The Quarterback

by Mackenzie Blair

  Oh god, Matt couldn’t go through that again tonight. Not with his aunt and uncle. He needed them too much now. His sisters did too. What had he been thinking? What if they were disgusted as well? What if they wouldn’t want him in their lives?

  Matt had just been overwhelmed and hurt and . . . he’d wanted Trevor by his side. But he’d been selfish. He was so, so stupid.

  Before Matt could decide on a course of action, Hope was at the door. And, behind her, Summer was pulling Trevor into the room.

  “This is Matt’s friend, Trevor,” Hope explained, quietly but forcefully. “He called earlier, and Matt told him to come. So let’s welcome him.” Without their dad around, it seemed she was finding her voice again.

  Trevor hesitantly came into the room, clearly not expecting an audience, but when he turned to see Matt, his face paled. “Oh my god, what happened?”

  “It’s not that bad,” Matt said automatically. Even though the deep cuts hurt like crazy. He knew he had ten stitches for the gash on his forehead and six for the one on his hand. His hand might hurt like hell, but he’d managed to shield himself from glass flying into his eyes. He also felt a large bump on the back of his head from where his dad had slammed him into the wall, not to mention his ribs ached a bit. But he was lucky really. “It could have been worse.”

  “How?” his uncle snapped. “That maniac threw a glass at your face, then tried to beat the shit out of you before you pushed him off and your sister called 911. We should’ve gotten ya’ll away from him years ago.”

  “Fuck, baby,” Trevor breathed out. And then he froze. As did Matt. He’d just called him baby. Maybe no one would notice.

  But when Matt looked around, all his female relatives were staring at him with a surprised look in their eyes. He felt himself going light-headed again. Seriously, what the hell drugs had they given him?

  Matt was saved by a knock on the door. Two police officers stepped into the room.

  “Son, we need to take your statement,” the older officer said. “We already took down your sisters’ accounts, and what you told us at the scene, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

  “Only if he’s up to it,” his uncle barked from across the room.

  “Yes, sir.” The police officer nodded. “But Thanksgiving is always a busy night, and there are a lot of calls coming in. They could use our help out there.” He said it politely, but Matt figured they must see a hell of a lot worse than sixteen stitches.

  “It’s fine. Go ahead,” Matt urged.

  Trevor awkwardly stepped to the side. Matt wanted to take his hand, wanted to hold him close, but now wasn’t the moment.

  “You and your father were having a disagreement,” the police officer began, reading off their statements. “Your sisters heard shouting. Then they heard a glass crash into the wall. They hurried to investigate. Saw you bleeding, your father punching you, and called 911. Is that correct?”

  Matt nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. When he heard my sister call 911, he bailed, and raced out of the house.”

  “He didn’t go far,” the second police officer explained. “We found him in his Ferrari in the garage. He hadn’t brought the keys with him.”

  “Oh,” Matt muttered. What a pathetic end. And he did hope this was the end. That they could just be rid of their father now. “Will my sisters be able to stay with my aunt and uncle?”

  The older officer nodded. “That’s the plan. The only thing we’re missing is how the argument started. What instigated it?”

  Matt hesitated, and he caught Trevor’s eye. They widened in understanding. “Um . . . we were fighting about money, his work. I called him a crook.”

  “And that’s when he threw the glass?” the police officer asked, taking notes.

  Matt hesitated. He could just say yes. He could let it go at that. But what if his father said something different? Would he get into trouble? Did it matter? God, he was so sick of the lying. Like his father. He didn’t want to be like his father. Never being honest with anyone.

  “No, actually,” Matt said, sitting a little taller. He saw Trevor stiffen, tensing for the admission. “He threw the glass when I told him I was gay.”

  Silence. Total silence. He heard his aunt give a little gasp. He saw his sisters look at each other, silently communicating something. He saw Trevor brace for the explosion. He saw the police officer turn to his partner, who clearly knew a bomb had just been dropped, but couldn’t really care less about some college kid’s homosexual admission. They just wanted out of the family drama.

  “Okay, then. That’s all we need for now,” the lead officer said, closing his notebook. “We’ll be in touch, Mr. Lancaster. I’ve already gone over everything else with your aunt and uncle.”

