Phoenix by Joey James Hook

jeans and into a
    pair of black silky pajama pants, but he kept his hoodie on as
    he curled up on his bed. He propped his head up on his
    pillow and grabbed a book off his bookshelf. More books
    resided on his side of room than anything else.
    Ethan had a million movies and a few books, Devon
    seemed to have mostly music, Dominic had a bunch of
    sports stuff, and he’d never seen the inside of Riley’s dorm,
    but his felt different. He was a bit of a nerd, honestly, and he
    knew it.
    He purposefully picked a book that he’d read many times
    before, tucking one leg under his ass, pulling the other one
    close to his chest as he curled his lean body in on itself,
    opening the page and beginning to read.
    He was reading, sure, but since he was so familiar with
    The Vampire Lestat , he was thinking more than actually
    reading. Thinking back on the last couple days was dizzying
    to say the least. He’d known that this semester was going to
    be different, but he hadn’t realized his entire world would
    get redefined.
    He hadn’t expected to have such a loud, happy, bouncy
    roommate, nor did he expect to befriend Riley Sanders, the
    school’s star middle linebacker. He didn’t expect the guy to
    be so open and friendly, and he damn well did not expect
    him to have such a killer smile. Riley made him feel
    comfortable, more so than Blake had felt in a while.
    The only thing that hadn’t changed was Ethan, but then
    again he kind of felt like he’d changed, too. They’d grown
    closer over the past few weeks. Over the break they’d rented
    a hotel room together in the city and spent most of their time
    watching movies or listening to music and talking about
    45
    Joey James Hook

    anything and everything that came into their heads. He’d
    had a lot to talk about over the winter break, and Ethan was
    always willing to listen.
    He let his mind drift as he read, only half-comprehending
    the words. His first two semesters of college had been less
    about the classes and more about finding connections, and it
    seemed this semester wasn’t going to be any different. He
    supposed maybe he didn’t mind all that much…
    He was knocked out of his thoughts when he heard his
    phone beep to signify a text message on his bedside table.
    He put his book down and grabbed for it, flipping it open
    and furrowing his brows as he saw the name on the display
    screen. He curled up again and stared at the name for a few
    moments before he even opened the message.
    Why was Trevor texting him?

    46
    Phoenix

Chapter Seven
    ast semester, Blake had had a boyfriend named Trevor,
    L and Blake didn’t tell him that he was transgender until
    they’d gotten serious. Trevor had been supportive at first,
    but after a while, Blake had felt himself pulling away as
    Trevor
    pushed
    harder.
    He
    wasn’t
    completely
    heartbroken—or so he told himself.
    In a split second, staring at Trevor’s name, Blake
    remembered very vividly when he’d come out to him.
    “ Hey, Trev, there’s something I have to tell you,” Blake said in
    a soft voice, catching Trevor’s wrist as his hand traveled up his
    knee toward his groin. They’d been sitting on Trevor’s couch,
    curled up and enjoying a mindless TV show, and his boyfriend
    seemed to want to get a little frisky. The thought made him
    uncomfortable, naturally.
    “ What’s up, baby?” Trevor asked in a murmur, leaning in and
    beginning to kiss at Blake’s neck. He tensed a little and shivered,
    gripping onto Trevor’s bicep and pushing him away. “What’s
    wrong?” Trevor asked in a hard tone that stung.
    “ I need to tell you something,” he repeated in a firm tone, and
    Trevor’s face darkened as he sat back on the couch beside him.
    “ Okay, then out with it,” Trevor said, curiosity softening his
    face after a moment of staring at Blake, who was looking at him
    with wide eyes. He was considering not telling him—hell, he
    didn’t even know how the guy was going to react to it.
    “ Well,