Free Lush in Lace by A.J. Ridges

me to,”
I added sincerely.
    “No!” he tensed. “Kevin’s fine. Um… I mean,
n-not fine, fine. I… we’re good. Good. Fine,” the teen
muttered nervously, barely able to make eye contact with me.
    For the first time, I considered the fact
that Kevin could be wrong about Rodney. It was actually possible
that the big jock had feelings for him. At least it appeared that
way by his reaction.
    I decided now was not the time to get into
anything too deep with either of the boys. Especially not with
Scott around, and not with his butt plug still burning a hole in my
jacket pocket.
    “Well, I’m glad to hear it,” I added with a
smile. “I’ll see you next week. Okay?”
    “Sure, yeah,” Rodney mumbled then went off in
search of Kevin, eager to be rid of me.
    “What the hell was that all about, Squeaker?”
Scott finally asked.
    “Nothing, let’s go.”
    “Who are those boys? Part of your fan
club?”
    “Wanna join, Lush? You could be the club
president,” I offered sarcastically, heading for the mall exit.
    Scott remained behind, looking back and forth
between the two young boys who now stood in front of the post
office, their heads bent down, ogling the new video game they’d
collected.
    “They’re gay, aren’t they?” he deduced,
catching up with me.
    “Got a problem with that?” I asked
defensively.
    “What the hell is wrong with you today,
Squeaker?”
    I exhaled dramatically, knowing I was being
unreasonable. This whole morning hadn’t gone as planned, but it
wasn’t Scott’s fault. I’d been on edge since the moment I knew I’d
be seeing Scott again, and going through a box of sex toys hadn’t
made things any easier.
    “Rodney’s not good at math, and Kevin’s a
math whiz,” I began. “Kevin’s also gay. Smart and gay isn’t an easy
combination. I know firsthand just how hard it is being both at his
age. So I help them out. No big deal.”
    “Help them out how?”
    “It’s a community program I chair. I pair
smart, usually gay, kids with jocks for a year. If they manage to
become friends then it’s less likely the smart ones will get
stuffed in a locker at school.”
    “How many times did you get stuffed in a
locker, Squeaker?” Scott asked perceptively.
    “Not many,” I hedged.
    “I seem to remember you did fine in school,”
he offered.
    “True, I had it easier than most. But that’s
because I was kinda king of the nerds,” I reluctantly admitted.
“Too high up on the food chain to get the brunt of the bullying.
But it still wasn’t easy, and I had help.”
    He looked surprised. “You did? From
whom?”
    I stopped walking. “You,” I declared, looking
into his eyes, further surprising him.
    “Me?”
    I nodded. “You gave Hal Bringham a black eye
the very first time he came at me. It was enough to get him, and
most of the other football jocks, to leave me alone.”
    “I-I don’t remember,” he stated honestly.
    “I never forgot,” I mumbled, my throat
suddenly dry and my stomach in knots. I’d always remember the day
Scott stood up for me. It was probably the day I fell in love with
him if I was being honest with myself.
    As the awkward silence between us stretched
on, I wondered what he was thinking. We’d stopped walking. Scott
stood still, inspecting me as if seeing me for the first time. I
shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting under his
curious gaze. My fingers immediately made contact with the item I’d
hidden in my coat, a stark reminder of why dreaming about Scott
Lush was a wasted effort.
    “Here. You probably want this back to use
with your girlfriend,” I stated, handing him the toy.
    “I haven’t had a girlfriend in over six
months,” he declared, holding my gaze while reaching for the toy.
“In fact there hasn’t been anyone at all, not for a long time,” he
admitted solemnly. For the life of me, I couldn’t read the strange
expression on his face.
    He took the toy, placing it in his own pocket
and waited.
    It was my turn