“Dar?”
“Gay-dar, Killer. Yikes, you’d think you were just some boring straight cowboy instead of my sexy gay one.”
Killian stared at her. “What are you even talking about?”
“Diego.” She swatted his forehead. “That boy has “I love man bits” written across his way-to-schmexy chest in bright neon purple.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Or delirious from all the pheromones swirling around this room.”
“Stop.”
“Make me.” She grinned.
“You don’t think I can?”
“I don’t think you will. Just like I don’t think you’ll ever make a move on anyone, leaving you to die as a lonely old cat man.”
He reached out and flicked her arm. “I prefer dogs.”
“Did you just flick me?” Her voice rose an octave.
Killian shrugged.
Wylder, ever the drama-queen, took a running start and tackled him back onto his bed, pinning him to the mattress with her knees.
In one swift movement, Killian flipped her so her back hit the bed. She let out a yelp of surprise.
He hovered over her. “You’re mean.”
“And you love me.”
God help him, he did. Wylder made his life at Defiance Academy a lot more interesting. He shook his head with a laugh and sat back on his heels.
Wylder propped herself up on her elbows. “Admit it. I’m kinda awesome.”
He didn’t get the chance to respond because Diego walked back in, freezing as he spotted them on Killian’s bed. “I can come back…” He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else.
“Nah.” Killian jumped from the bed. “She’s here for you, right?”
Diego nodded. “We’re going to work on a map for my game.”
Killian couldn’t get Wylder’s words out of his mind. He didn’t have a claim on Diego. They were roommates and quasi-friends. There wasn’t room in his life for more.
Staying as far from Diego as possible, Killian inched toward the door. “Arts and crafts totally aren’t my thing. I’m out of here.” Not saying anything more to either of them, he pulled on his shoes and coat and walked into the hall.
It wasn’t until he stepped outside he realized he was still in his pajamas. But there was no way he’d go back. He trudged the distance to the arena and entered through the door near the locker room. He had workout clothes in his locker and quickly changed into them.
Rotating his sprained shoulder, he gritted his teeth through the pain. The only thing that could clear his head was stopping pucks. When he was in the zone, he thought of nothing else. And the closest thing to that was a game he played where he bounced two balls off the wall in rapid succession to test his reflexes.
It was going to hurt, but he was tired of skating and running. He was a goalie. His shoulder would be fine.
Grabbing two tennis balls, he entered the empty training room and squared up to the back wall.
His shoulder protested the first movement, and he wasn’t quick enough to catch the balls. After a while, his muscles loosened up, and he ignored the remaining twinges as his quick reflexes returned.
He just wished he had a game to focus on.
Wylder’s insinuations crept into the edges of his focus. There was no way Diego was gay. Killian would have known. What were the odds, anyway? And did it even matter?
Sure, the guy was adorable in a puppy sort of way. He had an endearing honesty and a save-the-world mentality that made Killian respect him.
Plus, there were those eyes that looked both lost and sure.
A tennis ball smacked him in the face, and he stumbled back in surprise, all concentration lost. Killian worked harder than anyone to keep outside distractions from entering the arena with him.
Why now?
10
Diego
“Go finish getting dressed while I sort through these bags.” Wylder’s brow furrowed as she checked over the list in her hand. “Peyton gave me detailed instructions to get started. She’ll be here later to check on our progress.”
“You’re kind of in my room.” Diego slid behind her to his dresser, searching for a sweater and some jeans.
“Wait, this is it?” Wylder stared around the tiny space. “You don’t have another room where you can change?”
“We don’t get suites until next year.”
“We don’t either, but I guess the girls get a little more room for privacy. We have a huge walk-in closet that we use as a changing room. Sometimes, I hang out in there to get away from my roommate. She’s loud and talks too much.”
Diego didn’t want to meet Wylder’s roommate. Wylder talked more than anyone he’d ever met. He knew Killian said she wasn’t his girlfriend, but they sure seemed pretty together. Yet, she didn’t seem like the kind of girl the quiet Texan would go for.
