“Thank you, Preston,” his mom said without looking up.
“Bennett, always a pleasure.” Preston Montgomery cast a look of disdain at the former president seated behind the Resolute Desk. “I believe you served your time behind that desk.” The senator tried to make a joke of it, but the wildly conservative Ohio senator wasn’t overly fond of the more liberal First Family.
“Eight years.” Asher’s dad didn’t budge from his seat. “It kind of grows on you after all that time. This is my thinking spot.”
“Well, boys, I’m the president now,” Asher’s mom said, “so I don’t mind if my husband keeps my seat warm.” Her winning smile had them all relaxed. She knew how to work a room. It was the reason she was elected eight years after her husband first took the Oval Office. The people loved her, so it looked like Asher and his older sister would be the first First Kids to call the White House home for sixteen years.
“Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you, Madam President.” Senator Montgomery turned to leave.
“Oh, I do have one question, Senator.” She turned her smile on Asher.
Ah crap, I know that smile. It was her shut up and don’t argue with what I’m about to say smile.
“Asher has a birthday coming up, and we’d be honored if you and your family would attend the party we haven’t told him about yet. It’s been so long since we’ve seen your son, Kenny, around here.”
Asher winced at the mention of his one-time friend who turned out to be a colossal jerk. They were friends way back before either of their parents were in the national limelight. And even after Asher’s dad was elected President of the United States, he and Kenny spent a lot of time together. But when Asher came out to Kenny at thirteen, he discovered his friend wasn’t such a great friend after all. He seemed fine with it at first, but in the weeks after, Kenny pulled away from him until he finally figured out Kenny’s conservative parents didn’t want him hanging out with a gay kid. After that, Kenny just got mean, spouting some of the same anti-gay garbage his parents did. Asher hadn’t had many friends since then. When you were a seventeen-year-old gay kid living in the White House, it was kinda hard to meet people.
“Sure, that would be great, Senator Montgomery. I’d love to see Kenny again.” Asher spewed the words his parents expected him to say, trying to hide his smile. He shouldn’t find Kenny’s current situation funny at all. It was just ironic that the kid who refused to be friends with him because he was gay ended up plastered all over the media in a picture, lip locked with Beckett Anderson’s boyfriend.
“Thank you, Madame President. Kenny’s at school back in Twin Rivers, but I’m afraid he’s not allowed to attend any parties right now. We’ve had some discipline issues with him recently, as I’m sure you can understand.” He cast a glance at Asher.
Uh-oh, abort, abort! The senator hit his mom’s hot button and probably knew it too. President Nora Brooks narrowed her eyes at the senator and his insinuation that Kenny needed to be disciplined for the simple crime of being different.
“Come now, Senator, Kenny’s one of the most well-behaved kids in the political arena today. You and Victoria should be proud. We insist, please invite your family on our behalf. We’re looking forward to seeing you all there.”
“Of course, ma’am. We wouldn’t miss it.” He gave a curt nod at Asher and his father before he left.
“What did I say about a party, Mom?” Asher leaned back, propping his foot over his knee.
“Oh, so sue me, I want to have a party for my son. I’m such a terrible mother.”
“Something tells me I’d lose that lawsuit.” Asher threw his head back against the sofa cushions and groaned. “Do we have to make it a State affair? Can we just invite a few people?”
“No. We’re inviting everyone we know who has kids your age. You need to meet more people and make new friends.”
“I have Harper.”
“And we love Harper, but you need boyfriends, darling.”
“Make her stop talking.” He shot a glare at his father.
“I don’t perform miracles, son. And your mother is right, you’re like a lone little fish in a sad little bowl here in Washington. You have, like, fifteen people in your class, and I’m willing to bet most of them are assholes—though that’s off the record and doesn’t leave this room. We want you to meet some real people. More like Harper, but you know … boyfriend material.”
