Page 36 of Call the Shots (For The Arena #1)

BEAR

CEASE-AND-DESIST

With Vernon’s bullshit rules, I put in a new system to the snap shot sluts! to make sure everybody showed up to practice on time. Basically texting YOUR ASS BETTER BE AWAKE OR ILL HUNT YOU FOR SPORT and everyone had to thumbs-up the message to avoid getting a call from me. I checked the chat again.

ruthlesselijah

dad wouldve said it nicer

me

im not miles

Nickyk

I miss Miles whered he go?

Denali [Captain]

He’s a professional athlete

ruthlesselijah

thats right

Nickyk

He shouldnt let something as unimportant as his career stop him from hanging out with us

montooooya

im proud of him!

ruthlesselijah

shut up kids toy

ARVID

shut up kids toy

charliest6

shut up kids toy

pickles

shut up kids toy

I opened the Colo’s door for June, and she gave me a secret smile. “I have a surprise for you after practice.”

“Did you clog the shower drain again?” I said warily but June just rolled her eyes. That didn’t give me any information. The surprise could’ve been a lot of things. A worse t-shirt design than ‘ bearly hanging on! ’ or something wrong with the dorm. I grimaced. “Spoil it, I don’t like surprises.”

A voice interrupted our conversation. “Good morning, Bear!”

It was Laki, decked out in gear, ready to hit the ice. Laki never said hi to me. He stuck with the West Coast transfers. As soon as he was gone, there was Pickles. “Morning, Bear!”

What the hell?

I looked back, still confused, while June pulled some papers from her backpack. “I’m posting the renovation shifts in our group chat and mentioning Riley by name. Maybe if he sees the notification, he’ll actually show up.”

“G’morning, Bear!” another teammate called.

“What the hell is going on?” I muttered.

June glanced up. “With what?”

“Why are they talking to me?”

“They’re saying good morning.”

“Why are they saying it to me? What do they want?”

“Um…it could be that they like you and want to say good morning.”

My frown deepened. “No, that’s not it.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s it.”

More hockey players left the locker room, weirdly staring like they were expecting something. Why were they circling?

“Bear, you’re too tall, stop hiding behind me,” June whispered.

“I’m not hiding behind you,” I muttered back. “Why are they staring? What the fuck is their problem?”

She nudged me. “Say something.”

“Like what?”

“Say good morning.”

Goddamn, everywhere I looked, there was another pair of peering eyes. I shifted uncomfortably. Even if I was only doing drills with defense today, it’d be pretty noticeable if I ignored the rest of them. I cleared my throat. “Morning.”

Immediately, they dispersed, heading to the rink.

My face burned. I ignored June’s light laughter, pushing away from the table.

I knew how to say hello, but I’d slammed into most of these guys before we were teammates, even sprained some wrists and bruised some ribs.

It was so weird to hear them wish me good morning.

After classes, June led me to the training center for the surprise. I was still apprehensive. Ninety percent of the time, surprises shouldn’t exist. They’re meant to knock you off your feet, and with how the summer was going, I didn’t need anything unexpected.

“How do our student IDs not work in the athletics center?” June said, swiping it again.

“They’ve never worked.”

She went to the front desk. “Hi! Sorry, we’re part of the hockey team and we have an appointment?”

“Appointment?” I muttered.

“Oh, June!” The receptionist blinked. “We have a hockey team?”

After they fixed our IDs, June took me to the third floor, and it was like traveling with royalty. Every three feet I had to awkwardly stand aside while someone else hugged her.

I exhaled through my nose. “What’s the surprise, killer?”

June smiled before opening a door to a conference room that was way nicer than anything we had at the Colo. There were a dozen men in suits, standing up to shake our hands. I was more and more confused with each handshake.

“Mr. Moreau, we’re pleased to make your acquaintance. We have everything prepared.”

“Prepared? For what?”

“For your court readiness meeting.” Another lawyer shook my hand.

“We’ll be discussing your lawsuit against your previous university for negligence of your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, and the psychological and sexual abuse.

” He picked up one of the papers with an official letterhead.

“We’ll be filing against the athletics program, the coaches, and the Kérouacs. ”

My whole body went stiff. “What?”

“They only need your signature right now,” June assured me.

I stared at her in disbelief and my eyes shot to the scene around us. To the dozen lawyers and the fifty packets on the table, waiting for me. This didn’t happen overnight. The suits put time into this. June put time into this. My fingers curled into my palms, and I struggled with what to say.

