44. Is It Illegal If You Kill A Biggot?...Asking For A Friend

warning: this chapter contains homophobic speech at the end of this chapter. If that makes you uncomfortable or triggered, please feel free to skip this chapter. I also included "no ordinary" by Labrinth to this chapter so take a listen if you wanna! Thanks and enjoy!

As soon as practice was over, I ran into Tyler's room, grabbed my pajamas, then bolted back to my assigned room with Ian. I went through the motions of showering, changing, and I even ruffled up what was supposed to be my bed in order to make it seem more believable. Coach was a lot of things, but an idiot was not one of them. He was very observant and he picked up on even the smallest inconsistencies when something tipped him off. That's why I slid on my glasses, which he knew I usually wore at night time, as an added precaution.

My heart all but burst out of my chest when he came to look into Ian and I's room. Ian was as relaxed as ever as he talked to Lelani on the phone, leaving me to answer the door when Coach announced his presence by his signature knock that mirrored the opening of "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen.

Relax, Ian mouthed to me before he made a gesture that reminded me to breathe. I nodded before I took a deep breath then opened the door. "Hey Coach," I greeted as casually as I could.

"Hey, Addison. Ian. Just wanted to peek in."

"Of course." I stepped out of the way. Coach took a couple of steps in and scanned our room.

"You're not hiding Tyler in here are you?" he said, though his tone was that of a joke.

I let out a small chuckle though bolts of nervous energy were racing up and down my spine. "I wish."

After he did a general sweep of the room, Coach clapped me on the shoulder as he made his way back toward the door, seemingly satisfied with our room. "Don't worry, Addison. You two can room together next year."

My eyebrows furrowed. "But this is our last All-State, Coach. We're seniors, remember?"

"Exactly," Coach said with a wink before he walked out of the room, leaving me there in shock. "Goodnight, boys," Coach casually threw over his shoulder and in a moment, he was gone.

I released the breath I was holding as I hurriedly shut the door. I turned to Ian who was still talking to Lelani. "Never make me do that again."

"Relax. You did great, chief," he casually said, brushing off the panic that was still raving in my body. He was too enthralled with whatever he was talking about with Lelani.

"Hi, Addison!" Lelani called through the phone.

"Hey, Lelani!" I responded as I made a move to get into the phone frame with Ian while my body continued to slowly calm down.

I then when and sat on the other bed and kept my attention on my own phone for the text from Tyler giving me the all clear to go back to our room. I sat there listening to Lelani and Ian's sickeningly lovey-dovey conversation for a good while, and right when I was about to charge full speed out of the window that was a good six stories up, Tyler gave me the all-clear text. I threw a quick "bye" over my shoulder before I all but ran to our room. I loved Ian and I loved that he was in love, but God, it made me wanna throw up.

"That was the single most stressful moment of my life," were the first words out of Tyler's mouth as I snuck back into our room just as Yusef was walking out.

"Goodnight, man," Yusef said as we passed.

"Goodnight. Thanks again."

He saluted me. "Don't mention it."

I closed the door and peeled off my shirt as I made my way to the bed. "It was stressful for me too, especially because Ian being the little shit he is made me answer Coach when he was at the door."

I climbed into the bed and cuddled into Tyler's chest as he let out a low whistle and wrapped his muscular arms around me. "Damn, brutal."

"Indeed," I said with a sigh before a comfortable silence fell over us. Tyler started absentmindedly drawing shapes on my back, causing me to relax. We were both consumed with our thoughts as he laid with each other. My mind wandered from the day we had tomorrow back to the day we'd just endured. But then I remembered the awfully homophobic comments those stupid Diggins Devils made about us and I got mad all over again.

"You know I'm going to kill those Devils, right?"

"I hope you mean on the field," Tyler said.

"On the field. In the hallway. In the Starbucks in the lobby. Wherever I see them first. I mean, it shouldn't be illegal if I kill them since they're bigots, right"

Tyler chuckled and shook his head before he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. "As much as I would love for them to pay for the severely homophobic comments they made, murder won't get us anywhere, babe. The best we can do is kick their ass on the field and watch them crumble under the weight of knowing that two 'fairies' beat them."

"Or I could just kill them and watch them crumble under the weight of my fist around their throats. That's also an option."

I could basically feel Tyler roll his eyes. "Ah, I forgot you were a violent one. What, are you going to give them asthma like you said you gave to Tommy?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, since you won't let me kill them." Tyler laughed. "I'm serious though. They won't just get away with saying that fucked up stuff, especially saying that stuff to you."

