“Nah, I threatened them all with some serious ass kicking, and they’re ready to drop it. We can’t stop the students, though. This thing with you and Winters brought up some long-buried hate all over the place.”
“Kind of crazy, right? The South has such a rep for being nice.”
“Yeah, and for lynchings.”
“Ty.” I rolled my eyes. “Every region has shit like that in its history. The West was just as bad.”
“Whatever. This whole thing has me pissed.” He huffed through another lift. “I thought everyone was exaggerating about the no-fighting policy. It’s a public school, for fuck’s sake.”
“Guess not. Thankfully, they’ve got a boner for football down here, or it’d be worse.”
“They got some heat for downplaying a thing with a couple of gay kids last year. I think they’re just trying too hard to make upfor it.” Ty grunted with the weights.
“What? Who told you that?”
“Cara.”
I leaned over Ty’s head and put a bit of pressure on the bar he was already straining to lift. “Why the fuck are you talking to Cara Winters?”
“Get off, man,” Ty growled with the effort of lifting.
I let go, and Ty completed the press, then hooked the bar in its stand.
“Damn, dude.” He sat up, heaving. “I’m not fucking up whatever you’ve got going on with Cal, okay. Cara was in a group of us talking, and it came up, that’s all. She said there was this girl who had a huge social media thing going on about some dudes who got outed.”
“They got outed at school?”
He nodded. “Facts, bro.” Ty stood and mopped at his face with a towel before he snagged his phone off the floor. “Why’s your boy messaging me?”
I jolted as if I’d snatch it out of his hand but stopped myself before I could do it. “He’s not my boy, and since when does he have your number?”
Ty rolled his eyes, then stared at his screen. “He doesn’t, and he’s not my type, Jack, calm down. He messaged me on Insta. Probably would’ve hit you up if you hadn’t deleted all your accounts.”
Maybe, but … “What’d he say?”
The evil grin that lifted Ty’s lips was one I recognized from my own face from time to time. For all of four miserable seconds, he had to have been contemplating not telling me. The sadist.
“Apparently, some jackasses are planning on salting the soccer field. He was giving me a heads-up.”
“Shit.” I shoved my sweaty hair out of my face. We’d been in our home gym for an hour already. My body had hit that high,but my mind was reluctant to let go of everything to follow it. “Why won’t this end?”
“You tell me. I don’t even know why the both of you hate each other so much.”
I gave him adon’t be stupidglare.
“Jack, you’ve had crushes before. Even unrequited ones. What’s different about Winters?”
“The billion-dollar question.” I gave in and grabbed Ty’s phone, then scrolled through the very short chain of messages. When I tossed it back at him, Ty smirked knowingly.
“Happy?” he asked.
“Far from it.”
Seeing Cal at the dry cleaners earlier was both exhilarating and frustrating. We had been around each other so much since that first day. Even at a distance, with dozens of students between us, it had been something to feed the hungry parts inside me. The ones that demanded a place to focus my needs and wants. I needed something to be angry about, and I wanted something to occupy my imagination.
Unfortunately for Cal, he claimed both.
Today had been a one-off chance. He’d been casual in his shorts and T-shirt, nothing new there, but meeting outside of school was. Surprise and even a bit of happiness struck hard and fast, and then he’d cocked his head and opened his mouth. God, I didn’t need to think about his mouth.
