Extraits

"I told that to Noah, and he said them pretending it never happened is also a microagression," Gavin said. "I want to fuck the shit out of him when he starts ranting about social justice. Is that normal ?"

Simeon touched my hand, fingers so tentative and so light it broke my heart. He shouldn't be afraid to touch me.

It sucked, and there had been a lot of resentment until Marcus and Gavin had adopted me as their bud. Well, Marcus had adopted me. Gavin had just growled at the other guys who'd questioned my skills.

"That's very nice," I said. "Sweet actually. To reduce a lifetime of work to -"

"Oh, calm down. You're both like twenty-seven."

"Sweetheart -"

"If you call me one more condescending sexist pet name -"

"I'm sorry ! Fuck." I ran a hand over my hair before shooting Simeon a look. "Can you just do the fucking talking ? Christ. I'm incapable."

"Glad you finally realized it, Bravo."

"Why would you flirt with her when you don't like ladies ?"

"Why not ? It's fine, and she's pretty."

Adrian gave me big, owlish eyes. He was so boyishly adorable it was hard to hate him for long periods of time. I solved that little dilemma by reminding myself that he was a douche canoe.

"You find women attractive ?"

"You poor sweet child. Unlike cis hetero men, who think admitting another man is attractive will turn their fragile sexualities in a different direction, I'm more than capable of admiring a beautiful woman without questioning my shit."

"Huh."

"I'm just opening all kinds of new worlds for you, ain't I ?"

"How would you feel," he said coldly, "if everyone around you used a part of who you are as the butt of a joke ?" Simeon's fingers rose and pressed into the center of my chest. "People you respected. Other football players. Coaches. Managers. Fans. All of them. What if they all talked about how something deep inside you, something you can't change and don't want to change, makes you less of a fucking man ? Of a football player ? Makes you shady in the locker room ?"