Page 41 of Away Game

Walking back, we were quiet. I wasn’t sure how to navigate this new Fin who wanted to spend time with me. Sometimes at least. It was difficult not to get my hopes up when I saw the earlier side of him. That was until I hinted at his sexuality. If I went by his reaction to when I was drugged, Fin didn’t seem homophobic, except when it came to himself. For some reason, he denied himself what he wanted. It was too early in our quasi friendship for me to ask any questions, but if things continued like they had this last week, then I’d find out why.

“Hey fag, is that your boyfriend?” someone called from the lawn of Alpha Mu.

I couldn’t make anyone out, so I wasn’t sure how they knew it was me. Fin stiffened beside me as his head swung in the direction the voice came from. His hand found mine, and for a second, I jolted at the touch until he shoved something hard in my hand. “Record this, but don’t make it obvious.”

I gave him a stiff nod and tightened my hold on the phone he’d placed in my hand.

“Scurry along, queers, before we finish what we started,” another person called out.

“Who knew the entire football team was sticking it in each other’s asses?”

Three guys were suddenly standing on the edge of Alpha Mu’s property. It was like they knew exactly where to stand so that if we acted on their words, it would be Fin and me who’d get in trouble. They’d spoken to their lawyers; that much was clear.

Fin started to move their way until I caught him by his good arm. “Don’t. They’re trying to get a rise out of you, so they have the right to defend themselves.”

“Fucking assholes,” Fin growled out, and for one brief moment, I thought he was going to let me guide him toward our house until he shrugged out of my hold and was in their faces. “What are you going to do when you don’t have your prey drugged? Do you have the balls to try and lay your hands on us now when we’re conscious?”

Shit!

Moving to Fin’s side, I squared my shoulders and got a good look at the guys that were standing in front of us. I kept the phone in my hand down by my waist and aimed it at the Alpha Mus. We were at even heights, even with them standing on the curb, but Fin and I definitely had the muscles in the group.

If they hadn’t drugged me, there was no way they would have gotten the jump on me. Puffing out my chest, I glared at them. Fuck these assholes. After tonight, they’d no longer have any hold over me. I wouldn’t be attending any more parties, and if I did, I wouldn’t let anyone else get me a drink.

“If you weren’t a gimp, we’d take you, you fucking gay sympathizer,” Guy One said. It was hard to identify them in the dark, which was probably why they were harassing us.

“Are you going to drug and beat up anyone who doesn’t hate someone because of their sexual orientation or the color of their skin?” Fin asked in a deathly calm voice. It sent a shiver down my spine. I knew at any moment he could blow up.

“If you don’t shut your mouth, we’ll do to you what we did to your boyfriend,” one of the guys said.

Fin seemed to grow in size right before my eyes. Had he been trying to seem smaller so the Alpha Mus would be less intimidated?

Fin let out a humorous laugh. “I’d like to see you try, asshole. You and your army of pussies can’t touch me.”

I was sure he was going to punch whoever just spoke or egg them on to hit him.

“We can touch whoever we want. We have been for years, and no ass licker is going to stop us.” All three laughed and patted each other on the backs.

Stepping up to them, I held back from ripping them limb from limb. “What gives you the right?”

“You need to learn your place and to keep your filthy mouth shut, fag,” the guy in front of me snarled.

My hands clenched into fists, reminding me that I held Fin’s phone in my hand, and I was recording this whole incident. Alpha Mu had pretty much admitted what they’d done and more. We had them.

Fin stepped in front of me, pushing me back slightly while he stayed on the street. Did he know what he was doing?

“You need to—”

Fin started to threaten them until all three guys seemed to move in one choreographed moved and circled closely around him. First, one shoved Fin in the back and into another guy. Next, the biggest asshole of the bunch grabbed Fin by the shoulder. Fin fought back, swinging his bad arm at the guy who held him by the shoulder and hit Big Asshole in the face, making him stumble back a few steps. Catching himself, Big Asshole pulled his hand back and slammed his fist into Fin’s injured shoulder before he kneed Fin in the stomach, grabbed his hair, and slammed his head down on the curb.

Fin let out a strangled sound as he stood up, clutching his shoulder while blood dripped from his forehead as he kept on the move.

Dropping Fin’s phone to the street, I grabbed two of the guys by their shirts, wishing I could do them damage like the other guy did to Fin and threw them to the side so I could rip the Big Asshole away from Fin.

“Get the fuck off him,” I growled out as I tried to yank the asshole off Fin. Instead, he moved forward, making me fall on top of both of them. A painful grunt escaped Fin before I could pull myself off them. Whoever this asshole was, rolled to the side, giving Fin the perfect opportunity to jump up and kick him in the side.

Hard.

Fuck that had to hurt, and I almost felt bad.

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