nerves.
“You’re beating a dead horse, Dominic,” Blake said in an
even tone.
“Why don’t you respond to the name you were given,
huh, Jillian?” Dominic shot back, his voice grating so hard
Blake felt like he needed to shudder from it.
“Because it’s not my name. Never has been my name, so I
don’t know why you’re using it,” he replied, giving Dominic
another half-glance before looking back down to his book.
“Oh, but it totally is,” Dominic said, and Blake rolled his
eyes at his overly saccharine, eager tone. “I looked it up. I’ve
got connections in the front office, and that’s the name you
applied with, the name on every single roster in every single
class despite what you tell them. Tell me, how embarrassed
are you that you’re pretending to be something you’re not?”
Blake felt like he’d just had cold water thrown over him,
because he couldn’t even count how many times he’d
thought those words himself. Hatred followed in a heat
wave because he knew Dominic was wrong to a devastating
85
Joey James Hook
fault. He tensed his jaw and let out a harsh breath through
his nose, shaking his head.
“I’m not embarrassed and I’m not pretending,” he
replied, finally making eye contact with Dominic. That felt
like a bad idea because the smirk on the guy’s face made him
feel like he was looking straight through him.
“Sure you are, girly,” Dominic said. Blake shot him a hot
glare and dropped his book from his hands, at the end of his
rope.
“Go fuck yourself,” he told him in no uncertain terms.
Unfortunately, Dominic’s eyes flashed like that was the
reaction he was trying to goad out of him.
“No, thank you. Freak,” Dominic spat at him, eyes
laughing mercilessly but also glaring just as hotly as he
turned on his heels and walked away from where Blake was
sitting, tossing over his shoulder, “Enjoy your girly book,
Jillian.”
Blake gripped hard at his book and let out a hard breath
through his nose. He let out a guttural noise of frustration
and threw his novel against his thigh, shoving his shoulders
back against the couch as he ran his hands through his hair.
Anger and helplessness burned hot in his chest and he
breathed through it, scratching hard at his scalp and
shutting his eyes. God, he fucking hated this guy so much.
He damn near jumped out of his own skin and let out a
soft sound when he heard a voice say, “Hey,” close to his left
ear. His head snapped up and his eyes widened before he
realized it was his best friend. He relaxed a little with a
shaking breath, the helplessness lessening now that he had
an anchor. Ethan always knew how to calm him down even
without saying or doing anything, he thought with a surge
of loving affection deep in his chest.
“You okay?” Ethan asked, concern evident on his face as
he settled down beside Blake, one hand moving to his knee,
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Phoenix
gripping bracingly like he already knew the answer.
Blake just shook his head and moved his hand, curling it
gently around Ethan’s on his knee, needing to touch him in
some way. “Dominic,” was all he said.
“Oh shit. What’d he do this time?” Ethan asked, his voice
full to the brim with protectiveness .
“Called out my worst fear and called me a freak,” Blake
said, shaking his head and swallowing hard with a heavy
sigh. He hated going over what had just been said, because it
made it feel all the more real. “He asked if…if I was
embarrassed to be pretending to be something I’m not.”
“God, he is such a fucking asshole,” Ethan muttered, and
Blake shot him a look of slight confusion. It was very rare for
Blake to see a flare of temper in his best friend because he
was always so peaceful.
“Do I detect some anger?” Blake asked with a small smile
on his face. Ethan shot him a look with his eyebrow raised
before shaking his head, even though by all intents and
purposes, it should have been a
“You’re beating a dead horse, Dominic,” Blake said in an
even tone.
“Why don’t you respond to the name you were given,
huh, Jillian?” Dominic shot back, his voice grating so hard
Blake felt like he needed to shudder from it.
“Because it’s not my name. Never has been my name, so I
don’t know why you’re using it,” he replied, giving Dominic
another half-glance before looking back down to his book.
“Oh, but it totally is,” Dominic said, and Blake rolled his
eyes at his overly saccharine, eager tone. “I looked it up. I’ve
got connections in the front office, and that’s the name you
applied with, the name on every single roster in every single
class despite what you tell them. Tell me, how embarrassed
are you that you’re pretending to be something you’re not?”
Blake felt like he’d just had cold water thrown over him,
because he couldn’t even count how many times he’d
thought those words himself. Hatred followed in a heat
wave because he knew Dominic was wrong to a devastating
85
Joey James Hook
fault. He tensed his jaw and let out a harsh breath through
his nose, shaking his head.
“I’m not embarrassed and I’m not pretending,” he
replied, finally making eye contact with Dominic. That felt
like a bad idea because the smirk on the guy’s face made him
feel like he was looking straight through him.
“Sure you are, girly,” Dominic said. Blake shot him a hot
glare and dropped his book from his hands, at the end of his
rope.
“Go fuck yourself,” he told him in no uncertain terms.
Unfortunately, Dominic’s eyes flashed like that was the
reaction he was trying to goad out of him.
“No, thank you. Freak,” Dominic spat at him, eyes
laughing mercilessly but also glaring just as hotly as he
turned on his heels and walked away from where Blake was
sitting, tossing over his shoulder, “Enjoy your girly book,
Jillian.”
Blake gripped hard at his book and let out a hard breath
through his nose. He let out a guttural noise of frustration
and threw his novel against his thigh, shoving his shoulders
back against the couch as he ran his hands through his hair.
Anger and helplessness burned hot in his chest and he
breathed through it, scratching hard at his scalp and
shutting his eyes. God, he fucking hated this guy so much.
He damn near jumped out of his own skin and let out a
soft sound when he heard a voice say, “Hey,” close to his left
ear. His head snapped up and his eyes widened before he
realized it was his best friend. He relaxed a little with a
shaking breath, the helplessness lessening now that he had
an anchor. Ethan always knew how to calm him down even
without saying or doing anything, he thought with a surge
of loving affection deep in his chest.
“You okay?” Ethan asked, concern evident on his face as
he settled down beside Blake, one hand moving to his knee,
86
Phoenix
gripping bracingly like he already knew the answer.
Blake just shook his head and moved his hand, curling it
gently around Ethan’s on his knee, needing to touch him in
some way. “Dominic,” was all he said.
“Oh shit. What’d he do this time?” Ethan asked, his voice
full to the brim with protectiveness .
“Called out my worst fear and called me a freak,” Blake
said, shaking his head and swallowing hard with a heavy
sigh. He hated going over what had just been said, because it
made it feel all the more real. “He asked if…if I was
embarrassed to be pretending to be something I’m not.”
“God, he is such a fucking asshole,” Ethan muttered, and
Blake shot him a look of slight confusion. It was very rare for
Blake to see a flare of temper in his best friend because he
was always so peaceful.
“Do I detect some anger?” Blake asked with a small smile
on his face. Ethan shot him a look with his eyebrow raised
before shaking his head, even though by all intents and
purposes, it should have been a
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