A loud rapping on the door reminds me Mom is still waiting on me to attend to my fake girlfriend.
“Look, we need to talk about this face to face not over the phone. I’ll let you cook me dinner on Saturday night after the game, and we can talk it all through then.”
“I just don’t want to be a burden, man,” he quietly says, and I fucking hate that I’m not there to pull him into my arms and reassure him.
“Keaton. You could never be a burden. Never. This is a complex situation, but we’ll figure it out.”
“I love you.” He says it loud and proud.
“I love you too.”
“Go. I’ll talk to you later.”
***
“Gia.” I gently shake her shoulders, urging her to look at me. She’s rolling around my bed, laughing and talking to herself, and it’s clear she’s in some other realm. “Gia!” I raise my voice, lightly gripping her chin and forcing her face to mine.
“Austen!” She singsongs, flinging her arms around my neck. She tries to pull me down on top of her, and I grab her wrists, pinning them lightly above her head as I stare into her eyes, silently cursing.
“What the fuck did you take?” I hiss, knowing she’s not drunk.
She’s high.
During Thanksgiving, when we’re surrounded by family.
She writhes underneath me, bucking her hips up. “I’m horny. Fuck me.”
“What the actual fuck, Gia?” I release her wrists, sitting on the side of the bed with my head in my hands. I have never seen her like this, and it scares me. This slaps of addiction and an out-of-control habit I’m ill-equipped to deal with. It’s also a wakeup call because I’m realizing I don’t know who she is anymore.
“Baby.” She crawls toward me, dropping into my lap in only her underwear. She rotates her hips against my pelvis, and I lift her off me.
“Stop it. Stop touching me.”
She kneels, unclasping her bra and baring her breasts.
Spying her phone on the bedside table, I snatch it up. “I’m calling Hendrix.” Let her actual boyfriend deal with this, because he’s the reason she’s in this mess.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says, reaching out for my dick. “He can’t answer from the police station.”
“What?” My finger hovers over the keypad of her phone. “Why is he at the police station?”
“He was arrested. Someone ratted him out for dealing. He got caught red-handed.”
He managed to evade jail time the first time he was caught with drugs, but there’s no way he’ll avoid it a second time. “When did it happen?”
“Last night.”
She makes a grab for my dick, and I swat her hand away. At least I know why she’s trashed.
“I love him, and I can’t lose him again.” Gia flops back down on the bed, and a sob rips through the air.
“Maybe stop trying to fuck me then.” I throw her bra and her dress at her. “And put your damn clothes back on.”
She turns on her side, flicking her fingers against her nipples. “Don’t you find me attractive, Woody?” Her fingers glide down her stomach, dipping into her panties. “Don’t you want to see how I taste?”
“No, Gia.” I stand, running my hands through my hair. I officially have no clue what to do. I’m not experienced at handling horny, high women.
“I need sex now, baby. And you’re my boyfriend. You owe me.”
Anger pounds through my veins. “I’m not your fucking boyfriend, and I owe you nothing, Gia.” I glare at her, but it’s pointless because she most likely won’t remember this. “You’re the one who owes me the truth. How long have you been doing drugs?”
She shrugs. “Who cares?”
“I. Care. And I’m betting your parents will too.” I storm across the room, ready to get her parents, because I’m done. It’s clear she needs help, and I can’t do it alone.
“Austen! Wait.” She stumbles off the bed, falling to the floor. “Oh my God.”
I turn around in time to watch her vomit all over the carpet.
I run to her side, shoving the trash can under her face.
“I’m sorry, Woody,” she cries, in between heaving. “I’m sorry for hitting on you. Don’t tell them, and don’t leave me. You can’t leave me too.”
***
I’m still thinking about Gia, wondering what the fuck to do about her, as I enter the locker room on Saturday morning. Keats suggested I tell our parents the truth so Gia can get the help she obviously needs, but I couldn’t do it to her. She turned up sober and apologetic yesterday morning, begging me not to tell them yet. While she’s promised she’s going to stop, I don’t believe her. I’ve never seen her like that. She spent the entire Thanksgiving dinner asleep in my bed. I made excuses for her. Told them she had a stomach bug, and they seemed to buy it, but for how long?
