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Mistakes : A College Bully Romance

Page 38

by Candace Wondrak


  “I’ll see what I can do about a warrant, but for now, let’s get that statement done, okay?” She gave me a smile, and I tried not to get my hopes up. Even if this didn’t result in Dean being arrested or charged, it still would show him that I wasn’t about to play around. Not anymore.

  I nodded, and the officer helped me out when she could. I’d never written a police statement before, never asked to have a police report done, but there was a first time for everything. Fall in love, get to know the local police better. It went hand in hand.

  By the time I was done, by the time I walked out of that police station, I felt proud of myself. Content. The officer had kept Mel’s phone for evidence, and her parents were due here any time to talk to her. Hopefully something would be done about Dean, and maybe even his fraternity. It was probably too much to hope, but you never knew.

  Maybe, for the first time ever, luck was on my side.

  Chapter Twenty-One – Kelsey

  Levi came over later that night, once I was back in the room. I was trying to study for some upcoming exams—those things loomed on the horizon like fucking Godzilla ready to tear apart what mediocre grades I had—but all hope for studying vanished the moment he showed his pretty face.

  And then, well, I was pretty sure we all knew what happened. Anytime we were together, alone, it was impossible to keep our hands off each other. I’d never seen my parents act this way, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever been like this. I never wanted my relationship with Levi to ever regress to the state of—or lack of—the relationship between my parents. I would give anything to keep the fire, to bottle up the passion and always have it around.

  Without passion, without heat that made you want to explode, what was the point?

  After a particularly long session of reacquainting ourselves with each other’s bodies, I laid on Levi’s chest, his arms around me, holding me close, lest I got any ideas to get up. No, I wouldn’t get up. Not yet. This was…nice. Feeling his bare, hairless chest rise and fall under my cheek, listening to his heart beating. No, I wasn’t going to get up.

  I’d already told Levi what I did, and thank God Levi had known something was up, because after he put away the flash drive back in the safe, he grabbed all of his cameras. They now rested in his bag, which was here, in my room, for safekeeping.

  “I hope he ends up getting charged,” I muttered, tracing a circle around Levi’s right pectoral.

  “I hope he gets arrested and thrown in jail” was Levi’s quick response, which made me grin.

  I’d take jail. I’d definitely take jailtime for Dean, but at this point, anything would be better than nothing. He’d gone about, doing whatever he wanted for far too long, terrorizing the one girl I should’ve better protected. No matter what ended up happening, Dean needed to know this was serious shit.

  Silence took us over for a while, and Levi’s hands moved to trace my spine. My eyelids fluttered closed; probably for the best, for Dean wasn’t the best topic of conversation, especially while Levi and I were naked and in bed.

  Bed. Who knew having sex in a bed was so much better than banging it out against a car or a bathroom stall door? Beds were nice. I really never wanted to go without one again.

  “I think I found an apartment for us,” Levi eventually said, and I angled my face up to his, blinking, a smile growing on my face.

  Sharing an apartment with Levi would be tough, but it’d be better than rooming here with a stranger. I was sure there’d be little quirks and habits of Levi that would bug the shit out of me—quirks and habits I hadn’t noticed yet—but that was the beauty of a relationship. When you did it right, it evolved and grew with you.

  I was never, ever going to give up on this man.

  “It’s right off campus, just a street away. The rent’s not too high,” he said. “I think we can swing it.” His chest rumbled, and I momentarily lost myself to the manly sound. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to be welcome in that house if the cops come for Dean.”

  That much I knew was true. There’d be a riot for him, a stoning. For whatever reason, Dean had the whole of Sigma Chi at his back. Brotherhood or some shit. It was, frankly, annoying. They were all guilty, as far as I was concerned, even if they didn’t know Dean was taping them with their marks.

  Yep. The Sigma Chi fraternity hazing included sleeping with a girl the other fraternity brothers said, and if you didn’t do it, they found a way to kick you out. They all slept with girls, and then broke their hearts. That was their game, and I hesitated to even call it a game.

