Kenny fingered the end of his tie as he continued scrolling through pictures. He wanted Asher here. He wanted to be able to walk side by side into that dance with the boy who’d been his best friend, and to kiss the guy he’d become.
Even if Kenny had asked him, he wasn’t delusional enough to think the president’s son could come to a high school dance. Kenny’s life of classes and hockey was so beneath such a high figure. Kenny belonged in locker rooms and gyms. Asher was destined for art galleries and champagne toasts.
A knock sounded on his door, and Kenny stood. He knew who it was without opening the door because Wylder wouldn’t have knocked.
Killian stood with his hands in his pockets, looking so out of place in the gray suit stretched across his broad frame.
“Don’t laugh,” he grumbled. “The suit isn’t mine, and it’s a bit small.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Kenny bit back a grin as he let Killian in.
Will appeared from his room, waving to them as he raced out, probably to go pick up his date.
Killian sat on the couch. His slacks rose, revealing a lack of socks. This dude was hopeless.
Pressing a hand down one of the many expensive suits his father thrust on him, Kenny made sure not a wrinkle could be seen. He pretended he didn’t see Killian’s scowl.
“Okay, Ken. Ground rules. Just because we’re going together does not mean I’m your date.”
Kenny nodded, trying not to laugh.
Killian continued. “I like my men smart.”
“I feel like I should be insulted.”
“That’s because I just insulted you.”
The door burst open, revealing Wylder in a short rainbow dress that barely reached mid-thigh. It wasn’t what anyone would consider formal. She looked like cotton candy.
Taking them in with raised eyebrows, she shook her head. “You two are hopeless.”
“Me?” Kenny’s suit was designer.
She smirked. “Yes, you.” Reaching for his collar, she undid his tie and pulled it off. “If you’re going to be on my arm, you will not look like a stuffy politician.” She unbuttoned his collar, leaving it open, and ruffled his perfectly done hair to give it a wild look. Surveying him, she nodded. “Passable.”
Her gaze turned to Killian. “Take the jacket off. If the suit doesn’t fit, you’re not wearing it.” He obeyed without question, leaving him in his white button-down shirt.
She smiled. “Now, I won’t be embarrassed. How about me?” She twirled, and the tulle skirt formed a circle around her.
“You’re wearing a rainbow…” Kenny gripped her shoulder to stop her from spinning.
She grinned. “Solidarity, boys. I’m going to have a G on one arm and a B on the other. Now I just need to find L, T, and Q, and I’ll cover everything. Except P. Why isn’t there a P? It should be LGBTQP. Or as my brother says PLGBTQ because he wants to go first with all his pan business.”
Kenny snorted. “Sounds like Becks.”
Killian eyed Wylder skeptically. He hadn’t been exposed to Becks or Nicky or even Wylder much. They had their own brand of ridiculousness. But Kenny had come to realize they were crazy in all the best ways.
She pursed her lips as if her question sent her deep into thought. Finally, she snapped out of it and held out a hand to Killian. “Come on. I want to get there before someone else has a chance to spike the punch.” She tapped her purse.
“Is she serious?” Killian asked when he followed Kenny out the door.
“As a heart attack,” she sing-songed, sliding an arm around each of their waists.
They navigated the halls among others trying to get to the dance before stepping outside and walking down the hill to the quad. The banquet hall, used only for school fundraisers and dances, had trees lining the walkway lit with white lights that reflected off the snow.
Powder crunched under their shoes.
Once inside, they handed off their coats in the front room before following the crowd to the hall that had been transformed into a fairy tale. An ice sculpture of a castle sat at one end. Blue and silver silk draped from chandeliers over white cloth-covered tables and chairs.
At the far side of the room, a band played recent hits in front of a crowded dance floor. Buffet tables lined one wall with every kind of dish they could imagine. Waiters in black tuxedos filled water glasses and served hors d'oeuvres. After the meal, they’d push dessert carts down the aisles.
Defiance Academy spared no expense for their student events. Their philosophy was that giving kids activities on such a grand scale kept them from trying to leave the safety of the academy walls.
Two years ago, Kenny used to host parties at his house in Twin Rivers, but then the crackdown on security came.
Wylder released a breath. “Wow.”
Kenny grinned down at her. “I forgot this is your first year at Defiance Academy. Twin Rivers High didn’t have dances like this?”
She laughed. “Um, no. They threw us in a smelly gym with a bowl of punch and a bad DJ.” She let out a distressed sigh.
“What?”
“How am I going to spike the punch when there’s no punch bowl?”
Killian barked out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s always my first thought when walking into an event like this too. Don’t we all get upset it’s not more pedestrian?”
“Pedestrian?” Wylder bristled at that. “My friends and I always had a great time at our pedestrian dances. Okay, my friend and I. Nicky. It was Nicky. He was my only friend. Ugh, you two are like the broody twins torturing information out of me.”
Kenny draped an arm around her shoulders. “I seem to remember an epic party you threw in an empty school building at the end of last year.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “It was my swan song to Twin Rivers High.”
“We’re not so bad, are we?”
“I never thought I’d be around Kenny Montgomery and not want to punch him in the face.”
Killian laughed.
