Preston kissed Ethan. His tongue sloshed around Ethan’s mouth like an industrial-strength mop. As much as he tried to believe, there were no sparks for Ethan. His thoughts kept drifting back to the new him.
Preston wasn’t the first person to notice that Ethan had changed, and he knew it was because of Greg. He hadn’t tried to change himself. Greg had brought it out of him, this side that he’d been afraid to show to the public. It was all Greg.
Greg who wasn’t beside him, but whose presence was still felt vividly.
Greg who hated him.
Ethan pulled back. “I’m still me. I’ve always been me. I’ll always be somewhat bland and repressed. I’m glad you like the new me, but what about the old me?”
The repressed guy in class who would chastise people for not taking notes. That was the Ethan that Greg liked. Greg liked the old Ethan and the new Ethan, all versions of Ethan. He would’ve liked the Ethan at the Rainbow Party. He would’ve found a way to get under his skin.
Preston also tried to get under his skin—or, rather, his clothes. He reached his hands under Ethan’s shirt and sunk his nails into Ethan’s flesh.
He winced. “What are you doing? We’re in a packed football stadium.”
“I know. Isn’t it exciting?” Preston’s tequila-soaked, industrial-strength tongue lunged at Ethan.
“We could get caught.”
Preston gripped his arms. He had a mighty grip for a comparative literature major. “I thought you liked this. Doing it in public places with that frat guy.”
Shock lit up Ethan’s face. He tried to pull away, but Preston wouldn’t let go. His green eyes darkened like clouds before a storm.
“I was walking to class one day, and I saw you through the window sucking him off in some professor’s office. It was so fucking hot. I wasn’t sure if it was you, but then I saw you guys leaving the movies together.” Lust shadowed Preston’s face. His eyes were no longer piercing. They were predatory. “I was so turned on. Blake was a fucking cocktease of a boyfriend. Not like you. I didn’t know you had a wild side. I do, too.”
Preston pushed him against the wall. He pressed Ethan’s hand against his erection.
“Stop it! Get off me!”
“I know you want to. You’ve had a crush on me for fucking forever, Ethan. Now’s your chance. Let’s have some fun under the feet of five thousand football fans.”
“No!” Tears sprung from his eyes. He couldn’t get out of Preston’s grasp. He didn’t want it to be like this. “Please stop.”
“I thought you liked this.” Preston unbuckled his belt. He unzipped his jeans. The moment Ethan had thought would never come now would not end. “I’ve seen you. You like sucking dick in public.”
Ethan shut his eyes and reached for Preston’s crotch. At the last moment, he balled his hand into a fist and punched him square in the junk. Preston yelled out in pain and threw Ethan back against the wall. His head slammed into the cinderblocks. The world began to slant. The lights became extra-bright. Ethan slid down to the ground.
“Get your fucking hands off him!”
Preston was flung back and smashed into the opposite wall. Two guys surrounded him, and Ethan heard Preston yell out some more in pain. He couldn’t make out who the guys were, but right before he passed out, Ethan noticed the warm-up pants one of them wore looked familiar.
CHAPTER thirty-one
“Ethan, wake up.”
Ethan’s eyes struggled open. His eyelids seemed to have magnets on them, keeping them shut. A hand softly slapped his face.
“Stay with me.”
He fought against the darkness. His vision was fuzzy, but soon Greg’s big, brown eyes came into focus.
“How you doing?”
“Okay, I think.”
“Better than that asshole behind me.” Greg shuffled out of the way, revealing a black-and-blue Preston. Toilet paper was shoved up both of his bloody nostrils.
Fragments of what happened came back to Ethan. Preston slamming him against the wall, unbuckling his pants. The panic, the fear, the sick churning in his stomach all rushed back. His body shook and more tears poured out of him.
