Page 63 of One-Time Shot

Malcolm responded immediately.Congratulations.

That wasn’t like Malcolm…at all. But he was still typing. Three dancing dots appeared and disappeared for what felt like ten minutes. Between the buzz on the bus and my suddenly upset stomach, I couldn’t take the suspense.

You saw the picture.

I did and I’m very sorry. I’ll fix this for you. Please don’t worry, Malcolm replied.

Huh?I was confused.

There’s no reason for you to be sorry. Or to fix anything. I’m coming over.

No. Don’t. Tomorrow is better. Please trust me. It’s going to be okay.

I had no idea what to make of that, and sitting on a bus in the dark while watching my cell light up like a fucking Christmas tree with messages from friends who wanted to know what was up was unnerving. I ignored those texts and flipped to the more ominous ones.

Randall:Did you come out without telling me? What the fuck. Call me. Now. I don’t care where you are or what you’re doing. Call.

Dad:Call me.

Fuck. Me.

Coach had to have heard the whispers and noticed that the mood on the bus was off, but he didn’t say anything. He was either oblivious or tired after a long day. A “Good game. See you at practice,” was all we got.

“What now?” Ty asked.

“I don’t know.” And I didn’t. Talk about being blindsided.

“What can I do?”

“Nothing. I just…nothing. Thanks, though.”

“We all knew he had a crush on you,” Langley added. “But it looks like he took it too far.”

I had no idea what the fuck that meant. I shook him off and headed straight for Malcolm’s.

The building door was locked for the night, and there was no way to get inside without a key. He could have buzzed me in, but he’d gone radio silent. That wasn’t good, but it was late. Too late to call my dad or my agent…Thank fuck.

I had no choice but to wait till morning.

Doom-scrolling wasn’t good for anyone. How much “people are terrible, the world is fucked, and your career hasn’t started and it’s already finished” can one person handle? Apparently, a whole damn night’s worth. I didn’t sleep at all. By sunrise, I was a bleary-eyed, over-caffeinated mess.

I needed direction, a plan, and I really needed to talk to Malcolm.

Unfortunately, my dad called first.

“Randall called last night and said you’ve been caught in a compromising position…with a man. Please tell me that’s not true.”No hello, how are you?

“It’s not true.”

Dad breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t think so. You’re too smart for that. Call Randall and tell him?—”

“It was a kiss. Not a compromising position,” I clarified.

Silence.

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”