Page 28 of The Virgin
Colby rolled his eyes. “That wasn’t the whole truth and you know it.”
“Well, it’s what you’re getting.”
“You’re so impossible sometimes.” Colby shook his head. “Would it kill you to be honest? You’ve sat there for the past ten minutes on a whole different planet, Jonah. I know you’re like your own island, a self-sustaining fortress or some shit, but seriously, what’s up?”
Jonah bristled at Colby’s words. “Yeah, that makes me want to spill my guts to you.”
“I don’t care that you don’t want to—you’re going to.”
Colby might be two years younger than Jonah, but he’d always been more than willing to boss Jonah around. As teenagers with a dad who was always busy, Jonah tried his best not to be a problem. It was Colby who had swooped in to save Jonah from himself by making him work out with him. It helped that Colby was popular, but it also gave Jonah a reason to hang around Colby. His social circle had been small, even back then, and Colby was the type who always had friends to spare.
“It’s personal, Colby,” Jonah hedged. He didn’t care what kind of advanced torture techniques Colby could come up with, he wasn’t about to tell him that he’d been fucking around with his best friend or the reason why.
“Is it bad? You’re not, like, sick or some shit, right?” Colby’s crass words were laced with genuine concern, and Jonah’s sharp edges softened.
“I’m not sick, Colby.”
“Good. Then you can start coming to the gym. I miss my workout buddy.” Colby's eyes sparkled, and he looked too happy for Jonah to say no to him.
“Sometimes I hate you.”
“You never hate me. I’m your favorite.” Colby grinned at him as their dad and Taylor arrived with the food. “Eat up. You’ll need your strength.”
“What does Jonah need his strength for?” their dad asked.
“I’m dragging him to the gym after this.” Colby looked like a kid in a candy store.
“You’re far too happy about my impending doom.”
“It’s not my fault the only thing you lift nowadays are textbooks. Most people leave high school and never want to go back. But leave it to you to make school your job.” Colby might have rolled his eyes, but his affection for Jonah was obvious, even to Jonah himself.
Jonah switched back to ignoring Colby, and he slathered his pancakes with syrup and butter. He cut into them and took a bite. The pancakes were light and fluffy, and if Jonah died right then, he’d still be a virgin, but at least he’d have eaten the best pancakes on earth. He was going to have to bring Spencer by for breakfast soon. Damon too, to keep up appearances. Plus, even though Jonah and Spencer were doing things Jonah didn’t want anyone to know about, Damon was still his friend and he felt guilty for the way he’d treated him lately.
It wasn’t even like Jonah had treated him badly, or differently, it was that Jonah often wanted Spencer all to himself. He could only be with Spencer the way he liked when it was only the two of them. Guilt choked Jonah, turning the pancakes into this ugly mass in his stomach. It wasn’t fair to Damon to think of him as a pain in the ass or someone who was in the way just because Jonah was horny and too pathetic to fuck someone he’d just met.
Jonah knew his mood had turned and that Colby noticed, but he didn’t call him on it, not until they were done eating and Taylor and their father went back to work.
Colby walked Jonah out of the diner. “Come on, Jo-Jo. Let’s hit the gym. I’ll help you sweat out whatever it is that put that look on your face.”
Sometimes Jonah wished he could confide in Colby more, but he felt small and stupid already and he didn’t want to add to his embarrassment. Besides, Jonah knew that Colby had plenty of sex, so this wasn’t even something he could relate to.
The gym was just as Jonah remembered it. Large, sweaty, and intimidating. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Jonah groaned as he watched all the hotter, fitter people perform impressive feats of athleticism, like climbing a rope to the ceiling with only their arms in a few seconds to pulling off box jumps that would’ve killed Jonah.
Colby slung an arm around Jonah’s shoulders. He was the little brother in name only, after all, and tugged Jonah over to the line of treadmills. “We’ll start slow. Regardless of what you might think, I don’t want to kill you.”
Jonah scoffed and got on the machine, starting it at an easy walk. “You don’t? And yet you drag me to your torture chamber.”
Colby laughed and matched the speed of his machine to Jonah’s. “I just feel like we haven’t talked in a while.”
“We talk every week.”
“Yeah, with Dad and Taylor right there. You know what I mean, Jo-Jo.”
Jonah groaned. “Do you have to call me that?”
“Yes, actually. I need to remind you that I’m annoying but well-meaning, and that I actually give a fuck about you. I know Dad leaves you to your own devices because he’s easy to fool where you’re concerned, but you definitely need someone to check in on your ass sometimes to make sure your head hasn’t got stuck there.”
Jonah barked out a laugh. “Wow. Thanks for that. I’m so glad you look out for me.”
