Page 3 of Catch Me
“I’m twenty, so I resent that.”
“Speaking of that,” Sen drawled. “Are the less than twenty-ones allowed to raid the drinks?”
I shrugged. “As long as they don’t walk out of here fucked up or claim I endorsed it, I guess.”
Kai flashed Sen a smile before he skipped over to the bar.
“He confuses me sometimes,” I said.
“His personality is as varied as his taste in music.”
“I didn’t know if it was possible for you two to look more in love than last time, but you do. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really happy for you, man.”
The way he smiled as he looked over at Kai made me avert my gaze. Every time I saw them together, I was struck by howbeautiful their relationship was. Alongside that was the guilt I’d felt at Camp Dumont as I ran into the woods. I knew that Sen didn’t blame me for what happened, but I could never quite shake it.
Looking down at my hand, I saw the faint scars on my knuckles from the pieces of bark that had lodged in them that day. I thought about that tree I’d taken out my aggression on and wondered if the blood still stained it. Maybe I’d left a part of myself there and I’d have to feel this for the rest of my life.
God, I hoped not. If it wouldn’t put the whole forest at risk, I might’ve taken a trip to salt and burn the damn thing like it harbored a bad spirit.
“I saw that you opened a fundraising campaign,” Kai said when he returned with a few beers. He passed one to me and took a long drink of his.
Sen stood straighter, his eyes becoming more alert. “A big one. It has something to do with Dumont, right?”
Pushing one of my hands into my pocket, I curled my fingers in and nodded. “It’s blown up more than I expected. We’re trying to find a way to stop places like that from preying on kids. Only twenty-six states have laws banning it, which is...” I shook my head. “It’s ridiculous.”
“You’re getting a lot of attention on the issue, though.”
“Yeah. The money is meant to help us work with attorneys and other officials to see what can be done in places where it’s still legal. I don’t know if anything will come of it, but...” I shrugged, not sure what else to say right now.
“This shit’s dope,” someone said from the entryway.
When I turned, I saw Brooks carrying his boyfriend, Tilian, on his back. Those two were weird as hell, but I guess they all were. Tilian looked like he was going to throw up when I first met him, but I’d seen him twice since then and he seemed a little better each time. Guess he needed time to bloom or something.
Tilian dropped his feet to the ground and spun in a circle, his blond hair falling into his eyes with the movement. “This is, like, the palace of the baseball world.”
“Whose dick did you suck to get this, Trav?” Brooks asked with a grin.
“Thankfully, I have money.”
“So do I. You’re not special.”
Tilian snorted a laugh, then shot me an apologetic look. “Sorry. He’s feeling, um...”
“They’re stoned,” Sen said with a dismissive gesture.
I chuckled. “Aren’t they always?”
“Based,” Brooks noted casually.
A man, who I assumed was his dad, came in. He was incredibly casual and didn’t act like he was blown away by the suite, unlike everyone else. I was pretty sure Brooks’ family had an ungodly amount of money, so I wasn’t surprised.
“Oh, they’re attorneys,” Sen exclaimed.
Brooks scoffed. “I haven’t even started law school. But my parents did inject me with oodles of knowledge. Do you need an attorney, Trav? You hit someone with your bat, huh? If it wasn’t an accident, learn to lie.”
Tilian smacked Brooks in the chest, which just made him smile and bite his tongue.
Sen shook his head, probably used to their shit. “Trav is fighting against conversion therapy. It’s still legal in a lot of states.”