Anyway, I’ve told her I’m telling them the truth about our fake relationship next weekend because I’m done lying, so she has one week to decide what she wants to do.
All heads turn in my direction as I dump my bag on the bench. “What?” I ask, looking at my teammates as they stare at me. Bile swims up my throat as trepidation mounts. A group of guys are huddled around Nolan, watching something on his cell.
Fuck, no!
“Did you know Kennedy was a fucking pervert before you moved in with him?” Nolan shouts, walking toward me with a hard-to-read expression on his face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie, rolling my shoulders, getting battle-ready.
“Your roomie is a sick bastard,” he hisses, shoving his cell in my face.
All the blood drains from my body as I watch the clip. Keaton is clearly visible in the video, but Brock’s and Rod’s faces have been hidden.
Red-hot rage races through my veins, and visions of squeezing the life out of Brock Jonas swarm my mind. This is going to devastate Keaton, just as he found the courage to take the situation by the balls. Now Jonas has robbed him of that control, and he’ll spiral. Nolan’s sneering, jeering face enrages me further, and I grab his cell, throwing it at the wall, watching it smash into smithereens with grim satisfaction.
“What the fuck, man?!” Nolan shoves me, and I stumble back into my locker.
“That’s an invasion of his privacy,” I say through gritted teeth, talking loudly for the whole room to hear. “And none of you should be looking at it.”
“Protective, aren’t we?” Nolan tilts his head to the side. “Why is that? Huh?” He moves to shove me, but I get there first, slamming my hands into his shoulders, pushing him away from me.
“He’s my friend and a decent human being who’s been shit on.” I glare at the other guys in the room. “How the fuck can you all stand there and look at that when it’s obvious it was filmed and posted without his consent?”
“The fucking faggot deserves it for screwing two guys at once and letting them film it,” Nolan says, deliberately ignoring my comment. “That asshole deserves to be taken down a few notches. He thinks he’s so fucking superior to all of us.”
“Watch your filthy fucking mouth,” I yell, clenching my fists and digging my nails into the palms of my hand. I’m seconds away from tearing into this dickhead.
“Austen.” A heavy hand lands on my shoulder, and I look up at Colton. “He’s baiting you on purpose. Ignore him.”
“Anyone would think,” Nolan continues, puffing out his chest and sneering, “that you’re a fucking faggot too by the way you’re jumping to his defense.” Alan nods in agreement at Nolan’s side.
“I think that’s enough, Nolan,” Preston says the same time I say, “So what if I am? What difference does it make?”
Colton subtly shakes his head, but I’m in way too deep now. Screw this. I jump up on the bench, casting a glance around the room. “This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you, but I’m not ashamed to admit I’m gay. If anyone has a problem with it, take it up with Coach.”
Coach will be pissed I’ve blurt
ed it out without talking to him first, but I’m not going to stand here and let Nolan verbally abuse Keats and drop homophobic slurs.
“I fucking knew it!” Nolan glares at me. “I fucking knew shit didn’t add up with you.” His gaze roams me from head to toe, and his lips curl into a snarl. “You sick motherfucker.” He raises his voice, addressing the room. “That twisted pervert has been ogling us naked for more than two years! Bet he jerks off in the shower the second he leaves the field.”
Jumping from the bench, I lunge at the asshole, but Colton and Preston hold me back. “Fuck you!”
“No thanks!” he snaps, shoving his face in mine. Alan squares up alongside him while most of the rest of the team hold back, sharing troubled looks, unsure what to do.
I glance around the room. “That’s a ridiculous accusation and completely unfounded. I would never disrespect any of you like that. I’m gay, not some deviant sexual predator.”
Nolan snorts. “You said it.”
