Chapter 31
NOAH
Ace was telling the truth when he said that the team weren’t terrible at skating. It quickly became apparent that despite a couple of them being a little rusty or wobbly, it’d take very little effort to get them up to scratch. None of them were total beginners, which helped a lot.
Torin and Z actually turned out to be the best, while Augie was the worst, but even his balance was fantastic, so he progressed quickly.
Xavier kept trying to talk to me about something, but I was making a damn sport out of avoiding him to the point I could sense it was pissing him off. Oh, well, tough shit, he could go cry about it to his catfish girlfriend for a hundred bucks per message.
Logically, I knew I wasn’t being fair because he had no idea what he was doing was so very wrong, but logic didn’t control my emotions, and every time I was in Xavier’s vicinity all I could see in my head was the way he’d blown his load while watching me sucking dick. And he didn’t even know it was me.
Unfortunately, Xavier was more stubborn than I gave him credit for, and on the day of the charity challenge, he cornered me as we got out of the vans at the skate park.
“We need to talk, Little Dude,” he announced, grabbing my elbow and pulling me away from the rest of the group before I could protest too loudly.
“Why have you been avoiding me all week? Is this about the comments on Camp Beaver? I don’t control my fans any more than you do, so if you’re pissed at me for the shit they’re saying then—-”
“What? No, I don’t give a fuck what your fans think of me, Godzilla.
” I jerked my arm free of his grip and he let go, glancing over to where we’d left our team.
There were dozens of people already milling around, setting up tents for food and drink, donations, photobooths…
not to mention the number of camera crews prepping their equipment for a full day of filming.
Xavier scowled, folding his arms over his chest. “Then what the hell? Are you being weird because you saw my dick? It’s not a big deal, bro.”
I scoffed, unable to help myself. “I know. I saw.” Total lie, it was huge.
Xavier’s scowl darkened further. “Ha ha, hilarious. Look, I don’t know what your damage is, but Ace was supposed to talk to you about the fan comments and shit. He wanted us to do the fake flirty crap again to get maximum Cliks for today’s challenge.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s news to me.” But it also didn’t shock me that Ace hadn’t asked, given the Peaches shit and Xavier’s obsession. It seriously made me wonder just how much money he’d paid Rich for some subpar dirty talk and stolen porn clips.
“Clearly,” Xavier grunted. “So are you in or what? I’d honestly rather eat worms, but winning this challenge is important to Olympus Corp, so it’s important to me. And should be to you, too. All the fans want are a few crumbs to feed the shipping frenzy.”
I shrugged, understanding the PR appeal of it all after seeing how opinionated the Noah--Xavier shippers had been online all week.
In fairness, despite how casual and low--key Minho and I had tried to keep things at the camp, there was no denying the way we’d looked at one another in the footage from the day after we’d fucked. Whoops.
At least fans hadn’t caught on to me and Torin having a genuine thing going on, even when he was caught grabbing my ass on several occasions.
Fans seemed to dismiss it as legitimate dude affection.
Torin, as far as the fans were concerned, was in a relationship with August, and they would not be happy if I broke them up.
“Sure, whatever, I don’t care,” I agreed, sweeping a hand through my hair and adopting my very best indifferent expression. Xavier didn’t need to know about the actual pain he’d caused me this week; it was none of his damn business.
He squinted at me like I was fucking with him. “Okay… What’s the catch?”
I scoffed. “No catch, dickhead. You may not believe it, but I do actually want us to win this competition. If that means playing up a little innocent fan service for the Novier shippers, then so be it. Just make sure you don’t actually fall for me, Godzilla; I’m a very good actor.”
He grunted, shaking his head. “You’re not that good.”
“So what are you scared of then?” I taunted, hating the fact I needed to tip my head so far back to hold eye contact with him. Dude really was built like Godzilla.
His scowl deepened. “I’m not scared of anything, you little brat. Just play along, and I’ll ask Ace if we can get bubble tea on the way home.”
That was cute, and I didn’t expect it from him, so my smile was genuine for a moment. Then I remembered who I was talking to, and the mental image of his explosive ejaculation hit me. I winced and shook my head.
“Sure, whatever.” I started to walk back to the entry gate for the skate park where Ace and Torin hovered, watching us with worried expressions, and I tried to muster up a reassuring smile for their sake.
Xavier quickly caught up, draping his arm over my shoulders, and I gritted my teeth against the desire to shrug him off.
I’d just talked a big game about being able to handle a little innocent fake flirtation; I couldn’t back down now.
So I casually looped my arm around his waist and tucked my thumb through his belt loop so I wasn’t actually touching him too intimately. Just enough.
Ace and Torin stared like we’d just whipped out a disco ball and started twerking in the middle of the street, but a moment later Ace scrubbed a hand over his face and turned to speak quietly with Torin. Explaining the bullshit, no doubt.
Once we got inside, Xavier dropped his arm away and gave me some breathing space while the producers introduced us to the charity coordinators and we got started with our day of activities.
There were thirty--odd kids participating in the program, and ClikByte aside, it was a good cause.
It wasn’t hard to forget we were filming and just focus on the kids.
Some of them just wanted to learn to skate and pop some little tricks, which was fun. Some of them weren’t that interested in skating at all and had come to ask life advice. Some just seemed to be there because it was a better alternative to being at home, and that broke my heart.
Throughout the day, I obliged Xavier with some very innocent flirtation and casual touches, but it was when my shoelace came untied that I got a real giggle out of the whole thing.
“Xavi, can you help me out?” I called out to him, shaking my foot with the loose laces.
I had been in the process of helping balance a little girl on her skateboard, so had both her hands in mine, giving me a valid excuse to ask for help.
Sure, I could have just had her hop off the skateboard and tied it myself, but where was the fun in that?
