Page 50 of The Sun
And while I was shocked, I wasn’t.
He was the All-American football player. The jock. The guy whose sexuality would never be questioned. The same guys who looked up to Brandon were the same ones who would most likely beat the mess out of him if they knew he was gay. It must have been torture feeling like no one actually knew who you were. “I’m glad I know,” I said.
A heavy silence fell between us. Not awkward, just the kind of silence that bridges moments of disbelief and acceptance. The faint music from the party below shook the floor. No one down there had a clue that our entire worlds had just shifted. They were going on with their lives while ours teetered on the edge of this black hole of trust and hurt feelings.
I jerked my head toward the doorway. “Come on, let’s go back downstairs.” Grabbing his hand, I laced my fingers through his, hoping it would provide some comfort. “You know, I hate to tell you this, but we’ve been up here for a hot minute. People are gonna assume we hooked up.”
He laughed. “At this current moment, I gladly welcome that rumor.”
“And just so you know. I’m a virgin, so you didn’t go all the way. In case anyone asks.”
“Duly noted.”
We stopped just before the ski rope barricade. Brandon’s jaw was tense, his hand sweaty in mine. “Hey.” I placed my free hand on his cheek and turned his face toward mine. “It’s fine.” And then I leaned in, pressing my lips to his cheek. “I like you, Brandon McClure. Even more so now that I really know who you are.”
When we stepped into the kitchen, Daisy and half the football team were gathered around the circular table. A bright-pink ping pong ball bounced across the surface and right into a solo cup in the middle. Daisy ordered Thomas to drink, and Ben patted Daisy’s leg. “Good job, sexy lady.”
Daisy gushed, and I shot a did-he-just-say-that look at Brandon. He leaned over and whispered, “I really struggle to see what girls see in him.”
“Don’t worry. I struggle to see it, too.”
Ben glanced at us standing in the doorway, and he pushed to his feet. He took Brandon by the shoulders in a proud Dad grasp and cleared his throat. “Back from the boom-boom room upstairs,” he shouted. “May I present to you, Sunny and Brandon!” The room erupted in whistles and claps. My face heated when Elias shouldered his way through a group of girls and grabbed a beer from the counter. I tried not to watch him. I tried not to worry whether he’d just heard Ben’s stupid announcement.
Ben pretended to hold a mic to Brandon’s face. “How was it?”
Brandon slapped his hand away. “Why are you such a dick?” Shaking his head, he pulled out a chair for me.
The game went on, most everyone making Thomas drink when they rang the cup. People filtered in and out of the room. I noticed every time Elias made an appearance. And I couldn’t ignore the way Jenny usually trailed behind him like a fly on manure. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jenny flirtatiously flip her hair behind her shoulders when Elias handed her a drink. My jaw tensed. If Elias ignoring me wasn’t painful enough, Elias ignoring me while paying attention to Jenny obliterated my heart. Ben tossed the ball, rang the cup, and pointed at Thomas to drink.
Brandon nudged my ribs with his elbow. “Who do you keep watching?”
“No one.” I shifted my attention to the table.
“Come on, Sunny. We’re beyond lying to each other, aren’t we?” Brandon draped his heavy arm around my shoulder. A crease formed between his brows when he glanced back in the direction I’d been staring. “Ah, the guy with the tats?”
I took a sip of water.
Brandon leaned in close to my ear. “He keeps watching you.”
I frowned even though his breath tickled my face.
“Don’t believe me? Trust me for a second.”
“What?”
Brandon’s eyes crinkled at the corner with a smile. “Trust me.” That look—had I not known he wasn’t into me like that, may have been just enough to make me forget about Elias for two seconds. His eyes locked with mine, his face inching closer and closer while his hand crept up my neck and into my hair. And then his lips pressed to mine. Our lips didn’t part. There was no electric crackle smoldering between us, but to anyone else that innocent kiss between friends would appear to be much more.
Ben whistled, and Thomas yelled for us to get a room.
The second Brandon pulled away, Elias slammed his fist on the counter, causing a few empty beer cans to topple to the floor before he stormed through the open back door.
Brandon smirked. “Still think he wasn’t watching?”
11
Sunny
Ihad half an hour to get home before curfew, and I couldn’t find Daisy.
