Page 3 of Hooking the Captain
With a heavy heart, I leaned against the door and lingered for a few seconds, feeling every emotion I had kept bottled up over the past five months come flooding back. My fingers itched to grab the doorknob as memories of all the nights we had spent together ran through my mind. The way he looked at me as though I was someone special when we were alone in his room was something I hoped I never forgot, and the thought that we would never share that kind of connection again brought tears to my eyes.
I let out a deep sigh and forced myself to go to my room, closing the door behind me. I undressed and left the clothes in a pile on the floor before slipping into bed. Lying there for what felt like an eternity, I stared at the ceiling. I knew Tyler was mad at me, but at one point, he’d cared about me just as much as I had for him, and I refused to believe we couldn’t have that again.
I felt a surge of anger course through me as I thought about Professor Foster and how it seemed he was the one standing in the way of my happiness. If I reported him to Dean Watson, maybe the school would be forced to fire him. Sure, it would destroy his career, but he’d ruined things for me first.
And I wanted revenge.
The next afternoon,I was in the kitchen eating a bowl of chili mac when I heard the front door slam open and bang against the wall. I was about to walk to the entryway to check what was going on, but heard Fallon holler, “What the fuck?”
“Is Ford here?” Tyler growled.
I froze where I stood at the island, but I could still hear them talking.
“I don’t know. We walked home together, but I’ve been in my room since then,” Fallon replied.
A second later, Tyler rounded the corner and rushed toward me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he yelled, shoving me backward. “Are you trying to ruin my life?”
Fallon immediately stepped between us and said to Tyler, “You need to calm down. I have no idea what’s going on, but you know we have rules and don’t tolerate violence in this fraternity.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the rules.” Tyler lunged toward me again, but Fallon wouldn’t budge and kept a firm hold on his shoulders.
“Why did you do it?” Tyler shouted.
“You know why,” I whispered.
“So, what? You thought reporting me to the dean would make me take you back? Do you realize how stupid that sounds?”
Fallon spun around to face me. “What’s he talking about?”
“I didn’t report you to the dean,” I told Tyler, ignoring Fallon’s question.
“Bullshit!” he yelled once again.
“I promise I didn’t say anything about you,” I implored. “I only said I saw Professor Foster out with a student. I never mentioned your name.”
There was no way I would have done anything to jeopardize Tyler’s academic standing at Hawkins. I only wanted his teacher out of the picture.
Tyler threw his hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter. You fucked everything up.”
“Tyler, please?—”
“Stay the hell away from me. I want nothing to do with you,” he seethed and walked away from me once again.
“Wait here,” Fallon ordered and followed Tyler out of the room.
I dropped into the seat next to me and buried my head in my hands. I only had myself to blame for the shit show I found myself in. If I’d never broken up with Tyler in the first place, then none of it would have happened, and I would be happy.
Instead, I was alone, and I wondered if I could ever live a life where my fears didn’t ruin everything.
A month later,I stood in the middle of Caldwell Theater with my family as they congratulated me on graduating from college. It should have been a happy time, but all I could think about was how in a matter of six months, I had fucked up every good thing in my life.
Once Fallon got the full scoop on what I’d done to Tyler and Professor Foster, he kicked me out of the fraternity. I was given the choice to leave quietly or have the members vote on whether or not I could stay. If I chose to plead my case to my brothers, my being ousted was all but certain, and I would have had to tell them about my relationship with Tyler. Since that wasn’t an option for me, I decided to walk away.
As I glanced around at my fellow graduates, my eyes stopped on my ex. A second later, I watched as Professor Foster approached him. Since I hadn’t provided any proof when I went to the dean, he had been able to keep his job.
When he reached Tyler, Professor Foster shook his hand and said something I couldn’t make out. After a few words with Tyler’s family, he waved and walked away. Tyler’s gaze followed him as he left. Even from a distance, I could see the longing on Tyler’s face, and that was the final straw.
Standing in that theater, I knew I needed some time away from Boston to mend my broken heart and figure out my future.
