***

“Man, it’s good to be back, right?” Dex stretched and yawned, making a display of his body and drawing the attention of at least half the female population present.

Maddox snorted. “What’s with you? Didn’t you get your beauty sleep?”

“I partied with my buddies back home until late. Then I drove here.”

That was Dex for you, of course. Party animal down to the last bone in his body. 

“You’re not going to start telling over the summer stories like we’re in third grade, right?” Rusty intervened. “I’m more interested in the bountiful future, aka the fresh meat.”

“Aren’t you tired of hooking up with all the newbies?” Kane questioned.

Unlike the rest of them who played the field, Kane was the only one in a serious relationship. What was more admirable, he and his girlfriend didn’t attend the same college, and they still made it work despite the distance. Maddox expected Kane to tie the knot and invite them to a big-ass wedding soon after senior year. But there was still time for them to party freely since junior year was just starting. 

“Hey, they want me,” Rusty said. “And I never say ‘no’ to a lady.”

“Yeah, you’re the perfect gentleman,” Kane commented. “There are also a few fresh off the boat transfers. Are you interested in them, too?”

“To our year? Yeah, I’m interested, as long as they’re hot,” Rusty replied.

Maddox let his eyes travel over the packed cafeteria in search, just as Rusty, of new faces. Or better said, new butts, since he was known far and wide as a total ass man. Just as he was eyeing a petite brunette packed in all the right places, something else entered his line of vision. Or better said, someone, a guy standing in line. It had to be one of the transfer students Kane was talking about because nothing in the way he carried himself said he was a freshman. Maddox examined the stranger’s profile with interest. He was dressed in sandy chinos and a light pink polo shirt. The clothes looked great on him, like they had been tailored, not bought off the rack. Complete with the oxfords on his feet, his outfit screamed conservative and old money. When the guy put his hands into his pockets, the chinos stretched over a fine piece of tail. Even as a straight guy, Maddox couldn’t help but notice when dudes had nice asses. This one topped many, tight and perky, and filling up those pants just about right.

The next thing Maddox noticed was that the guy was tall. Maddox didn’t consider himself short at his six point two, but this guy looked a bit taller than that. Among the other students, he was easy to spot. Maybe it was because of his impeccable clothes or his impeccable hairdo. His wavy light brown hair was styled in a preppy side-part, and he looked like someone who went through great pains to look that perfect. As he turned his head, Maddox also had the chance to examine a classic profile with a straight nose and high cheekbones. His face would have been considered a bit too harsh, but it was well balanced by a sensual mouth. Not that Maddox usually thought of guys in terms like that, but this one was a stunner, like movie star level. A movie star from the 1950s, mind you, but one nonetheless. 

“Who’s that?” He pointed with his lollipop at the guy. 

“Who? The petite brunette? I call dibs, bro,” Rusty said promptly. 

“Why would you call dibs so early in the day? I barely woke up,” Maddox protested. “I didn’t mean her. Him.” He pointed again.

“Wow, who’s Mr. President-in-the-making?” Rusty said. 

“Must be one of the transfer students,” Kane piped in. “Dude’s a looker. You guys should watch out, or the girls might forget entirely about you and line up for him.”

Rusty snorted. “Yeah, like who’s into this preppy look nowadays? I bet he’s boring like hell. Girls won’t make any sort of line for him, don’t worry, unless they want to hook up with a grandpa.”

“Someone’s jealous already,” Kane said with a chuckle.

Rusty ran one hand through his tousled hair, suddenly aware of how he might look compared to the guy they were gossiping about. “Me? Jealous? Nah, no way. Well, if he dares to be more popular than me with the ladies, I’ll challenge him to a duel or some shit.”

“Like a rap battle?” Kane asked.

“No, I’ll just have him play ball against me. We’ll see then who’s the tough guy.”

“Dude’s pretty tall. What if he beats you with your own weapons?” Kane raised a philosophical question right away. “Then he’ll really get all the girls and humiliate you in the process, too.”

