We’re going straight to a medical clinic. We document every scratch, every bruise. Medical evidence is the bedrock of a self-defense claim.”

“Got it.”

“And Alex.” His voice darkened. “A guy like that, humiliated in front of his mommy? That bruised ego is a powder keg. Watch your back leaving the gym at night.”

I smirked. “Hey Mike, can I borrow that telescopic baton you stash in your locker?”

He barked out a laugh. “You’re a menace. Fine. But I’m changing my padlock.”

For a week I lived in the spartan hotel attached to the sports center. It had the one luxury I needed: security. If Tom so much as approached the front desk, my students would have dismantled him before the police arrived.