I couldn’t help but notice his tone when he said it. There was a gravity to the statement, and it made me wonder just how insane things really were online.
We introduced Rafael and Cody to Quincy. The three of them shared typical hockey pleasantries, discussing PCSHL, college hockey, past traveling leagues, and so on, before we all fell to the blanket.
“I brought some sodas and seltzers,” Quincy said as he pulled off his tank, then opened the lid of the cooler. He’d offered to bring booze, but I told him not to since Rafael was sober.
“I’ll take one,” Cody replied.
“Same. Thanks,” Rafael added.
“Think fast, queers!” Quincy started tossing cans to all of us in rapid fire before grabbing a seltzer, quickly shaking it, then squirting Theo and me. “To the most infamous couple in the NCAA,” he screamed as he drenched us.
Theo rose to his feet and started chasing him, “I’m gonna get you, Quincy!”
The two of them ran about the yard, Quincy cackling as he dodged Theo’s attempts to catch him. Theo finally grabbed him and pulled him into a headlock for noogies, “Ow! No! No noogies!”
My laughter echoed off the trees surrounding us. Theo and Quincy were hilarious together. It was like an ogre with his almost mini-me. Quincy had dark hair and a tan complexion, similar to Theo, but Theo was massive compared to Quincy. They were like an old vaudeville comedy act.
Rafael and Cody were dying, too. Eventually, Theo released Quincy, and the two of them made their way back to the blanket.
“Sorry, boys,” Quincy said. “ I haven’t seen you two since it all went down. I wanted to ease the tension.”
“I think it worked,” Rafael replied.
“How’d the game go?” I was afraid to ask, but I couldn’t help it. I had to know what was going on with the team.
Quincy released a devilish smirk. “That’s why I was so happy you called me when you did. I get to tell you how badly Mason bombed during our last game.” Theo and I had already missed a game, and I assumed Mason would be taking my place. I’m sure that was the goal of snapping the picture of us, after all. “Coach actually benched him after the second period. He’s solidly second string, and once you get back, Asher,” Quincy tsked while shaking his head, “he’ll barely touch ice. Not to mention our defense is in dire need of Theo. We lost the game 2-0. It was honestly the worst we’ve ever played, and it made me so happy.” Quincy held up his hands in a placating manner. “I know that’s fucked up to say, but after what happened to you both, our team needs to get knocked down a peg or two. If they thought they could win the championship without youguys, they were very much mistaken.”
I felt like a total tool, but my whole chest puffed up when Quincy said that. It’s not that I wanted the Warriors to do poorly—well, I wanted Mason to do poorly, but that’s besides the point. It was just nice to know that our absence was felt. It gave me hope that maybe the team could look past whatever hangups they had about Theo and me.
Quincy continued, “I overheard Mason talking about how scouts won’t touch you with a ten-foot pole now that the scandal is public, but I think he’s wrong. You guys are phenomenal on the ice, and I really doubt they’ll be talking to him at all if he keeps playing like that.”
“Asher and Theo will be fine,” Rafael interjected, “All it takes is a killer rest of the season, and you boys are solid. Teams want talent, and you’ve got the goods.”
I wanted to believe Rafael, but I just couldn’t. “I don’t know about that. It feels like we’re damaged goods. Who would want to deal with the firestorm that I’m sure is happening online right now?”
Cody sat up and rested his arm on my shoulder. “It’s not all bad. Once they released your pictures, some people got really excited. It seems the idea of you two being together is very intriguing to a lot of hockey fans.” He waggled his brows when he said it.
I know Cody meant well, but both Theo and I shuddered when he said it. The fact that everyone knew what our faces looked like only added salt to the wound.
Theo took a sip from his drink before asking, “But a lot of it’s bad, right?”
The three of them paused for a moment, making it clear that nobody wanted to confirm the worst.
Finally, Quincy spoke. “Some of it is really hateful. You know how some people are.”
Boy, do I ever.
Theo took hold of my hand and asked, “Is it just the locker room thing? The gay thing?” Then, he turned to me and said, “I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about this. I guess I’m just trying to brace myself for what I might see when I turn my phone back on, or even what we might hear when we’re back on the ice.” He tried to chuckle, but it came out forced. Theo looked worried, and it broke my heart.
He shouldn’t have to deal with this crap.
“No, let’s hear it,” I said. “This way, we can get ahead of it, or at least brace ourselves for it. Like you said.”
The other three all looked at each other, silently debating if it was a good idea or not.
“There have been the typical evil Christians who can’t wait to sink their teeth into something like this. Some run-of-the-mill homophobia as well. But there’s another rumor going around that’s picking up momentum…” Cody stopped speaking after that, and my heart began pounding. What he already mentioned sounded bad enough, so how could it get worse?
“There are rumblings online that you propositioned other guys—that this was something you two did routinely and wanted other guys on the team to participate in. Those rumors have spiraled into stories that you touched other guys.”