"Addi, it's fine. I'm serious."

"And I'm protective over what's mine," I said, throwing back the comment he'd made earlier in the day.

He rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

I grinned as I raised my head so we were at eye level. "Then make me."

Not needing to be told twice, Tyler's lips met mine. The innocent kiss quickly turned into a full-on make-out session that was likely exactly what Coach was trying to avoid when he decided to separate us. We fell into a dangerous dance led by nothing but teenage horniness. Tyler willingly submitted to me and let me have my way, which turned me on impossibly more. In the excitement, my hand had slowly slid below the waistband of Tyler's sweats, and though I didn't know exactly what I was planning on doing, the soft groan that rumbled in his chest told me to keep going. However, before I could even think about what I wanted to do to him, my phone rang with a familiar ringtone that I instantly recognized.

I made an effort to pull away but, as always, Tyler's lips chased mine as he used his other hand to slowly continue leading my hand down. And despite how badly I wanted to keep going with him, I had to force myself to pull away, at least to answer the phone. "Just one moment, I promise," I mumbled into his lips, causing him to groan as I pulled away and grabbed my phone from my pocket.

"Hey, Papa," I greeted, and at that moment, Tyler decided that it would be a good idea to start kissing my neck in just the right way that he knew drove me insane. I let out a quiet shaky breath in an attempt to not give myself away. A part of me wanted to smack him for putting me in such a compromising position while I was on the phone with my dad, but a bigger part of me just wanted him to keep going.

"Hey Addison," my father said, his voice tense and short.

"Woah, what's wrong?" I asked, giving Tyler a slight squeeze and he instantly stopped.

"Something happened and, don't freak out, your father and I have it under control. But your Nona had a little tumble back in South Carolina so your Padre and I are going down to see her instead of coming to your game."

My throat felt tight. We would always go visit my Nona whenever we could. She'd taught Azalea and me most of the dessert recipes we knew, and even though she wasn't initially super happy about my fathers' relationship, she was an integral part of this family. And now that something's happened to her so far away made my stomach that was fiending with butterflies mere moments ago twist itself into sickening knots. How badly was she hurt? Did she break anything? Had she gone into shock? Was her life in danger? "I-Is she okay? What happened? What about Azalea and the little ones?"

"She's...She's fine, she'll just be in the hospital for a bit. I don't know what happened, it just...It happened so fast. As for your siblings, they're at various friend's houses while your Uncle Connor and Aunt Abbi make their way up here. They should be here by the morning. Look, Addison, I'm your father and being that, I know that your mind is probably racing with the worst of the worst, and I'm telling you right now to stop it. She'll be fine, so don't let this consume you and throw you off of your game for the next few days, okay?"

"When we're done with all of this, I can fly down to help. I can get my work from my teachers. They'll understand and–"

"Thanks, son, but that...that won't be necessary." There was a certain pull to his voice that set off alarms in my head, though I didn't know why.

I sighed. "Alright, Papa. Well, you two travel safely. Love you and tell Padre I love him."

"Alright, Addison. Goodnight, we love you too."

Then the line clicked dead.

"What happened?" Tyler asked as I put my phone on the nightstand.

"My Nona fell or something. I don't really know, but my dads are going to be out of town for a while."

"Man, Addi. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head as I climbed off of him. "Don't be. She's okay, that's what my Papa told me." The "mood" that I'd been in was brutally crushed and beyond reviving tonight. Sensing that, Tyler settled back into a comfortable position before he pulled me into him in a way of showing his support.

"Well, that's good."

I hummed in response before another bout of silence fell over us. Tyler silently rubbed my back as my chest became tight. As my Papa had said, a million and one what-ifs filled my head like water in a chasm. I was panicking, an emotion that I'd, unfortunately, become well acquainted with. A big part of me wanted to hurry back to my grandmother— run, ride, crawl, anything. I didn't know why, but it felt way more serious than my father was trying to portray it as. The same way he "knew me", I knew him just as well.

My chest became tight.

"Addi, talk to me," Tyler said, sensing my shift.

"I'm scared." The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "And I'm angry and I'm sad. And stressed. Like, really stressed." The word vomit spilled from my lips as the taste of vulnerability spread across my tastebuds. All of the mess Tyler's mom had brought, Kyra, school, my stress for college applications, the All-State game, and the anger those Devils stirred within me were compressed into a small glass ball, and Nona's accident was the stone that tripped me, spreading all of the jagged pieces far and wide, forcing me to face each and every one of them.