I left the office.

Taking rapid breaths, I took a left down a quiet hall and pressed my back to the wall. I felt like shit. My stomach twisted in knots, and I couldn’t speak while June poked her head around the corner. “Bear?”

“I didn’t think you’d do something,” I managed. “That’s what people do. They say they’ll do something and then…I—I didn’t think you’d actually do anything.”

“Um…it’ll be you doing everything?—”

“I don’t want to sue people, I just want the videos down.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her tilt her head. “We’re at two hundred takedowns. It’s slow with the international websites but?—”

“ How? ” I looked at her incredulously. “None of those websites replied to anything I sent them.”

“They didn’t respond to us either.” She shrugged, pleased.

“I figured out the solution. Revenge porn laws are so small, to them, it’s not worth the hassle.

Now, child pornography, that’s a way bigger issue.

It could jeopardize their domain registration.

The lawyers email them about the takedown, and I email after, saying you’re fifteen.

Trust me, they’re a lot quicker with the responses. ”

“I’m clearly not a kid in those videos.”

“So? If it gets the videos down, it gets them down.”

June kept talking, and I was stunned into silence. Fuck. With every word, I felt worse and worse. I treated her like shit and… I didn’t know what to say. Everything I thought to say sounded wrong and not grateful enough.

“You don’t have to go to court if you don’t want to. I know that’s asking a lot,” she said softly. “The lawyers said a cease-and-desist is enough to scare?—”

“June, I broke into your laptop.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Xavier told me the password and I’m—I’m so sorry. He wanted these receipts—I didn’t give him anything, I swear—but that’s how I knew to get your furniture from his office…I’m really sorry.”

June leaned against the wall too until we were both quiet, a bubble away from everyone else.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, my voice low. “You can yell at me—you should yell at me. I deserve it.”

“I don’t want to yell at you.”

That made me feel worse than if she started screaming. I stared at my sneakers. The moment I saw her name on those receipts…I knew.

“Bear?” June said, still looking away from me. “I’m…angry.”

Silent, I nodded.

“But I’m not going to pretend like I don’t know why you did it. I did things I didn’t like for Xavier because I loved him.” She swallowed. “I said things I didn’t mean and…” Her eyes met mine. “Don’t get it twisted, I’m not happy about this. Don’t touch my laptop again.”

I nodded.

“I still want to help,” she said quietly. “I don’t want this hovering over you anymore.”

Seconds passed and I fought to keep my breathing steady. “If Xavier so much as looks at you, I meant everything I said?—”

“This isn’t an exchange. I didn’t get the lawyers together for a hitman against my ex.”

“I feel very…” I tried to think of how I wanted to say it.

“I feel very protective of you. And it’s not because you were on crutches.

It’s not because you’re tiny. It’s not because of Xavier.

It’s like I—I feel—” I didn’t know how to explain the weird tug in my gut that kept me awake at night when she stayed up to study and I couldn’t sleep until I knew she was asleep too.

“We can start over, Bear. None of the other stuff matters, okay? Clean slate.”

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, a kind of nervous tapping I didn’t recognize.

This was…different. I was used to looking after myself.

Working two jobs in North Dakota to afford stuff during hockey season, setting my draft status in motion.

Even when I stayed at Wade’s parents’ house, I kept out of sight, out of mind, only sleeping on their couch when I had to.

Letting someone else do something for me was…I didn’t know how to treat it. I followed June, silent, and held the door open for her. Why would she do this? What did June want?

My eyes wandered to the glass windows that showed the main walkway on the third floor.

King.

June didn’t see him. If she did, I knew what would’ve happened. The moment she spotted him, she’d race over. Wrap her arms around his neck in a big hug. She would’ve been so excited, especially with how absent he’d been.

June’s boyfriend. King.

The douchebag with the flame tattoos and scars.

I knew his mom was sick, I knew he had stuff going on, but that didn’t change how little I liked him.

June made so many excuses for him—she didn’t realize he was another shitty guy on her roster.

Didn’t she know she could do better? Didn’t she know she deserved better?

If King’s head wasn’t filled with fucking cement, he would’ve realized how good he had it. If I was in his place, I would’ve spent every free second I had in June’s room. I would’ve been fucking appreciative .

“There’s—” I stopped myself, fingers curling over the door.

June turned back, her green eyes soft. “What is it?”

The hesitation disappeared and I closed the door behind me. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

Fuck. Him.