Chapter 21
Dean
Dean slouched in the passenger seat of Colton’s G Wagon; his forehead rested on the window as he stared out of it.
The drive to the charity golf tournament wasn’t far from San Francisco, but as they got closer to the golf course, traffic had slowed to a snail’s pace.
Colton rhythmically tapped his thumb on the steering wheel and huffed. “God, I hate traffic.”
Colton turned his head to Dean, then reached over and poked his shoulder. “Why so quiet, Mr. DJ?”
“I don’t know why, but I’m pretty fucking nervous about this.” Dean chuckled, still gazing out the window.
Colton smiled. “There’s no need to be nervous. The hard work, the fundraising, is already done. How much did you raise for the children’s hospital?”
Dean shrugged with a hint of a smile. “three-point-eight million.”
Colton gasped and quickly turned his head. “For real? Fuck! That’s more than triple what I raised. That’s awesome!”
Dean finally drew his eyes from the window to look at Colton. “Thanks. I have the greatest fans. All I had to do was post the link and the donations poured in, so I really can’t take credit for anything.”
Colton reached over and patted his shoulder. “Well, today is the fun part. Don’t be nervous. Besides, we’ll be playing together. So, you know we’ll have fun.”
“Yeah. Once we get started, I’m sure I’ll shake the nerves.”
As they parked and began making their way to the clubhouse, Dean could now clearly understand why he was nervous. There were television vans and camera crews everywhere.
“This is on TV?” Dean asked.
“Yeah, it’s live TV,” Colton answered, adjusting the bag on his shoulder.
“Shit! I didn’t realize this would be on live TV. Now I’m even more nervous!”
Colton stopped and turned to Dean. “Dude! You perform sold out shows to thousands of people, almost every weekend. How is this making you nervous?” He waved his hand toward the course.
Dean shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve only been playing golf for about two months. I don’t want to embarrass myself on live TV.”
Colton sighed. “Okay, look, I did this tournament last year. Ninety-fice percent of the time, the cameras are on the PGA professionals. They rarely put the celebrities on camera, and when they do, it’s for a quick wave or a short interview, something trivial like that.
The celebrities get to come out, have fun, and get drunk.
” Colton smiled as he poked Dean in the center of his forehead.
“So get outta your head and let’s go grab a beer! ”
Dean rolled his eyes and smirked. “Fine. You had me at beer. Let’s go.”
A short while later, Colton prepared for his tee shot at the first par three hole. He lined up the shot, took a couple of practice swings, and approached the tee. He squared his shoulders and hips, took another look at the location of the pin, and took a giant swing.
The ball flew high in the air, landed on the green, took a slight bounce, and began rolling toward the hole. The crowd started cheering louder and louder as the ball crept closer to the hole. When it dropped inside, the crowd erupted with a roar.
HOLE IN ONE!
Colton threw his club into the air, arms up, and turned to Dean with a huge, beaming smile.
Dean screamed, ran out onto the tee, and grabbed Colton by the waist, lifting him off the ground. Overcome with the emotion of the moment, Dean kissed Colton on the cheek, dropped him back to the ground, and smacked both his shoulders. Colton gave him a huge hug and laughed in celebration.
Colton, still smiling, pulled away from Dean. “Alright, your shot. I’m counting on you. Don’t let me down, Devlin!”
Dean’s tee shot was not as dramatic, but he managed to score par for the hole.
Walking to the next tee, the adrenaline of Colton’s shot had worn off and Dean had begun to worry. He knew this was live TV, and he knew what just happened.
He turned to Colton. “Hey, Colton. I think I might have just fucked up.”
Colton gave him a confused look. “What do you mean? You scored par on that hole. You did fine.”
“No. I mean your ace. While we were celebrating, I kissed you on the cheek. I’m so sorry.”
Colton scrunched his eyebrows. “So what? There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
“I kissed you on the cheek, on live TV. You don’t think that might stir up a controversy?”
“No. Why the hell would that be a controversy?”
“Ugh. You know the media. I just don’t want to cause any trouble for you.” Dean couldn't bring himself to lift his eyes from the ground as they walked to the next hole.
Colton put his arm around him, right in front of a camera. “Look, I’ve got my arm around you right now, and we’re on TV. Do you think I give a fuck?”
He smiled at the camera, giving a peace sign as they walked past.
Dean sighed. “Okay. I sure hope you’re right. I’m sorry again.”
“Stop it! I’m glad you kissed my cheek. It was a celebration. Hell! If I scored an ace and you didn't kiss my cheek, I would be pissed!” Colton assured him, squeezing his shoulder.
Dean smiled. “Okay, fine! But I still have a bad feeling about this.”
“Shut up! What you should be worried about is the fact that I’m kicking your ass in this game.”
The next morning, Dean woke to a message from Colton.
Colton: DO NOT look at the news this morning!
Of course, that prompted Dean to immediately grab his phone, and check the news.
Dean: FUCK! I KNEW this would happen! I’m sorry Colton!
Just as Dean had feared, some news outlets —mostly ultra conservative and far-right— had published the story of Dean kissing Colton at the golf tournament, painting it in a less-than-pleasant light.
Someone had taken a screenshot of the video footage, obviously looking for the most unflattering image they could find, of Dean kissing Colton on the cheek, with Colton’s face slightly scrunched to give the indication that he wasn’t happy with the kiss.
Every article used the same image, accompanied by an array of salacious headlines…
"PGA PDA!"
"Hands off the MVP!"
"Desperate DJ paws Merrick"
"Unwelcome advances"
"Pathetic Puppy Love"
Dean especially hated that last headline. It hit a little too close to home.
