He laid the card down. “What are you willing to pay for this love letter, Colton, dahling? This love letter to yours truly?”
“Ever hear the phrase ‘any port in a storm?’” Colton asked. “That’s all you were to me. A hole to dock my cock ‘cuz real pussy wasn’t available. Geez, dahling! Get over it already.”
Matt was exhausted by Colton’s performance. “Fairy” this. “Pussy” that. It was a parody of a homophobe. A farce. But it wasn’t funny. Wasn’t light-hearted. Wasn’t necessary.
It was cruel.
Matt grabbed Colton’s shoulder, spun him around, popped him in the jaw with a quick upper cut.
Colton’s eyes went wide with surprise, then winced in pain. He staggered back, confused. Wiped away tears.
Watching Colton, Matt had the sudden realization that this pampered bully had never, in his entire miserable existence, been on the receiving end of violence. Colton Langley, who hunted fags for sport, could dish it out, but he couldn’t take it.
“Sit down,” Matt ordered Colton. “And show William some respect. Don’t give me another excuse to pop you.”
Colton’s bluster evaporated. He sank into his chair, rubbing his jaw.
The negotiation progressed from there.
Colton agreed to drop his extortion plot, to leave Matt and Paul alone—in exchange for the seedball card.
William wanted an abeyance on targeting any other gays—ever.
Colton wouldn’t agree to that unless William handed over the contents of the wooden box.
William shook his head.
They settled on a moratorium for the rest of the year.
“Calendar year or academic year?” Paul interrupted.
“Academic,” William said.
Colton agreed to that as well. MCU’s gays were safe through May 1996. Eight months more or less.
“I want Matt to resign from SGA,” Colton stipulated.
William shook his head. “Not negotiable.”
Colton fumed. “Fine. But I want it understood that our agreement only extends to other fairies on campus. No one else is protected. No one. Deal?”
The deal was made. There was no handshake.
Colton left with the seedball card.
“Well done, dahlings!” William exulted once they were alone. “Shall we retire to the clubhouse and toast our success?”
That sounded good to Matt.
“What success?” Paul asked. He pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Colton’s still winning this chess match. He’s taken out two of our pawns: Adam and that other freshman from Gay Chapel. He almost took out Matt or me. Meanwhile, we haven’t captured any of his pieces. He controls the board. All we did was pause the game.”
“Not everything is about chess,” William said. There was exasperation in his voice. He stood and tucked the wooden box under his arm. He was ready to go.
Matt agreed with William. Paul was obsessed with chess. Still, Matt was troubled by that last thing Colton had said, that their deal only applied to “fairies.” What else did he have in mind?
“Hold on,” Matt said to William. “Just curious. If Paul is right—”
“I am right,” Paul interrupted.
