And then there was sweet, kind Jace, who didn’t fly all over the world for business meetings, had never taken Noah on a date, and had almost certainly not made a point of studying sex.
He didn’t have time to think too deeply about the contrast or what it meant before the game started, which was just as well. The last thing he needed was to be analyzing his love life while he was supposed to be playing.
With Joe playing pivot, the game started strong. He took out the other team’s jammer maybe ten seconds into the first jam, letting Noah take the lead, score a lap’s worth of points, and then call it off before the other guy could get around Joe at all.
Rafe had been good, but he hadn’t beenthatgood. This was how derby was supposed to be played. It was hard, fast, and a little dirty. Joe had told him that when they’d first met.
Joe high-fived him as they skated next to each other. It was much better than the elbow to the chest he’d taken last game. Noah had an idea, fueled by their current success and the other team scrambling to adjust to the strategy.
“Star pass,” he said to Joe. Joe’s eyes lit up, and he grinned like a little boy.
A star pass was a rare maneuver, because it required good timing, good skating, and a pivot who could also play in the jammer position. It allowed for the jammer and the pivot to switch roles, by switching the covers on their helmets—the jammer’s star with the pivot’s stripe.
A pivot was more or less a fancy blocker, so a lot of teams just picked a big guy who could get in the way of the opposing jammer and left it at that, never taking advantage of the special rules that applied to them. Joe’s specialty was that he could do both. His jamming technique was how he’d earned his derby name.
The star pass practically never happened, so people never expected it. Some of them even forgot it was possible. It was the perfect way to get ahead.
He nodded to Joe, holding out his hand to count down on his fingers.Three, two, one.
Noah whipped his helmet cover off and passed it over, taking Joe’s with his other hand. He was a terrible blocker, too small to be much of a deterrent to the other guy, but Joe, well… the move’s success depended entirely on Joe.
Noah watched him dash forward, heading straight for the opposing team’s pack of blockers. They scattered like bowling pins as he rolled through them, using his height and grace to his advantage. Some of them hit the track as he shoved his way past.
Joe had perfected picking up three minor fouls per jam, one for each scoring pass. That was fifteen points in total. It was enough to give them a serious lead, instead of the safe nickel-and-diming play technique Noah was used to executing, only taking chances when he saw an opening.
They switched covers back before Joe went to pick up his fourth minor foul so that if they wanted to do it again, he’d be ready to go next time. Minor fouls cleared once they hit four and the player did their time in the penalty box, so all they had to do was stall play until they were back. In derby, that was easy.
The team seemed happy. The crowd were cheering. Noah had gotten it right.
All they had to do now was win the game.
Noah glanced over at Jace to see him looking distracted, and his heart sank. He’d hoped getting an early lead would make Jace feel better, but it clearly wasn’t working yet.
“He’s good,” Jace said as Noah skated closer. “I see why you like him.”
Noah shrugged. “I didn’t bring him here for his stunning good looks, y’know? I want to win this. I owe you that much.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Jace said. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.” Noah patted Jace’s shoulder. “We’re gonna win this.”
Jace didn’t seem so sure, but he’d feel better once they’d gotten a few more points behind them. He had to. What was the point of derby if not to enjoy it?
Chapter Sixteen
Jace had been waiting for Brian to be sitting out at the same time as he was all game, and now that he had the chance, he wasn’t sure how to start. He needed to talk to someone, and Brian was, for this particular conversation, the most qualified person he knew.
If Jace didn’t take the opportunity now, he might never take it. Just the thought of asking the question on his mind was terrifying, though. Once he said it, it was out there. It wasn’t a secret anymore.
Even if only one person knew, that kind of made it true.
How the hell did people deal with this all the time? How did teenagers deal with this? Jace suddenly had a whole lot more respect for some of the kids he’d met.
“I can hear you thinking at me, so you might as well come out with it,” Brian said. Jace sighed. He wasn’t the subtlest person in the world. He’d probably taken a breath to speak half a dozen times without even realizing.
“Can you be bi if you’re only attracted to one guy?”
His stomach twisted as he got the words out. What if Brian laughed at him? What if he told himno? Where the hell did he go from here if that wasn’t the answer?