“We can’t work here.” Wylder gathered up her bags. “Meet me in Kenny’s room when you’re ready. I’ll text everyone and let them know to meet us there.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Diego fumbled with his bundle of clothes, grateful when she left him in peace to finish dressing. He needed a minute to himself. Seeing her with Killian on the bed in such an intimate moment threw him. The emotions he felt were so foreign he couldn’t place them.
Wylder was great. He found her fascinating with her blond dreadlocks and quick wit he didn’t always follow. But she wasn’t right for Killian, and that left him feeling…sad.
Making his way up to Kenny’s floor, energy drink in hand, Diego wasn’t at all confident in what they were about to do. He didn’t have the big picture in his mind yet. He trusted Peyton for that. She had a successful track record building a hugely popular app—while she was in high school. She knew what she was doing. But she seemed to have put Wylder in charge of their “craft day,” and he wasn’t as confident in the girl who’d failed her junior year of public school.
Kenny’s door stood ajar, and Diego peeked in to see Wylder on the floor sorting through her bags.
“Well, don’t just linger by the door looking pretty. Come on in and make yourself useful.”
“Where’s Peyton?” He didn’t mean it to sound quite so rude.
“She’ll be here in a little while, don’t worry your hot little nerd brain, she gave me tons of instructions.”
“Like what?” Diego sat down on the floor opposite her.
“This pile over here are the Peyton-approved materials,” Wylder began. “Everything is recyclable. We have rolls of smooth cardboard, corrugated cardboard, newsprint, cork board, plastic sheets in all kinds of colors, and some other renewable materials.”
Diego would have just gathered the same materials from the trash, but he supposed this was a lot less gross. He’d given Peyton his credit card to buy supplies, and she’d done a brilliant job. “What’s that stuff?” Diego pointed to a stack of thick plastic cutouts.
“Those are Peyton’s templates. She’s already created all of the pieces we need to build the game board. We just have to cut out the shapes using the different materials. Right now, she’s at home working on the game board we’ll use to assemble all these pieces on. And then we’re going to get a photographer—ooh, wait, Asher’s a photographer. We’ll get him to photograph everything.”
“If he doesn’t mind. I don’t want to bother the president’s son on his visit with his boyfriend. I doubt they get to see each other very often.”
“They’re still new so they’re in the lovey-dovey stage, but Ash won’t mind. He’s an artist, so he’ll probably love it.” Wilder waved off his concerns.
“So, you’re friends with Asher Brooks too? How did that happen?”
“I’m a gay magnet.” She shrugged.
Diego choked on his tongue, and Wylder shot him a grin in response.
“Knock, knock?” A guy Diego had never seen before stuck his head into the room. “I believe I’ve been paged to this room.”
“Yes, but where’s my brother? He’s not getting
out of this.”
“He’ll be here in a few minutes. He’s trying to hide the car so we don’t get in trouble for sneaking on to campus.”
“I sneak on to campus every day. I haven’t gotten caught yet.” Wylder shook her head.
“You must be Diego.” The handsome boy took a step forward, offering his hand. “I’m Nicky. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” Diego reached to shake his hand, not sure why this guy was even here.
“I enlisted my brother and my best friend to help us,” Wylder explained as if reading his mind.
“Wow, thank you,” Diego said, bewildered that a total stranger would bother to help him.
“We’re happy to help, besides the fact that Wylder and Peyton didn’t give us a choice.” Nicky’s smile lit up his whole face.
“Come help me sort through this stuff before everyone else gets here.” Nicky and Diego sat on the floor beside her waiting for instructions. “We’re going to set up workstations for each template.”
“How many people are coming?” Diego asked. He hadn’t expected his new friends to take on so much of this project with him.
“Like ten.”
Diego laughed, thinking she was joking. He wasn’t sure he even knew ten people.