"And that's ok. Tell me, what exactly are you scared about?" I could see what he was doing: trying to get me to talk through things so I could see them more clearly. And though the method distantly reminded me of the one my Papa used thanks to his minor in psych, I found myself opening up. I displayed every shard of the now broken glass ball, allowing them to slightly cut my palms as I examined them closer. And Tyler listened as he gently traced relaxing patterns into my back. He observed with me and helped me find ways to safely put things back in place. We talked for what seemed like hours, though I knew it hadn't been more than thirty minutes, and though I didn't completely tell him about the role his mother's situation was having on me since I didn't want him to feel guilty and pull away, I felt astronomically better by the end of it.

"I understand how you're feeling, Addi. And I want you to know that your worry and stress and everything in between is valid and okay." Tyler's voice was so soft and reassuring as it slid from between his soft lips.

I sighed, though it wasn't one of exhaustion, it was from the relief of addressing everything I'd been keeping locked up inside. "Thanks, Ty."

He hummed in response. "Talking through things one at a time is a good way to help deconstruct them from the big monstrous towers we tell ourselves they are into smaller more manageable things. That's what my therapist tells me anyway."

"Therapist?" The question tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it and once my brain finally caught up to my mouth, I physically facepalmed. It wasn't surprising that he had a therapist after all he'd gone through, it just caught me off guard. "Shit, I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I didn't mean it in a judgy way, I swear, I was just surprised because you've never mentioned it before. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Nah, you're good. I haven't seen her in a good handful of weeks. Remember Jorja? Well, my therapist is actually her mom. I mean I became friends with Jorja through her babysitting Ren. I didn't even know they were related until much later, but yeah. I used to see Dr. Musa at least twice a week, but once dad started saving up money for the custody battle over my sister, money was tight. It went down to once every week, once every other week, and now we're at once a month. But even when I don't have official appointments, I still talk to Dr. Musa. Off the books, you know? Rants, advice, things like that. It's not necessarily at the same level as 'lie down in my coach and tell me your life story' therapy, but it definitely helps. In that regard, she's kind of like my mom: giving me advice but letting me pick my own path. It's nice."

"Does she know about what's going on right now with...everything?" I asked, choosing my words carefully. The sensible part of me was kicking myself over asking questions that weren't really my business, but to my surprise, he simply shook his head again.

"No, and she'd be pretty disappointed in me if she knew that I a. didn't tell her and b. am letting all of my coping mechanisms go to waste and instead I just shut down and let my mania take over." He let out a humorless chuckle as he let his eyes meet mine. "I guess I'm not the right one to be talking your problems out with, huh?"

"No, Ty, you're perfect," I countered, though his previous statement caused something to itch in my brain.

Letting my curiosity and the genuine need to get the answer to the question to control me, I opted to ask the question that had been burning in my mind for a while now. "Ty?"

"Hm?"

"I don't mean to sound weird when I ask this, I just want to know so that I can be careful, but what aspects of affection make you feel uncomfortable? I mean, I know that's probably not easy to answer, but it's just that sometimes you're comfortable with showing affection in front of others, like today for example, and others you aren't, not that there's anything wrong with that. I just wanted a bit of an idea so I can better understand so I don't accidentally trigger anything negative."

Tyler hummed in response before silence filled the air. A part of me started panicking as I wondered if the question had offended him or come out wrong again. An apology started settling itself into my lips, however, before my lips could part he spoke. "Anything that reminds me of my mom triggers me and makes all types of affection a big no-no for me. I know that's weird, but that's how my brain works. So, as I told you, when she came to visit, that obviously triggered me. Those Devils damn near triggered me though. They actually did a bit. Their words took me back, but it was a lot better since you were there and dashed it. But in the moments that I forget about that evil woman, I don't feel any fear or anything like that. So it's never you or anything that you do, I'd tell you in that moment if that was the case. It's just...I don't know how to describe it other than her."

I nodded in understanding. An apology formed on my lips, but I swallowed it down. I personally hated when people apologize for things they had no fault in, so I didn't want to do that to him. Instead, I merely took his hand in mine and laid there with him in a comfortable silence, wordlessly communicating my support and love for him.

That night I fell into a dreamless sleep, though I did find myself waking up in the middle of the night feeling panicked with only one person on my mind: Nona. It happened at least 3 times, and each time, Tyler was there for me holding me tightly, whispering sweet nothings, and placing gentle kisses across my face until I fell back asleep. It felt comforting to have someone there to soothe me, even though I knew it was my own over-worrying mind's fault for making a big deal out of probably nothing.

