CHAPTER thirty-one
“Ethan, wake up.”
Ethan’s eyes struggled open. His eyelids seemed to have magnets on them, keeping them shut. A hand softly slapped his face.
“Stay with me.”
He fought against the darkness. His vision was fuzzy, but soon Greg’s big, brown eyes came into focus.
“How you doing?”
“Okay, I think.”
“Better than that asshole behind me.” Greg shuffled out of the way, revealing a black-and-blue Preston. Toilet paper was shoved up both of his bloody nostrils.
Fragments of what happened came back to Ethan. Preston slamming him against the wall, unbuckling his pants. The panic, the fear, the sick churning in his stomach all rushed back. His body shook and more tears poured out of him.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s okay.” Greg cradled Ethan’s face in his hands. His thumbs wiped away the tears. Ethan had never felt safer.
Preston whined in agony. “I’m going to sue you, you assholes!”
“Shut the fuck up, man, or we’ll do it all over again!”
That was Sahil, watching guard over Preston. He nodded at Ethan in solidarity, before glancing away, letting them have this private moment.
Ethan held his hands over Greg’s. He wanted to feel them. He needed to. He needed to believe this moment was real. Greg massaged his hands, a simple, tender gesture that Ethan realized he was doing without worry in front of his frat brother. Greg kissed his hand.
“Stay with me, Folly.”
“I will.”
Φ
The ambulance and police came a few minutes later. Preston pressed charges against Greg and Sahil for beating the shit out of him, while Ethan pressed charges against Preston for attacking him. Greg had that worry-free smirk on his face.
“He messed with the wrong Con Law students,” he said.
Ethan had a mild concussion. They gave him some Tylenol and a washcloth to wrap around his head.
“Will I have permanent brain damage?” Ethan asked the paramedic as his hopes for a Supreme Court nomination potentially vanished.
“No. You should be fine. I suggest somebody stay with you for the next twenty-four hours to make sure the symptoms don’t worsen.”
“I’ll do it.” Greg stepped forward without a hint of hesitation. His brave smile couldn’t hide the worry lines creasing his forehead.
The paramedics did a few more checks on him. Greg was at his side the whole time, finding ways to touch him. Stroking his hand and his cheek and his thigh. Unlike Preston, these gestures were simple and sweet and came without a “I want to bone you” sinister undercurrent.
“How did you know I was here?” Ethan asked him.
“I saw you in your section, cheering and going nuts. Who knew Folly had so much school spirit? When I saw you talking to that guy during halftime, I won’t lie. A part of me was a little jealous.”
“More than a little jealous,” Sahil said. “The guy stared at the field like he wanted to tear it apart with his bare hands.”
“I couldn’t concentrate on the game. I hadn’t seen you in weeks, and then I see you with that asshole. Once the game started back up, I didn’t see you in your section. I tried to let it go, but I couldn’t. I had to talk to you, so we went back to the concession stand, but you were gone. Then Sahil heard you scream, and I raced over, and…”
Greg clenched his jaw shut. The memory burned him as much as it did Ethan.
“He wanted to be like us,” Ethan said.
“Too bad. There’s only one us, and it’s us.”
They both realized what they’d just said, and an awkward moment passed between them. Ethan then noticed Sahil was still there.
“Wait. Sahil…you know…” Ethan didn’t know how to put it into words.
“I used my powers of deduction.” Sahil elbowed Greg in the ribs. “Once you guys stopped seeing each other, Greg changed. He got angry and moody and became a total buzzkill.”
“That’s an exaggeration,” Greg chimed in.
“Barely. Anyway, we were having fun at the tailgate. Then Greg saw you at the game and talking to that guy, and he entered buzzkill-mode again. He had this pissed-off, gonna-cut-somebody grimace on. Yes, grimace,” he added before Greg could cut him off again. Ethan liked watching Greg be the brunt of someone else’s jokes for a change. “I told him that if he liked you, he needed to win you back. And finally he grew a pair and did something about it.”
Greg nodded, confirming the whole story. Today was full of surprises for Ethan.
“So you’re cool with Greg…”
Greg held up a hand to stop him. “Sahil, Senor Douchebag.” Greg laughed, but then got serious as he forced himself to pull out the words. “I’m gay.”
“Yeah, Rainbow!”
The three of them mashed palms together in a janky high-five. A lump formed in Ethan’s throat. It was a silly gesture, but it meant so much to him. There was no better feeling than to be completely accepted for who you were.
A little while later, Greg told Sahil that he could go back inside and watch the final quarter of the game. No need to feel guilty. He had it covered.
“Just remember, Ethan,” Sahil said. “If he gives you any shit, send him to me.”
He swaggered back to his seat and promised to tell Lorna all about what happened.
The paramedics left soon after. It was Greg and Ethan together, but not alone. Ambulances always brought out the rubberneckers. People stopped on the way to the bathroom to get a look at what had happened. What they saw was one boy caring for another.
The onlookers didn’t seem to faze Greg. He helped Ethan to his feet and kept his arm around him to keep him steady. The outside world still seemed a little blurry to Ethan, but he knew as long as he had Greg beside him, he would be okay. They walked down the ramp, taking each step slowly. Soon, Ethan forgot that people were gawking at his gimpy, bandaged self. He had Greg at his side; everyone else had it rough.
Thick gray clouds swirled in the sky. Ethan shielded himself from the daylight.
“How are you doing?” Greg asked him.
“Better. I think.”
“I’ll make sure of it.” He sounded determined, with anger tinting his words. He held Ethan close to make sure nobody pushed through them. “This is my fault that this happened to you.”
“What? No, it’s not.”
“I’m sorry I freaked out on you when Sahil caught us. I wasn’t thinking. Or I was thinking, but my thoughts were mainly, ‘Oh shit.’”
“I get it. Coming out isn’t easy.”
“But I shouldn’t have pushed you away. You’re kinda the best thing that’s happened to me, Folly.” Greg slipped his fingers through Ethan’s, and his heart nearly burst. Greg had never been this earnest. It was slightly unnerving to see, but Ethan knew he would happily get used to it.
They ambled through the parking lot, kicking past empty beer cans and assorted trash. Ethan savored this moment and framed it in his mind.
“Greg, we’re still holding hands.”
“I know.”
Greg’s car sat next to his frat’s tailgate. The tent ruffled in the breeze, and remnants of an aborted beer pong game remained frozen on the table. Ethan hoped he could attend a tailgate with Greg. His boyfriend? Were they official now? Ethan stopped worrying about labels. He had Greg. Greg had him. The rest would work itself out.
Like a gentleman, Greg opened the door for him. Before Ethan got in, he pecked Greg on the lips.
“Uh, nope,” Greg said. That smirk was back, Ethan’s old friend.
“Nope?”
“What kind of a kiss was that?” Greg pulled Ethan in and smacked their lips together. The earth stopped moving for those seconds. Ethan turned off his brain and just felt. Felt this moment, this guy. He would analyze how things changed later. But for now, he kissed back.