“I’m here, the party can start now.” A very loud but very cute man walked into the room. “Wait where is everybody? I was going for a grand entrance.”
“Sorry, babe, it’s just me, your sister, and Diego. Luckily, at least two of us adore you.” Nicky’s tone was full of dry humor, but his eyes lit up at the sight of his guy.
“Speak for yourself, Nicky,” Wylder muttered. “Everyone will be here soon. Right now, I need you to—”
But Diego suddenly remembered why this guy looked so familiar. He shot up from his seat on the floor and stuck his hand out. “You’re Beckett Anderson. The country music star?” Diego hadn’t known who he was until Wylder and Killian mentioned him the other day. He’d gone home and looked him up.
“The one and only.” Beckett beamed a huge smile, pumping Diego’s hand. “I’m Wylder’s brother and Nicky’s boyfriend.”
Wow, Wylder was right; she was a gay magnet. Diego didn’t know what to do with all these couples forming up around him.
“Nicky and Becks, you’re over here.” Wylder steered them to the couch where she’d spread two different leaf templates across the coffee table.
“These are cool.” Diego knelt in front of the table.
“Peyton did the sketches and used a 3D printer to make the templates,” Wylder explained.
“She’s so talented. I’m lucky Mrs. Jones introduced us.”
“Peyton is the best,” Becks said. “It’s too bad she turned down all my marriage proposals. I really wanted to be a Callahan.”
Diego wasn’t sure what to make of Beckett’s revelation. He glanced at Nicky to see how he reacted to his boyfriend’s feelings for Peyton.
Wylder leaned in close. “My brother is pan, so he just likes people. Gender isn’t important to him.”
“Gotcha.” Diego’s cheeks warmed. He had very little experience with the LGBTQ community, so Becks was a first for him.
“Uh-oh,” Wylder choked on her laughter.
“What?” Nicky stared at her in confusion.
“I just realized these two are going to need a translator.” She dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Don’t worry, Diego, you just need to assume that everything Becks says is a joke. He’s never serious about anything.”
“Take that back, little sister.” Becks looked offended. “I am serious about two things.” He held up three fingers. “Nick-Nick. Steak Club, and my music.”
“Steak Club is not a thing.” Wylder rolled her eyes.
“Yes, it is. Just ask Nicky.”
“It’s definitely a thing.” Nicky gave a patient sigh.
“O-kay.” Diego needed Killian here to wink when someone was joking so he didn’t feel so lost.
“What’s going on out here?” Will shuffled out of his room in his boxer briefs with his hair tousled and a sheet imprint on his cheek. “It’s too early for entertaining.” He scratched his chest, blinking at them in confusion. “Where’s Kenny? What time is it?”
“It’s ten thirty. You missed breakfast.” Wylder tossed a pillow at him. “Go put some clothes on.”
“Okay.” Will shuffled back in his room with the same confused look on his face.
“We’ll put him in charge of cleanup,” Wylder said.
Diego watched as she walked them through the necessary steps to cut out the leaf patterns using the templates.
“How many do we need?” Becks asked, rolling out a sheet of corrugated cardboard.
Wylder reached for it and rolled it back up. “That is for the rocks and trees. Use the newsprint and the green plastic sheets for the leaves.”
“Roger that.” Becks picked up the scissors.
“Why are there people in my room?” Kenny stood at the door, his hand around Asher’s.
“You got my text?” Wylder asked, setting up another workstation at the small two-seater kitchen counter.
“About craft day, yeah, we were going to hide out here and pretend our phones were off.” Kenny slid his arm around his boyfriend’s waist.
“We can find somewhere else to work,” Diego said.
“Don’t listen to him.” Asher nudged Kenny. “Of course, we’re here to help.”
“Ash, do you have your camera with you?” Wylder ignored Kenny’s protests.
“Yeah, I can photograph everything for Peyton and send her the digital files to work with.”
“Perfect.” She handed him a roll of white paper. “Go find a corner, and set up a photo studio.
