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He jerks his head my way and gives me a quizzical look. “Okay. Good to know.”
“You can’t date him.” I put the car in reverse, letting my loud engine drown out any argument on the matter.
The entire way to the school, Penn scowls. He’s pissed, but I don’t care. I may not get him to admit he’s gay, but I’ll be damned if I let him fall into a secret relationship with Liam and contract some disease.
“Dante Phillips is bi, I think,” I say, turning down the radio and glancing over at Penn.
His jaw clenches. “I told you, I’m not—”
“You are. I saw it with my own eyes in there, Penn. Stop denying it, dammit.”
“Cope…” he trails off, running his fingers through his hair. “Just leave it alone.”
I pull into the parking lot of the school and shake my head. “Nope. You see, I figured it out. We get you a boyfriend, and we can go back to being friends. I don’t have to worry about you shoving your tongue down my throat and you don’t have to worry about me kicking your ass. Problem solved. Leah doesn’t fit in this equation.”
He jumps out of the car as soon as I pull up next to his Jeep. I leave the car running and jog after him. He’s barely got his car door open, before I spin him around and pin him to the side of his vehicle.
“Leah’s better suited for me,” I tell him. “In fact, maybe I should go on your little date. We can invite Dante.”
“Back the hell off, Cope, or I’m going to make you,” he snarls, the muscles in his neck tightening.
I lean in and bring my mouth to his ear. “Admit you’re gay and I’ll back off.”
A strangled sound escapes him.
“Admit it,” I urge.
“I can’t,” he whispers.
Pulling away slightly, I look into his dark brown eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t think I am.”
I blink at him in confusion. “But you kissed me,” I bite out. “You got hard earlier. I saw it.”
His cheeks burn red and his jaw clenches. “You don’t get it.”
“Apparently not.”
He licks his lips and I watch the movement before locking my gaze with his. His brows furl together as he struggles to form words.
“I’m not gay,” he mutters. “I’m not attracted to other guys.”
“Other guys?” I parrot as his words sink in. “Other guys besides me.”
Rather than answering, he leans his head back against the metal of his Jeep with a thud. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. I pull away and scowl at him.
“Leah’s still not the answer,” I rasp out.
“Neither is Dante,” he utters bitterly. “I’m just going to hang out with her as friends.”
“Then I’m going too.” I smirk at him. “As friends.”
Earlier, I’d left Penn on his own to go home and think. He texted me to let me know the movie time and I told him I’d pick him up before we went to get Leah. Unease trickles through me, but so does a flare of excitement. On one hand, I’m uncomfortable with Penn admitting that I’m the only guy he’s attracted to. On the other hand, I’m happy we’re talking again. I think we just need ground rules.
Don’t kiss me, dammit.
Definitely rule number one.
Okay, so rules aren’t my strong suit. As long as he doesn’t kiss me, we’re cool. And now that Ivy and I are broken up, I feel free to just hang out. It’s been so long since I’ve had fun, it’s pathetic. My fun always revolved around whatever shit me and Penn could get into. Now that I have my boy back, a sense of adventure looms.
I change into some black jeans, my combat boots, and a black long-sleeved shirt before heading to the bathroom to fix my hair. It’s funky from wearing my hat earlier, so I wet it and style it with some gel. A longer strand falls over my eyebrow and I leave it, deciding it looks good. While I pass the time, I mess with some leather wristbands and choose a few to wear. My phone buzzes and I pull it out.
Ivy: I miss you.
Groaning, I ignore her text and shove my phone back in my pocket. I walk downstairs and cringe to see my dad. He’s on the phone, dressed in a sharp suit, pacing the floor beside his messenger bag.
“I don’t want London either, Mark, but what the hell am I supposed to do now? Fucking cancel?” Dad growls, running his fingers through his dark hair that matches mine. “Exactly. I’ll see you at the office.”
He hangs up and his eyes dart to mine.
“Heading out with Penn,” I say as I start for the door.
Dad nearly chokes. “Penn? From next door? I thought you guys hated each other.”
“Ivy hated him,” I lie. “We broke up and now I have more time for friends. Penn and I are cool.” For now. As long as he doesn’t try to shove his tongue down my throat. Again.
