Changing Tides 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I'm too stunned to move. All I can do is watch in horror as Bennett and Ryan tumble to the ground. Their masculine limbs awkwardly punch and block, and the fight morphs into a scene of bloody knuckles and newly formed bruises. Jordan's voice cuts through the noise of the garrulous partiers who have nothing better to do than egg on the fight.

"Trey! Trey, let's go!"

She tugs at my arm, pulling me away from it all. A circle quickly forms around the two of them, and their jeering encouragement is sickening. Normally I'd be joining right along with them, but this is different. This isn't just a drunken fight that will hurt a man's pride. If Coach finds out, Bennett will be off the team.

Somehow Erik and Cameron manage to shoulder their way through the crowd. Cameron puts his arms around Ryan and Erik follows suit with Bennett. Ryan shouts something unintelligible as the two are pried apart, and blood flies from his bottom lip. It shouldn't make me feel guilty to watch this. But it does.

Jordan pulls us around the side of the house, and my view of them vanishes. The drunken shouts bleed into the sound of Freddie Mercury's voice still blasting from the speakers. Only a few, stray party-goers remain on the front lawn. Most of them were probably drawn to the back at the promising sounds of a fight.

A fight I caused.

"What the hell was all that about?" Jordan asks as we maneuver our way through the parking lot.

I run my hand through my hair and tug at the ends. There's a chance she didn't hear what Ryan said before Bennett threw the first punch. She also didn't see the interactions leading up to it. How do I explain myself without outing my sexuality?

"That dude was hitting on me. At least, I think he was," I answer slowly. "Guess it pissed off the DJ."

When we reach my car, Jordan holds her hands out for the keys. I haven't had barely anything to drink, but I cough them up anyway.

"No," she argues. "I'm not asking what happened. I have eyes, Trey. That dude was definitely hitting on you."

"Then what?"

"I may not have a lot of experience with men or popular college parties," Jordan responds, waving her hand through the air. "But I know they don't go around throwing punches for nothing. There is definitely more to that story."

The two of us get into the car, and Jordan turns the key in the ignition before giving me an expectant look. She's asking about my backstory with Bennett. Damn, this chick is smart. No one else at the party realized there was anything between us. Or maybe they didn't care. And as much as I want to tell her, there's still a piece of me that's terrified how she'll react to knowing I'm into dudes.

I clear my throat and click my seatbelt into place. "The DJ – Bennett - was my prior roommate before moving in with you," I say. "Ryan was one of his...partners."

"Ah," Jordan says, nodding in understanding. "So it's a jealousy kind of thing."

She doesn't at all seem surprised to hear that both guys are gay. My shoulders relax. Just a little.

"So you think that's why he hit on you?" she asks. "To make that other guy jealous?"

No. The reason he hit on me is because Bennett already had his fill, and Ryan was making his way towards me. Ryan has no idea that I'm into men, but with the way I gawked at his naked body the day I found him in Bennett's bed, I can't blame him for assuming as much.