Page 94 of Catch Me
I looked at the side of his ugly face. “You know what they say about assuming things.”
He leaned to the side slightly, bringing him a little closer. “He doesn’t look like it, but he’s a flamer like you, huh?”
The anger hit me so quickly I barely registered that I’d jumped to my feet. My hands connected with his chest, pushing him backward. “Are you seriously gonna start that shit?”
Anthony laughed as he got in my face. “Yeah, I thought so. You being on the team wasn’t enough, huh?”
A fist to the face would’ve been satisfying, but it was probably what he wanted, so I grabbed his shoulders and thrust my knee upward with as much force as I could. He swore and started to sink to his knees. Crouching in front of him, I resisted the urge to slam his face into the ground.
“A flamer just touched your dick and now you’re on your knees for him. Bet that feels nice, Tony.”
As soon as I stood up, Dan shoved my chest. I was ready to knock his ass down too, but Roman put a hand directly over my heart. I wondered if he could feel the rage beating through it.
“What happened?” he asked, speaking only to me.
“I have a LIVE to do.”
I brushed past him, heading for the exit. If I got shit for this, I was going to be pissed. Everyone knew they were assholes, and it shouldn’t have been allowed to continue.
“Stop,” Roman said from behind me. “Hey, can you talk to me?”
“Not right now. I need a minute.”
“Fine, just tell me if you’re gonna be okay.”
I glanced sidelong at him. “I’m angry. I’m not gonna jump into traffic.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Just give me a minute. And don’t work with them until I get back.”
He stopped following me, which was what I wanted, but it didn’t make me feel better. A LIVE was either a good idea or a horrible one. Hopefully, being on there and talking to people would help me calm down.
Once I was in my Jeep, I checked myself in the mirror and ran a hand through my hair. I set my phone in the holder and grabbed the one in the glove compartment. After I turned it on, I connected it to an app that would let people anonymously call in. It was early in the day, but people started joining pretty quickly.
You ghosted us.
I laughed. “It’s only been a week.”
No ice cream today?
“It’s ten in the morning. It sounds good, though. Maybe after this. So, I’m having a pretty bad day already and I wanted to give y’all a chance to hop on and talk to me if you’re going through your own shit. Or just to say hi. Anything, really. The number is on the screen.”
It only took thirty seconds for the phone to ring. I put it on speaker and set it in my lap.
“Hey, who’s this?”
“Anna,” a woman answered in a shaky voice. “I didn’t think I’d get to talk to you. Oh my god.”
“I’m just me. What’s up, Anna?”
“I just wanted a chance to actually thank you for what you’ve done. You’re amazing.”
“Thank you, that’s sweet.”
“Seriously, you don’t see all of the good that comes from this. You gave me the courage to come out, and you weren’t lying when you said it would be hard. Itwas noteasy and I lost people, but I would do it a million times over. In all the ways that matter, I’m so much happier. You’re just a beautiful person, Trav.”
“Wow. I’m so happy for you and I’m excited for you to live your life now that you’ve come out. Anna, I come on here and talk, but it was you who found the courage, so make sure to credit yourself above everyone else.”
