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"Hey, Ty!" Austin tried next. "Guess this means you can bang the girl like a buckle bunny now."
I just lifted a hand to massage the spot between my brows. If that idiot kept this up, I was going to get a serious headache. I knew better than to yell back, though. That was what Austin wanted, and if he thought he was getting under my skin, he'd keep going.
So I did my best to ignore him. The line moved more. Austin started asking if I really had a dick or something. Maybe I was one of those "trans-types," he taunted. Beside him, Eli and Casey were grinning like this was the most fun they'd had in a while.
"Do you hear anyone laughing?" I asked. "Your jokes are dumb. Your threats only prove you have a little dick and are scared someone is going to find out. And the fact you're so damned scared of being beat by a girl?" I held up my hand with my finger and thumb barely an inch apart. "Sad, Austin. Very sad."
Beside me, Wes snorted out a laugh. "He seems the small dick type. Has the energy."
Which made me catch his eyes and giggle. The guy was quickly becoming one of my silent allies. I didn't really know him, but he'd made it clear he had no problem with me, which made me really want to like him.
"Hey," Wes asked next. "Did you get caught by the press out there or something?"
"Oh, I may have given them a little rant," I admitted.
"Did you cry?" Austin asked, clearly hearing me. "Oh, the poor widdle girly got dumped for a man! I mean, J.D. is better than you in all things, right? That's why he's your mentor, or is he showing you what it's like to have a dick?"
"That doesn't even make sense!" I groaned, shaking my head at the stupidity of it.
But I was getting pissed. All of this was doing nothing but convincing me Austin really had been the one to out the guys. The bigger question was how he knew! Had Jake told him? Was that why he'd been so helpful lately? Playing the long game the same way my ex had?
Because knowing how Austin had heard would help me figure out how to fix this. I sure as shit didn't want to give him any more information, so mouthing off would be a dumb idea. I'd done that with the guys back home. They'd been picking on me about being a virgin and I'd confirmed it for them, shocking them all.
So I wouldnotdo it again. Nope. I was just going to shuffle forward, get my bull drawn, then go get wrapped. Those three morons could do their best bullying. It only hurt if I let it. But since I didn't care if they liked me, their words had no power.
Well, not too much.
It still hurt. Telling myself it didn't helped. Having Wes beside me helped more, oddly enough. He didn't even have to say anything else. Just his support was enough to remind me I wasn't the outcast. I wasn't hated by everyone. My problems came down to a handful of idiots, and I'd already handled worse.
So I shuffled forward a little more, sliding my bag along the ground with me. Over on the other side, I saw Ty at the window. Jake was beside him, and the pair were talking like old friends. I'd thought Ty hated the guy, but it seemed more had changed than I'd realized. That, or Jake really was trying to get the dirt on me from anyplace he could. Considering how much time I'd spent with Ty, their sudden friendship only made me more worried.
The line moved forward again, putting me right across from where Austin and his cronies were leaning against the wall. "Hey, Cody? That's a boy's name, isn't it?"
"Pretty sure it is," Casey said.
"You know we don't do queers here, right?" Austin asked. "No, we know how to deal with them. Sounds to me like your little boyfriend needs a lesson."
"Back off!" Wes snapped at the guys. "Austin, that's enough."
"They let me get run over in the arena!" Austin yelled, pushing off the wall and storming at me. "And now you get to see how it hurts when people you trust fuck you over, Cody. Your boyfriend's a fucking fag. Your big mentor? He's dumb as shit - and not here to protect yo-"
The man didn't make it all the way into my face before Ty surged around me, hitting Austin on both shoulders to push him back. "Try it," Ty snarled. "I will fuck you up."
"Ty..." I begged, reaching up to touch his arm.
"It's ok, Cody," he said, never taking his eyes off Austin. "You get checked in. I'll make sure this asshole keeps his hands off you this time."
"Oh, you in love with the little cowgirl?" Casey teased.
"Just man enough to protect women, not hit them," Ty shot back. "It's called being a gentleman, and it's how my parents raised me."
"You're also outnumbered," Eli pointed out.
"No," Wes said, "he's not."
"He's really not," Djalu agreed.
"He's got a few of us willing to step up," Gustavo said.
