Page 90 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

I almost hesitate to accept. This is the spot where the criminals always sit on the tv shows about cops.

But I didn’t do anything wrong.

At least, I don’t think I did.

“You said I needed to sign something?”

He nods as he shuffles through papers on his desk. “Yes, sir. We’ve got everything handled on the back end; however, for it all to be finalized and closed out, I need your John Hancock on this one.”

Hollis chuckles at his joke, which eases a bit of my tension. If he can make corny puns like that, then I guess I’m not in much trouble.

He hands over a stack of papers that look extra official. I read over them before immediately signing anything. Aries taught me that long ago when he was drafted.

The fine print can really bite you in the ass if you aren’t careful.

With each word I read, dread rises in me. To see my history with Liam laid out so plainly on paper like this is frustrating.

Why didn’t I report him before?

Why did I let it get this bad?

And worst of all — if I didn’t have Andry, would I have just kept on going with it all?

“You ok?” Hollis asks.

I shake my head. “It’s embarrassing to have to do this.”

“Hey! No, none of that. You shouldn’t be embarrassed. This isn’t a reflection of you. He’s the person who chose to make bad decisions.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to remember that, I guess.”

Hollis hands me a pen. “If all is good on this, just sign the last page. There are a few spots.”

I do as he asks before handing everything back over. “Not sure how much this helps, but I do appreciate you. It’s been a long time coming.”

He gives me a confused look. “I don’t know how much more can come of it besides jail time. The board held an emergency meeting to expel him, and from what I know, he’s also blacklisted from any future NHL teams.”

My jaw drops at his words. I sputter for a second before finding my voice.

“That can’t be possible. All of that happened in the last few days?”

“Sure did. It was a huge deal around campus. I imagine you were resting through it, huh?”

“Yeah, I was. No one mentioned a word to me.”

He chuckles. “Trust me, it did happen. We escorted him off campus and everything. Word around town is he’s no longer allowed in Bellport at all. That’s just rumor though.”

Maybe this is why Hollis is well liked by his peers. He clearly knows all the juicy gossip.

“Thanks for the update. I can rest a bit easier knowing he’s gone.”

I leave with a pep to my step. Though, there’s also some hesitation on my part because I’m cautious of all this good news. I don’t think Liam getting this intense of a punishment is a coincidence.

* * *

“Oh, hey Rodney! Come on in,” Kendall says when he opens the door to his place.

I smile as I slip past him.

---