Dean had never experienced so much hatred and vitriol in his life, all over a stupid celebratory kiss on the cheek!
His social media was inundated with nasty, hateful, homophobic comments and messages. Luckily, Dean’s fans were having none of it and immediately clapped back at the negativity, shutting it down.
Jordan received non-stop calls from news outlets, asking for interviews and comments.
And to add the perfect fucking cherry on top, of course Johnathan Bennett had to chime in about it whenever he was on TV or on his socials.
As with any celebrity scandal, Dean knew it would blow over as soon as the next big scandal took the spotlight.
But he needed it to happen sooner rather than later as he was concerned about Colton, and what the whole ordeal could mean for him.
The music industry was accepting and forgiving, but the NFL?
A large part of the fan base was ultra conservative, and bat-shit crazy!
As much as it hurt, he knew what needed to be done. He grabbed his phone…
Dean: Maybe we shouldn’t hang out for a while, until this blows over…for your sake.
No sooner than Dean had sent the message, and Colton was calling. He was not having it.
“Are you fucking kidding me? We're not letting some assholes win and you're not shutting me out!”
“I’m not shutting you out, Colton. I’m trying to protect you from this mess I created.”
Colton huffed into the phone. “You didn’t create this mess. Those fuckers in the media did.”
“Yes, but they did it because of my actions. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have been so careless.”
“You weren’t careless! We were celebrating and it was fun. I'll be damned if I let the media ruin it for us.”
Dean’s heart was racing. Why did this feel like a breakup? He struggled to keep his breath steady. He just needed to stay calm and talk Colton down off the ledge. He took a calming breath and continued…
“I’m getting nasty comments on my socials, on any photos with you. Jordan has been fielding calls all day from media outlets asking for statements. And you can’t tell me that you aren’t getting calls too.”
“Of course I’m getting calls. And there were reporters at the facility this morning. But it’s no big deal. Just ignore it.”
Dean sighed and went on, “Look, we can still talk or text every day. I just think we shouldn’t be seen together for a while. Maybe a month, until all this blows over.”
Dean heard something between a whimper and a growl from Colton.
“I can’t go a month without seeing you, man! Let's just hang out at the loft?”
“And what if someone follows you from the facility to my loft? And then the media will know where I live? That would be a real shitshow!”
Colton let out a long sigh.
“You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that”
“Look, neither of us wants this, but I think it’s the best way to handle this situation. A month will be over before you know it and we’ll be drinking beer and grilling by the pool again in no time. Deal?”
“Deal.” Colton sighed again.
After a day of reflection, a fitful sleep, and yes, a few tears, Dean posted a new video to his followers on Instagram.
“Hello, my Little Devils. You all know what’s happening, so I’m not going to go into any details but…
” Dean let out a huge sigh and did his best to ignore the dark, puffy bags under his eyes.
“I try to live my life as a positive person, and to make the world around me a better place. It’s no secret that the world can be a hateful, fucked up place, but we can all make an effort to make it better.
We can communicate with one another from a place of empathy and understanding, instead of from hate.
I’m using this recent unpleasant experience as inspiration for new music…
making lemonade out of lemons, you might say. ”
Dean reached down and placed a guitar around his neck.
“I wanted to take a quick minute to say thank you. Thank you to everyone that has defended me, come to my rescue, and clapped back at the haters that invaded my social media. Your love and support mean the world to me, and you outshine all the negativity coming at me right now. For that, I am eternally grateful.”
Dean positioned himself to play the guitar.
“I wanted to say thank you the best way I know how…by singing you a song”
Dean began strumming his guitar, singing the first verse and chorus of 'Imagine'.
He finished the song with a grateful smile to the camera.
“Thank you all. I love you.”
***
Colton
A couple days later, Colton walked into the media room for his weekly press conference.
The room was packed to the rafters with reporters and photographers.
He’d bet his entire salary that half those bozos didn’t know the first thing about him, his team, or the game of football.
They were only there for the latest juicy story.
He inhaled deeply, took a seat at the table, and leaned into the microphone. “Alright, let’s get started.”
Colton nodded at a reporter in the front row for their question, “Have you spoken to DJ DVLN since the golf tournament?”
Inwardly, Colton rolled his eyes. Here we go.
“Of course, he's one of my best friends. We speak almost every day.”
Colton nodded to another reporter.
“So, what happened at the golf tournament doesn’t bother you?”
Colton sighed and leaned into the microphone.
“This is all I’m going to say on the subject, so listen carefully.
” He swept the room with a leveling stare which he hoped delivered the message that he was supremely over this shit.
“As I said before, Dean, or DJ DVLN, is one of my best friends. I invited him to participate in the tournament with me. He played two amazing rounds of golf and raised an insane amount of money for the children’s hospital.
But I guess no one is really concerned with that particular fact.
I scored a hole in one, and Dean was incredibly excited and proud…
we both were. That's it.” Colton took a breath and remembered how great it felt when Dean hugged him after his ace.
“What you witnessed was a celebration between myself and my best friend. It's you, the media, who decided to turn that friendly celebration into something dirty and unseemly. And quite frankly, it’s nauseating. Now, because of you, my friend is being bullied on his own social media. Because of you, my friend is afraid to leave his home. And because of you, my friend feels we can’t be seen together, for fear of what might be said or written about it. ”
Colton took another deep, steadying breath.
“I’m going to ask you to make this right. Stop portraying Dean as some type of predator. He’s not. He’s the kindest, most trustworthy and loyal person I’ve ever met. And I’m proud to call him my friend. I hope you will all take my statement and clear up this terrible mess you’ve caused.”
Colton swept the room once more with a stern gaze. “Now, let's talk about football.”