Page 57 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

Aries and Ma share another look, then he holds out his hand for my cell. I unlock it and give it to him with the contact for Coach open.

With the phone on speaker, I listen as Aries introduces himself a minute later. “Sorry to bother you, sir. I’m trying to get to the bottom of something for my brother, Rodney.”

“Rodney, as in Andry’s boyfriend? That’s who we were talking about earlier. I’m sorry to hear some of the other members of the team have been downright horrible to him. We’re working to rectify the situation, which is what I told Andry earlier in our meeting. What can I help you with today?”

Aries’s jaw drops as reality crashes into him. He shakes his head once, then replies, “You’ve already done what I needed, sir. I was trying to figure out what you and Andry discussed earlier. There seems to be some confusion.”

“Confusion, huh? Is this another thing we should talk about, Andry?”

“Honestly, yes, Coach. Someone got into my phone and texted Rodney to break up with him for me. They belittled him as well. It’s upset him to the point of his family getting involved. We’re together now, trying to make sense of it.”

Coach curses, then takes a deep breath. “We’ll definitely get to the bottom of it. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with this, Andry. Let me know how it goes. I’ll get with the other coaches and plan a team meeting for later this week.”

“Thanks, Coach. We appreciate it.”

He hangs up with a grunt, leaving me alone with two people who’ve gone from hating me to hopefully liking me in an instant.

“So, your teammates, huh?” Aries asks with a curious tone.

“Yes. They’ve been a problem since before I arrived. Rodney didn’t want to admit anything, but I convinced him to share some parts. I didn’t think they’d do anything like this.”

“How could you have known?” Ma adds in. “You’re not a malicious person. You wouldn’t think to be this hateful.”

If only she knew.

There is loads of hate running through my system right now. All of it directed to the few individuals I suspect are behind all this.

“Easy, Killer.” Aries drops a firm hand on my shoulder. “I can see the bloodlust in your eyes. It’s the same look BB gets before we go on the field sometimes. No need to go on a rampage just yet.”

“But they hurt him,” I grind out.

“They did. Now that we know it wasn’t you, we need to fix your relationship with my brother. Mend your own hearts, then we focus on the revenge.”

Ma stands quickly. “I’m not going to listen to this, or my blood pressure will shoot through the room. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

As she leaves, Aries gives me a look I know means trouble. I’m more than willing to jump in it with him if it means getting my little genius back.

“Before we do anything else, we need to get you in the Daddy chat.”

“The Daddy chat?” I ask.

“Yeah. It’s the chat of all the Daddies so we can plan playdates and things. I should probably be weirded out about this since Rodney is my brother, but I think some of his emotional maturity rubbed off on me. Plus, Bell and Jake deal with it fine. I’ll be damned if I’m the one left out because I get my boxers in a twist.”

I shake my head at him, then watch as he adds me to a group chat featuring himself, Bellamy Bellport, Brutal Bishop, Leon, Maddox, and Luke. Considering four of the six are all part of the Bears hockey team, I feel the need to pinch myself.

This can’t be real life.

“We should name ourselves too. We’ll workshop it for now, but how do you feel about being in The Alliance of Daddies? It’s got a nice ring to it, right?”

“Call us whatever you want,” I tell him. “My focus right now is on convincing your brother I’m not the asshole he thinks I am. Can you help with that?”

Aries grins. “Oh, yeah. We’ll get the two of you sorted in no time.”

CHAPTER20

Rodney

Somehow, I manage to sleep like the dead after Aries and Ma talk with me. I don’t know if it’s because I managed to relax with them or because I’m simply too tired to stay awake.

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