Chapter 16: Straight Boys Don’t Think Like This

Kieran’s POV

I was having a crisis. A legitimate psychological emergency. And unfortunately, Google was making it worse. I stared at my phone screen in absolute horror.

SIGNS YOU MIGHT NOT BE STRAIGHT

Nope. Absolutely not. I exited the article immediately then reopened it thirty seconds later. This was ridiculous. I was Kieran Hampton. Captain of Crestwood Hockey. Future professional athlete. Destroyer of defences. Certified straight man. So why the hell was I sitting in my bedroom at one in the morning researching sexuality like my life depended on it?

Simple.

Asher Carter.

Actually, no, not simple. Nothing about Asher Carter had been simple lately.

I tossed my phone onto the bed aggressively and dragged both hands down my face. “This is insane.”

Because every time I closed my eyes, I saw that stupid party kiss again and somehow things had gotten worse since then. Now I noticed everything about him. The sarcastic comments. The sharp looks. The way he rolled his eyes whenever I talked. The way he blushed during drills last week.

God.

That blush had nearly ended me.

I groaned loudly into my pillow. “What is wrong with me?”

A knock hit my bedroom door before Landon walked in without waiting for permission because boundaries were apparently fictional to him.

“You alive?”

“No.”

“Cool.”

He stopped walking suddenly, squinted at me, then he sat down slowly like he was approaching a dangerous animal. “You googled it.”

“I was curious.”

“You searched twelve articles.”

My voice rose aggressively. “That means nothing.”

“You highlighted a paragraph.”

I froze.

Traitorous technology.

Landon looked genuinely fascinated now. “Who is he?”

“There is no he.”

“So there’s definitely a he.”

I wanted to throw myself out the window. “I hate you.”

“Oh, this is incredible.” He pointed dramatically at me. “Kieran Hampton. Crestwood’s straightest menace. Destroyed by one guy.”

“It’s not a guy thing!”

Landon blinked. “You literally just said, guy.”

“Shut up.”

He started laughing so hard he nearly fell off the chair. I grabbed a hockey pillow and launched it directly at his face. “Get out.”

“No, no. We’re talking about this.”

“We are absolutely not.”

Landon caught the pillow while still laughing. “Who is it?”

“No one.”

“Kieran.”

I glared murderously.

Landon suddenly stopped smiling. “Oh my God.”

My stomach dropped.

He pointed slowly. “It’s Asher Carter.”

I stood immediately. “Okay, conversation over.”

“IT’S ASHER?”

“Stop yelling!”

Landon looked seconds away from cardiac arrest himself. “The mascot?”

“He’s not just the mascot.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Silence.

I closed my eyes. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

Landon stared at me in disbelief. “You are catastrophically screwed.”

“I’m straight.”

“Kieran, you researched bisexuality at midnight, if i hadn't stayed over, I wouldn't have known this.”

“Keep your voice down, my parents are asleep.”

“You almost punched me for reading it.”

“The article was simply educational, why don't you get it?”

Landon’s expression softened slightly. “Maybe because you like him.”

“Man, are you even listening, i don’t like him.”

“You almost committed homicide over a Google search.”

“That proves nothing.”

Landon stood slowly. “You’re jealous too.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“You get twitchy every time Theo Mercer touches him.”

I opened my mouth. Then closed it again because unfortunately that was true and Landon knew it.

“Oh, this is bad,” he whispered.

I hated every second of this conversation.

The next morning wasn’t better. Actually, it was worse. The second I walked into Crestwood Academy, I saw Theo hugging Asher near the lockers and something deeply violent woke up inside me. Theo had one arm around Carter’s shoulders while laughing at something he said. Asher looked relaxed. Comfortable. Happy.

My jaw clenched instantly.

Landon noticed immediately. “Oh no.”

“I’m fine.”

“You look homicidal.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Theo squeezed Carter’s shoulder again. That was absolutely it. I started walking toward them before my brain could intervene.

Landon grabbed my arm immediately. “Kieran.”

“What?”

“You’re doing the face.”

“What face?”

“The jealous psychopath face.”

“I don’t have one.”

“You absolutely do.”

Across the hallway, Milo Hayes appeared carrying three energy drinks and chaos in human form. He looked between Theo and me. Then grinned slowly.

“Oh.”

No. No no no.

Milo pointed dramatically. “Our captain is emotionally compromised.”

“Shut up, Milo.”

Milo ignored me completely. “Wait.” His eyes widened theatrically. “Are we.....?”

“I will actually kill you, if you say any nonsense now.”

Landon started choking laughing again. Milo slapped his chest dramatically. “Oh my God, it makes sense now.”

“It doesn’t make any sense.”

“You’ve been acting insane for weeks.”

“I always act insane.”

“Not like this.”

Milo leaned closer. “You stare at Carter like you want to fight him.”

I nearly dropped dead on the spot.

Across the hallway, Theo noticed us staring. Unfortunately, Asher noticed too. And the second Carter looked at me, everything in my brain malfunctioned again. I immediately looked away.

Landon looked delighted. “I told you.”

“Just stop, you're becoming unbearable.”

Theo and Asher started walking toward us. My pulse spiked aggressively. Why? Why did this keep happening?

Theo reached us first. “Morning.”

Milo grinned like Satan. “Good morning to you and your boyfriend.”

Theo blinked. “What?”

I kicked Milo directly in the shin.

He yelped.

Asher looked suspicious immediately. Theo looked confused. Landon looked entertained and I looked anywhere except Carter.

Unfortunately, Carter noticed that too. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You okay, Hampton?” he asked casually.

No. Absolutely not.

I forced a shrug. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Milo snorted violently.

Theo looked between all of us slowly. “…Did I miss something?”

“Yes,” Landon said immediately.

“No,” I snapped.

Carter crossed his arms. “You’re acting weird again.”

Again. That word did dangerous things to my nervous system. "I’m not acting weird.”

“You just threatened Milo with a stapler.”

“He deserved it.”

“I made one joke,” Milo complained.

“You made seven.”

Theo frowned slightly now. His gaze shifted between Carter and me carefully. Suspicion. Great. Exactly what I needed. Then Theo casually threw an arm around Carter’s shoulders again and something inside me snapped completely.

“Get your hands off him.”

The words came out sharp. Violent. Deadly quiet. The hallway froze instantly.

Theo’s brows furrowed. “What?”

I stepped forward before thinking. “Don’t touch him like that, it seemed like you were pressing hard on him.”

Milo’s mouth dropped open.

Landon whispered, “Oh my God.”

Theo slowly removed his arm from Carter. Confusion turned into irritation immediately. “Why exactly do you care?”

Excellent question, one I absolutely did not have the answer to.

“I just do.”

Theo stared at me. Then suddenly laughed once. Disbelieving. “You’re serious?”

Carter looked stunned. Milo looked ready to sell tickets. And I was one second away from losing my mind completely.

Theo stepped closer, protective now. “You don’t get to order me around.”

“I wasn’t ordering.”

“You sounded pretty damn close.”

The hallway tension thickened instantly. Students slowed down nearby watching openly now.

Carter stepped between us quickly. “Okay, psycho energy aside...”

Theo ignored him. “No, seriously. What’s your problem lately?”

I didn’t answer because if I did, I might actually say the truth. That every time Theo touched Asher Carter, something ugly twisted in my chest. Something jealous. Possessive. Territorial.

And straight boys definitely did not think like that.

Which meant one horrifying possibility.

Maybe I wasn’t as straight as I thought.

God.

What the hell was happening to me?