When it was finally time to actually get up, my body felt like it weighed tons. Each step was groggy and my head was all over the place, yet nowhere at the same time. It felt like I was trapped on a mary go-round with my thoughts.

And I hated it.

Tyler did his best to cheer me up by holding me close and showering me with compliments. When we showered together, which was the first time in a long time, he handled me gently and tried to distract me with our fictitious plans for Florida. Luckily for me, though, his touches, no matter the weight they held, still affected me the way they always did. They brought me comfort. No, they didn't completely anchor my floating thoughts down, but they did help keep me pseudo in the moment, which was something I desperately needed.

By the time our game had rolled around, I was feeling a bit better. After the prayers, constantly berating my fathers for answers (which they didn't give), food, and a lot of cuddling, I found football to be a welcomed distraction that I could channel all of my raging emotions into. In the locker room, Ian noticed that there was something wrong, but thanks to the look that Tyler not-so-secretly gave him, he wisely chose to leave it alone for the time being.

As soon as we walked onto the field, it was go-time. Like a dry erase board, my mind was wiped clean of everything except for the task at hand: winning. We moved through the bracket with ease, and though there were multiple close calls there the other team was close to our score or even the moments where they were scoring higher than us, I had no worry. I knew what we were capable of and with emotions fueling my plays along with the tight formations we were keeping up, the other teams didn't stand a chance.

On the field, Tyler and I didn't act like boyfriends that were madly in love with each other. No hugs. No pats on the ass. No victory kisses. We didn't have time for it. We were on a mission.

When our games were over, we'd unsurprisingly made it through our bracket onto the finals versus none other than the Devils. Despite the exhaustion that ran rampant in my veins, I wanted nothing more than to play against them at that very moment. To make them pay for emotional wounds they'd picked at within Tyler by ramming them into the ground and sneaking in cheap shots every now and then just to get under their skin. To see their faces when the team with the fairies on it beat them. I'd kiss Tyler in front of them just to top it off. But, alas, that would have to wait until the next night.

Before long, I was back in bed with Tyler. Bob's Burgers was playing on the tiny TV across from us, the colorful screen acting as the only source of light in the otherwise dark room. My stomach was full from the team's mid-victory dinner we'd had not long ago, but I also felt kind of sick.

Nothing but my Nona and her condition had been on my mind, and the stress was undoubtedly what was behind my upset stomach. I'd called my fathers throughout the day to check in on my Nona, but each conversation was the same: short and reserved, which did nothing to soothe my already hyperactive mind.

But, admittedly, laying with Tyler did make me feel a bit better, albeit emotionally and not physically. He was being patient with me; checking in on me without being too overbearing.

The rest I got that night was a little better than the night before, but all too soon, we were getting ready to stand face to face with the Devils. We were all huddled around finalizing the plays. My body was warmed up and buzzing with the infectious energy that buzzed between every member of the team, from the seniors all the way down to the sophomores whose feet would, unfortunately, be unlikely to even step on the field after the huddle broke. Nonetheless, we all had one goal: to win and show the Devils a thing or two.

"Is everyone clear?" Coach asked and a chorus of "yes" and "hell yeah" erupted from the rowdy group. Coach smiled. "Good. You boys have been amazing this season. Let's take another state title, huh?" Another bout of excited cheers filled the air as we became hyped up. "Good. Addison, as the QB, you got any words of encouragement for these parasites?"

I scoffed at Coach's weird insult before I looked over my team. People I'd grown with. People I'd cried with. People I'd nearly murdered a time or two. People I loved, and people I knew loved me. I grinned. "Coach is right. We've dominated this season and we've grown as a family. I'm proud of each and every one of you, from the vets that have been here with me since freshman year, to the underdogs that are just now joining the journey. Through every win and loss, you've made me proud and you all should be proud of yourselves. But with that being said, we've come this far. We've put hours of literal blood, sweat, and tears into this moment and we won't let those jerks take it away from us, will we?" Versions of "no" filled the air. "That's what I thought. So let's put our all into this last game and show these Devils whose in charge!" The hectic energy that buzzed between us somehow intensified as the group erupted into noise. I looked at Coach. "Permission to cuss?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, why not. Just don't say it too loud or else the parent chaperons might report me."