I work hard to put a leash on my anger. “Why do you feel so threatened, huh? Are you worried about your own sexuality, or you think you’re so irresistible that no gay man could control himself around you?”
He gnashes his teeth, and his eyes narrow as he steps toward me, shoving his chest up against mine, and I’m guessing that’s to try to prove a point. “How typical of you to deflect from the real situation. The point is, you lied to us.”
“Quit the bullshit,” Colton says. “You don’t give a fuck about that. You’ve always felt threatened by Austen. Now you think you have an opportunity to redress the power balance, but you’re wrong. That’s not happening on my watch.”
“You’re an asshole, Nolan, and you’re the last man I’d check out because everything about you is abhorrent to me.” I struggle against Colton’s and Preston’s holds. “Let me go.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, man,” Colton says low under his breath. “He’s not worth losing your career over.”
“I know that. I just want to explain,” I murmur under my breath, and my friends release me.
Ignoring the homophobic jerk in front of me, I address the rest of my teammates. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth from day one. My high school coach advised me against coming here as an openly gay football player, and I’ve regretted making that decision because not being true to myself has slowly been killing me. I was openly gay the whole way through high school, and it’s not something I’ve ever felt ashamed about. My coach convinced me it would hurt my career, so that’s why I hid that part of myself. But I’ve had enough. I didn’t want to lie to anyone. Especially not any of you.” I take my time looking at each of my teammates, hoping they see the truth on my face.
“I scheduled a meeting with Coach for Monday, and I was going to tell him and then talk to all of you. I assure you I’m the same person you’ve known for the past few years. This doesn’t change anything for me, and I hope it doesn’t change anything for you. I don’t judge you based on who you sleep with, and that’s all I ask in return.”
“This doesn’t change anything for me,” Preston says.
“Or me,” Colton adds, looking around the room. “Austen nails it on the field, and that’s all that counts.”
“You honestly expect us to be okay with this?” Nolan says, incredulity dripping from his tone. He looks at the confused faces surrounding us. “We’re expected to be okay changing and showering with a faggot knowing he’s imagining a hundred different ways to fuck us in the ass?”
I see red, and I explode, grabbing hold of his shirt and slamming him back against the lockers. His fist darts out, and I don’t move fast enough. Pain splinters along my bruised cheekbone, and I stumble back. Alan swings his fist, and Colton moves to block him, and they get into it as Nolan comes at me again. I thrust my fist in his face, enjoying the pained sound he releases and the burst of blood sprouting from his nose. Recovering fast, he comes at me again, but Preston pushes him back, screaming at both of us to stand down.
A shrill whistle rings out, and my stomach drops to my toes as the room instantly mutes.
“Hayes, Nolan, Cummings, and Barnes!” Coach roars, his face like thunder. “In my office now!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Keaton
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m so, so sorry,” I say for the umpteenth time. This is my every worst nightmare come to life, and I’m so ashamed. I can barely look my family in the eye.
“Honey, stop, please.” Mom hugs me tighter while Dad makes coffees for everyone in the kitchen.
The instant Keven became aware of the video, he rallied the family, and Dad flew Mom, Keven, Kaden, and Eva here. Kyler and Faye called in the middle of a massive argument because she wanted to come to support me, but Kyler was worried about her safety, and I had to agree. She’s pregnant, and we can’t risk anything happening to her. Faye hates having to stay in Wellesley, but she won’t put her unborn child’s life at risk either, so she eventually conceded.
Reporters and TV crews have descended on Berkeley in droves, and there’s a bunch of vultures camped outside my apartment building, salivating at another Kennedy scandal, just waiting to slice the second layer off my sanity.
I called the rest of my family, telling them not to come here. Having all the Kennedys show up en masse would only create a bigger media storm. I couldn’t keep my parents away, and I need Keven. Kade and Eva are talking to the college administration right now, seeing what measures they can put in place. An ex-colleague of Eva’s is a professor here, and she helped to set up some meetings for them. I’d be a fool to have turned down their help, so I didn’t object to them coming either.
