Sprint

Chapter nine

There are noises from the back porch when I walk through the front door at Sennels and Sophie's house. I follow the sounds, dazed and nauseous, interrupting my teammates in the middle of a heated argument about the new Deadpool movie. They look up, surprised.

"Saltz," Mitch says, coking his head. "I didn't think you were coming."

"Yeah, weren't you on the brink of death and in need of a mercy killing?" Davis asks. "Which, by the way, is illegal, no matter how hungover you are."

I had texted them that earlier when I canceled my plans to join them today. That was before The Fight, though.

"Sophie said you guys had fun," Sennels says. "Maybe a bit too much, though. Are you still a lightweight, rookie?"

They all laugh. I'm not in the mood for the teasing. I feel raw and unstable, like anything could set me off; whether I would start yelling or crying is still to be seen.

I stand in the doorway, too distracted to muster a response to any of their questions.

"Leroy is gay," I say in lieu of a greeting. Instantly, a surge of panic sips through me. I know he claimed that everyone already knows, but that doesn't mean I'm allowed to tell people, least of all his new teammates. I know how much it sucks to be outed against your will.

Still, I trust these guys to keep it secret. And besides, none of them have an issue with queer people.

Three sets of eyes blink at me. Davis is the first to gather himself. "I don't follow."

"Thank you," I cry. So it's not just me.

"What does that have to do with you being a lightweight?" he goes on.

I shake my head once, confused. "What?"

"Yeah," Mitch chirps up. "I don't see how his sexuality is relevant here."

"No." I pause, frowning at them. "I said he's gay."

"And we heard you," Sennels says.

I sway, lightheaded, and I decide to take a seat in one of the free wicker chairs. If my head would just stop pounding, maybe I could follow this conversation. "You knew?"

Davis nods, Mitch shrugs, and Sennels cocks his head to the side. "I mean, I never gave it much thought, but yeah, I guess. It's pretty obvious."

Is it?

"Wait." Davis sits forward, his dark eyes trained on me. "You didn't?"

My dumbfounded expression must be all the confirmation they need.

"Dude. You guys live together; how could you miss it?" Mitch asks, covering his laugh with a cough.

Maybe because he was busy being a spiteful demon anytime we were in close proximity, or maybe because he never felt comfortable being himself around me. The last part makes me want to vomit.