Page 72 of Wingmen

Roddy paused with the shirt in his hands, then bundled itand tossed it on the bench. Dustin watched the mole on his shoulder move as he shrugged, not turning around. “Nah, dog, just busy. Sorry I didn’t hit you back.” He opened his locker.

“Okay.” Dustin watched him retrieve his towel. “Because it felt like we were having a nice time, and then you disappeared.”

“I had a family thing.”

“Right.”

It was so clearly not a family thing at this point that he felt legitimately insulted. Anddumb: obviously this was what was happening. He’d gotten involved with a twenty-one-year-old head case, and he was getting exactly what he deserved. Why hadn’t he seen this coming?

Because you let the gay thing get in the way of your rational brain. Because it was new and exciting, and you got carried away and stopped paying attention. Just because he’s gay and confused doesn’t mean he’s a good person.

Elliot turned with the towel in his hands. He looked at Dustin, stone-faced and said, “Can I get a little privacy, bro? I was gonna get in the shower.”

Dustin’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes?”

“We’re in a locker room.”

“Okay. Well…” Roddy shut the locker behind him and slung the towel over his shoulder without removing his shorts. “Some of us aren’t fags and would like a little privacy, homes.”

Dustin was so stunned he couldn’t do anything but stand there as Roddy went into the showers. He felt like he’d heaved a boulder into his chest.

He stood there listening to the water run, and thought about confronting him when he came out. He thought about it until he heard the water shut off, and then he panicked, grabbed his stuff from the locker and left.

Elliot

All he could think about, as he showered and dressed and called an Uber and went out to the gym parking lot to wait for it, was Reef Okafor.

The text he’d sent about Nic Arsenault and theVanity Fairarticle had popped into Elliot’s head a few times since that day in the restaurant. As he left the gym, he opened and re-read it.

if I’d known he was a fag I woulda hit him harder on the ice lol

Seeing that word written down was like getting hit in the stomach.Sayingit, out loud, to Dustin, was like watching Dustin get hit in the stomach. It was like watching himself hit Dustin in the stomach.

He truly had no idea why he’d said it. It was the same way he’d felt kissing Dustin the first time: more out-of-body experience than decision.

He blamed Uncle Sal. It was basically something he would’ve said. Then he felt bad about blaming him, because he didn’t like being angry with a guy who couldn’t defend himself. It wasn’t Sal’s fault Elliot had cried like a little bitch in Dustin Bennet’s bed. He wasn’tactuallyup there, looking down at him.

That made him sad. Because he’d kind of liked the idea that he was.

Fuck, this was confusing.

When he got home from the gym he put onGolden Girlsand went to bed. A text from Dustin came through around seven PM. Elliot ignored it for as long as he could.

I just want to let you know that what you said today was shitty,it said, when he finally read it.I should’ve said this in person but to be honest it really fucked me up. You seem tohave a problem understanding that a lot of the things you say are not okay, so hopefully that’s helpful to hear. I don’t know what happened. The only thing I can think of is that you think I’m on drugs??? Which I assure you is not the case, but whatever. Either that, or you’re scared. Which is fine. I wish you would talk to me, but clearly you don’t want to do that. Whatever it is you’re going through, I hope you figure it out.

Elliot read it three times, didn’t cry, went into the bathroom and showered again, not crying, then came back out and texted Drew, still not crying:

do they have booze at that bowling alley?

He continued not to cry as he put theGolden Girlsback on and waited for her to reply.

Dustin

When he got home that night he took an oxycodone. Because his knee hurt. Not because of what Roddy said.

Elliot