“Kenny, you’re over here with Diego.” Wylder tapped the kitchen counter. “You guys are cutting out rocks and trees.”
“You know you don’t have to do this.” Diego took a seat next to Kenny.
“I don’t mind, really. I just like giving Wylder a hard time.”
“Seems like everyone likes to pick on her.”
“Trust me, she gives as good as she gets.” Kenny picked up a pair of scissors and set to work cutting rock forms from the corrugated cardboard. “See, watch her.”
Diego glanced across the room to see Wylder dragging Will from his room. He’d managed to get dressed, but it looked like he fell asleep again. She soon had him cutting out blue plastic birds. She’d even coaxed two of Asher’s secret service agents into helping.
“Mayday, mayday, I see a problem.” Kenny nudged Diego. “Becks is probably doing more harm to the environment than good.”
Diego watched him cutting out leaves that looked more like crumpled blobs.
“Bless him, he’s trying.” Kenny snorted, watching Becks—tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth—mutilating a cardboard leaf.
“Hey, Becks.” Diego walked over to his workstation. He pried the scissors out of Becks’ hands.
“What? I’m making leaves.”
“How about you find us some good music to listen to?” Diego laid a hand on his shoulder, setting the scissors on the counter next to Kenny.
“I think he just told you to stay in your lane, babe.” Nicky patted his knee.
“My creativity is of a different sort.” Becks shrugged, sorting through his phone to find a playlist for them to enjoy.
“Got room for two more?” Peyton knocked on the door. She carried one end of a huge rectangle of wood. A tall boy shuffled in behind her carrying the other end. “Where can we put this?”
“In my room, just lay it on the bed for now,” Kenny called over the din of conversation.
Diego followed her into the room, eager to see the game board she’d developed using his notes.
“Peyton, this is beautiful.” Diego stared at her creation. She’d painted a masterpiece. It looked like a fancy board game with different colored squares guiding a pathway through the forest.
“I used only n
atural products to make the different pigments. I stained the wood with tea bags.” She smoothed her hand over the surface. “And I used some rusted nails to make this really cool orange stain for the game squares. I made the brighter paint colors with mineral pigments and an eco-friendly paint base.”
Diego walked across the room and threw his arms around Peyton. She’d gone above and beyond what any mentor would do, and she’d done it because she really got what he was trying to do. “Thank you. This is amazing.”
“You’re welcome.” She returned his hug.
“Sorry.” He took a step back and stumbled over her friend, stepping on his foot. “Oh, crap, I’m so sorry.” Diego turned toward him with wide eyes.
“For what?” He looked around for the source of Diego’s distress.
“Diego, this is my boyfriend, Cam. You just stepped on his artificial leg, he didn’t feel it, right Cam?”
“Nope, not a thing, no worries, man.” Cam lifted his pant leg to reveal a stainless-steel rod where his leg used to be.
“Oh, well, I’m story for stepping on your fake foot.”
“He’s adorable, right?” Peyton beamed at Diego. She seemed to do that a lot.
“Don’t mind her.” Cam leaned in closer. “She regularly adopts people. That look just means you’re her latest.”
A camera flash flickered against the walls, and Peyton squealed in delight. “Asher, is that you with your camera?”
“Yeah, I figured this is where you were headed with all these craft pieces. Want to talk digital specs for your final pieces?”
“That is my cue to go pretend I have a clue what she’s talking about.” Cam clapped Diego on the shoulder as he went to help his girlfriend. “Nice meeting you, Diego.”
Diego stood in the doorway of Kenny’s bedroom staring at all the people who’d dropped everything to come help him bring his creation to life. Emotion made his throat tight, and his eyes burned with the threat of tears. Was this what it was like to have friends who believed in you? He had friends among his peers, but they were academic friends. People of his own ilk who believed in numbers and science and their own brilliance. This was something different, and he really liked it.
Dating Him: The Series Page 54
