Page 41 of Bend Him, Break Him
Unable to remain idle much longer, Colton texted Isaac for clarification. No response. Not shocking since it sounded like lots of yelling was going on behind closed doors—and windows. Colton sent another text.
He waited five more minutes before sending a third. As much as he didn’t want to appear needy, he craved answers far more. Besides, it was Isaac. He’d be thrilled to see Colton desperate for answers. Maybe that was all this was. Some ruse meant to spike anxiety into Colton as part of some sick joke by Isaac.
No. Colton shook away the thought. Even that seemed too unlikely a stretch for his delusional fears.
“I’m heading out,” a GSA member said with a languished sigh.
The crowd of members clustered outside the meeting room began to thin over the next ten minutes. Soon, only half remained, waiting with bated breath and curious eyes. They wanted answers as much as Colton, but he suspected none of them relied on the answers. While they wanted to understand the strange events that unraveled before them to satiate their curiosity, Colton craved the answers to quell the paranoid beastswelling inside him. It was ferocious and unlike anything he’d endured. He didn’t like worrying for the sake of worrying.
Colton went to send another text but paused when three dancing dots bounced in his chat box. Isaac was responding. Well, possibly. A blink later, and the dots had vanished. Then they started up again, only to stop once more. They started, then stopped, then started, then stopped, and Colton wondered if he was about to get an essay in response to his inquiries.
Seriously. After all that waiting, that dread, Isaac had only sent some cavalier reply not even acknowledging Colton’s concerns. Valid concerns. They were valid, right? Colton began to wonder if he was working this all up in his head, if he needed to worry. What he needed to worry about. Who cared if people knew he hooked up with William. No, that wasn’t the fear. It was more to do with the fact Isaac might’ve tipped his hand about their arrangement in the process. The idea sent a jolt of excitement through Colton, superseding the fear rooted inside him.
Okay, that part eased the tension building inside Colton, allowing him to take an actual calm breath.
Colton chuckled to himself. The absurdity of that statement… It sent a rush through him. Isaac couldn’t simply wash away every worry ever—especially since he was often the cause of Colton’s confusion—but the mere idea he would make the valiant effort sparked a curiosity in Colton.
There were so many feelings knotting him and Isaac together in this warped connection that he fixated on that until it superseded the worry that gnawed at him. He left the building with more questions than answers but a bit lighter all the same.
Chapter Fourteen
Isaacanxiously awaited Colton’s arrival, chain-smoking while his mind whirled around everything that’d happened over the last few days. There was so much he wanted to say, to share, to get off his chest. When Colton had explained his outing ordeal, it didn’t sit well with Isaac, so he approached William for clarification on his concerns. Isaac hadn’t expected to punch William. He hadn’t expected to break his nose, to dislocate two of his fingers, to threaten him from an inch of his life.
But he also hadn’t expected William to do something so malicious for no other reason than a chance at his own entertainment. It was the laugh he’d given when Isaac confronted him.
“You hate the guy. I mean, you hate everyone, but seriously, what’s it fucking matter?” William playfully slapped Isaac on theback—his biggest mistake during their encounter. “He’s better out of the closet, anyway.”
Isaac knew William had a history of outing folks, unintentionally and well-timed coincidences, according to their mutual friend Carlos. Although the other GSA member didn’t consider William much of a friend. Carlos often gave people the benefit of the doubt, so when he aired on the side of caution around William, Isaac knew to keep a careful distance. The only problem was that Isaac never considered William a personal threat or issue since he wasn’t in the closet and didn’t have any closeted friends. He still didn’t. Colton wasn’t a friend. Still, the knowledge of William’s actions didn’t sit well with Isaac.
“He’s happy.” William had tightened his grip on Isaac’s shoulder, nearly setting him off right then. “The world hasn’t turned upside down on itself, and we have a queer athlete to act as a beacon or icon or role model. Or just a model. Seriously, dude is fine as hell, and when I tell you he’s got a nice package, Izzy, you’ve got no idea.”
It was then that Isaac had to set the tone of their conversation. He twisted those fingers still touching him, tempted to break them, but he still had more questions, more things to account for.
When William had satisfied Isaac’s curiosity, he contemplated giving his theater friend a chance to discreetly and quietly fade away from the GSA before Isaac made it his mission to destroy him. But if Will walked away unscathed, not only would he learn nothing from his errors, but others would never suspect him of foul play in the future. The rumor mill Carlos clung to would continue to grow, but that’d be all.
The worst part of this whole nightmare was the gnawing guilt that clawed its way inside Isaac and hollowed him out. Not for William. In a matter of days, he’d forget Will ever existed,releasing that friendship to the ether as gently as he had his love for his family. Severing ties never came hard for Isaac. He preferred to be alone; it left less risk of being hurt.
No, the pain and guilt gutting him again and again had to do with Colton. Not the outing itself, an old wound for sure, but still there were events Isaac had orchestrated to put Colton in his place. Now, his reasons began to blur as Isaac considered the lengths William had gone to for his own agenda. What was Isaac’s agenda? Justification?
A sudden knock at his door roused Isaac from his spot. Tossing the cigarette, Isaac shook loose his nerves and went to let Colton inside.
Colton stood there, too dressed up for a conversation. “You look extra frumpy.”
“Thanks?” Isaac hissed, closing the door behind them.
“Just saying, you put in like zero effort when you could actually rock some good looks.”
Isaac didn’t respond.
“Okay, small talk is dead.” Colton clapped his hands. “Care to tell me what the hell happened with William?”
Isaac was certain the other members of GSA were climbing the walls awaiting answers—answers Jazz was currently finding the right words for. Isaac didn’t do the right words; he didn’t do the right anything. It was his leftie claim to fame. He merely acted when the impulse struck. While waiting for Jazz’s thoughtful reflection would probably be best for Colton in the long run, Isaac believed he deserved the truth now, unfiltered, especially since it connected so deeply to the jock.
“I spoke with Will about my suspicions surrounding your outing.”
“Suspicions?” Colton quirked a brow.
“William isn’t the discreet type.And this isn’t the first time I’ve suspected him of having a hand in someone’s coming out story.” Isaac explained his theory. “I got him to admit he was the reason you were recorded, outed.”
