Page 43 of Mase
“Lewis, maybe that’s enough.” Levi attempts to pull this punk back by his arm, but he snatches it away, intent on following through with pissing on Travis.
Lewis turns his head in Levi’s direction. “I don’t think it is. Get your phone out. I want you to film it.”
Levi’s eyes meet mine, and his Adam’s apple bobs while I leer back at him.You do it, motherfucker, and you’re dead.My silent eyes drill into him.
“Don’t worry about him. He can’t do shit without gettingthrown in jail for touching us,” Lewis states, with a smug smirk I’m about to wipe off his face.
“You sure about that?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Absolutely.” Lewis grins with a confidence he really shouldn’t feel.
“This is too much, man,” Levi whispers, shoving his phone deeper into his pocket. That move just saved his good looks.
Lewis shakes his head. “Pussy.” Then he pulls his dick out, and the torment flooding Travis’s face is enough to wrench me from my stare-off. With one hand on his head and the other on his shoulder, I drive him face-first into the tiled wall of the restroom.
“Should’ve fucking listened,” I spit out, just before the sound of his nose cracking fills my veins with adrenaline, and blood sprays out over the white tiles.
One of his buddies takes a swing at me, and I duck before delivering a roundhouse kick to the third. I throw Lewis to the floor, where he rolls around howling in pain like a little bitch. The one who swung on me comes at me again, and I deliver a swift blow to his jaw that knocks him to the ground. Swiping the blood splatter on my jeans, I turn to face Levi. “You gonna be a problem anymore?”
His eyes bulge. “No, sir.”
“Then you’re not gonna breathe a word about this”—I tilt my head down at the scene of the three guys rolling around on the floor—“got me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Travis. Let’s go, buddy.”
Relief floods his face, and in that moment, I want to throw my arm over his shoulder and protect him from scum like this, from the world. Travis rushes toward me, his cheeks still bright red. He spins and glares down at Lewis.
“Piece of shit.” Then he spits on him and follows me out the door.
TWENTY-THREE
SUMMER
As soon aswe got home, Mase ran me a bath, brushed my teeth to get rid of the puke smell, and then washed and dried me.
What shocked me the most was the fact that he returned from the restroom with Travis, telling him he’s coming home with us so he could make things right. Now, I’m in my sleep shorts and camisole snuggled up to Mase while Travis tells him about his predicament.
Mase sits and listens as Travis explains he’s actually almost twenty, but his parents paid the school off to allow him to finish his final year after he spent a year at a camp designed to get his sexuality back on track. Yes, these fucked-up, cruel places exist, and all because Travis was discovered looking at gay porn.
“My mom and dad are going to throw me out if I come out as gay now.”
Mase jolts and sits forward. “What?”
Travis nods. “It’s not okay to be gay in our society.”
Mase laughs, but it lacks humor. “Our fucking society?”He shakes his head. “Your parents should want you happy above anything else. To be yourself.”
“Like your dad wanted you happy?” he clips back, then darts his eyes away. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”
Mase shrugs. “I deserve it.” Then he exhales. “Look, man, I know you don’t realize it yet, but you can be anything you want to be.”
“That’s easy for you to say; you’re straight.” Travis sighs heavily. “At school, everyone fucks around.”
Mase’s muscles bunch tight.
“Apart from your good girl over there.” Travis gives a curt nod in my direction, and I beam at Mase, who tightens his arm around me, pulling me closer, if that’s even possible. “Like, how the hell do gay people experiment? I’ve never so much as glanced at another man’s dick. It’s pathetic.”