  Matt nodded as they headed out. Leaving behind a charged silence as Matt waited for someone, anyone, to move or talk. His uncle moved first. He stood up, hunched over, his back to Matt. Matt tensed, knowing his uncle wouldn’t hurt him, but not looking forward to a fight of any kind. Even verbal. He was so damned tired.

  But then his uncle just cleared his throat. “I’m going to get coffee. Anyone want coffee?”

  “I’ll take one,” his aunt replied matter-of-factly. “Girls, do you drink coffee?”

  Summer shook her head. “Just Cokes for us.”

  “Good, yes.” His aunt nodded. “And how about a ginger ale for Matt? It’ll help settle his tummy with all these meds.” She finally turned to look at Matt, her eyes a bit watery. She twisted her hands together, clearly overwhelmed, but trying so hard to hold it together. She gave him a small smile. “Does that sound good, honey?”

  Matt just nodded mutely, feeling his own tears threatening to spill over. They were getting him a ginger ale. He was gay, but they were still getting him a soda. They still wanted to take care of him.

  His aunt nodded briskly. “And what about your friend?” she turned to Trevor, who was frozen in place. As off-balance as Matt.

  “I think Trevor’s his boyfriend, Aunt Sally,” Hope clarified, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Oh. Oh, I see,” his aunt muttered, clasping her hands even tighter, but still maintaining her reassuring smile.

  “He’s hot, Matt,” Summer added. “You did well, big brother.”

  “Super-hot. Are you a top or a bottom?” Hope added precociously, looking at Trevor and sizing him up.

  “Oh my god, girls, inappropriate!” their uncle roared from the corner. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose as if staving off a headache. But Hope and Summer just giggled.

  They rushed over to hug their big old oaf of an uncle. “But we’re free at last, free at last!” they chirped. “And we get to move in with you!”

  “I want the blue bedroom.” Hope grinned.

  Matt watched as his uncle shook his head and patted their backs, clearly already wrapped around their little fingers. “Come help me get the drinks,” he said, shooing them out the door. He paused to look back at Trevor. “We’ll get you a coffee. Sugar? Milk?”

  “Milk please,” Trevor replied. “Thanks.” He said the last firmly. Saying thanks for so much more. And Matt loved him for it. Loved his aunt and uncle and sisters as well.

  Uncle Larry nodded and then was off with the girls.

  Aunt Sally came over to fluff Matt’s pillow, mindful of his head wound. “Okay, well, all right. Good, yes, we’ll put Hope in the blue bedroom, Summer in my sewing room. You’ll have to sleep on the pullout sofa, honey. But the doctor wants to keep you overnight to make sure you don’t have a concussion, okay? So you’ll come home tomorrow. We’ll have a nice belated Thanksgiving then. Get this holiday back on track.”

  “Can Trevor spend it with us?” Matt asked.

  “Well, of course, he can,” his aunt replied, and he could tell she really meant it. “He can sleep on the pullout sofa too. Oh dear, is that appropriate? You two aren’t married yet.”

  “Jesus, Aunt Sally. Married?” Matt exclaimed.

  “Well, I don’t know
how this works.” She threw up her hands. “Am I supposed to protect your virtue? If the girls had boyfriends, they’d have to sleep in another room.”

  “They’re in high school,” Matt countered.

  “Oh, and you’re so grown-up?” she sassed back.

  “Hey, a second ago, you were marrying me off!” Matt pointed out, smiling as his aunt playfully swatted him.

  “Oh you! I’m going to talk to the nurse and make sure everything’s sorted,” she said, and then she suddenly launched herself at Trevor and hugged him. “It’s nice to meet you, Trevor. Matt was so happy the last time we talked, we just knew he was dating someone special.” She pulled back and actually pinched his cheek. “Happy Thanksgiving!”

  “Happy Thanksgiving,” Trevor said, smiling, clearly smitten with Aunt Sally. She was seriously the best.

  After she left the room, Trevor and Matt stared at each other awkwardly for a long moment.

  “Get over here,” Matt finally ordered, wanting Trevor close, and to hell with anyone who was watching.

