Page 38 of By His Play

In the beginning, I used to read it all, mostly for amusement value, but as the years have passed, I’ve learned to ignore it more and more. After a while, the stories begin to linger. The negative reactions to games and how I live my life started to impact my day to day, and I very quickly cut myself off.

The internet, while really fucking useful for many things, is also a cesspool.

After changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, I sit on the bed and reluctantly reach for my cell.

I have more missed calls and voicemails from Kat, Daniel, my agent, and Mom.

My group chat with the guys has blown up. There are more notifications than I can count, but without opening a single one of them, I know exactly what they’re talking about.

I have separate messages from a number of them, but it’s my teammate, Braxton’s, that I open.

He’s good people, and the words in the preview remind me of that.

Brax: Am I right to be suspicious? Here if you need anything.

I bite down on my bottom lip as my finger drums against the side of my cell.

He gets it.

It probably helps that he knows Effie fairly well too.

I wonder if he believes it. Probably not. He knows that we’re good friends. He’s ribbed me about it enough over the years. Even asked for permission to ask her out once, which I swiftly declined before punching him in the arm.

I’m cool with Effie dating. She’s been with a few guys over the years. None of them have been serious, though, mainly because none of them have been worthy of her.

She doesn’t have great taste in men. Her best friend aside, obviously.

I have messages from not only King and Kian, but also their girls, too.

The final one from Tate makes me laugh.

Tate: You need to ring your mother; she’s driving us all crazy wanting to know if she needs to go hat shopping.

Kieran: I’m amazed she hasn’t already got one just in case of a shotgun wedding.

I smirk as I hit send. I am known for being the unpredictable one, so I wouldn’t put it past her.

It shows she’s typing instantly.

Tate: She needs confirmation of a color theme first.

I laugh at the message, but I don’t reply. Instead, I open the thread from Kian’s girl.

Lorelei: As much as I really, really want to believe all this… it’s not true, is it?

I shake my head. Of course she wants it to be true. Lorelei is nothing but a romantic. How she ended up with Kian, who wouldn’t know romance if it slapped him in the face, is beyond me.

I’m looking through my other notifications when my cell starts ringing in my hand and Mom’s name and photo appear before me.

“No time like the present, I guess,” I mutter to myself.

Swiping the screen to answer the call, I press it to my ear and wait.

“At last. I’ve been trying to call you all day,” she says without any kind of hello.

“My battery died,” I lie.

“I’ve been going out of my mind, Kieran.”

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