Page 79 of Tangled Up In You
“Yeah,” I answered, knowing there was nothing I wanted more in that moment. “I’ll keep this place during the upcoming season, but then I’m leaving KC.”
Hunter was quiet for a handful of seconds before he finally said, “Are you sure it’s what you want, Cor? I don’t want to be the reason you give up your life, you know? We’ll make it work if you decide to stay there.”
“I’m not giving anything up,” I said, missing the feel of him in my arms. Being lovesick fucking sucked. “Now stop trying to change my mind and face the facts, babe. You’re stuck with me.”
It didn’t matter where we went, as long as he was by my side, I had everything I needed. Home was not a place, but a feeling, and Hunter was the only place I wanted to be.
Chapter 25
Hunter
Rain fell outside the classroom window, hitting the rooftop and pouring down onto the sidewalk. Deep puddles formed in the grass, and certain areas of the road had standing water. Some of the creeks had flooded, making it dangerous to travel through some of the backroads, and with the high school being more in the country, it made it harder for some of the students to make it to school on time.
Everything was so green—the dense wall of trees not too far from the building, and the grass. The dark sky only enhanced the green hue, causing it to stand out in a world of gray. Spring had officially arrived. And with the new life, there was a cleansing of what came before it.
In other words: rain. Lots of it.
I sipped coffee at my desk as I continued watching the rain fall.
Unlike some people, I actually enjoyed rainy days. Where others saw gloominess, I found peace. I needed moments such as these to gather my thoughts, and I had a lot on my mind.
Corbin had done an interview with a big magazine, and it should be hitting the stands—and of course, basically everywhere online—that day. He’d told me some of the things he was going to say in the article, and I was so damn proud of him for being so open. I was nervous for him as well.
This was a huge deal, and with everything else that blows up in the media, the world was going to have something to say about it.
The first bell cut off my musings and minutes later, students began entering class like a horde of lazy zombies. April was just another month closer to summer break, and most of them looked to have thatI’d rather be in bedmentality, eager for those summer days of sleeping in and spending the day outside with friends.
Daniel took his seat, and he wasn’t his usual talkative self. His blank expression during my lecture that morning only confirmed my theory that something was wrong.
“Daniel? Can you stay for a minute?” I asked once class had ended.
He shrugged. “’Kay. What’s up?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” I said, leaning on the edge of my desk and crossing my arms.
“So Corbin is gay?” he asked, finally looking at me. “It’s all over the internet.”
Ah, shit.
“Does that bother you?”
“He should’ve told me,” Daniel snapped as his eyes watered. “I thought he was my friend.”
“He is,” I said, hating the pain in his voice. “Corbin cares about you and the other guys a lot. He loves helping y’all train and hanging out at school.”
“Then why didn’t he tell me the one thing that could’ve helped me not feel like a freak?” Daniel responded, even angrier now. “I basically told him that I’m…that I’m…” he looked around, making sure no one else was around before leaning in and saying, “…gay. And instead of telling me that I wasn’t alone, he didn’t say a damn thing.” Students for my second period class started shuffling in, and Daniel stepped backward, shaking his head. “I gotta get to class, Mr. Walsh.”
He turned and left the room.
When Corbin came back to Willow, he’d need to have a talk with Daniel. He had become attached to Cor over the months, and from what I gathered, he didn’t really have a good role model at home. His dad was known to be a drunk, and it was heartbreaking to think of the things that kid had to go through.
At lunch, I was finally able to pull up Corbin’s article on my laptop and read it.
I’d have to buy a hard copy of it at the store later. He was front and center on the cover—which was in black and white—and he leaned against a white wall. His short blond hair was styled in a classy way, with the sides shorter and the top combed and flipped to the side. Dressed in a white shirt and a dark jacket pulled over it, he looked more like a movie star than a football player.
I scrolled down the page until I saw the link to his interview and clicked it. My heart hammered in my chest and my palms began to sweat. I didn’t know whyIwas nervous. Maybe it was more due to excitement.
Corbin wasn’t backing down from the devastation of being outed against his will; instead, he was embracing it and using it as an opportunity to tell his own story—one I suspected a lot of younger men who were struggling with coming out would find courage in reading.
