#Rev (GearShark #2) (11 page)

There was none of that either.

It was just normal. Natural. Right.

I am so incredibly lucky to have these people.

Romeo sat forward and started talking.

I smiled.

Drew

It was a good plan.

I understood Trent’s reasoning.

But I didn’t like it.

What I did like?

An excuse to bash heads.

Thank you, Romeo
.

Trent

House meeting. One hour. Be there.
I sent the mass text to the entire frat.

Drew wasn’t happy. He wanted me to stay another night. I wanted that, too, but it was Sunday. I had classes tomorrow. All the guys at the frat did, too. I couldn’t put this off. If I walked around campus tomorrow looking like this, people would notice and start talking. I’d lose the shock value of being gone all day and then showing up looking rough.

I’d like to take a moment to say passing myself off as beaten or even roughed up was not something I wanted to do.
At all
. I could handle what happened to me. I’d been injured lots of times during football. I would heal. But this was necessary. Sometimes showing a little bit of weakness was better than being totally strong.

Plus, I wanted to put Romeo’s suggestion into play.

It was a clever idea, one that would make me look good but at the same time secretly stick it to the four who jumped me. And, of course, it would quench certain people’s thirst for bodily harm.

Certain people = Drew.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like fighting back, not physically anyway.

I was tired of fighting.

For so very long, I’d been fighting. Longer than anyone even knew.

I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to be with Drew and make sure he was happy. More than ever, I was ready to graduate. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure what I would do once I did, but I would have a degree, and I was legit managing Drew.

We hadn’t really discussed the details, but I knew I’d probably get paid. Even if it was just enough to live on, I’d be okay for a while. Taking some time off seemed kinda nice. Focusing on Drew, our relationship, and the new racing division sounded like heaven to me. It would be work. I planned on getting Drew as many opportunities as I could, but it was something I would enjoy.

Too bad we weren’t there yet.

We had a lot of walls to break down. Walls to break through.

As I was lying on the couch, watching a movie with everyone (and Rimmel forced me to hold more ice on my face), I couldn’t shut off my brain.

Drew and I were moving forward, taking small steps toward creating the life we wanted to have together but never thought we would. It wasn’t going to be an easy life; we already knew this. That didn’t mean I couldn’t make it as good as I could. I wanted Drew to have everything. I was determined to give it to him.

What did that mean?

Change.

Facing fears.

Coming out.

Yeah. It was big. Bigger than me and Drew, bigger than our relationship. I didn’t know if it would even be possible, but I was going to try.

I couldn’t change the world or everyone’s opinions.

But maybe I could change enough to make a difference in the life we would have together. I just wanted the bubble we lived in to be a little bit bigger, a little more comfortable.

Idealistic? Unrealistic? Brave?

No.

Selfish.

I wanted that for Drew, because giving him that would make me happy.

But how did one start a sort of revolution?

A couple ideas were floating around my head. There were a few platforms I could utilize and another pending revolution I could maybe tap into. It was worth a try. At the end of the day, I would at least know I gave it a shot.

Drew was quiet during the drive back to Omega. I didn’t make much effort to talk. I knew he was still pissed off I was coming back here, and he was worried something like this might happen again.

It wouldn’t.

I was on guard now.

My stomach twisted a little as we neared the house. I wasn’t scared to come back, but I didn’t want to be here. In truth, I felt betrayed. I’d given a lot of myself and a hell of a lot of time to this place. I felt it was all thrown back in my face.

Rationally, I knew it was only four guys and shouldn’t reflect on everyone under the roof. But it did. If four of them felt this way about a gay member—a gay president—how many more of them would be disgusted?

It doesn’t matter,
I told myself. I wasn’t walking in there and announcing tonight this happened because of a lifestyle choice.

I know that was ironic.

I was so determined to make the world Drew and I lived in a place where it was okay for us to love each other. Tonight wasn’t the night to go there. I hadn’t talked to Drew about it yet. I wasn’t going to “come out” until he was okay with it. I could come out as gay and leave him out of it, but let’s be real. Everyone would know who I was involved with.

They already speculated.

Judging from Drew’s initial reaction to our family seeing us first touching (as more than friends), bringing it up right now was off the table. He needed some more time, and he was going to get it.

Do I need more time?
I asked myself as we pulled up to the house.

A ton of lights were on inside, illuminating the grass and landscaping around the house. I even saw a sliver of light peeking through the heavy drapes in the dining room where we held our meetings.

Maybe I did need more. But honestly? More time wouldn’t change anything.

I couldn’t say I would ever be “ready” to face people’s judgment. There are some things a person can never be ready for, but it shouldn’t stop you from doing it. Waiting wouldn’t change anything for me. I’d still feel the same way later.

I’d been digesting how I felt for a long time. I’d been trying to make sense of falling for my best friend almost since the day we met.

It came down to one thing.

Value.

I valued my relationship with Drew far more than I valued anything else. That deserved to be recognized. Even if it was the recognition I didn’t want.

“Are you sure about this?” Drew asked, letting the engine idle as he stared out the windshield at the house.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come in with you,” he said for the hundredth time.