  Something like that…it wasn’t a game. It was just cruel.

  Every single guy in that house deserved a punishment. Hell, the whole fraternity should be dissolved or something. I knew there were other chapters like it across the United States, but I hoped they weren’t like this particular branch.

  “If they do come for him and you’re there, you better text me,” I told him. “I want to see it happen.” Oh, watching Dean being dragged from that house in handcuffs would be something to see, I bet. A spectacular sight I’d never forget.

  Levi pulled me up to his head, pressing his lips against mine before muttering, “You got it, as long as you bring some popcorn.” He started to smirk.

  Some girls didn’t like smirks, and normally I didn’t—but on Levi? On Levi the smirk worked. When his lips curled upwards like that, mischievous and playful, I couldn’t help but get lost in it. And then his eyes…oh, the blueness of his eyes still got me every damned day.

  “Will do,” I whispered, my fingers curling into his dark hair as my lips met his again. This time the kiss was no quick thing. This time the kiss morphed into something more: greedy hands all over each other, lips traveling down bodies, legs opening.

  What could I say? Guess when it came to Levi, I was just a hungry kid in a candy shop, wanting it all.

  I wasn’t sure why I wanted to be here, but I did. And it wasn’t like I just stood around and looked pretty—I actually helped, a little. I helped Mel’s parents carry down the boxes to the car parked on the turnaround. We packed up most of her things, although there were a few items they said they didn’t want to take; they could either be trash, or I could have them. When Mel woke up, she’d have to live at home. I had no idea what her parents would want her to do, but I knew it would be an adjustment; her parents were not her favorite people in the world.

  I could see why, too. Her mom seemed too stern, too serious. Nice enough, but still, no thanks. Her dad was the opposite, almost too easy-going, going along with whatever his wife said. A pushover to the extreme.

  Her mom and dad were down at the car, taking the second to last load. Her bedding was gone; I stood there staring at an empty mattress. It really wasn’t going to be the same around here without her—thank God Levi further investigated that apartment. We moved in January first.

  When Mel’s parents came back, her dad gathered the last of the stuff while her mother headed straight for me. I could see where Mel got her looks from; she came from a skinny family, although I still thought she was a little on the anorexic side. Mel’s mom had the same blonde hair, though hers was longer. She was a well-put-together person, not a hair out of place. Her dad was where she got her dark eyes.

  It was strange, seeing pieces of Mel in two people that were strangers to me.

  “Kelsey,” Mel’s mom spoke, giving me a tiny, almost imperceptible smile, “I wanted to thank you.”

  I blinked, clueless. “For what?”

  “For bringing the seriousness of the situation to the police and involving us. Mel refused to talk about what happened last year, but now that we know that Dean had been harassing her, I…” She trailed off. “It’s a shame, what college did to that boy. He was a good kid when they were in high school, but now…now he’s just a vile boy, throwing hatred into the world because he couldn’t get what he wanted.”

  “I’m taking the last load down the car,” Mel’s dad called out, his arms full as he ex
ited the propped-open door to the dorm room and disappeared down the hall.

  “You’ve already done so much for us, but I’m hoping I can ask you to do something else,” her mom went on. She grabbed my hands, squeezing hard. “I want to take this bastard to court. I want to nail him for everything he did to my girl. Will you be a witness? You saw confrontations between them, you know—”

  She didn’t have to go on. “Of course I will,” I said. “Anytime you need me, I’m there.”

  Mel’s mom finally released my hands, and I resisted my urge to wipe them on my jeans. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  When her dad came up, it was time to say our goodbyes. I waved to them, moving to close the door after they left. Alone in my room, I felt…sad. Almost like this was the end of an era. It’d just been a semester, but still. It felt like so much longer than that. It felt like I’d done so much growing up these last few months, time itself had dragged and made it feel like years.

