Chapter 22

Chapter 22


I yelled as the campus police dragged me outside the dorm and through the campus. I kept on telling him the truth that Brandon had hit me unprovoked but he didn’t care. It was the same old story. No one paid attention to me. Nobody believed that I wasn’t the one who started the fight.

I’m sure everyone thought I was guilty. As I was being taken away, I could see people gathering around the scene. Both from my dorm and the others. They were all staring at me with a least surprised look. Like they were expecting me to get arrested. Most of the girls winked at me, and some even blew me kisses. But I wasn’t in the mood for any of that. All I could think about was how to get out of the situation.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Ryan."

I looked around to see who had called me. And, I spotted Liam standing at one end of the campus. His eyes were red and his face was a bit puffy. Like he had been crying. What happened to him? Why was he crying?

I struggled to free myself from the police officer. I was strong enough to overpower him, so I kicked his left leg and gave him a slight shove. Then, I ran towards Liam.

"Liam. Hey. Are you okay?" I asked.

"What happened?" I asked him. He didn't say anything. he looked nervous.

"Liam, hey. Please talk to me." I placed my hand on his cheek. I knew I didn’t have much time before the officer catch up to me, so I had to do it fast.

"Liam. I'm sorry about earlier. I'm so sorry. Please. Please forgive me." I begged her.

"I'm sorry for kicking you out and taking my anger out on you. I shouldn’t have." I apologized again.

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes.

"Jason kicked me out Ryan.” Liam said. “He won’t let me into the room. Everyone in the dorm was staring at me as he made a ridicule of me. I couldn't take it. I left the place and now, I have nowhere to go."

"What?" I said.

"Are you kidding me? My brother is unbelievable. Is he crazy?” I said. I pulled him closer and kissed his forehead.

"Its going to be okay.” I said.

“No.” Liam said and shook his head.

“No. No. It’s not.” he took a step back from me and looked at me from head to toe.

"What happened to you? Why were you with that guard?" Liam asked.

"I..." I tried to explain the situation, but the police officer from before ran towards me. There were also other guards that followed him.

"Ryan stop right there. You are under arrest. Don't resist." The officer said.

They tackled me to the floor and tried to pin me down.

"Get the fck off me." I yelled.

"Ryan. What happened?" Liam asked. He had a horrified look on his face.

“You’re getting arrested? Again.” Liam turned around to see people staring at him.

It was very obvious that he had just come out of the dorm and didn’t know what had happened earlier.

"Are you serious, Ryan? I thought you said you’re going to change for me. For us." Liam said and grabbed his hair.

“ Jason was right. You’re toxic. The only thing you do is cause trouble and get arrested. What did you do this time? Huh?” he asked. I could see a tear roll down his cheek.

He was crying.

"Liam, I... Please, listen."

I reached for him ,but the officer held my hand.

"Sir, stay away from him." The officer said.

"Liam" I called his name again. I tried to speak but the officers were pushing me to the ground, so I couldn't talk.

“This is over, Ryan. I …I can’t. I can’t deal with this. All these problems. I can't handle it." Liam said and turned away from me.

"Liam, no. Wait." I begged.

"Please. Please." I called out to him as the officers pulled me up.

But, he didn't turn back. He just walked away.

"No. Liam, Liam, No, Please. Wait. No. Come back. Don't leave me."

But, he was gone.

"Fck." I yelled and struggled against the guards.

"I didn't do anything. Fck. Liam."

The guards threw me into their car and locked the door.

I sat in the back of their vehicle as they drove out of campus to the police station.

“Damnit.” I yelled, hitting the metal wall.

I groaned and ran my fingers through my curly hair. I looked back at the window. The campus was getting further and further away from sight. Liam was not in sight anymore. I couldn’t see him 

Fck. This sucks.

I couldn't believe this was happening to me. This was not how I planned things. Why was everything so messed up. I slept in the holding cell that night. The police officer came and asked me a bunch of questions and took my statement.

I was tired, so I decided to sleep and deal with everything tomorrow.

According to the police, Brandon would be called in for questioning tomorrow and if he decides to press charges I might have to be detained because of my criminal record.

If he did, it would mean more jail time.

The officer assured me that if Brandon didn’t file a complaint then, I would be fine and free to go home. I just hoped that Brandon wasn't stupid and didn't press charges. I spent the whole night thinking about Liam. I wondered what he was doing and how he was doing. With Jason kicking him out of the dorm, he would need a place to stay.

I wished, I hadn’t gotten into this fight with Brandon. I would have helped him out. Taken him back to the cabin we stayed before or maybe a hotel room since all the dorms were full.

It hurt me more that my stupid decision made me not to be there for him when he needed help. I had really screwed things up this time. And the things he said to me when I was being taken away.

Maybe Jason was right and he couldn’t do this anymore.