“No,” I replied for the hundredth time. “Having you there will just make more tongues wag, and it’s a house meeting. You aren’t an Omega.”

“Right.”

I grabbed his jaw and pulled his head around. “Quit worrying like a damn woman.”

One side of his mouth tilted up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Let’s have dinner. You can eat all my fries, and we can talk racing business.”

“I like fries.”

I released his jaw and laughed. “I know.”

“See ya, frat boy.”

I squeezed the top of his leg and popped open the door. On my way to the house, I looked in the lot at my Mustang. It was still there, pretty as ever. At least no one messed with it.

Drew sat on the road and waited for me to make it to the door. I knew he’d never just drop me off in a parking lot and drive off ever again. I couldn’t even blame him. I would do the same.

Everyone was already gathered in the dining room for the meeting when I pushed open the front door. The familiar nerve-grating sound of Conner’s voice set my back teeth on edge.

“…Just saying when he steps down, we need to make sure Jack is ready to assume the role as president.” He spoke to the room.

You know how I said I was too tired to fight?

I just got a second wind.

This guy was really pushing me to my limit.

I dropped my chin and closed my eyes for second. Then I took in a deep breath and calmed down.

It wasn’t the deep breath. It was the fact I caught Drew’s scent. I opened my eyes and looked at the shirt I was wearing. His shirt. It smelled like him. Maybe it was weird, but having his shirt on, being able to feel connected to him in some way, was all I needed right now.

I moved around the corner and filled the doorway of the room.

“Who says I’m stepping down?” I boomed across the room.

Everyone turned toward me. Some low curses went through the room.

“Trent!” Jack gasped from beside Conner.

“What the fuck happened to you!” another brother yelled.

I made a point to place a palm over my ribs when I walked through the room to the podium. They still hurt like hell, but in any other circumstance, I wouldn’t have acted like they did.

Con was watching me with fear and wariness in his eyes. I made sure when I looked straight at him, he would be able to see the anger and promise of revenge.

He moved out of the way immediately, and I turned away, dismissing him like the trash he was.

Jack stepped up to my side instantly. “Man, you look terrible.”

“Let me guess,” I said to him but spoke loud enough the entire room could hear. “Con here was making yet another case against me for not being here all weekend?”

Jack nodded, and some of the others shifted uncomfortably.

“I was being disloyal?” I asked, glancing around the room and then back to Jack.

One of the guys in the room cleared his throat. “He told us you were stepping down as president.”

I lifted both my eyebrows. “Now where would he get that idea?”

I locked eyes with one of the men who helped jump me. He looked away immediately, a flush coloring his cheeks.

Aww, what’s the matter? Is it hard to look at the damage you caused?

Good.

“Who did that to you?” the guy next to him demanded. “Were you in an accident?”

I glanced behind me at Con. A nervous expression crossed his face.

I balanced both hands on the podium. “This wasn’t an accident. I was jumped by four men last night.”

Everyone started talking at once, exclaiming and cussing.

I held up my hand, and the room fell quiet. “It was right outside, on Omega property. Right out there in the parking lot.”

Looks of outrage became a common theme as I kept talking.

“I didn’t see their faces.” I shook my head sadly. “But I’m pretty sure this was a blatant attack on this fraternity. They were trying to send some kind of message, ignite some kind of war with this house and our brothers.”

“They come after our president, they come after us all!” someone roared.

I nodded. “It’s a sad fucking day, brothers.” I called them that on purpose, reminding them we were united.

“This frat is being targeted. I don’t know why yet. Or by whom. We can’t let anyone on this campus think we’re fair game.”

“Omega rules!” one of the younger charters yelled, knocking over his chair in the process.

“I look worse than I am.” I went on. “Some swelling, some bruises. A couple cracked ribs.” I paused to meet two more sets of eyes… those of the men who were there last night.

They were looking very apprehensive.

I smiled, showing all my teeth. “They didn’t do a very good job with their attack. You’d think four guys could work me over better than that.”

“Pussies!” someone hollered.

“Oh, they definitely were.” I agreed. “They had to gang up on me, hold me down, to get the job done.”

“This is a bunch of horse shit!” one of the men I went through rush with exclaimed and stood. “We need to pay back these motherfuckers! No one messes with Omega and gets away with it!”

I let them all talk over each other while I stood back and watched them all whip themselves into a frenzy of anger.

What can I say? Men are predictable. Especially when their egos are at stake.

It was working to my advantage.

“I agree. We need to spread the word. Make it known that the attack on me and everyone in this house will not be brushed under the rug. We will not go crying to the dean.” I glanced at Con, making sure he heard that part. “Here at Omega, we serve justice on our own terms!”

Everyone started cheering and hollering. It was like a pep rally for a football game.

“Brothers,” I yelled over the noise. My head was still throbbing and my midsection was sore as hell. I wanted to go lie down, but this wasn’t done. “Before the meeting is adjourned, I would like to make clear that I was in no way skipping out on the frat this weekend. I hit up a doctor and laid low… Wanted the attackers to wonder where I was, what I was doing.”