumbled thickly through his white bandages. He winced in pain as he spoke. "She's crazy, Dad! She totally lost her mind when I dumped her!"

"You are a coward and a liar, Liam!" I shouted, turning my head to glare at him. "Just check the library security cameras! Ask any of the students who were standing right there! Ryder Kingston acted entirely on his own. I have never even spoken a single word to him before today."

"Then why would he do it?" Mr. Davis asked with a nasty sneer. He looked me up and down with pure disgust. "Why would a wealthy hockey captain take orders from a broke scholarship student? You obviously promised him something in return."

"I didn't promise him anything!" I yelled.

"Girls from your economic background will do anything for a little bit of revenge or cash," Mr. Davis continued smoothly. "Maybe you offered to do his homework. Maybe you offered him something much cheaper. We all know how girls like you pay for things when the money runs dry."

My face burned hot with humiliation and rage. "That is disgusting!"

"What is disgusting is your violent behavior," Mr. Davis shot back. "Dean Aris, the university charter clearly states that instigating campus violence is a direct violation of the morality clause. It is grounds for immediate expulsion. I want her gone by sunset."

"Now hold on a damn minute!" Coach Miller finally exploded. He jumped to his feet so fast his chair wobbled. "You can't just expel a student without a proper investigation! She's a good kid! She tutors half my defensive line in chemistry! And you definitely can't pin this entire mess on her just to get my team captain suspended!"

"Your team captain is a violent thug," Mr. Davis pointed a sharp finger directly at Ryder.

Ryder just watched the chaotic room with dark, heavy eyes, looking completely unbothered by the insult.

"My team brings in ten million dollars in merchandise and ticket sales every single season!" Coach Miller yelled back. "We are exactly a month away from the Frozen Four championship! If Ryder doesn't play on that ice, we lose the cup. If we lose the cup, the whole athletic department loses its national television funding!"

"That is your problem, Coach, not mine!" Mr. Davis yelled. "My son is the victim here!"

"Gentlemen, stop shouting in my office!" Dean Aris slammed his hand flat on the desk loudly, making me flinch.

The room instantly fell into a heavy silence. The only sound left was Coach Miller’s heavy breathing.

Dean Aris slowly took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked exhausted, but his posture remained rigid. He looked at me, then at Coach Miller, and finally down at the disciplinary paperwork.

"Coach Miller, I know exactly how much money the hockey team brings to this school," the Dean said quietly. "But my hands are completely tied. Ryder’s academic and behavioural records are a disaster."

"He's been going to his classes! Mostly!" Coach Miller argued desperately.

"He currently has a 1.8 GPA, Coach," the Dean read from a sheet of paper, shaking his head. "He skipped three midterms this semester. He already has two prior warnings for starting locker room brawls. And now, he has brutally assaulted the son of a major donor in broad daylight."

"He was defending a fellow student!" Coach argued, pointing a shaking finger at me.

"He was acting like a street criminal," Mr. Davis corrected with a smug smile.

"The university has a strict zero-tolerance policy for this level of violence," Dean Aris continued, ignoring both men. He looked up and locked eyes with Ryder. "Mr. Kingston. Effective immediately, you are permanently suspended from the ice. You will not play in the championship game. You will also face a disciplinary board next week to discuss your dismissal from this school entirely."

"You can't do that!" Coach Miller gasped. "Dean, please! Give him a probationary period. Make him run extra laps. Anything but a permanent suspension! It'll completely ruin his draft chances!"

"The decision is final, Coach." The Dean turned his cold eyes back to me.

My heart completely stopped beating, and my mouth went dry. 

"As for you, Miss Evans," Dean Aris said, lacing his fingers together. "Your academic record is flawless. Because of that, I cannot legally expel you without a formal board hearing."

I let out a shaky breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"However," the Dean continued in a voice void of any pity. "Given the severity of the financial threat to this institution, your full-ride scholarship is revoked immediately, pending that investigation."

"What?" I whispered.

"Your tuition balance for the semester is now due," the Dean stated firmly, closing my file. "You have until midnight on Friday to pay the sixty thousand dollars in full. If the balance is not cleared, your enrolment, your dorm access, and your student benefits will be permanently cancelled. You can stay, Miss Evans, but you will have to pay your own way like everyone else."