“Oh my God, you guys are trying to get me a boyfriend for my birthday? I think I hate you.” Asher stood, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder. “Just try to contain yourselves with the party planning, please. And if you expect me to show up, I’m going to need a few people on the guest list I actually like.”
“Of course, sweetheart, it’s your party. Um, who else do you want to invite besides Harper?”
“I have other friends, Mom.” He rolled his eyes. “Invite Becks Anderson and his boyfriend Nicky St. Germaine.”
“Oh, the singer and what’s-his-name’s son?”
“Grayson St. Germaine,” his dad supplied. “One of the finest NFL players in history.”
“Yeah, them.”
“You’ve kept in contact?” His mom looked like she was about to threaten him with hugs, his cue to leave.
“Yep, so I’ve got homework now.” He darted for the door to the Rose Garden. “I guess, just tell me where to show up and when.” He jogged across the immaculate lawn to the residence, ignoring the people he passed along the way. Super Danny followed on his heels, his constant shadow. Asher charged up the red-carpeted stairs to his bedroom on the third floor. The only people allowed in his room were his parents and, occasionally, the secret service. Asher’s room was his escape. One of the few places in the White House where the tension that was always with him finally eased. Asher grabbed his phone to text Becks and Nicky, but he already had a group text from them.
Becks: Party at the White House!
Nicky: We can’t wait to see you. Happy Birthday, and thanks for inviting us.
Ash: Wow, word gets out fast, I just told her to invite you guys like ten minutes ago.
Becks: FLOTUS works fast, bro, she called us a few minutes ago. I almost peed my pants.
Nicky: Babe, she’s not FLOTUS anymore, she’s POTUS now.
Becks: You know I just pretend to know what that means, right?
Asher grinned, watching two of his closest friends argue with each other. They were sickeningly sweet, but Asher was secretly jealous of their relationship. He wanted that with someone, but at seventeen, behind the sterile walls of his world guarded by a flock of secret service agents, Asher had never been kissed, much less had a relationship with anyone.
Ash: I need you two to keep me sane, you know I hate these stuffy official events.
Nicky: We're here for you, Ash.
Becks: It’s sweet that your parents want to play matchmaker.
Nicky: You probably weren’t supposed to say that, honey.
Becks: Oops.
Ash: I’m going to kill them.
Becks: Whatever, we’ll come. I’ll sing. We’ll dance, and if there are cute boys there, even better.
Ash: Love you guys.
Asher tossed his phone on the desk. Laying back on his bed, he stared up at the ceiling wondering how many other president’s children felt trapped in this mansion that felt more like a prison than a home.
3
Kenny
Didn’t someone say senior year was supposed to be the time of a high schooler’s life? It got easier, they’d always told him.
Lies. Kenny scribbled the last of his algebra notes, writing down their homework assignment for the weekend, just as the final bell rang. To his right, Diego Reyes rested his head on his desk, making of mockery of the fact that he was even in this class. Kenny kicked Diego’s desk, jerking the tall boy upright.
A year ago, Kenny might have given Diego grief for being the ultimate nerd, but then he’d learned what it felt like to have a l
abel plastered across his forehead for the world to see. Now, when he looked at the guy, all he saw was the asshole Kenneth Montgomery once was.
It had taken a month this year for Diego to even meet his eyes. Kenny hadn’t apologized for how he’d treated him. That wouldn’t do any good, anyway. But the tension between them fell away, and Kenny hoped maybe they could end up being friends of a sort. He was short on friends these days, and Diego looked like he could use one.
Diego pulled his black-framed glasses from his face and wiped them on his shirt. “I fell asleep again, didn’t I?”
Kenny laughed. “Dude, why are you even in this class? Shouldn’t you be in like trig or calc instead?”
“I am.” He shrugged and replaced his glasses. “Algebra’s just an easy grade.”
“Why do you need an easy A?” Kenny paused. “And how does the school let a math genius take plain-old algebra?”
