Page 5 of Tumbling the Cornerback

Cass forced her way forward, smiling tensely. “Lucas Ortiz here organized the event today. He’s been working closely with Queering Sports for two years now, bringing attention to their mission in the Texas youth sports community.”

Cooper nodded. “I’m not the face of anything. Er. Except that one sports drink ad. And that underwear campaign. Which is kind of a weird thing to be the face of, right?” he chuckled weakly. “Underwear. Faces. They don’t go together. I mean, not usually... Oh! And that hotel chain, but that’s the whole team. Actually, I think it’s the whole league, but we do the ads for the Texas locations. Oh! And I do have?—"

I winced. “Stop talking, Cooper.”

He nodded, lips quirked in a moue of awkwardness. “Yeah, good idea.”

Still grinning, Byrne shook his head. “It’s not official, but you’re the one everyone is talking about. One of the sport’s only out players, throwing his weight behind this event and making it the amazing time it was.”

It was my turn to blink and gawp.

Smile brittle, Cass shoved herself between Cooper and Byrne. “If you want to talk to the person who organized things, Lucas is definitely your man.”

Byrne glanced at me, his smile fading. “He’s a cheerleader.”

Cooper nodded. “A damn good one.”

“See?” Byrne’s expression snapped back to pleased. “There you are, a top-tier athlete, supporting the queer sports community.” He shook his head in that Southern dude bro way, the one that’s supposed to look like they totally get it and can’t believe the bullshit, but you just know really means they’re trying to manipulate you into thinking they’re not a massive ass canker.

“Cheerleaders are athletes,” Cooper said sharply. “Lucas is a damn fine one. One of the best."

“Excuse me.” I turned away, striding towards the rest of my squad. “I need some air.”

“Wait,” Cooper called, trying to hurry after me. “Lucas!”

I ducked out of the tent, Cooper hot on my heels, Byrne hot on his. I strode towards the command center tent, acutely aware I was being filmed. Cooper grabbed my arm, seemingly uncaring if Byrne and his camera minion were recording the whole exchange. Dani and Cass bore down on them like avenging Valkyrie, but they were far enough away. This was about to get messy fast.

“Let go of me,” I ordered between clenched teeth. “Do not touch me!”

I jerked free, and Cooper held up his hands. “Okay, calm down,” he soothed. Tried to, anyway. I may or may not have hissed like a scalded cat. “Or not…”

Whirling on my heel, I headed for the merch table and started boxing things up. Cooper was determined, though, and closed the distance between us again, reaching for one of the remaining sets of pompoms to throw into a waiting box. He was staring at me, though, and not watching what he was doing.

Which is how he ended up throwing the damn things against one of the industrial-sized fans blowing into the tent.

And I am not one hundred percent sure how it happened, other than displeasing some god somewhere, but in the midst of the sudden explosion of cheap plastic confetti and the grinding of the plastic handles lodged in the fan, sparks flew.

Literal goddamn sparks.

Did you know flame-retardant things still burn, just slower than stuff that’s not flame retardant?

I didn’t. But now I do.

The smell of singed plushies and melting plastic was instantly cloying. I spun away from the carnage, covering my face with my hands only to find myself falling—no, I realized belatedly, being lifted! By Cooper!

“Christ,” he ground out. “Are you okay?”

“No!” I wiggled free of his grasp. Dani, Cass, Rye, and a few others had come running with a fire extinguisher, and someone had grabbed a stack of towels from the dunking booth. The fire was small—barely more than a few embers really—but the results were just abysmal.

“Cooper,” Byrne broke into the stunned silence.

Cooper held up his hand, glaring at the man. “No.” Turning to me, his expression softened. He dropped his hand only to offer it to me, as if I’d want to hold it. “Lucas…”

“No,” I said, mimicking his snarled refusal. “No. I need to go. I need to just… go.”

No one tried to stop me.

CHAPTER 2

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