"I stopped listening at yeah," I said before I quickly turned back to my team and put my hand in the center, causing them to all pile their hands on top of mine. "Now let's kick some ass and send these Devils back to hell! Trojans on three, Trojans on me! One, two, three–"

"Trojans!" We all yelled before we all but ran into formation, a new thrill buzzing between all of us.

Between the snarky remarks they made to one another about not only Tyler and I, but the other minorities or whoever they deemed "oddities" on our team as well, and their cousin-fucking grins, I wanted to do nothing more than destroy them beyond recognition. My hands were still itching to punch them the way they had been since I saw them in the hotel lobby eating breakfast and making obnoxious kissing sounds as Tyler and I walked by. And I would've punched them if Tyler hadn't been there to stop me...and Ian...and Yusef...and Harry...and Boxy.

But now I could finally put them in their place, a great distraction from everything I'd been going through.

As soon as the whistle was blown, the war began. To the screaming spectators in the stands and the cheerleaders on the sidelines, it simply looked like each team was only in it for the win. But it was so much deeper than that.

This was a vendetta. This was personal.

And because of that, the game remained close. Dirty plays and cheap shots were thrown around left and right. The only difference was that we knew how to hide most of ours whereas the Devils' players were getting flagged left and right. However, despite the rough play and penalties, the game remained uncomfortably close.

When it was down to the last play, we were tied, the status we'd been since the beginning of the fourth quarter. Sweat was beading the back of my neck as I walked to my Coach who'd called a time out. The Devils were angry. No, they were pissed, and though it brought me satisfaction seeing them so viscerally upset, it also unsettled me.

As they said, there was nothing more dangerous than an embarrassed man, and due to their team being almost bested by a group of people they looked down on, we were playing against a team of embarrassed men.

But despite my irrational worries that they'd do something crazy, I kept a straight face as I prepared to pass them to my side.

"Hey, do you think his dads taught him how to be a fairy?" one of the Devils not-so-quietly asked another as we approached each other to pass.

"Probably. You know how twisted fags are, especially with their children. That's why they shouldn't have any."

"Hey man, do us a favor and shut the fuck up," Yusef said as he rushed to my side and slung his arm over my shoulder, purposely acting as a barrier between me and the Devils which was good for their sakes because I was pissed. Ever since I was young, I didn't tolerate any slender when it came to people I cared about, but I got especially bothered when someone said something disrespectful about my dads.

"The fuck you just say to me?" I lowly said as I tried to break through Yusef but he, unfortunately, wasn't letting me through.

"You heard me," whoever it was said from behind his helmet.

"No, no, say it again to my face. Come on, stop being a little bitch and say it directly to my face," I challenged, my blood growing hotter and hotter in my veins by the second.

"I'm not going to waste my breath. You're probably just trying to find an excuse to stare at me, you pervert."

By now, my team had seen the commotion and had gathered around me.

"Nah bro, sounds like it's the other way around since you guys keep looking for excuses to talk to Addison," Boxy jumped in.

"If you got a crush on Addison, grow a pair and just admit it," Harry casually said. "Come on, we're not in primary school anymore, don't you know? Bullying someone isn't a good way to show them you like them. Absolute git."

"And it's pretty weak of you to come after just one of us instead of both of us, don't you think?" Tyler butted in as he stood next to me. His jaw was set and there was a cold look in his eyes, but his expression was clear. He was beyond pissed. "Come on, say it again. We're both right here." With that, staring the two Devils right in the eyes, he slid his hand into mine, holding it tightly and proudly.

Though I was beyond grateful that he was standing up for me, I had to also resist the urge to punch him. He'd said before that the Devil's poisonous jeers triggered him. I could handle the name-calling and insults, I could simply beat them down. But Tyler was in a very different position than I was and I didn't want him to defend me if it came at his cost.

"And you can say it to the rest of us too," Ian added as he crossed his arms over his chest, wordlessly daring the Devils to say anything else.

Luckily, the two Devils seemed flustered, obviously not expecting my teammates and my boyfriend to come to my defense, and honestly, even I was surprised at how quickly they jumped in to not only keep me from curb-stomping them and getting us eliminated but I was also surprised at how hard they came to stick up for me.

The Devils blew a quiet "whatever" under their breath before they went to their team's huddle that hadn't even noticed they were gone.

And at that moment, I was once again reminded of what amazing teammates I had.

"You good, Addison?" Tyler asked as I watched the Devils walk away.

I let out a shaky breath as anger coursed through me. "I will be when we win this thing. Are you? I mean, thanks for sticking up for me, but you didn't have to do that, especially if it triggered you."