“They kind of do whatever I ask them to.” He seemed a little embarrassed by the admission. “And I told them I needed the refresher. I haven’t been in an algebra class since junior high.”
That was when Kenny remembered the Reyes family was one of the big donors to Defiance Academy. They owned a tech company in Silicon Valley, making apps for the financial industry. And if there was one thing that controlled the academy, it was money. Kenny had benefited from that mind-set as well.
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kenny stood and followed Diego from the classroom. The two couldn’t look more different, Diego with his slim dark looks—inky hair, black stubble coating his chin, and deep brown eyes—and Kenny with his athletic build and boy-next-door style.
Yet, they came from similar backgrounds. Their wealthy parents shipped them to boarding school to keep them out of the way. It was the story bonding most of the students walking the halls of the prestigious, ivy-covered buildings.
Diego was quiet for a long moment. “I need an easy class in my schedule. I…don’t exactly have a lot of time to study. Or sleep.”
Kenny filtered through what he knew of the guy. He wasn’t an athlete. What could take all his time?
They pushed through the front door of the building, stepping into the chilly late Fall air. The quad stretched between academic buildings. At the end of the school day, it teemed with students.
Commotion came from Cambridge Hall just across the quad from where they stood. Kenny noticed cameramen before anything else. In some settings, it wouldn’t have been unusual, but the Defiance Academy campus sat behind tall walls to protect the high-profile students from such an event.
Kenny wasn’t watching where he was going and slammed into someone, gripping their arms to keep them from going down. That was how he found himself face to face with Beckett Anderson.
Ripping his hands away as if the country star burned him, he stepped back.
Becks lifted the sunglasses shielding his eyes from view, pushing them into his hair as he slid his eyes up Kenny. “Hey, Ken doll.”
“Ken doll?” Diego glanced at Kenny. “I didn’t know you had a doll?”
A grin slid across Becks’ face as he turned to Diego. “I like you. Let me give you a bit of advice though.” He hooked his thumb toward Kenny. “This is not a guy you want to be friends with.”
With that, Becks sauntered away, making a beeline for his sister, standing with her arms crossed over her chest and a permanent scowl etched on her face.
Wylder Anderson did not look happy to see her brother.
Diego released a nervous laugh. “Who’s that guy?”
“Do you live under a rock or something?” Kenny sent him a questioning look. How could this guy not have seen the fiasco that was Kenny’s media circus of a summer? The one where a kiss with Beckett’s boyfriend turned Kenny’s closet inside out.
“Pretty much.” Diego shrugged. “I don’t pay attention to much that goes on at this school. Is he like a sports guy?”
“Are you asking if he’s a jock?” Kenny wanted to laugh. This kid was clueless. “Becks doesn’t go here, thank God.” He couldn’t imagine having to face Beckett Anderson every day. Kenny had been in love with Nicky, and he’d screwed it up with his stupid fear.
The girl he’d dumped Nicky for hadn’t even lasted long. Penny graduated last year, and it was a relief to have her gone. Sure, Kenny was attracted to both boys and girls, but only one boy had ever made him feel something.
With a wave to Diego, Kenny walked toward the cameras, unable to stop his curiosity. Why was Becks on campus? Did he bring Nicky? Scanning the faces, Kenny couldn’t find the one he wanted to see. He’d gotten over Nicky, or at least, he’d tried to.
But something about him still had Kenny curious about the man he chose over him. Someone handed Becks a guitar and told him to sit on the Cambridge steps—the oldest building on the main campus. They placed three girls near him, each more beautiful than the last.
“And action,” a well-dressed man in a suit called.
Becks strummed his guitar and looked to the camera. “I sent my sister to Defiance Academy because they could take care of her, teach her, mold her into the kind of woman our future needs. This place isn’t like other schools. It’s special.”
“Cut!”
Kenny couldn’t hold in his laughter. The country superstar was doing a commercial for Defiance Academy? Just the thought of that was ridiculous.
