Chapter 11
Eleven
Bristol
Heading down to the dining hall for dinner, I run into Sophia in the elevator.
“Hey, stranger.” She smiles at me, but honestly, I can’t tell if it’s fake. It seems genuine, but so did our supposed friendship.
It was my mistake for believing we could ever be friends.
“Hey, Sophia.” I force a smile. While I appreciate her letting me crash in her room that time with Liam, I still don’t consider the two of us friends. She backstabbed me in high school and told my crush that I liked him freshman year.
“How are you?” The smile she wears just makes my stomach flop. She’s pretty, the kind of pretty that guys fawn all over. She never had any trouble getting a date to prom or any other dance.
“Fine.”
She folds her arms across her chest, raising one eyebrow. Sophia glances me over, unconvinced, or maybe she knows fine is its own answer: none of your damn business.
“I heard you and my brother are officially dating.”
I open my mouth but quickly shut it. “He told you that?” I don’t know why I’m surprised; they are twins. I’m sure they share all sorts of gossip and secrets, not that us dating is a secret.
The elevator opens, but not quickly enough. I step out first, trying not to make it like I’m running for the exit. I glance at the doors. I could head outside, go anywhere else to stay away from her.
Have I forgiven her for freshman year?
No.
Do I tolerate her when Liam is around? Obviously, because I can only hate one person at a time and, well, turns out I don’t hate Liam anymore.
His sister doesn’t have the same charm.
She grabs my arm. “Why do you hate me?”
Does she honestly not know?
I huff and yank my arm free, keeping distance between us. I glance behind myself at the exit and then the dining hall is just a few feet in the other direction, where I was originally heading. However, if Sophia is going there, I’d prefer to eat someplace else.
“I don’t—”
She stares at me pointedly.
“Fine!” I scowl. “You were a bitch to me freshman year. You told Casey that I liked him and that I had a huge crush on him.”
Sophia stares at me, perplexed. Slowly, she shakes her head. “You’re mad about that?”
“Yes! I told you in secret, and then you went straight to him and told him!”
She laughs under her breath. “I swear, I didn’t. However he found out, it wasn’t me.”
“You’re the only one I told my secret!” I don’t believe her.
Sophia shifts on her feet, her narrow gaze smirking.
“Why would I lie now? That was years ago? Last I heard, Casey Hart knocked up some girl, and their parents forced them to wed. Whoever shared your secret, trust me, you got lucky. You dodged a bullet with Hart. I heard he got arrested last year for domestic abuse.”
I wince, not having heard that little tidbit.
“Anyways, I swear it wasn’t me.” Sophia stares at me with insistence. “Maybe ask Liam.”
“What?” My mouth drops. “No, he wouldn’t have known.”
“Come on. In middle school, he told the guys that you let him get to third base. He was a jealous jerk who liked you.”
I shake my head. That’s not true. It can’t be true, at least the last bit. The first, he definitely did. Another reason I hated him. He was the reason that Travis Madden, a hockey player on the high school team, reached under my skirt.
“I remember that far differently, Sophia. Your brother’s little white lie ended up with me getting assaulted by one of the jocks on the hockey team.”
She exhales a breath and pulls me aside as several students step out of the elevator and walk by. “I’m sorry about that. Travis never should have laid a hand on you.”
I inhale sharply and pull out of her reach. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not, but I’m glad Liam gave him a black eye. He deserved it.”
My shoulders instantly relax. “Liam hit Travis with the puck?” I remember hearing rumors that someone had slammed a puck into his face. I thought it had been karma.
“Liam hit Travis, with his fist. He gave him a black eye. The puck to the face was an added bonus in practice.”
I laugh under my breath, leaning back against the wall. I tip my head up, staring at the ceiling. “All these years, I hated your brother and you.”
“Yeah, I know. I wasn’t entirely sure why you were avoiding me. I assumed it had to do with some shit my brother did. I’m sorry, I should have stood up for you, with Liam and with Travis.”
“He’s your brother.”
“Yeah, and now, you’re dating him? Are you sure you’re ready to deal with Liam Moretti?” The look she gives me sends a shiver down my spine.
“No.” I chuckle and push myself away from the wall. “But I like him. Do you want to grab dinner together?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Sophia grabs my arm and drags me to the dining hall.
After dinner, Sophia invites me out with her friends to go bowling on campus.
I follow her out of the dorms, and as I step outside, there are several flashes of cameras and people with video cameras and microphones lined up, everyone shoving their mic at my face, bombarding me with questions all at once.