  Mel. I would never forget her. I’d never stop visiting her, and if she woke up, I’d make trips to her parents’ house as often as I could, just to bug her. Just to make sure she was alright. Never again would I take any friend for granted.

  My feet drew me to my bed, and I sat on it, studying the empty half of the room. All of her stuff was gone, except for the small items they didn’t want to take, like her shower caddy, her half-used soap and shampoo. That sort of stuff. Stuff I’d just need to bag up and take to the dumpsters.

  I waited a while to make sure her parents were long gone, and then I got up and started doing just that.

  It took me two trips—and freezing my ass off, because it had snowed a bit last night, so the air outside was brisk and annoyingly cold—but I managed. When I went up to my room after that, there was nothing left of Mel’s, nothing but her memory.

  Her memory would be the strongest part. I would never forget her. I wouldn’t. This I swore to myself.

  I was about to go shower, because I was feeling tired and wanted to call it a night—maybe do some studying in bed because I was really trying to do well on those final exams—but my phone started to ring. It sat on the corner of my desk, and I went to grab it, immediately seeing Levi’s name flashing across the screen.

  Not going to lie, my heart skipped a beat anytime I saw his name appear on my phone, whether it was a call, or a text, or anything. If it involved that man in any way, I grew a little weak at the knees.

  I know. So unlike me. What was this sexy fucker doing to me?

  “Hey,” I answered, leaning on my bed frame. “What’s up?” I was hoping he’d tell me he was on his way over or something, but what he said next was even better. I hung up once he was done, reaching for my hoodie. It wouldn’t be nearly warm enough during the long walk to the Sigma Chi house, but it would do.

  Oh, my sense of revenge would keep me warm.

  At least, that’s what I thought, until I stepped out into the cold and was blasted with freezing air again.

  I took off, my feet picking up on the plowed sidewalks in campus, the snow pushed off to the sides. This winter wonderland could kiss my ass, and then kiss it some more.

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Levi

  When the police came to the Sigma Chi house the week before finals, I knew why they were here. No one else did though, so it came as a shock to them when multiple officers walked in, asking to get a list of every single member of the fraternity. They got their list; they probably got a whole lot more than they bargained for, too.

  They were here all day, questioning each of us. They asked about the fraternity itself, whether any hazing was involved, and then they asked about Dean. Very thorough.

  I answered the officer the best I could. She was a younger officer, blonde, almost drowning in her puffy coat as she scribbled stuff down on her notepad. Other officers were interrogating the other Sigma Chi guys.

  We were all involved one way or another. If I had to pay for what I did, I’d do it. I played a hand in hurting Mel last year, so I was willing. It’d be selfish of me not to. Being with Kelsey, I…I wanted to be a better man. I wanted to be the good guy, not the bad guy.

  “There is something that you should probably know,” I told her, causing her to stop writing down whatever it was I’d said that had interested her before and look at me. “I don’t know if any of the other guys told you, but to stay in Sigma Chi, you have to get with whoever the others tell you to.”

  “As a form of hazing?” she clarified, and I nodded.

  “Yeah,” I said. The officer and I stood in the hall, a few of my other fraternity brothers sitting in the living room, talking to other officers. I watched as the front door opened, and another cop walked in, this one holding a paper. Behind him, Dean appeared.

  Must’ve come home from his classes at the right time, then.

  “What the fuck is this?” Dean shouted, and the cop in front of him steadily ignored him.

  Another cop came down the stairs, leather gloves on her hands. When she stepped on the landing, I saw she held onto a few tiny cameras.

  “You need a warrant for that,” Dean growled out.

  The cop, a middle-aged woman, stared squarely at him, clearly unimpressed with his antics. “The others gave their permission.” The hand free of tiny cameras reached for the paper the cop who’d just walked in held, glancing over it quickly. “This, however, is a warrant for you. We’re going to dig through your room whether you like it or not.” Her wizened eyes turned to the cop currently questioning me. “You, bag these up.”