“This isn’t your fault, son.” Dad hands me a coffee. “Though you should have come to us the minute that asshole threatened you.”
“I was embarrassed, Dad.” I look up at him as pain hammers my skull. “I am embarrassed.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “Now the whole world knows my secret. And everyone has seen me like that.” I collapse against my mother, and I just want to die.
“It could be worse,” Keven says. “At least it’s only a two-minute clip.”
I jump up, shouting at my brother. “Two minutes is enough to ruin my reputation for life!” I yell. “And how long do you think it’ll take before someone uploads the full video?”
“The lawyers are working on it,” Dad confirms. “Dan Evans just called. He says GayPornNet4U will have to remove it from their site within the hour.”
“The PR people are working with the lawyers on a blanket statement to issue to the media and all social media sites. If they publish it or facilitate anyone else to publish it, we will sue. They will be left in no uncertain terms about that,” Mom says.
“My colleagues are working with the FBI specialist technical team to remove it from the web,” Kev says, adding, “And I’ve set up a ton of search terms to track any they might miss. It’ll be blacklisted in next to no time.”
I flop back down on the couch, elbows on my knees, burying my head in my hands. “Sorry for shouting at you,” I tell my brother. Kev nods in understanding. “I know you’re doing everything you can to help. But it’s too late. It’s out there now. We’ll never be able to remove every trace of it.” People will still share it privately, and there isn’t a thing I can do about that.
“We will damn well try.” Steeliness reverberates through Mom’s tone. “Our PR people are preparing a press release. Our lawyers will get an injunction to stop that horrid porn company from selling the video, and arrests will be issued for Brock Jonas, Rod Williams, and Dax Madden in a matter of hours.”
“What has Dax got to do with it?” Austen asks from behind me, and I jump up, racing toward my boyfriend. I haven’t spoken to him in hours. I don’t even know how the game went or if Coach made him sit for the first quarter like he threatened after the altercation in the locker room.
“Are you okay?” I ask, examining the swelling on his cheek, right in the place where Whitney bruised him.
He presses his forehead to mine, clasping my shoulders. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”
Tears prick my eyes, and I can’t speak over the lump in my throat.
Austen grabs the back of my head, wrapping his arms fully around me, holding me close. “It will be okay,” he murmurs. “We’ll get through this together.”
“How?” I croak. “I can’t show my face around campus after this.”
Austen cradles my face between his palms. “You can and you will, because I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“And we’ve got your back too,” Kate says, sauntering into the apartment, followed by Seb and Mol. I hug my friends, grateful they’re here.
“I’ve assigned a protective detail to you and to Austen,” Keven adds. “You’ll have twenty-four-seven security. No one is getting near either of you.”
He doesn’t get it. The physical threat isn’t the one I’m worried about. It’s the looks, whispers, and taunts that will now follow me everywhere I go. Plus the inevitable blowback on Austen, especially when his news becomes public knowledge, and then the obvious connection will be made. I won’t let this hurt his career. I can’t do that to him.
“I know this is really shitty, Keats, and that bastard deserves to rot in jail for what he’s done to you,” Mol says, squeezing my arm. “But at least you don’t have to hide who you are anymore.” She looks between me and Austen. “You don’t have to hide anything anymore.”
“I know this isn’t the way you wanted it to come out,” Colton says, and I didn’t even see him lurking at the back of the living area. “But Molly is right. It’s out now, and you can still control the situation. No one knows about your relationship, so maybe you use that to put a positive spin on this.”
“No.” Austen and I speak at the same time, and I’m glad we’re on the same page.
“I don’t want this tarnishing Austen. He has enough to contend with without this damn media circus.”
Austen squeezes my hand. “And I don’t want Nolan and other homophobic jerks like him having further ammunition to go after you. Right now, keeping our relationship out of this is the right thing to do.”
Adoring Keaton: A Stand-Alone Friends-to-Lovers MM Romance (The Kennedy Boys Book 9) Page 25