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Breck shook his head and fought back a smile. “We’ll be fine, Dad.”
“No, I’m serious, Breck. Everyone and their dog’s got a cell phone with a camera these days. You do one stupid, drunk-ass thing, or God forbid, are seen with the wrong kind of person, and the internet’s gonna be flooded with incriminating images. You can’t afford that. Employersalwaysvet their prospects through social media. No getting drunk, Breck, or sleeping around. Those days are over. It’s time to behave like a responsible adult.”
Breck cleared his throat, embarrassed that Ned was hearing this, yeah, but mainly because of what the mention of sex made him instantly think about.Kai. Thanks to him, Breck had done the unheard of; he’d only had sex with one person in over a month.
“Understood,” he muttered, gaze dipping to the floor.
“Just lay low until after the Draft. No partying. No women. Just…” His dad paused for a second. “On second thought, scratch that last part. Find a classy, upstanding girl to be seen with. Otherwise, knowing people’s imaginations, they’ll start speculating as to why you’re steering clear of the ladies. Last thing we need is for rumors to start flying that you’ve secretly turned gay.”
Breck stiffened, then frowned and glanced at Ned. He too was sporting a disapproving scowl. Undoubtedly, for the same reasons as Breck; their mutual friend Tad and their posse’s newest addition, Scott.
Of course, for Breck, the reasons went even deeper.
He straightened and cleared his throat again. “Dad,seriously. I got this. Just chill the fuck out already. You’re starting to trip.”
“Better safe than sorry, Breck,” his dad sternly argued. “You donotneed shit like that circulating before the Draft.”
Breck’s stomach twisted. He clenched his jaw. “I’m sure there are far worse things the NBA is concerned about than whether a player is gay.”
“Thereshouldbe, but you’d be surprised. Some of those people at the top are the very worst bigots of all.”
Breck eased a little. At least his dad wasn’t defending such an out-right homophobic stance. It made him wonder though, where his daddidstand. Clearly not on the side of gays going public in this line of work.
Dragging a hand down his face, he exhaled and started on the extraction process of finally ending this call. “Whatever. I’ll worry about me. Tell Mom I said hey and I’ll see her soon.”
“Breck…” His dad’s voice softened. “I just want you to play itsafe.”
“I know,” Breck muttered. “I gotta go.”
Hanging up, he tossed his phone on the cushion beside him and shifted his gaze back to Ned. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Ned coughed a small, tight laugh. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”
Breck dropped his head back and loosed a quiet groan.
“Eh. Don’t sweat it, my guy. He’s just trying to look out for you.”
“No, what he’stryingto do is run my life. I’m so fuckin’ sick of him overseeing my every move.”
Ned regarded him curiously. “He struck a nerve. He never used to get youthisbent out of shape. Is it ‘cause of what he said about gays? Does he know about Tad?”
Breck shook his head. “No. Not yet.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t think he really cares. God knows he loves Tad as much as we do.”
True. He’d always had respect for Tad, since the first time he saw him mopping the floor with Ned’s ass in that wrestling tournament.
Breck nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
But would that acceptance also apply to hisson? Or was Breck destined to hide an entire side of himself from his very own dad? It was bad enough that society forced him to stay closeted. He was tired of concealing half of who he was. Especially when it was costing him something he wanted more than anything else.
Resting his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head in his hands. Truth be told, he was suddenly getting tired of everything.
“That’s it,” Ned announced in exasperation. “You’re not eventryingto hide your funk anymore. Put your goddamn phone on do-not-disturb and tell me what the fuck is up.”
Right. Breck had been about to spill.
Just like he’d nearly done on Thursday, at the bar.
