Chapter 8: Bryn

I curse Sawyer in my hide after he drives off with my car. I was supposed to be meeting my advisor but now I'll have to walk! Since there’s not much I can do right now I decide to eat breakfast. I throw a couple pieces of whole grain bread into the toaster and smear some avocado on it when it’s ready. A few minutes go by and I’m about to clean up my plate when I hear my phone going off in my room. I leave my plate on the side of the sink and rush off to grab it.

“Hello? This is Bryn!” I say when I finally answer.

“Hello Miss Raven. This is Tiffany Banks from the medical placement program. I wanted to call because there has been a change in your assignment. Instead of working with the basketball team you will be working with the hockey team.”

“What? But isn’t it too late to change it? I already spoke to the coach and everything.”

“Coach Haskins requested you specifically. It will be a great experience for you! We had a new player transfer in who had a previous injury, so you will be able to work with him on maintaining his health.”

Sawyer…no one knows that we aren’t exactly strangers. That’s where he went? I’m going to kill him!

“I see. Well thank you Miss Banks for letting me know.” I say sweetly but inside I’m ready to commit murder and I have one person in mind to destroy!

Wow, that got dark fast.

I can’t believe Sawyer did this! What is his problem? First that guy and now this! He’s lost his mind. I’m not sure how long he plans on having my car, so I have no choice but to walk to my appointment. Since we’re off campus it’s going to take a little longer to get to my advisor’s office, so I have to get ready now. I don’t bother changing and decide to fix my hair a little and do some basic make-up. There isn’t much time for anything else, so this will have to do. I grab my purse and head out.

It's still warm so I won’t have to worry about freezing my butt off but when winter gets here, I won’t be able to make this walk without full snow gear. As I’m walking, I pass a house with several people stumbling out of the front door. They look like they partied hard last night and still haven’t recovered. A couple of them are helping their friend walk, another just ran over to a line of bushes and threw up, and the rest are practically tripping over each other.

Holy crap! Is this what a college party turns into? How do any of these people make time for studying when they party this hard?

“Hey pretty girl.” A guy stops in front of me and sways toward me.

I take a step back and give him a polite smile. “Hi. You okay?”

He laughs. “I’m more than alright. I don’t think I saw you at the party last night. A girl like you would have stood out like crazy.”

His words are slurred and jumbled together but I think he’s attempting to compliment me.

“No, I wasn’t there. I just got here last night so I haven’t gone to any parties yet.” I start to walk around him, but he grabs my arm. “W-what are you doing?”

I try to pull my arm away, but he only grips it tighter.

“Don’t be shy. Let’s get to know each other.” He gives me a crooked smile and tugs on my arm hard enough to make me trip and nearly collide with him.

I’m able to throw a handout and keep an arm’s length of distance between us but he’s strong.

“Hey!” A loud voice calls out from the street.

I glance over and see Sawyer walking towards us. A sense of relief rushes through me at the sight of him.

“Who the fuck are you?” The guy still holding onto me asks.

“I’m hers. Now get you fucking hands off her!” Sawyer steps between me and the guy and shoves the guy hard.

He stumbles back but catches himself before he falls down. Instead, he pushes himself forward and practically throws his whole body at Sawyer. Sawyer reaches behind his back and moves me so that he’s completely blocking me and then pushes us aside in time for the drunk guy to miss us and fall straight on his face.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Someone from the party house calls from the front door.

“This asshole grabbed my girl!” Sawyer yells back.

“I was being nice! This bitch was the one-“ The guy doesn’t get a chance to finish because Sawyer is on him in a second.

He’s throwing punches at the guy but the drunk guy is smart enough to keep his hands up over his face.

“Don’t you fucking dare call her a bitch! Do you hear me?” Sawyer yells while he attempts another hit.

I’m watching all of this incomplete shock. I’ve never seen Sawyer fight like this! It takes me a minute to snap out of my shock and rush over to try and pull him off the drunk guy.

“Sawyer! Stop! He’s not worth it!” I yell at him but it’s like he can’t hear me.

He won’t stop trying to hit the guy and now the guy is trying to fight back. They’re rolling around trying to hurt each other and no one is trying to stop them. Which just leaves me…

It’s dumb to run into a fight like this but I don’t want Sawyer to get hurt again. So I take a deep breath and March over to the two idiots and grab Sawyer’s arm when he raises it again to punch the guy. His head snaps my way, and I can see an anger in his face that almost scares me. How long has he been pushing all that anger down for it to come out like this?

The expression quickly fades when he sees it’s me holding his arm.

“Sawyer please.” His eyes search my face and I try my best to show how much I don’t like what’s going on.

His dark expression softness and he looks back down at the guy who’s groaning in pain beneath him. I don’t try to step in again and pray that he’ll let the guy go. There is a moment where it feels like everyone around us is holding their breath until Sawyer finally stands. He’s breathing hard as he looks down at the guy.

“Don’t come near her again or I’ll finish what I started, and it will end with you in the hospital. Got it?”

“Yeah alright.” The guy says before he rolls over and spits blood out of his mouth.

Holy crap.

Sawyer walks over to me and grabs my hand pulling me with him to my car. He opens the passenger side door for me, and I climb in without objection. The way he’s breathing and the look in his eyes tell me now isn’t the time to object to anything right now. He’s too worked up and I don’t want to give him attitude right now. He climbs in on the driver’s side and takes off back toward the house without a word. I glance his way several times and see the muscles in his jaw working and his arms are tense. There are ugly red marks on his knuckles and a bit of blood too.

“Sawyer…”

“What the fuck were you doing Bryn? That guy could have…” He can’t seem to say what he thinks would have happened between me and that guy and I don’t think I want to hear it.

“I didn’t have much choice. You took my car and I have an appointment with my advisor this morning. I also have to introduce myself to the hockey coach because someone asked that my assignment be changed. Why did you do that? I was happy to work for the basketball team. It would have been something new. I had more than my share dealing with a hockey player, and I wanted to expand my experience.” So much for not getting angry.

“Why bother if you are going to be working for a hockey team in the future?” He says it like he’s the one who has a plan for my life.

“I haven’t decided if I want to work with a hockey team. That’s why I wanted to try working within a different sport group.” Why am I explaining myself to him?

He has no right to get involved in my career paths.

“No. We always said we would stick together which means you go where I am going and that is the NHL.”

I scoff and shake my head at his nerve. “That was a long time ago Sawyer. Things have changed.”

“How so?”

Is he serious?

“How? You cut me off. You broke our friendship! Now you drop back in my life and expect me to keep my word about a promise we made as kids? That isn’t fair Sawyer, and you know it.”

I cross my arms and settle back in my seat. It’s clear he doesn’t care what I want, so why should I try explaining anything to him.

“I’m here now B.” His voice is soft now and it kills me hearing it.

“It doesn’t wipe away the past. I need to have my own plans. What if you shut me out again and I’ll be forced to see you every day because I followed you? Don’t you care how much that would hurt me? Or do you only care about yourself?”