Godzilla glared for a split second before catching himself and sauntering over to assist, dropping to his knees and taking my foot in his lap to tie the lace in a double knot.
His helmet had an action camera on it, so I knew perfectly well what I was doing when I smiled and winked.
“Good boy, Xavi,” I teased. “Thanks for that.” Then I turned away and continued guiding my little student across the smooth concrete while asking her what her favorite type of dog was because her T--shirt was covered in pugs.
“Is he your boyfriend?” the little girl asked with wide--eyed innocence, ignoring my dog question entirely.
My brows shot up. “Him?” I jerked my head back toward where Xavier had just dusted off his jeans. “No, we’re just friends.”
She pursed her lips like she didn’t believe me. “I think he likes you.”
I laughed, appreciating the fact that Xavier was a better actor than I gave him credit for. “Okay, let’s concentrate. You ready to try going down this little ramp now?”
Thankfully, the little girl was happy to learn and didn’t make any more comments on my relationship with the guys, so I was able to simply focus on coaching her for a while.
At some point in the afternoon, I ducked into the little rec room to grab a bottle of water from the vending machine and spotted a familiar pair of sneakers dangling over the end of the sofa.
“Tor?” I asked softly, just in case he was napping, but he poked his head up over the back of the couch with a grin.
“Hey, Short Stack,” he replied, holding an ice pack to his head. “Did you come to kiss me better?”
I laughed, cracking open my water to take a sip as I glanced around to check if we were actually alone. I’d taken my helmet off outside, so I wasn’t wearing a camera right now, and a quick nudge with my foot pushed the door closed before I circled around the sofa that Tor lay on.
“What happened to you, Torasaurus?” I asked with a smile, leaning down to lift the ice off his head and check the damage. There was a little swelling and bruising coming up, but nothing life--threatening.
He pouted as I gently touched his bump. “I forgot to put my helmet on and tried to show off.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “At least you’re honest about it.”
He grabbed me around the waist, pulling me down onto the sofa with him as I laughed. “I honestly hate how flirty you and Xavier are being today. It’s making me want to sabotage his skateboard just to watch him eat concrete.”
“Good to know,” I murmured, straddling him as I cupped his face between my hands. “We could get caught. This is probably a silly idea.”
“You love silly ideas, Short Stack,” he replied with a lazy grin as I bent down to kiss him. His hands cupped my ass through the baggy cargo pants I wore, squeezing my cheeks like he was fighting the urge to rip the pants straight off me.
I hummed my agreement as I kissed him lazily, teasing at his lips with mine then tugging his lower lip between my teeth. He seemed totally content to lie back and let me have my way with him, groaning a little when I rocked my hips against his hardening dick.
We were almost certain to get caught if we let things go any further, and there were so many people around that it could easily be a producer or staff member or even one of the kids. It was a foolish idea, but I couldn’t seem to pry myself away.
Torin seemed to think the same as our kisses heated up and he took control, flipping us over to pin me down with his body as his tongue delved into my mouth and his hand slipped inside my pants.
I gasped at the bold move but quickly helped out by loosening my button fly and rocking my hips up to meet his touch.
“Fuck, Noah,” he whispered against my lips as his fingers explored a little more, undoubtedly discovering how turned on I already was from just a few sneaky kisses. “This is dangerous. I love it.”
I chuckled, then moaned as his fingers pressed into me. This really was dangerous, and we were seriously on borrowed time, but I still didn’t stop him.
Unfortunately, the universe decided to punish us, and the door burst open a moment later, making both of us freeze.
I’d only known Tor was on the sofa because I recognized his shoes, but I was more than small enough I didn’t hang over either end of the couch, so maybe if we stayed very quiet and very still…
Torin clearly had the same idea, laying a finger over his lips and holding my gaze with wide eyes.
“Did you hear about that girl that went missing from Hyper Crew last week?” someone asked while inserting coins into the vending machine.
“Yeah, the annoying chick that was always complaining about shit? Derek said she was one of the most entitled bitches he’s ever had the displeasure of working for.” The second person scoffed, and I realized these must be ClikByte staff. Maybe film crew or producers?
The vending machine clunked as a drink was dispensed and the first speaker laughed. “Right, her. Anyway I heard a rumor that they actually found her a few days ago, but they’re not telling anyone. Her team doesn’t even know.”
“Oh yeah? Let me guess, they found her having some scandalous affair with another team? Typical influencer behavior.” The second speaker sounded like a jealous asshole.
“Uh, no. They found her body a few days ago. She was shot and left under an overpass. The homeless people living there were the ones who reported it because of the smell.”
I held my breath to fight the urge to gasp, staring up at Torin in horror. He looked equally worried, giving me a tiny headshake and glancing down as he stealthily pulled his feet onto the couch so we wouldn’t be seen.
“Holy shit, seriously?” the second guy grunted as the vending machine dispensed another drink. “Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving diva. You reckon there’s some crazy out there targeting these influencers, then?”
The first guy scoffed. “Imagine that. ClikByte execs would be having a damn field day. Imagine the ratings if there was a legit serial killer targeting the Games.”
The two of them laughed and joked about it as they exited the room once more, leaving me and Tor alone with the looming sense of dread that maybe they were closer to the truth than any of us would like.
Emma was dead. That made her the third ClikByter to be killed since the Games started, and we were only on the second challenge.
“Holy shit,” Tor whispered, peeking over the back of the sofa to confirm we were definitely alone before helping me up. “We should tell Ace.”
“Definitely,” I agreed. Ace would know what to do, but all I could think about was what Augie had said last week about only girls being targeted. Was that true? Or was this all just a series of unrelated accidents and coincidences?
I really, really hoped it was the latter.