Page 21 of College Hockey Bully

“Chill,” he says gruffly, all friendliness now gone. His jawline tightens as he focuses on the road ahead.

The campus gates approach and I pull at the door handle, but it doesn’t budge. “Let me out,” I order.

“No can do, sweetheart. I’ve been paid a heavy sum to keep you away from the game and I’d like to keep my money, thank you very much.”

Aiden.I should’ve known that jerk would keep messing with me. “Ryan, stop the car or I’m going to report you to the cops.”

He laughs. “My dad is friends with the police chief. You’d be wasting your time.”

Ignoring him, I reach into my bag for the phone, anyway. My hand stops rummaging when it touches something hard and cold. The car sails through the front gates and I press the scalpel at the side of his neck.

“Stop the car, asshole.”

Ryan glances sideways at me, his face going red. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Stop the fucking car!” I screech.

The car slows down on the long stretch of road leading from Hempton. The central lock disengages as Ryan presses a button on his end and I jump out, dragging my bag as I go.

Anger spurns me on and I make quick work of the short distance to the sports department. Melissa looks me over with concern as I burst into her office, out of breath and dripping with sweat. She allows me to take a few minutes to cool down and wipe myself with a napkin, after which she instructs me to take some boxes to the filing room upstairs. Instead of making my way back to her when I’m done, I head down the hallway that leads to the hockey headquarters. Aiden is just like those girls back in high school. He won’t back down until I show that I’m not scared of him.

Even though I’m still quaking in these sneakers.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I step into the locker room. The buzzing from their chatter immediately stops. All eyes are on me, filled with shock and anger, only one with admiration—Cameron, but my focus is on one guy only.

He stands at his opened locker, one hand resting on the door, the other clutching a white T-shirt, his expression giving me nothing. In this moment, I don’t care what he thinks or feels. The only thing I need is for him tohearthe words coming out of my mouth.

In unison, the guys part as I walk between them, finally stopping at their captain’s feet. Aiden lifts his chin and wets his lips. Something flashes in his eyes, though briefly. Amusement.

He’s getting off from what he’s doing to me, but we’ll see who has the last laugh. I push up on my toes, meeting his wary look.

“You’re a coward,” I whisper. “And I’m sick of your little pranks. They don’t scare me.Youdon’t scare me.”

His eyes sparkle with malice. He sees right through my lie. Again, he wets his lips but says nothing.

“You think I’m out for you. Please. Get over yourself. I don’t give a rat's ass about whether you win a game but if I did, if I really wanted to fuck with you, believe me, no one would ever know it was me. Check my GPA. I’m the smartest kid in our year.”

Aiden’s expression settles. For the first time, an uncertain look settles in his eyes. I back off, addressing the entire room.

“I’ve done nothing to deserve the shit you’ve done to me—pun intended,” I hear the quiver in my voice as I look directly at Noah. He lashes me with a murderous look. “All I want is to complete my hours and move on with my life. Please, just leave me alone. Otherwise, I’ll take this to the authorities.”

Without waiting for a reply, I dash out. Almost through the door, I hear Noah bark, “Aiden, are you really going to let that bitch get away with talking to us like that?”

If Aiden replies, I don’t hear it. My legs take me a decent distance from the locker room before they give way outside the equipment room. I sink to my knees, sobbing out the pent-up anxiety I held back while facing those monsters, praying my performance showed that I’m stronger than they think. If not, they’re going to come much harder than before. I don’t want any trouble, but if it means getting the school involved, I will. The Wolves might be gods of Hempton, but they’re not beyond reproach—

“Scarlett.”

A pair of sneaker-clad feet moves into my vision and I gasp with surprise, looking up to meet Aiden’s deadpan stare. He offers his hand. After a tentative delay, I cautiously take it. He pulls me to stand and although there’s no spite on his face, I still brace for a negative response.

“I’m sorry.”

My entire body goes rigid with shock as the two words rush from his mouth. I gape at him, waiting for him to quickly take them back. There’s no way he meant them. Aiden Hunter is incapable of saying anything remotely nice to me.

Instead of proving me right, he clears his throat and says, “It’s time we discuss what happened that night.”

Chapter 10

Aiden

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