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I N CLASS, NOTHING HAPPENS . Victor barely spares me a glance, but I think I can feel his intense gaze on me. I don’t want to give him any attention.

When the class is over, I leave first. Maybe Victor has finally learned not to mess with me, and I don’t want to do anything to disturb the peace.

But when it’s time for the game, I sneak into the arena and hide in the shadows. I want to see if Victor will really play tonight.

The crowd is as wild as ever, and then I see him. He glides over the ice without any trouble and even waves to the crowd.

Unbelievable.

He must’ve been pretending then, because I don’t think it’s possible to play with a sprained ankle. I guess he didn’t twist it that bad, which makes me a little disappointed. But he could’ve gotten seriously injured, so I hope he thinks about that before he gets the idea to pester me again.

Unless someone else is pretending to be Victor and wearing his number. It’s not like I can see under the helmet from this far away, but someone would’ve surely noticed. The crowd happily chants his name when he scores.

Maybe he moves a little slower than usual and not as elegantly, but it might be my wishful thinking. I haven’t watched him enough times to know if this is just a normal variation in his gameplay. No player can be perfect in every game.

I sigh and head out. There’s a table with chairs outside in the light, and usually no one is there, so I can study in peace. I’ll wait to see what happens with Victor. Maybe I can follow him for a change and figure out where his dorm room is.

***

I T’S GETTING COLD, so I stuff my book into my bag and get up. All the players and the audience have left the arena, and I haven’t seen Victor. Is he doing his post-match routine, if that’s what I witnessed last time? Then yeah, he definitely didn’t get hurt.

But as I reach the entrance, the hallway is in darkness and the door locked. Victor isn’t here anymore, so where is he? Maybe he left through a different exit or I missed him in the crowd.

Although, he’s the reason his team won, so I’m sure it would be hard to miss the main star. There’s no way he could’ve just calmly walked close by without a bunch of fans at least congratulating him or shouting something to him. Someone who seems to like attention as much as he does would want everyone to know exactly where he is.

I hide behind a tree trunk as I see a group of men dressed in black coming through the back exit. As they part, I see Victor and Jake.

Victor is a little slower than Jake, and he seems to be favoring one leg over the other as he walks. Wait, what does that mean? Did Victor play injured? Under painkillers or who knows what?

But why? It wasn’t an overly important game. Just another in the line. Sure, the team won because of him, but they probably could’ve done it without him too. I guess that was why he was slower and seemed a little off.

Jake abruptly stops, turning toward Victor. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Victor’s mouth opens in surprise and then he frowns. He says something, and Jake roughly grabs him by the chin.

The men around them watch but don’t move or try to intervene. What’s happening? Why does Jake always have so many bodyguards with him? It’s totally unnecessary. He’s not in the government or someone super famous.

He’s only supposed to be a rich businessman. I don’t think Victor would be here, without any protection, if his father was anything more. But then again, what do I know? Someone could’ve threatened Jake’s life, and he doesn’t want to take any risks.

Victor says something, and Jake shoves him back, letting go of him. Doesn’t Jake know about Victor’s injury? It’s obvious because Victor has trouble staying on his feet, and he grimaces when he steps on the injured foot. Whoa, Jake really treats his son like trash. I don’t like him at all.

Maybe Victor is an asshole because he learned it from Jake or because he wants to prove something to his father. It’s not an excuse, but I remember the way Victor tensed and jumped when Jake called his name.

It wasn’t just a surprised reaction. I think Victor might be afraid of Jake, and he probably has a very good reason. One of the guards looks in my direction, and I duck behind the tree.

I break into a run to get to the parking lot, but there aren’t many cars left now. As I glance over my shoulder, I can’t see anyone, but I have a distinct feeling someone’s watching me from the shadows.

It can’t be Victor, though. There’s no way he could’ve gotten all the way here. Maybe it’s nothing. I’m just hyperaware of my surroundings because everything with Victor and Jake is strange.

I hide behind a car that I know belongs to one of my professors. A black SUV speeds across the parking lot and stops just as Jake and his men appear. One of the men opens the door for Jake.

“It’s my way, or no way,” Jake says, loud enough for me to hear, before he gets in.

I have no idea what he’s referring to, and I can’t see Victor anywhere, but yep, I definitely don’t like that guy. Maybe I was wrong and Victor’s family really is the mafia. That would explain a billion bodyguards.

Except, Victor has none, and I can’t see that happening. Unless there’s someone watching him, and I don’t know about it. Maybe he doesn’t know it either. But then why would he go around and follow me as if he’s untouchable?

Or maybe Jake is mad at his son for choosing hockey. But then he wouldn’t come to Victor’s games. Or maybe he would, for his image or something. All I have are theories.

I’ll just have to accept the fact that I don’t know much about Victor and his family for now. But the things I have seen... I don’t like any of that very much.

If Victor is in trouble or has had a disagreement with his father over something, then his attention might be elsewhere, so that’s better for me. Victor won’t have the time or will to concern himself with me, and I’ll finally be able to breathe.

Besides, he’s injured, and he might have made things worse by playing tonight. Maybe that’s why his father is mad at him, but shoving him like that surely isn’t going to help him heal.

Jake might have a bad temper, so he didn’t even think about it. But he didn’t check on Victor either. He must be one of those guys who can never admit when they’ve done something wrong. Jake probably blames Victor for provoking him.

And maybe I’m creating stories in my mind that have nothing to do with reality. Just because Sebastian would do something like that and blame me for everything doesn’t mean Jake is the same. But he feels the same.

I shouldn’t feel sorry for Victor, but growing up with a guy like Jake... It can’t be easy. Victor should still choose to be a better person rather than a bully. Hell, he should understand the consequences of what he does without a problem, and he’s definitely old enough to know better.

And maybe he gets it, and that’s why he does it. He wants to be cruel, just like his father, and he’s found me to be the perfect target because I can’t fight back as easily as someone else could. That’s just disgusting.

And if he doesn’t feel powerful at home, then he’s a terror at college because he has more freedom and he’s the one in charge here. It must feel nice to him. Intoxicating. Does he feel a rush whenever he humiliates me? Or will things change now that I have finally caused him harm too? Maybe he’ll see I’m not as much of an easy target as he thought.

I hope my wishful thinking won’t get me in even more trouble. Jake’s car and his men are gone, so I come out of hiding.

It’s time to go home and forget about the Overton family and their drama. I need to study and can’t let Victor distract me from the things that really matter.