Kenny shrugged. “I’ll take it.”
“My food baby makes this dress even tighter.” Wylder leaned back in her chair.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten so much.” Kenny smirked.
“Maybe you rich kids should learn to have less delicious food. Who needs spiked punch when they have all that glorious cheesecake.” Her eyes swept the table of mostly hockey players and their dates, most of whom had only had a quarter of the food she'd consumed. “Ugh, I should not hang around athletes. You guys are no fun when you won’t shove food down your throats.”
Killian’s lips tipped up. “That’s some imagery.”
“We have practice tomorrow.” Will shrugged. “None of us want to puke.”
At the front of the room, Headmistress Jones stepped onto the stage and up to the podium. A screen descended from the ceiling behind her. “Welcome to the Winter Formal.” She smiled. “I hope you’re all having a wonderful time.”
Several people cheered. Their principal was more popular than any of the teachers.
Mrs. Jones waited for them to quiet again. “Defiance Academy has always been a place where students are protected from whatever life their high-profile parents live. We take pride in letting teenagers be teenagers. Well, our school is entering a new phase, one which will see us expand and grow. Our fundraising campaigns have exceeded our expectations and I’m happy to report we will be able to take in many more students next year.”
She paused. “Finding the right students is key. We want young men and women who uphold our ideals.”
Kenny leaned toward Wylder. “Basically, students who can pay.”
She laughed. Wylder was one of the few academy students without wealthy parents. Kenny was pretty sure Becks had gotten her in when he agreed to do the commercial and probably paid a boatload of cash.
Mrs. Jones looked to the screen behind her. “We have finally finished our first commercial. It won’t be used publicly as this school must maintain our anonymity. But this video will be o
ur best recruitment tool. What better time to reveal it than when our wonderful students are already gathered?”
She lifted a clicker in her hand and pressed her thumb down.
A student Kenny recognized as a lower classman appeared on the screen talking about what Defiance Academy meant to him. The image transitioned to views of the state-of-the-art facilities before Becks’ grin appeared.
“I’m Beckett Anderson.” He sat on the steps outside one of the buildings on the quad. “My sister goes to Defiance Academy, and I couldn’t imagine a better place for her. She’s happy here.” His face faded away and the new image that appeared was Becks standing at center ice with his guitar. He strummed a few chords before starting to sing. As his song took over the video, images of him shooting on the NHL draft prospect goalie flashed across the screen, followed by picture after picture of student activities.
Toward the end of the song, Becks appeared again. He flashed the camera a grin moments before his skates flew out from under him, and he landed on the Knights’ logo. He winced as his gaze found the camera once more. “Whether you’re planning for a future in hockey, politics, business, or even music, Defiance Academy will get you there.”
The screen faded to black, and applause sounded.
Wylder sat in her seat, shaking with laughter. “Everyone just saw my brother fall on his butt. Priceless.”
Killian stared at the table, his cheeks flaming in embarrassment for having such a prominent role.
Kenny clapped him on the back. “Good job, man.”
Killian opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off when the doors to the hall burst open and a line of men in black suits marched in.
Mrs. Jones ran from the stage to find out what was happening.
Two of the men walked the perimeter while the others searched the room. The entire student body sat stunned. Some shrank into themselves in fear at this intrusion on their dance, but others were only curious.
It wasn’t until three of the men stopped behind Kenny he realized what was going on. Men in black suits. Their completely obtrusive entrance. Not caring how this looked. Yep, secret service. Also known as a giant pain in the butt.
All eyes fell on Kenny as they realized the burly men were there for him.
He knew the questions they’d ask. What did Kenny do? Was he being arrested?
“You need to come with us,” a gruff voice commanded.
Kenny threw his napkin on his plate. “I’m going to kill him.”
Why would Ash send secret service here? Kenny glanced back at the door, hoping to see a certain adorable guy. But he wasn’t there.
“Mr. Montgomery, we’re serious.” He crossed his arms.
“Why?”
“You’re under arrest.”
Will spit water all over the table. All around the room, jaws hung open.
“For what?” Anger burned through Kenny. Had he been wrong? Were these not secret service? Maybe FBI? Maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe his dad or his mom did something horrible.
The man scowled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Kenny looked to Wylder helplessly, but she showed no expression. She didn’t try to help him or backtalk like she normally did. Was the sassy Wylder Anderson intimidated?
Mrs. Jones appeared. “I can’t let you take one of my students without proof of who you are.”
He showed her something that made her take a step back. Great, there went his last bit of help.
Rising from his chair slowly, Kenny faced them. One of the men grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him so they could cuff his wrists together. The metal scraped his skin as they pushed him toward the door.
Kenny glanced back at the room full of his peers one more time, wondering how the night had gotten so messed up.
The agents forced him across the quad, and Kenny had no idea where they were going until they stood in the shadows of the arena. The winter air chilled him, but they hadn’t allowed him to grab his coat.
“Why are we here?”
“No questions.” One of the men shoved him through the doors and down the long hall to the ice entrance.
As the icy air hit his face, a familiar voice had his head snapping up. “Boys, you didn’t have to cuff him.”