Why couldn’t he do? The relationship. It hasn’t even been a day since I asked him out and he already had enough.I guess, it was a good thing I didn’t say that we were dating or were going to date. He would have broken up with me even before the start of the relationship. And now, the one thing that mattered most to me was gone. Liam What was I going to do now. How was I going to win him back.

I was willing to change. I wanted to change for him. If Brandon hadn’t hit me…and the alcohol. I buried my face in my hands. Everything was ruined.

A loud knock on the holding cell woke me up.

“ Miller” The officer in charge yelled my last name.

I was sleeping on the bench in the holding cell. My body ached. The other inmates were loud and noisy all night. It was hard for me to get any rest. My mind was also on Liam. I stretched and stood up. My messy hair and blood-shot eyes made me look like a mess. The officer was staring at me, as if I was a criminal.

Maybe I was. After the night I spent in the cell, I realized that maybe everyone was right. Maybe I was a screw up and a bad person. I mean, look where I was.

In jail, again.

And the fact that Liam left me. Didn’t help. “You again, Ryan” The officer said.

“When are you going to stop causing trouble? Don't you ever learn your lesson?" He asked.

"Why don’t you mind your business?" I replied. The officer chuckled and unlocked the gate.

"Follow me. The chief wants to speak with you." He said.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. This wasn't good. Maybe Brandon did press charges. I would break his jaw if he did. The officer opened the cell door and escorted me into the Chief's office. My hands were still handcuffed as I dragged my feet through the station. It took us a few minutes to get there. The chief’s office was dimly lit and the smell of cigarettes filled the air.

The chief was sitting behind his desk and opposite him was Brandon. I could see the back of Brandon's head. He turned to face me. A sly grin crept across his face. An evil sly grin. His face was covered in bruises and cuts. He had a bandage around his forehead. I could see a dark mark on his cheek. It was the exact spot where I had hit him last night.

Damn! Brandon was really badly injured. His face was covered with bruises. I really beat the sh!t out of him yesterday. I was a little bit proud.

"Ryan, why are you causing trouble again?" The chief asked before I could even get to my seat.

“Sir, Brandon provoked me. He hit me first and I defended myself. That's what happened." I replied.

I couldn’t help but stare at Brandon and the expression on his face. He seemed so smug and satisfied. Like he had just won the lottery.

“Well, Ryan. That's not the way Brandon saw it. According to him, you were the one who started the fight.“ The chief said.

“ Brandon even said, you threatened to kill him .” The chief added.

“Threatened to kill him .” I scoffed.

“I don’t need to threaten him. If I wanted to kill him, he would be dead by now." I shot Brandon a death glare.

The bastard smirked at me. Then he pouted.

“Are you hearing him, Chief. He’s threatening me again. This guy is crazy. You need to lock him up forever. Don't let him hurt me." Brandon said.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. What the hell was wrong with this guy. Was he on drugs? He was acting so weird.

“ Ryan, stop it. You need to calm down. You will only make the situation worse for yourself." The chief said.

“But—“ I tried to speak but the Chief cut me off.

" Ryan, the way the fight escalated. The fact that Brandon was almost beaten to death, and you're a known fighter. It looks like you're the one who attacked him.”

The chief said. Then the chief sighed and ran his fingers through his greying hair.

“Look Ryan. you’re a repeat offender. Brandon's family is also very rich and they are pressing charges. They want you to pay for the damage you caused to their son's body." The chief continued.

"So, I'm afraid, we're going to have to keep you in jail until the court hearing."

I was stunned.

"Court hearing?” I asked. My eyes darted from the Chief to Brandon and back to the Chief.

"But, you can't do that. You can’t keep me in jail for an ordinary fight that he started. He hit me first. He wasn’t just man enough to take a beating so, I beat him up."

"Miller, that's enough." The chief banged his fist on the table.

"Don't argue with me. Do you know how many times you've been arrested for fighting. This time, I have no choice but to throw you in jail. You need to learn your lesson."

“You have no choice? No. I think you so have a choice .” I yelled.

“But Brandon's parents must have paid you a fortune to keep me locked up. Didn’t they? He paid you a lot of money to keep me behind bars. Right? Is that why you're throwing me in jail, sir?"

"Watch your tone, boy." The chief warned.

I stood up , turned towards Brandon and pointed my finger at him.

"Brandon you fcking piece of sh!t. You bribed him, didn't you?"

"Hey. Don't you point at me." Brandon yelled. He pointed his index finger at his own chest.

"I did no such thing." He said smiling. I knew he was lying.

"You liar." I yelled.

I was boiling with rage. Brandon stood to his feet and laughed.

“When I’m done with you Ryan,you will regret ever crossing me. Oh and not just you. I promise, now that you’re locked up, I will go after Liam, make him fall in love with me and break that stupid little heart of his. He will pay for what he did to me."