#Rev (GearShark #2)(71)

I laughed. “You sneaky bastard.”

His smile was sly.

“You covered your tracks, didn’t you?” I worried. If this was somehow discovered…

“Taken care of.”

“How?” I pressed, still concerned. I started imagining ways I could take the blame if he got caught and make it sound like I actually knew how to hack.

“I used computers with IP addresses not linked to me or you. Internet cafés, libraries, even a hotel in North Carolina—not the one we stayed at. I used one in Maryland, too.”

I grinned. He was smart.

“Plus, I know how to move around a computer undetected. I know how to do things without leaving a trace. I might not like my day job, but I do it very, very well.”

“I f*cking love you,” I told him.

“How bad did Con come down on you?” he asked.

“Not very. He couldn’t.” Which was exactly why he never said anything to me about his plan. I had nothing to do with this.

Drew nodded. “Good.”

“Should I assume there’s more involved than just Hog Heaven?” I inquired.

“You shouldn’t assume things.”

I took that as a yes.





Drew

The media came to the football game.

I don’t know why I was surprised about it, but I was. I really should have been used to them being around, especially since the new racing division was set to blow up at any minute.

I had two endorsement deals with the ink dry, a magazine cover under my belt, and very soon, T and I would likely become a major media interest.

Maybe that’s why I was surprised. Well, not surprised as much as cautious. The press didn’t know about Trent and me yet. I knew we agreed to tell them, to basically “come out,” but we hadn’t yet.

We were going to have to be careful today.

Careful how we interacted, how we looked at each other. How we were together.

I hated it.

Yet I understood.

Ah, the paradox that was Trent and my relationship reared its ugly head.

I wanted to be free to love him, but I didn’t want to make it a thing. I just wanted to be. It wouldn’t be a thing if I were with a girl. No one would bat an eye.

I could sit here and think about how unfair it all was, how frustrating it was, and how sometimes it hurt, but really, what would it change?

Nothing today.

Tomorrow? Maybe. The interview with GearShark had the potential to maybe change a few things.

So today it was what it was. We would be careful. We would have been anyway because the frat didn’t know; the Wolves didn’t know.

But my parents knew. I could still taste their reaction in the back of my mouth. It tasted like rotten eggs and barf.

I knew what that shit tasted like. I’ve played the game Bean Boozled.

Bean Boozled = that disgusting game of jelly bean roulette where you had no idea what disgusting flavor you’d eat until it was exploding across your tongue.

Their reaction and even sometimes looking at Arrow made me feel incredibly insecure to tell anyone else about my relationship.

But then I looked at Trent.

The doubt didn’t go away; it would probably always be there, but it no longer seemed like something I would allow to hold me back.

The game was Omega versus the football team. I was playing with the football team. Yeah, the scrawny racer was playing with a bunch of literal pro athletes.

Hopefully, I wouldn’t die.

The football side was comprised of some Maryland Knights players like Romeo and Braeden, along with a handful of other guys, and the rest were guys from the Wolves. Even though Trent was one of the Wolves, he was playing with his frat.

Since I wasn’t a football player, it was explained to everyone who asked (which was a lot) that the reason I was playing was to represent the new racing division. Because Ron Gamble owned the Knights and the new division and he cut a huge check to the charity we were benefiting today, he requested I (his new face of racing) be allowed to play as well.

It was good press after all.

Really, I was just here so I could legally cause some bodily harm to four guys on the opposing team, but no one needed to know that except the family.

The turnout today was more than I expected. I always heard how much Alpha U loved football, but to see it was something else.

And holy crap, did people like Romeo. He was literally swallowed whole by a huge crush of fans the second he walked onto the field. More than once, I glanced up at Rimmel in the stands, but she didn't seem fazed by it at all. It was like it was nothing new.

Braeden was getting almost as much attention, but then again, Ivy was, too. She had her own fan base now because of her column and YouTube channel.

The vibe of the game was casual, meaning people who’d bought tickets were allowed on the field before the game started to meet and greet the pros. It was madness, but it explained why so many tickets were sold.

Even though this idea was born out of the need for revenge, it really was a great event and supported a worthy cause. We raised a shit ton of money for the charity. Trent looked like a hero, and the frat was cast in a really good light.

The game wasn't supposed to be full contact because obviously, the frat would get their asses handed to them. It was officially flag football with tackling allowed.

Unofficially, I didn't care.