Kenny met Asher’s eyes and didn’t know if he wanted to kiss him or punch him.
Danny sat near the swinging door. “Ash, you did tell them to arrest him.”
Asher skated toward the tunnel where a secret service agent unlocked the cuffs on Kenny.
“I hate you.” Kenny scowled.
“No, you don’t.” Asher grinned.
“That was ridiculous. Arrest me?”
He put a hand on the half wall. “Do you remember when we were kids and always wanted Danny to arrest anyone we didn’t like.”
“Yeah.” He remembered everything.
“Well, this wasn’t like that.”
“Okay…”
“This time, I had my agents arrest someone because I do like him. More than like. Kenny—”
Kenny cut off his words by leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. Asher skated backward, and Kenny walked out onto the ice so it wouldn’t break their kiss.
Needing some air, Kenny pulled back and gripped Asher’s chin between two fingers. “You, Ash, are mean. Everyone back in that banquet hall now thinks I’m on my way to a jail cell.”
“Everyone except Wylder.” He grinned. “This was her idea.”
Kenny laughed and released Asher. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Ken?”
“Yeah?”
“I came here because I needed to ask you a question.”
20
Asher
“You were saying you had a question for me?” Kenny turned with a knowing smirk as Asher skated in a close circle around him on the ice.
The asshole knows what he does to me. But Asher couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He felt it in Kenny’s kiss this time. The aloof, I-don’t-care attitude was gone. Coming out to his father seemed to have lifted an enormous weight off Kenny’s shoulders.
Now, if only Asher could do the same.
“Right.” Asher came to a stop in front of Kenny, closing the already narrow distance between them. “This is stupid.” Asher’s shoulders sagged. He followed Nicky’s advice with the grand gesture, and now, it just felt silly.
“Hey.” Kenny tilted his chin with the tip of a finger. “Nothing you do is ever stupid.”
“All right.” Asher took a deep breath and grabbed Kenny’s hands in his trembling ones. “I’m crashing your Winter Formal because I want to be your date tonight, but I’m still not a hundred percent certain this is what you want. I just…know it’s what I want. So…here I am with the big gesture, probably making a giant fool of myself, but for once, I don’t think I really care about that.”
“I’ve made a mess of everything. Haven’t I?” Kenny ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Ash. I ruined your first kiss, and I was an ass about the second one too. My life is a mess right now with my crazy mother and Kyle’s betrayal. I don’t know who I can trust. My dad is being weird, and I have all these new meddling friends trying to set us up, and I almost ruined the best thing that’s happened to me, again.”
Asher chose to focus on that last part. He grabbed the lapels of his immaculate tux and pressed his lips to Kenny’s, partly just to shut him up. But the moment Asher’s lips met his, a weight lifted from his shoulders. This was so right. For so many weeks, they were headed for this moment—finally on the same page like it was always supposed to happen this way. Kenny’s arms wrapped around him, and all the tension melted from both of them. After all the drama, mixed signals, and misunderstandings—they finally made sense.
Asher reluctantly pulled away. “So…was that a yes?”
“No.” Kenny stepped back. “I have something to say.”
Asher’s stomach sank to the ice beneath his feet. This was not how he’d envisioned this night go
ing.
“I owe you an apology. A long overdue one.” Kenny took Asher’s hands in his. “You were my best friend, and when you came out, you were so confident about it. It scared me. I was only thirteen, and it confused me about my own struggles. I didn’t understand how I could be attracted to you and the girls in my class at the same time. They were pretty and sweet, and I literally liked all of them. But they weren’t nearly as scary or confusing as all the other boys thought they were. You were what scared me, Asher. So, in true Kenny fashion, I was a dick and abandoned you when you needed a friend most. Sure, my parents didn’t want me to have anything to do with the gay kid, but we know they’re bigots. I hid behind their beliefs because I was too scared to confront my own feelings—and too terrified to face the rejection of my own family. I’ve been scared ever since. I dated Nicky for two years. He’s probably the best person we know, and I treated him like a dirty secret. He didn’t deserve that, and I didn’t deserve him. Just like I don’t deserve you now. But I want to, Ash.” He reached to cup his face, his brow furrowed with fear and confusion. “I want to be good enough for you. I want a chance to make it up to you—to start fresh.”
Kenny’s eyes were so earnest and full of hope, like he thought Asher might turn him down.
“So…what you’re saying is, you’ve had the hots for me since we were thirteen?” Asher couldn’t hold back his smile.
“That’s what you got out of my soul-baring speech?” Kenny rolled his eyes and pulled Asher into his arms, his laughter bouncing off the ice.
“Seriously, if we can be friends again and have this too”—Asher reached to meet Kenny’s lips again—“then I’m the happiest guy in the world right now. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Ash. Every day.”
“So is that a yes to my original question?”
“What was that? I forget.” Kenny’s face-splitting grin did things to Asher’s insides.
“Can I be your date tonight? Are you ready for that?”
“Yes! Let’s go.” Kenny grabbed his hand. “I want you to meet my friends.”
“You have friends?” Asher couldn’t help the teasing tone in his voice as he changed from his skates, back to his dress shoes.
Dating Him: The Series Page 41