He shook his head as he led me over to where Coach was. "I'm fine."

Harry, who fell in step with us. "Those guys are messed up in the head, I swear. Are you guys alright?" The other guys voiced words of concern as well, but I nodded.

"We're good. Thanks, guys, really," Tyler spoke up just as we reached Coach.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"The Devils were being homophobic dicks, per usual," Boxy said.

"Well, are you boys okay?" He asked as he looked between Tyler and me. We both nodded. He scoffed. "I'll be talking to their Coach and the organizer because their behavior is unacceptable. But let's see if they're so confident after this. Alright boys, listen up..."

In the forty or so seconds we had left in our time-out, Coach explained his plan to us and though there was a nervous energy fluttering around everyone as he spoke, we were all determined to execute it to the best of our ability.

All too soon, we were back in formation, all fueled by the fire the Devils' words had lit beneath us. Almost instantly after the whistle blew, the ball was in my hands. As instructed, I threw it to Boxy as the other players tried to tackle each other. Like a game of hot potato, the ball moved from person to person advancing further and further down the field toward the Devils' in-zone. They seemed almost surprised as we moved and mercilessly pummeled them, as if they finally realized the fatal mistake they'd made of trying to pick on us.

And, as poetic as it was, the ball ended up in Tyler's hands and he ran faster than hell toward the in-zone. The Devils tried to catch up but they knew it was no use. All of my guys were on them and the lone Devil that was chasing after Tyler was light-years away. And within moments, we'd won.

A chorus of screams and cheers filled the air as pride and joy filled my chest. My legs couldn't carry me fast enough to Tyler who was doing an adorable victory dance as the team bombarded him. Within moments he was on their shoulders where he continued to do his little dance as music filled the air.

We'd done it.

We won.

And my God, there wasn't any better prize than seeing the upset look on those Devils' faces as their Coach all but cussed them out.

"Tyler! Tyler!" The boys all chanted, and I couldn't help but join in with them as I helped hoist him up. His melodic laughter filled the air as we lowered him before we all celebrated, hugging each other as the seniors got misty-eyed.

"I told you you'd be an asset to our win," I said to Tyler as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Without warning, he picked me up by my waist and spun me around as I hugged him, causing me to hold on for my dear life as I laughed.

"Yeah, only because I had good motivation," he said in a playfully suggestive way as he put me down, causing me to roll my eyes.

"You're such a dork," I lamely said as he kissed my cheek.

"Aw, look at the love birds!" Ian said, causing our teammates' attention to turn to us. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Ian started chanting with a devious look on his face.

That boy just lived to put me in awkward situations. And as if Ian chanting wasn't enough, the other boys soon joined in too. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I looked up at Tyler. "Do you want to? We don't have to."

His gaze left mine and went across the field where the Devils were still looking at us in disdain as the trophy bearer walked by them on her way to us. "If you don't want to we–"

I didn't get to finish my sentence before his lips were on mine. I relaxed as we gripped the back of his head and deepened the kiss.

"Take that you homophobic jerks!" I heard Brandon yell across the field. And, just to rub salt into the Devils' homophobic wounds, I changed my grip on Tyler before I dramatically dipped him down, which was kind of hard because he was taller than me, but nevertheless, I kept my lips on his. My friends' cheers got louder as Tyler laughed against my lips and pulled away.

"I'm the dork, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up," I jested, and I kissed him again, completely unashamed and beyond proud.

***

Hey y'all, I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter. Another cutesy chapter that helps us see the softer side of Tyler and Addison's relationship. Do they have a ship name? Taddison? Adler? Idk those both sound gross lol. Anyways, the plot is gonna pick up from here since I'm moving into college in a month and a half (ew gross, I can't believe I'm saying that). I'ma try to get all of my current projects done in this next month and a half so I can take a little break once they're done and get acclimated into the college life. But yeah, I'm excited but kinda nervous.

What did y'all think of Addi's teammates defending him? What do y'all think of Ty stepping out of his comfort zone and defending Addi too? What do y'all think will happen next? Let me know in the comments!

Finally, please remember that the next chapter is already available for free on Inkitt with the link in my bio! By using that link not only do you gain early access to chapters before I put them here on wattpad for 10000% free with no strings attached, but you're also helping me get paid for doing what I love, which I really appreciate! Fair warning, you just might hate me for what I did in the next chapter *insert evil face here*. I guess you gotta read it to find outtttt.

Stay safe and healthy!

Love y'all– Jordan