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.
That smile. Those lips. The things they did to me.
Both our breaths could be seen in the cold air, but for the first time in a long time, I felt almost carefree. Even if Dean dragged me down with him, I didn’t care. Even if this whole fraternity got penalized by the college—since hazing was technically illegal—I didn’t care. This was the start of something new, a life where Kelsey and I didn’t have to worry about what Dean would do next.
“So,” I started, smirking down at her.
“So,” she mimicked me, stepping closer. “What now, Bluw?”
“You tell me.”
She reached for my chest, running a hand down it. “With him gone, and the cameras gone, I think it’s time we break in your bed again.” She lifted a single dark brow, egging me on in the best way possible.
Kelsey, naked in my bed? Fuck yeah. There was nothing better.
I grabbed her hand and led her to the house, bringing her in through the front door and ignoring the chattering amongst the other guys as we headed up the steps. To the third floor, to my room. Piece by piece we shed our clothes, dropping them haphazardly on the floor, our bodies shivering with the need to feel each other’s heat, to unite in the way instinct told us to. I had her beautiful, naked body pinned beneath me on my bed a few moments after that.
If this was how the rest of my life was going to go, I never wanted it to end.
Chapter Twenty-Three - Epilogue – Kelsey
Road trips with people you loved were just as miserable as road trips with people you hated. Spending any extended period of time with any person while trapped in a car was not good for anyone’s health. Trust me on this.
How did I know this? Oh, because Levi and I were currently on the road, both our nerves antsy, both of us wanting the drive to be over with.
But if the drive was over with, then we’d be at our destination, and I knew Levi definitely didn’t want that.
The windows were down, the sun shining on the car. I checked the weather for where we were going, and it was clear. Granted, we’d be spending more than a week there, so I was sure the weather would change eventually. There would be rainy days when we’d all be stuck inside the condo, but…
Well, we’d get to it when we got to it.
Our bags took up the majority of the trunk, and I had my feet propped up on the dash, my toes painted, for once. Levi was currently white-knuckling it on the steering wheel, muttering shit under his breath.
It got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore. “What?” I asked, tossing him an annoyed look. Our relationship wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies, but we both refused to give up. We loved each other too much, blah, blah, blah. All that mushy shit.
“I’m going to kill him,” Levi said, not needing to further explain exactly who he was talking about. There was only one him, especially with where we were going. It’d been on the forefront of Levi’s mind the entire time, ever since I told him about Ash’s invitation.
Things weren’t exactly squared with us, but I was hoping this summer getaway would rectify that, help her and I get things back to the way they used to be. I missed her. This past year was not the same without her.
“Oh, come on, Blue,” I muttered, shooting Levi a smile. If I was honest, I kind of liked it when he got all alpha male on me. Protective and possessive. He didn’t like when another guy looked at me, let alone touched me—not that I was going out and purposefully seeking out any other dicks.
No, that Kelsey was long gone by now. The only dick this Kelsey wanted was Levi’s.
“What?” he practically growled out. “When I see him, I’m going to kill him.”
“You will not,” I told him. “This should go without saying, but no murder on summer vacation.” Chuckling to myself, I paused when I felt my phone vibrate.
Things were good now. Dean hadn’t come back to SCC, mostly because he was in jail for the next year. He’d have a lot of time to contemplate what he wanted to do with his life—plus he’d have a record. Pretty much fucked up his future, but I didn’t care. He almost fucked up Mel’s, so we were even.
Speaking of the woman herself…
“Mel agrees with me,” I told him, texting her back that we weren’t there yet. She’d been a bit of a Christmas miracle, although she would never put it that way. Mel was living with her parents, going to therapy, focusing on getting her life back on track. I visited her often; I’d meant it when I said she was my friend and I wasn’t going to abandon her. “No killing.”
“What? You never had to spend time with someone I’d had sex with—”
I turned my head, glaring at him. “Uh, I was roommates with Mel, back before I moved in with your sorry ass.”
Levi’s confidence wavered, just a bit. Just for a split-second. “Oh, right.”
Letting out a laugh, I set my phone down and stared out the window. The scenery was not something I was used to, but everybody who’d lived through a bad winter was ready for the hot, salty breeze of the beach. At least that’s what they said. I’d never been to a beach before, so I was kind of excited. Plus, since Ash’s boyfriends had money flowing out of their asses, this was pretty much a free trip for Levi and me, minus the gas.
Yes, you read that right: boyfriends. As in more than one. Didn’t know how that happened, but hey, if they were all happy, I was happy.
Ash would have to tell me how she juggled all that dick, though. You didn’t have multiple boyfriends and not sleep with them.
With any luck, this would be the first trip out of many for Levi and me. Hopefully we’d have countless more trips, holidays and birthdays, the whole shebang. I didn’t want to spend my time with anyone else these days, just him. He was everything to me, and finally I understood what people meant when they claimed to be head over heels in love.
Me, Kelsey Yates, in love. Never thought I’d see the day.
My parents even liked Levi. Yes, Levi had Shawn’s stamp of approval, too—I’d finally given in and met the guy. He actually wasn’t that bad. Now, when it came to Levi’s mom, that was another story. I didn’t think that bitch would ever approve of me, but I didn’t care. Levi didn’t seem to be taking his mom’s words to heart, so I tried not to think too much about it. I might not have been the girl who every guy took home to meet his family, but I was
Levi’s.
I was Levi’s, and I’d never belong to anyone else.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Kelsey’s story as much as I did writing it. Please think about leaving a review, even if it’s a short one. Reviews help spread the word of books, and especially books like this, which aren’t what I normally write.
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There might be something in the works for Mel…
Making Mistakes: A College Bully Romance (Playing Games Book 2) Page 20