  The younger officer folded her notepad and stuck it in her pocket. She pulled out a plastic bag for the tiny cameras.

  “That’s bullshit, on what grounds?” Dean was frantic now, glancing all around. His face stopped when he looked at me, and I sent him the tiniest knowing smile.

  He started to walk towards me, fury on his face, but the older officer stepped between us, saying, “Anything you want to admit to, Dean?”

  Dean scoffed, frowning. A hideous expression. “Like what?”

  “Like, maybe, that you’ve been harassing your ex constantly these past few months, convincing your fraternity brothers to do the same? You should know that we reside in a state with a cyberstalking law, meaning anything you do online, someone can press charges against you.”

  Dean said nothing; what could he say?

  “You are aware that your ex, Melody Riley, is currently in the hospital?” the older woman went on. “We have witness accounts that you’ve been stalking her, harassing her at every turn. She tried to kill herself, Dean, and not for the first time. This time, that girl might not be so lucky. She might not make it, but I’m going to make sure that I do my damnedest to see the person responsible pay.”

  “I didn’t make her try to kill herself—”

  “No, but you helped lead her to that point,” the officer said, pointing to the living room. “Now, have a seat. I’ll get to you next. Right now, I need to dig through that room of yours. Is there anything I should know before going up there?”

  A muscle in Dean’s jaw clenched. “No,” he said simply, storming into the living room in a huff.

  With that scene over, the younger woman’s eyes returned to me. I said, “Can I use the bathroom real quick?”

  “Yeah, sure. When you’re done, go in there with the others.” She walked out of the house, still holding onto the evidence bag of cameras.

  I went to the bathroom on the first floor, locking myself inside. Didn’t really have to go, just had to call Kelsey and tell her that her plan looked to be working. This was some serious shit, but it was shit Dean rightly deserved. After hanging up, I knew she’d be on her way, rushing over here to watch. She wanted to see her handiwork, and I couldn’t blame her.

  This was a reckoning Dean had needed from the very beginning, and even if it would drag us all down, I’d be more than willing to go down with this ship. I’d go down with the ship and the knowledge I helped sink it.

  Beggars couldn’t
be choosers in this situation.

  By the time the police were done going through his room, we were told we might be needed for questioning again. With the blue and red lights flashing outside—the Greek houses were right next to one of the many streets that intersected campus—me and my fraternity brothers watched as shiny, silver handcuffs were slapped on Dean’s wrists.

  They’d found the safe, and he’d opened it for them. They’d played the flash drive, the videos on it, and when they asked the other guys about being filmed, their faces of shock and confusion were genuine.

  No one else knew Dean had filmed them. No one else really knew what Dean was doing behind their backs. If Dean hoped to stash those videos away for blackmail or something, who knew? Didn’t matter much anymore, because Dean was being led out of the house and told his rights.

  I followed them out of the house, along with most of the other guys. We weren’t bundled up for the cold weather, but that didn’t stop us. I spotted a crowd gathering on the sidewalk across the street, and I saw Kelsey among them, shivering in her hoodie. I only wore a sweatshirt, so I knew how she felt.

  Together, we watched the older woman shove Dean in the back of her cruiser and slam the door shut on him.

  Who knew that to get back at him, it’d end like this? Involving the police was really the only move we had; Dean didn’t care about anything else. But throwing off his life? Having him arrested and taking him to trial, which I was certain Mel’s parents wanted to do, possible jailtime? Oh, that was the worst thing ever.

  The other officers filed in their own vehicles, and one by one they drove off, shutting off their flashing lights. Once he was gone, everyone kind of looked at each other. The fraternity guys all started whispering to each other, filing back in the house, while the crowd on the sidewalk across the street slowly disbursed.

  Kelsey walked right across the street to me without looking, the wind whipping her brown hair every which way. She had her arms folded across her chest, and only because Dean and the police were gone did she allow herself to smile.

 

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