Now, that we’ve got the sappy things out of the way, it is high time to get you up to speed with the latest news on the king of Sunny Hill just before you all leave the grounds — some of you for good. On top notch authority, we have it that Rusty Parker is into cat boys!
Yes, you heard that right. Rusty Parker is all willing to part with his cohort of female adorers only for the chance of petting a cat boy. We really have no idea where this is coming from, but that’s Rusty Parker for you, everyone. Always a surprise!
Wait, does that mean that Rusty is willing to ditch his straight ways, if we can use that term to define him, and head over to an alternative lifestyle? Hmm, it makes us wonder.
It was a bit difficult to focus on reading the latest gossip with Jonathan giggling in his ear.
“Are we getting married now?” Maddox asked and rolled his eyes.
Jonathan shrugged. “It’s how this kind of journalism works. All it took was for Hanna to scream happily ‘Maddox and Jonathan are getting engaged’ while in an open space, and Xpress immediately grabbed it and turned it into a planned wedding, of course. But how did they find out about Rusty and cat boys? Wait, is that even true? It doesn’t sound like it’s true.”
“It’s actually true,” Maddox confirmed.
“Oh,” Jonathan said in that restrained way of his that might have come across to anyone else as arrogant and uptight. Not to him. To him, everything Jonathan did was adorable, no questions asked. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Don’t be. If you ask Rusty, he’s going to give you the complete rundown on how and when his attraction toward a different kind of tail might have emerged.”
The music was thumping downstairs, but they had found a way to ditch the crowd and spend some time alone together on Maddox’s bed, lying on their bellies, swinging their feet in the air, and reading the latest from Xpress. Basically, he was the one reading, since Jonathan was getting busy teasing his ear with one smart and deft tongue.
“Babe,” he drawled. “Come ‘ere.” He hooked one arm over Jonathan’s shoulders and pulled him close. Their lips found each other for a kiss.
“Hmm,” Jonathan purred and licked Maddox’s bottom lip with unhidden enthusiasm, “I thought you were about to tell me how Rusty got into cat boys.”
“Well, that’s a story that you better hear from him.”
“You think?”
“Without a doubt. Rusty might strangle me over missing some detail that should be in the original story.”
“Original story? What other stories are supposed to be out there?”
“I don’t know.” The truth was he didn’t care, not with Jonathan’s lips so close to his.
“Are we truly wise to be starting something like this right now?” Jonathan breathed out against his mouth.
“Wise? When were we ever?” Maddox tasted Jonathan’s lips in full, licking round and round and sucking the juicy bottom one into his mouth.
“Point taken,” Jonathan agreed and shivered. “I have a feeling someone’s going to burst in at any moment now.”
“Forget about that feeling. Let’s think about the summer.”
“I agree. I can barely wait to see you again next week.”
“I should just come with you,” Maddox said. “I hate losing entire days I could be spending with you.”
“I hate it, too,” Jonathan agreed. “But your mom agreed that you’re going to spend two months out of three with us, and I cannot ask for more. I’d look greedy.”
“Feel free to be greedy. Are your folks okay with you spending the rest of summer break with my family? We’re nothing fancy.”
“They are happy they’re going to get to see as much of us as they are. And by the way, I have some really serious plans for this summer. We’re not going to spend those two months at my family’s estate. We’d get bored out of our minds.”
“I kind of doubt that, but heck, if your mom and dad are going to watch our every move, I’m willing to go with whatever plans you have that remove us from under those hawk-like eyes,” Maddox joked.
“They will be plenty busy themselves. It’s summer, after all, my mom’s favorite season. But we might have to accompany them to a couple of places, just so, you know.” Jonathan swept Maddox’s hair out of his eyes. “You know what that means, right? They’re going to introduce you as a soon to be Hamilton.”
“Ugh, no pressure or anything, right?”
“Why would you feel pressure? You’re perfect.”
Maddox felt giddy whenever Jonathan praised him. If he had a tail, he’d wag it happily. Not a cat tail, though. Rusty and his ideas.
Too bad he had the special ability of summoning the cockblock police with just a thought. A loud knock on the door interrupted them, and Rusty barged into the room.
Only this time, he wasn’t alone. Dex, Kane, and even Hanna and Ray, were there.
“Dudes, why the hell are you wasting time when there’s a party?” Rusty bellowed.
“They’re busy smooching the hell out of each other,” Kane pointed out in a very teacher-like manner.
“You’ll have time to do that all summer, you dogs,” Dex chimed in.
“It’s our last night together till fall. Whether you two like it or not, you have to come with us,” Ray said. The most energetic of them all, he grabbed Maddox and began to pull him away from Jonathan. In turn, Jonathan suffered the same treatment from Hanna, who, despite her small frame, seemed to pack quite the strength. No wonder she could keep up with Ray and his board game marathons. She was more than met the eye.
She giggled and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I know you two think we’re a bunch of assholes now, and you’d be right. The only smooching allowed tonight must be conducted at the party. So we’re petty assholes and don’t want you and Maddox to have your fun.”
“But it’s the privilege of having a private bedroom,” Maddox complained.
“Nothing’s private enough when you have me under the same roof,” Rusty declared. “Let’s lift them up, boys. I’m leading!”
Despite their protests, they were hiked up, held by legs and shoulders and carried away, down the stairs. It was difficult to imagine a more outstanding exit and a fitting end for their junior year.
Nah, it was all right, Maddox thought. He couldn’t be mad at his friends. After all, he had Jonathan, and if they both suffered at the hands of these awesome guys, that meant they were in it together, all the way.
“Hey, watch it,” he shouted at Rusty who almost ended up slipping down the stairs while dragging him by the legs. “I need to remain in one piece.”
“At least until the wedding, right?” Kane laughed.
Dex was carrying Jonathan by the arms, while Hanna and Ray were splitting his legs between themselves. Maddox really hoped they were doing a better job than these two mofos. He needed Jonathan in one piece, as well.
They were finally placed on their feet at the foot of the stairs, and only then Maddox saw the giant cake. “What is that?” he asked.
Rusty held him by the shoulder. “See that figurine with the black hair? That’s you. And the one with the brown hair–”
“Is it a wedding cake?”
A collective cheer from the entire crowd confirmed his suspicions. He turned toward his bestie.
“A mock wedding cake, and I got those figurines online. They’re from an anime series,” Rusty took care to inform him.