Page 42 of Mase
Cruel.
Aged thirteen …
“I allow you to have the friends you have. Remember that, Mason.”
I nod.
“Speak!” He slams his fist on the desk, making me jump.
“Yes, sir.”
The sneer he throws in my direction makes me want to curl into the corner of the room. I’ve only been home from boarding school for an hour and he’s already started pulling me apart.
He stands and straightens his tie.
“You’ll be dressed accordingly and at the dinner table for sevenp.m. sharp. Do you understand me?” His stern voice leaves no room for argument.
I hate dressing in the crisp white shirts and ties that make me feel like I have a noose around my neck. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’d like you to meet my new wife.”
My eyebrows shoot up. I met one the last time I came home; what the hell happened to that one? When I went back to school and told the guys, they agreed my father has no loyalty whatsoever.
Something else I’m going to have when I grow up.
“I look forward to it,” I reply robotically.
“She’s a good woman. She’s going to make a good mother to you.”
A smile spreads over his face, and in this moment, I hate him more than ever.
Present …
There’s no way in hell I’m anything like my father.
That’s not what I want for Summer and our future, not at all. I need to do better, be better. Be the man I want to be.
My mind spins, and a shudder washes over me. A sudden need to reassure her and be the man she deserves overwhelms me, and I almost trip out of the booth as I move toward the restroom.
As soon as my hand is on the women’s restroom door, I still at a sound coming from the men’s. “Look, man, I just want to leave. I don’t want any trouble.” It’s followed up by cruel laughter that has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. What the fuck?
Instead of pushing open the women’s, I head into the men’s, and my eyes collide with Travis’s terror-stricken ones in the restroom mirror. Four men surround him, but on second glance, I realize they’re the same football guys fromearlier, one of them being the prick who poured a drink over Summer.
Vengeance bubbles inside me.
“There a problem here?” I ask.
“I just want to leave. I don’t want any trouble.” Travis’s eyes flit toward the door.
“Ahhh, the gay boy doesn’t want any trouble,” one of the kids mocks, and Travis flinches before his cheeks flame further. He darts his eyes away from me, making me feel like I’ve been punched in the gut at my misplaced jealousy.
How the fuck could I have been so stupid? So blind.
Embarrassment swims in Travis’s eyes, and he struggles to hold his head high. The blush creeping up his cheeks turns deeper by the second, his ears reddening.
“You heard him; he wants to leave,” I grit out, though every cell in my body is fighting for retribution at their remark and the way they’ve treated Summer. Not to mention the way I’ve treated him. I’m angry at myself, downright furious.
“Nah, I don’t think he can leave just yet. He didn’t get a view of my dick like he wants. I’m just going to piss right here.” One of the guys steps up toward Travis, and he steps back until he hits the tiled wall. I watch the horror on his face when the one who spoke to him slowly begins to unzip his pants.
