Rules Of The Game: Book 1

13; "Gay-dar" Shock

𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟼-𝟷𝟽𝚝𝚑, 𝚂𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚢 & 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚢
Parkers POV

As I walk away from Miles and towards Griffin's car, the blacktop spins underneath my feet. The Nike slides on my feet catches on the loose, sandy gravel, and I stumble, nearly face-planting into the glass window. I grab the passenger door handle to keep from falling over.

I can't seem to walk straight because suddenly I can't think straight: no pun intended.

There's no questioning it anymore.

I think that I really like Miles. Like, in an unhealthy, unrealistic, life-wrecking sort of way.

Griffin eyes me as I pull open the door and throw my bag in the back. He scoffs when I nearly miss the space between the two front seats, and he quickly pushes the bag back as I collapse down in the seat, shutting the door behind me.

This sudden realization winds me. Sure, I always felt an attraction towards Miles, although our little chat tonight was like the nail in the coffin.

No part of me wanted to turn away from him and end the conversation. When he dropped that flirtatious remark, I'll only scream for you, I got hard from the thought of, ahem, being with him for the fifth time this week. Hell, I would've considered it if it weren't for Griffin.

Okay, that might be the hormones talking, but still.

This feeling and new knowledge scare the shit out of me.

"What's wrong?" Griffin asks as he puts his car in drive. Straight to the point.

I shake my head and buckle up as the car dings a warning at me. "Nothing, I..." I hesitate, the words stuck in my throat.

There's no way I can admit my secret to Griffin, my family, peers, or anyone, without receiving a shit-ton of backlash. Yet, a small piece of me can't help and wonder...

What if it doesn't matter?

Clearing my throat, I look out the window as we pull out of the parking lot. "It's nothing."

"You're not nervous about homecoming next weekend, are you?"

Griffin's gaze pierces me, and for a moment, one childish moment, I feel like he knows.

"Hell no." I laugh weakly. Rake a hand over my hair. Swallow. "I'm kind of looking forward to it and getting it over with. It's always such a hassle leading up to it, you know?"

Griffin snorts, his palm sliding over the steering wheel. I find myself missing Miles fidelity and the way his car moved like a seesaw. It might have brought me close to puking, but it was a damn good distraction.

"Trust me, I know. You only see the surface of my dad's insanity. I swear our entire kitchen table is covered with whiteboards and papers on the week of homecoming. Mom seriously brings out the TV trays that week because we all know how he is." Griffin says.

I hardly hear him. Streetlights pass by the window, steadfast. Not gay.

Again, Griffin takes his eyes off the road for a moment to look at me when I don't respond. "Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're going to be sick. If you're going to puke, you better do it outside my car."