Page 5 of Bend Him, Break Him
If he floundered at Clinton University, then his freedom, his dreams, would come to an end. He’d be tossed onto that pathway his father had been trying to drag him back onto since the day Colton got his acceptance letter.
Colton replied to the GSA email, agreeing to do another speech. He still had a lot of community service hours, and technically speaking, this extracurricular counted toward community outreach interventions. Plus, it was important for him to alibi himself for at least a few hours. Most of his time spent giving back to the community came from JV players presenting themselves as Colton and getting his form signed off at soup kitchens, shelters, donation centers, or wherever the hell folks went when trying to give back to the community due to obligations.
GSA didn’t feel like an obligation for Colton. His newly found queer celebrity status wouldn’t last forever, and admittedly, it’dspared him from the worst of his troubles last year. Being the iconic bi pitcher on social media had a few perks, which Colton leaned into in order to avoid expulsion for his stack of freshman antics. Since his parents wouldn’t bail him out on this endeavor of independence and his trust fund didn’t have nearly enough zeros to offer a proper apology to the university, Colton had to get craftier in order to force the disciplinary committee to show him leniency.
Colton had agreed to speak at the last GSA meeting before winter break, which had been scheduled for a Monday instead of their usual Wednesday evening gatherings since student attendance dropped fast once most turned in their semester finals. As Colton dragged himself from one class to the next, he regretted his decisions. Staying up late to drink with the team. Waiting until the literal last minute to study for his science final. Agreeing to go to the GSA on a Monday night when all he wanted to do after classes was curl up in his bed and play video games.
“Remember to email me a copy of your final essay as well,” Professor Howard instructed as she wrapped up her last lecture for the semester.
Well, not her last lecture, but as if Colton would show up Wednesday or Friday for fun chitchat and extra learning opportunities. He had his essay, his cousin’s foolproof essay, and he wanted to put this class behind him once and for all.
Seeing Isaac three days a week made for grueling reminders of Colton’s guilt, and he hoped Isaac wouldn’t be a TA in any of the Composition II courses. Even outside of class, it seemed like Isaac lurked around campus, always standing outfrom the crowd, always glaring at Colton. Maybe it seemed like Isaac prowled the campus grounds because of his haunting goth appearance, or maybe it had to do with the anchor of guilt that weighed on Colton’s chest every time he saw the guy. He hoped by next semester, he’d stop having run-ins with Isaac and could finally move forward with his life.
“You sure you don’t want any help on the essay?” Leon asked as if Colton would be foolish enough to accept his help.
“Got it covered.” Colton beamed, leading the group of players out of the lecture hall and toward the dining building for an early lunch.
“Hey hey hey!” Tim shouted from the other end of the quad, bringing a slew of teammates with him as the baseball members funneled inside to discuss break and how hyped they were for the upcoming season.
“Howdy ho!” Tim slapped a hand on Colton and Leon’s backs, shoving his way between the pair.
“Hey,” Leon said, attempting to make a bit more room for himself as Tim’s angled walk slowly pushed Leon against the wall.
“Ha! You’re a hoe.” Tim snorted, mocking the fact Leon responded to his earlier comment, one Colton had learned to avoid last year.
Tim was an acquired taste, given his love for terrible puns, dad jokes, and the worst kind of innuendoes. But he was a good guy. The fiery redhead with a loud mouth and unyielding smile had befriended Colton during his first month in college and stuck by him throughout everything.
He was also the first baseball team member to have Colton’s back after his outing scandal hit. Tim’s attitude never wavered. When Colton’s bisexuality became literal front-page news oncampus, Tim didn’t hesitate in the locker room, afraid of Colton’s supposedly lecherous gay gaze. Tim didn’t back out of the on-campus apartment they’d decided to room together in after their freshman year—unlike their other teammate, who suddenly remembered his girlfriend wanted to get an off-campus place together. Tim never allowed Leon’s slights and jabs to go unchallenged, always there to cut him off. Colton wished he had more classes with Tim, but unlike Colton, Tim didn’t fail his courses their first year.
“Oh, my fucking god, dude, you would not believe…” Tim rambled on, slinging an arm over Colton’s shoulder and dragging him away from Leon and his crew while the pair grabbed trays and talked about nonsense.
Tim and Colton chatted until they’d drawn a big enough crowd to fill their table and leave unwanted guests to sit elsewhere.
The rest of the day flew by, and before Colton realized it, he had arrived at the GSA meeting that evening, getting there early to beat the members. The meeting was held in one of the office club rooms above the student center. A collection of tables lined from one end of the room to the other formed a squarish circle for those in attendance. It seemed like way too much space considering the last time Colton arrived, there were maybe twenty people, including the GSA leadership, and these tables could easily hold fifty or more.
Up at the front of the room was a podium where Colton would stand during his little Q&A session. Currently, only the representatives of the GSA were here. The Pride president, Jazz Hendrex, rushed toward Colton, greeting him and introducing him to the other representatives. She was a small woman who wore a suit and tie, definitely bringing a more formal aesthetic to the meeting.
“Why hello there.” Mina Robinson introduced herself, reminding Colton she was the vice president. Much to Colton’s surprise, she boldly flirted with him, and while his mind lingered on allies being part of the club, he quickly remembered his own bi identity, which he and Mina clearly had in common. Maybe. The more she talked, the less he thought she was flirting, and the more he figured she just liked being the center of attention since she didn’t let anyone get a word in edge-wise for the next five minutes.
“This is Will,” Jazz finally interrupted Mina, pushing her aside and nodding to the next club representative.
“Club treasurer,” he waved.
“Nice to meet you again.” Colton gave Will a strained smile, trying not to make it obvious the two knew each other outside of the handful of GSA meetings he’d attended.
Colton had hooked up with the theatre twink several times last year. Though, after his outing, Colton kept a much lower profile—not that it did him any good since the world already knew.
“William Richard Cox.” Will took a dramatic bow, showing off more flair than he ever had during their hookups. “It’s like my parents were trying to fulfill a prophecy.”
Colton cocked his head. “Huh?”
“Willy, Dick, Cock.” Will shrugged nonchalantly.
“Oh.” Colton blanched. “That’s something for sure.”
“Not that I’m complaining.” Will winked, too suggestive, too obvious, so Colton averted his gaze back to Mina. “I can’t get enough of any of them, but I just wish my folks weren’t so on the nose with the gay jokes.”
“Wait.” Mina perked up at the comment. “Did they seriously name you that, knowing…you know?”