Not to mention, their entire setup was cheesy as hell.
His laughter drew Beckett’s attention. “Got a problem, Ken doll?” Becks had been calling him that since he hurt Nicky. It was a crack at what most people saw as Kenny’s biggest flaw. Perfection. Even the questions about his sexuality hadn’t dented the image of the fair-skinned, blue-eyed, well-spoken, future politician.
“Actually, yeah. That sucked.”
Becks raised an eyebrow while the director scowled.
Getting to his feet, Becks handed off his guitar and approached Kenny. “Tell me, Montgomery, what do you suggest we do?”
Kenny scratched the back of his head, thinking. “Do you know how many hockey players we’ve sent to the NHL in the past ten years?” He didn’t wait for anyone to answer. “Nineteen, with a handful more playing in the AHL or Europe. That program is our biggest recruiting tool. When we’re on the ice, the arena is more alive than any part of this campus. If you want to show the world the heartbeat of this school, you have to step out onto the ice.” He cocked his head. “How are your skating moves?”
“This was a terrible idea.” Becks gripped the wall for support as he skated forward.
Wylder laughed from the safety of the team bench. “No, this is gold. If you insist on embarrassing me with this commercial, at least let me get some enjoyment out of it.”
Kenny did a quick lap around the smooth surface. Coach watched from the tunnel. He’d been skeptical about using the arena for the commercial, but the camera crew had been given full access to use any part of campus they deemed necessary.
Killian appeared at the mouth of the tunnel in full pads. “This better be quick.”
He’d come when Kenny called him, begging him to show up. If the commercial was about the school, it needed to feature some of the best parts, and Killer would make sure they were in for a battle.
Kenny skated backward toward Becks. “You’re going to have to let go of the wall, eventually.”
“I will.” Becks sucked in a breath. “Someday.”
Kenny shook his head and crossed the ice to retrieve two sticks from where he’d left them on the bench.
Wylder met his eye. “How much do I have to pay you to see Becks checked into the boards? Oh! Or he could lose a tooth. He’s way too pretty.”
Kenny laughed. Only an hour ago, he’d probably have wished for the same thing. But seeing Becks struggling on the ice, unwilling to admit he couldn’t do this, softened Kenny’s opinion a bit. He could see what Nicky liked about the guy. There was a certain charm. And he sure as hell looked good. Well, not right that moment inching along the wal
l.
Kenny shook his head and drifted to his side, handing him a stick. “This may help your balance.”
“Okay.” Becks took the stick. “I can do this.” He closed his eyes—not something Kenny would have advised—and pushed away from the wall. For a moment, he stood upright, his free hand thrown to the side.
Kenny met his panicked eyes a second before Becks’ feet flew out from under him, and his butt slammed into the ice. His stick slid toward the goal, stopping as it hit the post.
Even the ever-intense Killian couldn’t contain his grin. “Dude, that was epic.”
Kenny looked up into the lens of the camera trained on them, noticing the red light. They’d gotten it all on camera. “Can I get a copy of that?” Suppressing another laugh, Kenny extended a hand down. Becks took it reluctantly.
“Why am I out here again?” he groaned as he got to his feet, not letting go of Kenny’s arm.
“Because you wanted to prove something to me.” The moment he’d said it, he knew it was true. Kenny was Nicky’s past. Whatever future Nicky now had with Becks, it didn’t negate that.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a douchebag?”
“All the time.” Kenny shrugged. “It’s part of the charm.” When he noticed the camera still on, he slid his hand out of Becks’. He’d learned that lesson. No matter if the video would only be used to promote the school, even if any Kenny and Becks’ interactions were cut out, Kenny wouldn’t risk another incident like the kiss with Nicky. The world wouldn’t forget that, but in time, maybe, it wouldn’t be such a big deal.
If he conformed to what they wanted from him.
Dating Him: The Series Page 25