  Trevor gave a half smile at the command, but dutifully sauntered over. God, he was gorgeous. Matt reached out and took his hand. “Hey,” Matt said quietly.

  “Hey.” Trevor gave Matt’s hand a squeeze. “You look like shit.”

  Matt laughed and then groaned at the pain in his head. “Don’t make me laugh,” he warned. “So how bad was that?” Matt asked, replaying the last few minutes in his mind. “Worse coming out ever?”

  “Best. Ever,” Trevor said emphatically, and then he leaned over and kissed Matt.

  Matt wrapped his good hand around the back of Trevor’s head and kissed him long and hard, loving the taste of him, the feel of him. Matt was almost giddy knowing they were doing this out in public. Sure, no one could really see into the tiny room, but still, his family knew; he’d said it out loud. And damn it felt good.

  Finally, Trevor pulled back. “How much pain are you in?”

  “Aside from the headache, none,” Matt said, and meant it. The pain meds were doing their work. “Thankfully, it’s my left hand, so I’ll still be able to play.”

  “Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about?” Trevor groaned. “I can’t believe I’m dating a jock.”

  “Believe it.” Matt yanked his boyfriend in for a kiss again.

  Thanksgiving was the best one Matt could ever remember—even though his head and hand ached, and the various medications made him a little loopy. Coach had told him to rest up on Friday, and the team doctor would decide on Saturday if he could play in the game.

  Matt could tell Coach was worried; hell, he was too. This was what they’d worked hard for all year. He might not want to go pro, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to win. Matt loved football. He did. Although he didn’t want to be a slave to it for the rest of his life, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to go out on top.

  And now that his sisters were away from their dad, he suddenly felt so much lighter. Like he could actually breathe again. He hadn’t realized how much pressure and worry and guilt he’d been carrying around all these years.

  Realizing he’d zoned out again, Matt reached over to squeeze Trevor’s hand beneath the table in his aunt and uncle’s dining room. They were just finishing up the massive feast they’d all helped prepare.

  Trevor leaned in to stare at Matt’s eyes, but not in a romantic way. “Pupils still look good. Dilating properly. I don’t think you have a concussion.”

  Aunt Sally and his sisters giggled at the assessment, clearly finding it amusing and adorable. Matt less so.

  “Stop.” Matt rolled his eyes. “I’m playing tomorrow.”

  “You have stitches,” Trevor countered.

  “Do you have any idea the kinds of injuries football players play with? This is nothing,” Matt replied.

  “Yeah, he’ll be fine,” Uncle Larry said as he finished off his third helping of mashed potatoes. “I once dislocated a shoulder, popped it right back in, and played two more quarters.”

  “Uh-huh, and how’s that shoulder feel now?” Aunt Sally said with a too-sweet smile and sugary drawl.

  Matt grinned at her antics. His uncle did complain about his shoulder a lot, but that was probably more his job in construction than his old football injury.

  “It feels like ice cream,” Uncle Larry replied deadpan.

  Aunt Sally laughed and nodded. A short while later they were making ice cream sundaes. Matt squeezed way too much whipped cream out of the can to top Trevor’s sundae, and instead it went all over Matt’s trigger finger. Trevor grabbed Matt’s hand and sucked the extra whipped cream off with a loud suck and pop.

  Matt’s family froze. Trevor as well. That was some serious PDA.

  But then Aunt Sally cleared her throat. “Fire. We should start a fire. It’s chilly enough out. And we could play a board game.”

  The family headed out to the living room, and Trevor mouthed, I’m sorry, to Matt.

  “Don’t be,” Matt replied, leading Trevor toward the living room. “Although maybe try not to give me a hard-on in front of my family.”

  “Noted.” Trevor laughed.

  They decided to play Taboo. Trevor had never played before, so Summer laid out the rules. “You have to describe the word on the card to your teammate without using any of the taboo words.”

  “Otherwise, you get buzzed and lose the point,” Hope added. “And, of course, you’re timed.”

  “Of course,” Trevor replied, trying to take it all very seriously. He could clearly tell Matt’s sisters were extremely competitive.

