Page 67 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

“He’s not that innocent. We know what you two got up to after that one away trip, remember?” Leon makes grunting noises as he thrusts his hips lewdly.

The group laughs. Meanwhile, I blush deep enough to be mistaken for a tomato.

At least the camera crew has packed up for the day. They’re not catching any of this on audio.

Except…

“Hey, guys. Can we get one more shot?” The photographer asks as she skates over with her camera in hand. “I just thought of a cool idea we could do if you all have your partners here.”

It takes a bit of wrangling to get everyone on the ice. Once we’re all paired up, she points to put us in place. My arms are wrapped around Andry’s waist, just as she instructed me to do.

All is well up until she raises her camera. “We’re going to do a group kiss shot.”

“I’m not kissing my brother on the mouth!” Jake screams.

The photographer gives him wide eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Let the woman talk, Jake,” Bellamy adds. “I’m sure she meant for you to kiss your guys.”

“That’s right. I want to get a shot that shows connection for everyone. It’s going to prove that love comes in all shapes, sizes, and skin tones.”

As she waves a hand down the line at us, I realize she’s right. There’s a diverse group of men here. We don’t represent everything there is, obviously. Still, we’re a darn good example that being LGBTQ+ is part of the sports world too.

The kiss isn’t anything dramatic once she signals us all to commit to the moment. Yet at the same time, it feels life-changing. It’s like everything I thought before shatters, leaving behind a fully formed version of me that’s stronger than ever.

And I know that’s how I feel with Andry in my life. He’s steadfast in his support of me.

We wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case.

The man has literally coordinated a revenge effort to not only get back at my bullies, but to also show them we’re here to stay. He wants to throw in their face the thing they love most — hockey — is actually gay as fuck.

Really, most sports are if you think about it. All that ass clapping and naked time in the locker room. Very suspicious!

“Excellent work!” The photographer pulls me from the moment with her praise. “I’ll get these over to you guys soon. They won’t take much work at all. You guys were great. Some of the best clients I’ve ever had.”

Jake skates over to walk her out, with Leon and Maddox close behind. The rest of us remain on the ice for a moment longer before a loud gurgle rings out. All eyes shift to Finn, who ducks his head against Bellamy.

“Sounds like my little one is hungry. Should we all go grab a bite to eat?” The big guy asks.

Several people give their agreement. We settle on some burgers, despite Aries protests that we could simply go home and have Ma cook for everyone.

“You know she’d love it! Think of how happy she’d be to feed us all,” he tells me dramatically.

I shake my head. “We can’t throw all of us on her last minute. She needs time to prepare.”

A single finger points my way. “You and I both know she could feed a small army with a twenty-minute notice. The woman always has food ready.”

“Let’s go with burgers this time and then Ma can feed us all later,” Andry suggests when things get heated. “While I’m sure she could handle it, it’s best to give her notice. Maybe she’ll want to make something specific.”

For some reason, that idea settles better with my brother. He agrees and then we’re all on our way to eat.

The entire drive there, all I can think about is how different my life is now. All the things I thought I’d never get to have are within reach.

CHAPTER24

Andry

Things shift between me and my little genius after the photoshoot. It’s like he’s finally letting go of the worry he’s kept hold of about his tormentors coming after him.

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