Page 37 of Call the Shots (For The Arena #1)
JUNE
UNINVITED GUESTS
The bus to Austin was moved up an hour, and I didn’t realize it until I checked the itinerary. After squeezing in my classes, I ran to cram the last of my stuff in my suitcase. Time to enjoy a week of debauchery with my best friends from the Romans.
I should’ve been excited. Or more excited than I was. Last year, getting to travel with the guys was the highlight of my college experience. Drinking games in different cities, dressing up with King for posh events, making memories together as a family, I loved every second.
Now…
The social media posts for the Gladiators were on a schedule and I couldn’t be as attentive to the numbers.
We were finally getting traction. How could I stop that progress?
The new t-shirts were coming in and I couldn’t wait to show the guys but that would have to wait until Cleo and I returned.
And the Colo was finally coming together!
I just…it wasn’t a good time to leave.
Yet I missed my Romans friends so much and this was a big step to repairing the distance I created. Back to the June before, but better . A June who could handle everything, who wouldn’t collapse again.
Mentally checking off my packing list, I walked out of the elevator to the second floor and paused at the sight of a pretty girl.
That wasn’t out of the ordinary—pretty girls who could do better flocked to the hockey team—but something about this was different.
She didn’t have a dress on from the night before and she looked upset, her eyes shining with tears.
“Hello?” I got her attention. “Do you need help?”
Her skin was so pale, it was almost translucent, and she was model-tall like my friend Piper, with dark curls down her back. She bit her lip. “Do you know where Bear is?”
“Bear?” I repeated.
Footsteps followed from the hallway. “Where’s Bear?”
I didn’t recognize the girl but once I saw him, I froze. Wade Kérouac. He looked so much like the girl, except way more muscular.
Wade.
Paisley.
My heart crashed against my ribcage. The two people who fucked my roommate over were here . The lawyers said most cease-and-desists made the problem go away. I didn’t think it’d be like flashing a beacon.
Wade and Paisley were here because of me .
The resolution gripped me like a vise. I couldn’t let the Kérouacs see our door. Our RA for the summer gave everyone hockey puck door decorations. I refused to let Bear tear ours down but now I mentally kicked myself. The decoration had our names on it.
“I don’t know how you snuck past the front desk, you aren’t allowed in this building,” I said, my voice sharp. “There’s a DNP placed against both of you. You’re trespassing. You need to leave. Immediately.”
Paisley flushed. “You don’t need to do anything drastic?—”
“Cut the shit.” Wade got into my space. “Where is he?”
I fumbled for my phone—the phone I left in my dorm to charge so it’d be at full battery for the bus. Shit. Wade got even closer, his glare prominent. This asshole thought he could push me around—and he probably could. He was beyond six feet tall. I had to be aware of the situation. I needed backup.
I hit the first door around the corner and Fridge opened it, eyebrows raised.
“Fridge, do we have a Bear here?”
His eyes slid to the newcomers. He shook his head. “No.”
I went to the door across from him. “Denali, do we have a Bear on this floor?”
The hockey captain folded his arms across his chest. “Nope.”
“This is cute.” Wade scoffed before he disappeared, making the loop to our door.
Shit!
“Denali!” I shouted over my shoulder. “Call security!”
Another door opened. “What’s going on?”
“June?” Sully called. “What’s up?”
“Woah, what’s this?” Buttons asked.
“No one touch him!” Denali barked. “He’s North Dakota’s captain!”
Wade’s fist slammed against our door, and I ducked close. “He doesn’t want to see you or Paisley!”
“So you know who we are?—”
“ Yes! ”
“What, did Bear cry about it?”
“Get out!”
“Did he tell you the full story? How big of a fucking loser he is? I was his only friend and now he’s throwing lawyers at me because his dick’s online. What a joke?—”
“ Shut up! ”
“Bitch, move the fuck over?—”
“He called June the b-word!” Montoya shouted.
Gladiators poured into the hallway to see what the commotion was. Denali yelled when they tried to interfere. “June!” he thundered. “You’re not getting hurt! Move out of his way!”
That was it . I was furious that Wade and Paisley thought they could push Bear around. I was furious that after everything they put Bear through, he was still the one paying the price. I saw red and yanked off my right sneaker.
“Fuck you!” I hissed, hitting him in the back of his head.
The volume in the hallway increased tenfold, but I couldn’t focus on the crowd, I focused on keeping my uncoordinated movements as coordinated as possible.
Hockey players tried to grab me, and I slipped out of their grasp, pummeling Wade with my shoe because fuck him, fuck Paisley, and fuck Bear’s old school for doing nothing?—
Wade grabbed me by the arm and twisted me around, crashing me against the wall. I hit the bricks with a yelp when our door opened.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” a voice snarled before Wade’s hold on me disappeared.
At least five hockey players separated me from the fight, hiding me behind them, but I could still see everything.
Bear dragged Wade to the ground like a wild animal.
His fists were a blur, and every time Wade tried to escape, Bear was on him, slamming him to the floor.
Fridge and Denali tried to haul Bear back, but he wouldn’t let Wade go.
More and more guys had to join in just to wrestle Bear away from him.
“Bear, stop! ” Paisley exclaimed, like the fight wasn’t done.
Surprise flickered across Bear’s face, and he stared, dumbfounded. “Paisley?” His eyes widened when they landed on Wade. “ Wade? ”
His gaze found me behind his teammates. Bear’s knuckles were bruised, Wade had blood trickling out of his mouth. Bear would never physically need my help, I knew that, but a surge of protectiveness coursed through me. I pushed through the crowd to get to him.
“There was this man who came to the house with a legal document.” Paisley sniffled. “You’d never do that to us?—”
I interrupted her. “It’s a cease-and-desist because Bear has the support of Marrs University. The letter states if you continue to engage in the illegal distribution?—”
“Illegal distribution,” Wade scoffed. “What are you, his fucking lawyer?”
I jabbed a finger to his chest. “I might as well be Saul fucking Goodman to you because this is harassment and intimidation. If the Marrs legal team catches you further distributing Bear’s personal pictures, we will take your asses to court!”