“How do you feel about being the reason the Ice Dragons are moving to Montana?” one blonde female reporter asks.
“Do you have any insight into the Ice Dragons choosing to relocate?” another reporter asks.
“Can you tell us if you’re the sole reason your father is moving the team out of New York?” a male reporter asks.
“Is it true your health is deteriorating and your father would rather move the Ice Dragons than—”
The reporters’ questions all slur together, the world spinning wildly on its axis.
“Shut the fuck up!” Sophia steps forward, blocking them. “Your questions should be directed at her father, not her. Leave her alone!”
I hurry back inside the dorms, my hands and body visibly shaking as I begin to hyperventilate.
Sophia wraps an arm around my waist, escorting me away from the glass doors and out of prying eyes. “Does that happen a lot?”
My heart races, and Sophia ushers me to a bench to sit. It takes a few seconds for the words to come.
“Never,” I rasp, trying to catch my breath as though I’d just been drowning.
Her brow is pinched as she glances back at the glass doors. We’re out of sight from the press, but I’m unsure how long they’ll be outside the dorms. Will I have to deal with them tomorrow when I leave for class?
“You should call your father.” Sophia sits next to me on the bench, turned to face me.
“And say what?” I glance at her.
“That you’re off-limits to the reporters. You’re not a hockey player, Bristol. You don’t own the team. Them bothering you with a plethora of questions is just plain wrong!”
I can’t help but see a streak of Liam in Sophia; they are more alike than I ever realized. “He’s already made it clear that I’m off-limits. Apparently, it doesn’t seem to matter.”
“Well, maybe he needs to give them a reminder. We should also reach out to campus security.”
“What are they going to do?” I ask.
“Arrest them.” Sophia grins cheekily.
Will a bunch of reporters even listen to campus police? Who is to say they won’t come back tomorrow when it’s time to leave for class?
I don’t move from my seat on the bench, hands together, my head bent down as I stare at the floor.
“Seriously, call your dad.”
My cheeks heat just thinking about telling him what happened. “He’s going to be pissed.”
“Yes, but he won’t be mad at you, Bristol. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
We reach out to campus police, who offer to send out a patrol to talk to the reporters and insist they leave.
I don’t go anywhere near the front door.
Sophia glances by after thirty minutes. “Looks like they’re gone,” she says as she hurries back toward me.
I haven’t moved from the bench.
“Good.” I force a smile, but my stomach is roiling.
Sophia glances at her watch. “We missed the first hour of bowling, but we could still go hang out if you’re up for it?”
After the reporters, I don’t feel particularly safe wandering campus, even if Sophia accompanies me. “Not tonight.”
“I still think you should call your father.” Sophia doesn’t give up. “He should know what’s going on.”
I exhale through my nose and purse my lips together. “What good will it do?”
“Can’t hurt. Can it?” Sophia stares at me, and I glance away.
She’s right.
“I’d rather do that upstairs, in my dorm.” I don’t want to give any students anything to share with the press. If they’re bothering me, how do I know they won’t start harassing anyone they deem a friend or acquaintance?
Sophia is right at my side as I stand and head for the elevator. “Do you want company?”
“No, it’s all right. Go meet up with your friends.” I wave her off.
Sophia hesitates. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’m just going to put on a movie when I’m done and go to bed early.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
“I am.”
Sophia gives me a hug and then hurries down the hallway.
I press the button for the elevator and make my way back to my dorm.
My dad is definitely not happy when I call.
There are a few colorful curse words that he mutters before insisting that I be careful and stay away from the reporters. Right, like I have a choice. They’re the ones hounding and harassing me.
After I get off the phone with Dad, I send Liam a text. It’s still early. We normally converse around bedtime, but I want to talk to him, to hear his voice.
Me: You busy?
Liam: For you, nope.
He calls me before I have the opportunity to call him first.
“Hey, firebreather. Miss me already?” Liam’s voice makes my heart flutter.
I laugh softly and shuffle back onto the mattress. “Yes. It’s been a tiresome evening.”
He must sense my mood because there’s a shift in his tone. “What happened?” Worry flits through his voice, and I want to reassure him, but I can’t.
“Reporters came to the dorm.”
His voice raises an octave. “What?”
“Sophia and I were going to go out after dinner, and I was practically attacked by reporters.”
I can hear background noise, but I can’t decipher it. “Where are you now?” Liam asks.
“In my dorm room. I decided not to go out. I called my dad—”