Rider
Wren passed the ball my way, and I took off across the court, dribbling the ball as I went. My heart was in my throat. It was the final game of our season. Fucking March Madness. The goddamn championship game. The first time our school had made it in the college’s history. And if we could get the ball into the net before the buzzer sounded in a few seconds, we’d be the mother fucking champions.
Sweat ran down my face, burning my eyes. My shoes squeaked across the polished floor. I dodged a rival player, spinning to avoid him taking the ball, then passed it to Row. Row caught it, waited for me to get an opening, then passed it back. And I jumped, taking my shot.
The ball spun around the rim.
It teetered.
My heart lodged in my throat.
Silence descended on the gym.
And it fell.
The buzzer sounded.
The ball hit the floor.
And the scoreboard went up two fucking points, putting the final score at 85-83 withuswinning the fucking game. I’d just scored the final points needed to win the championship game for the first time in the school’sentire fucking history.
My teammates surrounded me, and everyone there to watch us screamed and yelled. Confetti fell from the ceiling. The announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers, announcing us as the fucking champions. But despite the magic filling the arena, there was only one thing I wanted.
When I glanced through the opening my teammates’ headsfinallymade, I saw Ash sprinting down the bleachers, his parents and mine right behind him. I pushed my teammates away, ignoring their complaining and one of them even calling me whipped, and ran toward him, catching him in my arms just as my lips slanted across his. This season had been our best season ever, and I knew part of it was because of him. Because of my roommate-turned-boyfriend who kept me on the straight and narrow, made sure I ate properly, slept enough, and got to every single practice on time.
Had we faced a little bit of hate as people dug into Ash’s background and found out he was trans? Of fucking course, we did because people were fucking assholes who just couldn’t mind their own business and be happy for people, regardless of how they identified or what they did with their lives and bodies. But I never let it deter us. Because Ash? He was my forever. The beginning and end of my fucking world. I loved him tofucking pieces, and I wasn’t letting some hateful, misogynistic, homophobic assholes change my mind about him.
“You did it,” Ash breathed when I finally pulled back, allowing us both to suck air into our lungs. He was beaming at me, his smile wide and his eyes bright. Goddamn, he was so fucking beautiful when he was this happy. “You fucking did it, Rider!” he yelled, wrapping his arms tight around my neck to squeeze me in a hug.
I nodded, smiling at our parents over his head. “We did it, baby. We’re fucking champions!” I yelled, and my teammates yelled it right after me, our voices echoing through the arena.
“Congratulations!” our parents yelled at the same time, sweeping us into hugs together since it was clear I wasn’t letting Ash go yet. Sure, I’d soon have to let him go so I could participate in the net cutting, which was traditional when a team won the championship game. But until I absolutely had to, Ash was staying right there in my arms.
“We’re so proud of you,” Mom gushed as she cupped my cheeks. I grinned at her.
“You did well out there, son,” Dad grunted. “Every move was perfectly executed.”
Dad wasn’t much of one for giving out compliments, so when he did, it meant fuckingeverything. My parents had always been supportive of my dreams, of my love for basketball, and even when I came out to them as gay. But Dad was the quiet type, never saying much. So when he did, his words had weight to them.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said.
And then, he hugged me right before a reporter rushed up. And it all began.
“Congratulations on your win, Justice,” she said, calling me by my last name. “That tie had us all holding our breaths for a while. How does it feel to score the winning basket?”
“It feels great, but I couldn’t have done it without the rest of my teammates,” I told her. “We’re a family, and we have to rely on each other while we’re on the court. They came through for me. That last goal was for them.”
She smiled. “A couple of your teammates say their win is all because of you. That you’ve been playing your hardest the last few months.” Her eyes flickered to Ash for a moment, who I still had plastered to my side.
I laughed. “Oh, I have. Hard not to when my boyfriend keeps me on my toes, pushes me to always be greater than I was the day before, and makes sure I eat and train properly.” I smiled down at Ash, who was blushing, trying to hide his face from the camera. I let him, even bringing my hand up to cradle the side of his head and block his face some so he’d be a little more comfortable. “I love him, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”
Ash looked up at me then, and I smiled softly at him. “I love you, too,” he whispered. And fucking hell, my heart goddamnsoaredjust as it always did when he uttered those three small words to me. Such small words, yet they held so much weight and meaning behind them.
“Do you still have plans to play for this school next season?” the reporter asked me. “There’s been talks of you being drafted.”
I nodded. “I’m completing my degree, then I’ll see about going pro. The draft talks are just that—talks. I’m keeping my options open, and I’ve also met with some teams, but I won’t be making commitments anytime soon. And everyone I’ve spoken to is aware of that as well.” I tightened my arm around Ash’s shoulder. Draft talks were always a sensitive subject for me. Everything always got so twisted up in the media. I’d lost count of the number of times some sports headline had said I’d committed somewhere because they received some kind of false information.
“Yo, Justice!” Wren yelled. “Let’s go! Time to cut the net!” Next to him, two of our coaches were setting up the ladder. Leaning down, I kissed Ash just as the reporter walked away.
“Wait for me?” I asked.
He grinned, a mischievous twinkle lighting up his eyes. “I’ll be in my hotel room.” That was code for he’d had enough of the crowds and the loud noise, which I understood. He slipped his room key into my pocket, and I groaned, my dick already getting hard at the thought of him waiting for me. “See you in a bit, baby.”
With that, he winked at me and stepped back. I watched him go with a hungry gaze.
I was so fucking gone over Ash Trent, and I didn’t care. Some people worshipped gods and goddesses, but me? I worshipped my boyfriend.
