Page 86 of Bend Him, Break Him
Isaac crawled up and onto the bed, lying beside Colton and easing the anxiety stirring inside him.
“I’ll always be here for you,” Isaac whispered. “Always.”
“Thank you.” Colton rolled over and buried his head in Isaac’s chest, dozing off to sleep and leaving Isaac awake to gently hold him.
The days that followed turned into an even bigger whirlwind of chaos than the hospital itself. Isaac couldn’t go anywhere on campus without eyes falling to him or to Colton, whose side he had kept close to since the party. Isaac was done giving Colton space and had now latched to the baseball player like a shadow.
All the attention, the questions, the whispers, the phone calls, and emails seeking an inside story didn’t seem to bother Colton. His coming out story had thrust him into the spotlight last year, and the sex scandal had only finally started dying down before the embers of gossip found a new flame to ignite Colton’s unwanted popularity.
At least the truth was out. Everyone knew Leon had a hand in the video leaking. Everyone knew Leon drugged Colton. Everyone knew Leon had a dangerously dark obsessionwith Colton. The only thing that people didn’t know was the reason why. Sure, Colton tried to set the record straight, but rumors blossomed quickly, and every deranged theory was more fascinating to public appeal than the reality of Leon being a homophobic prick with an envious cancer eating away at his insides.
Isaac was partial to the belief that Leon was in love with Colton and attempting to take over his life. Sure, it wasn’t exactly true, but it made Leon queer in the public eyes, and that likely pissed the asshole off even more. Isaac had already been warned to keep his distance since his self-defense story wouldn’t work as well if repeated. Not that he had to worry about Leon on campus. The expulsion came down faster than anyone believed possible, and with the criminal charges coupled with the medical issues Leon faced in the coming months, he didn’t have the time to contest Clinton’s swift judgment.
Now came the time when the university would determine how to handle things with Colton and Isaac. Well, with Colton. Isaac was pretty sure his thin ice was going to crack entirely despite his severe injuries. He’d already pissed off the campus enough with the last scandal, and he wasn’t sure they’d care much that both incidents were Leon’s doing.
Colton had a meeting scheduled first, and Isaac wasn’t about to let him go alone. The sting of his administrative meeting, where he lost both his campus jobs and housing all in one fell swoop, still hurt a hell of a lot more than the breaks in his arm from a heavy-handed bat swing. Now, while Isaac suspected this was more of a groveling meeting where the dean would steer Colton toward saying something positive about CLIT University, Isaac didn’t want them manipulating his boyfriend and filling his head with drivel.
“Thanks for coming with me.” Colton held the door for Isaac, and the pair walked inside the building that led to the dean’s office.
Isaac buried his anxiety, his concern, his fear about his own impending meeting. The last time didn’t end well, and he didn’t hold out much hope for what came next.
“Colton, darling, you’re here.” An older woman called out, wearing large sunglasses which hid her face.
She wore a tight, powder blue dress that framed her small body and made her long, black hair all the more striking in the sunlight that pierced through the windows. The glint of light reflected against her diamond ring, her sapphire bracelet, her jeweled necklace, and Isaac found himself in awe at the gaudy display, believing those trinkets she wore could pay his entire tuition.
Colton seemed more surprised than intrigued as the woman sauntered down the hallway. The click of her heels carried a thunderous charm, and her outstretched arms came with a smile that craved a hug.
“I’m glad to have run into you.”
Without a moment of hesitation, she wrapped Colton in a tight hug. The shock on Colton’s face matched the bewilderment on Isaac’s, but after a few seconds, the woman’s face became familiar to him. It helped that so many of her features matched her son’s because Isaac had only seen Colton’s mother a handful of times when he was younger. Their mothers were club friends at best and rivals in almost all other aspects.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Colton finally broke free from the hug, staring at his mother with the most perplexed expression.
“You think I’d let you weather this storm alone?” She scoffed, genuinely offended. “The Lennox family lean on each other in a crisis and conquer it like all things in this world.”
Isaac rolled his eyes at that. Colton didn’t bad mouth his family, but he’d shared how much they’d distanced themselves when he broke away from tradition to follow his heart and aim to play baseball professionally. Hell, the last crisis he had to conquer involved his coming out scandal, and the way Colton described it, his parents took a very “don’t ask, don’t tell” stance on their son’s bisexuality.
Colton’s mother, Mrs. Lennox, turned her attention from her son and onto Isaac. The demure of her sweet smile turned sharp as her eyes locked with Isaac’s.
“Mr. Parker, correct?” She removed her sunglasses and delicately placed them in a small pocketbook she’d kept tucked beneath her arm. “You must be the one who’s been piledriving my son.”
Colton’s entire face turned beet red. Isaac choked on the air itself, somehow forgetting how to breathe.
“Ah, yes. News of your scandalous romance reached home,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been fortunate enough not to view the video, though I hear congratulations are in order.”
Congratulations to who?Isaac wondered.
“The ladies at the club really were running their mouths for some time.”
“I’m so sorry,” Colton blurted as if he had anything to apologize for.
“Nonsense, dear.” Mrs. Lennox gave a dismissive wave. “It allowed me a chance to remind the busybodies that they shouldn’t mock someone who knows where they hide their bodies. Honestly, it’s been a whirlwind of entertainment. Ihaven’t truly aimed to ruin a life with words alone since I was, well, your age.”
“You’re welcome?” Colton quirked a brow.
Isaac had forgotten how much the town of Straight Arrow thrived on gossip and elitism. It was its own world of scandal and privilege and power. His family survived it by blending, which made Isaac a threat because he never tried to fit in with the crowd. It seemed Colton’s family thrived by riding the waves of scandal and demonstrating why they differed from the rest of the town. For a few fleeting seconds, Isaac wondered how his life would’ve changed if his family had more takes like Mrs.Lennox.
When Colton finally composed himself, he gave his mother an almost stern stare. “And what exactly are you doing here?”
