“Jakob Fox Wilder!”Dad bellows, his face red with rage.
“I’m leaving,” I say, grabbing my jacket off the barstool.“Screw this.”
“Fox!”Mom calls after me, but I don’t stop.
“You can’t treat him like that just because he’s with a man!”I hear her yell at Dad as I slam the door behind me.
Outside, I fumble for my car keys, my mind racing.How did this even happen?Did Lexi tell him?If she did, I’ll make sure she regrets it.I unlock my car and throw my jacket onto the passenger seat before slumping over the steering wheel.My grip tightens until my knuckles turn white.
A knock on my window startles me.It’s Mom.Her eyes are red and puffy as she gestures for me to roll the window down.
With a sigh, I lower the window.“What?”I mutter, too exhausted to hide my frustration.
“Where are you going?”she asks, her voice breaking.
“Somewhere.Anywhere but here,” I say flatly.
She reaches through the window, brushing her fingers through my hair.I pull back instinctively, and her face falls.
“Fox, listen to me,” she says softly.“I don’t care if you’re gay, bisexual, or whatever label you choose.You’re my son, and I love you.I won’t lose you the way I lost Kendra.”
Her words make me pause.I look at her, the raw pain in her eyes cutting through my anger.
“I really do love him,” I admit quietly.
She smiles sadly.“I know.He’s a good kid.Honestly, I suspected something was going on between you two the other day at the diner.”
I let out a soft chuckle, though it’s tinged with bitterness.
“I’ll talk to your father,” she promises.“But please, don’t do anything rash.Promise me.”
“I can’t make that promise, Mom,” I say honestly.“But I’ll be fine.”
She gives me a sad nod as I start the car.As I drive away, her figure grows smaller in the rearview mirror, but her words linger.
I need to deal with Lexi, and I need to do it now.
I speed out of the manor, my hands gripping the wheel tightly.My thoughts are spinning out of control, and the only thing anchoring them is one name: Lexi.She’s behind this—she has to be.My father’s reaction, the timing—it all points to her.
I pick up my phone and call her, but she doesn’t answer.I try again.Nothing.Her voicemail picks up, and that’s the last straw.With a roar of frustration, I slam my phone against the dashboard.The screen cracks before it falls to the floor of the car, but I don’t care.I’ll deal with it later.
I drive straight to the frat house.It’s relatively quiet, just as I’d ordered earlier this week—no parties, no nonsense.As soon as I step inside, the room goes still.Conversations die mid-sentence, and every pair of eyes in the living room lands on me.
Good.
I stop dead in my tracks, my gaze locking on Mike, his girlfriend Cynthia, and—of all people—Carter.
What the hell is he doing here?
I told him I never wanted to see his smug face in this house again.My jaw tightens, fury boiling in my chest.Carter sits lazily on the couch, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes meeting mine with a defiant smirk.The guys around him seem to sense the shift in the atmosphere, stepping aside as I make my way toward him.
“Why the hell are you here?”My voice cuts through the chatter like a whip.
Carter exhales a cloud of smoke, tilting his head with that infuriating smirk still plastered on his face.
“Fox?”Mike’s voice interrupts from my side, his hand reaching for my arm.I shrug him off without taking my eyes off Carter.
“Fucking answer me, you piece of shit!”My voice rises, echoing through the room.