  The twins were on one team, the couples on the other two. Matt suggested that his sisters split up, because they pretty much had twin telepathy. “It’s a completely unfair advantage,” he pointed out. “You two share a brain.”

  “Don’t be jealous of our awesomeness,” Summer sassed back, then grabbed a card. “We’ll go first since we’re the youngest.”

  “Anything else for you two princesses? Maybe a three-point head start?” Matt grumbled, but he dutifully flipped the timer and watched his sisters power through their first round.

  “That pink stuff I hate cause it’s, like, sticky and—” Summer began.

  “Cotton candy!” Hope shouted.

  “Yes! Okay, that time with Sammy when we played baseball and—”

  “Bloody nose!”

  “Right! So when we went camping and—”

  “Poison ivy.”

  “No,” Summer said, shaking her head. “With Liz and her mom, and we went to that place that was cold and—”

  “Uh, oh! S’mores.”

  “No, the other time. In the mountains,” Summer hinted.

  Matt gleefully rang the buzzer on her.

  “You said ‘mountain,’” he pointed out. “And the answer is ‘Rocky Mountains.’”

  “Oh poop. Okay.” Summer groaned in frustration, but got three more correct before time ran out.

  “Haha, beat that!” Hope shouted as they high-fived.

  Aunt Sally and Uncle Larry were completely unfazed. And then they showed why. They’d been married twenty years and had their own secret language. It was equally impressive. Although every now and again, it would dissolve into bickering rather than playing until his aunt would get them back on track.

  “Oh for goodness sake, Larry, you know I don’t watch sports! Say something else or move on!” So Uncle Larry would try another tactic. They tied with Summer and Hope at five correct.

  Then it was Matt and Trevor’s turn.

  “Good luck,” Hope singsonged.

  “No pressure, boys,” Aunt Sally said. “You two just started dating. This is not a reflection on how good your relationship is.”

  Hope and Summer burst out laughing.

  “What?” Aunt Sally said innocently.

  “I don’t think they were worried about that,” Uncle Larry said with a belly laugh. “Until you said it. Way to go, hon.”

  “Oh dear, sorry. You’ll do great. Go team!”<
br />
  But now Matt was worried. Talk about pressure. Matt turned over the first card and swiveled to face Trevor on the couch. His palms were actually sweaty. “You ready?” he asked.

  Trevor nodded. Summer flipped over the timer as Hope looked over Matt’s shoulder to buzz him if he said a taboo word.

  The first word was espresso. Matt felt relief. That he could describe. “Okay, what you serve at the place where you work. It’s extra strong.”

  “Uh, cappuccino, red eye, espresso—” Trevor rattled off.

  “Yes!” The next word: pepperoni pizza. “What we order to eat when we’re studying?”

  “Pizza!” Trevor instantly replied.

  “What kind?” Matt urged.

  “Mushroom, cheese, pepperoni—” Trevor quickly listed.

  “Yes!” The next word: Cher. “Uh, gay icon. She’s kinda old.”

  “Cher,” Trevor guessed without missing a beat.

  “She’s not that old!” Uncle Larry protested. Summer hushed him.

  The next word was Polar Bear. Matt spoke without thinking. “A hairy gay guy.”

  “Bear,” Trevor said, biting back a laugh.

  “A what?” Aunt Sally gasped. Summer leaned over to explain it to her.

  “Don’t tell her!” Matt snapped, quickly muffling his sister as he turned back to Trevor. “Keep going. What kind?”

  “Uh, leather daddy?” Trevor said with a mischievous wink.

  “Trevor, not helping!” Matt admonished, seeing his aunt blush bright red while his sisters laughed uncontrollably.

  “You started it!” Trevor replied, but then gamely played along. “Okay, okay, sorry, grizzly bear, black bear, teddy bear, polar bear—”

  “That’s it,” Matt exclaimed. Win at all costs, right? He read the next word. “Okay, uh, it’s filled with white stuff. You eat it.”

  Trevor smirked again. “Uh-huh.”

  Matt rolled his eyes. “Like spongy stuff around it. Lots of sugar.”

  Trevor screwed up his brow in confusion. “Strawberry shortcake? Crème brûlée?”