“I wouldn’t worry if I were you,” Dex finally intervened in the conversation. Their giant friend got any girl he wanted without even trying, and that made him pretty chill. Rusty was the one with a bone to pick all the time, and Maddox simply didn’t care. If a chick digged any of his friends, he was hands-off.

Still, Dex’s comment made him curious. “Why shouldn’t we worry? Dude’s got class,” he said. “Chicks dig that.”

“Yeah, but he’s gay,” Dex said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Rusty exclaimed, a bit too loud. “Guys, just explain to me how this red-blooded, 100% straight mofo, can tell such a thing just by looking at a dude.”

“It may be that his folks passed the gaydar on to him,” Kane said promptly. “Like a family heirloom.”

That kind of banter was totally allowed in their tight-knit group. Dex had two awesome dads who had raised him since they had adopted him at the age of five. Although young enough not to recall in too great detail the pain of having been abandoned by his biological parents, Dex had a few scars of his own, which Maddox understood and respected. He also knew that Dex adored his dads, and they were his number one fans, too. 

“No way he’s gay,” Rusty insisted, while Maddox now stared at the guy’s perfect ass with renewed interest. With an ass like that, he had to be a bottom, even if, otherwise, there was something domineering and even slightly intimidating in how he kept himself. It had to be because of his height, or broad shoulders, or something like that. At least vers or else having that kind of ass was an injustice to all. “Dex, you gotta tell us how you know.”

Dex pointed with his soda can. “Do you see the petite brunette you’ve all been calling dibs on? For the last five minutes, while you kept flapping your traps, she’s been trying to get his attention. All she got from him were a few words. Not once has the dude checked out her rack. And I mean, look at that rack. He only looked at her face while talking.”

“So maybe he’s not into boobs,” Rusty protested. “Or like Kane, already got his ball and chain.”

“Shut up, dude. I have a girlfriend, not a life sentence. And I can tell that girl is pretty. Quite curvaceous and filled up in all the right places,” Kane added. “It’s not like I’m blind.”

Dex shrugged. “You guys don’t have to believe me. But dude’s also got ass. My educated guess is that he’s into dudes, and I stand by it.”

So Maddox wasn’t the only one to notice the guy’s perfect behind. 

Rusty angled his head and took a long, thoughtful look at the new student. “If I were gay, I’d totally hit that.”

“You’d hit on a grandma while helping her cross the street,” Kane shot at him, probably still salty over Rusty’s teasing from earlier.

“Yeah, if I were into old people. But I’m not,” Rusty replied, utterly unfazed by Kane’s remark. “I was just saying if I were gay. Come on, now that I know that he’s not into chicks, I can confirm that he’s like a gay guy’s wet dream with all that junk inside his trunk.”

“You’re all a bunch of pervs, commenting on a guy’s ass like that,” Dex said with a large grin. “Seeing how none of you is gay.”

Rusty bristled at that. “Hey, you brought it up. But do we have a name for Mr. Presidential Candidate slash Perfect Ass?”

Maddox surprised them by getting to his feet. “I’ll go and find out.”

He didn’t wait for the others to comment on his sudden decision. After all, he was easygoing and always made friends the fastest of them all. Finding the new student’s name was a piece of cake. Why he was so interested in finding it out, he couldn’t say.

“Hey, do you think you could let me cut in line? My friends are really thirsty and impatient like three-year-olds,” he asked the petite brunette who flashed a much-interested smile at him the moment he started talking.

“Sure,” she replied and allowed him to step in front of her.

“Thanks, gorgeous,” he replied and winked at her.

She smiled and bit her lower lip and seemed about to say something, but he forgot all about her the moment he took a closer look at the guy—Yeap, definitely taller than him by an inch or so. Amber eyes stared at him for a moment and then started moving away, seemingly bored. 

“Hey, it looks like you’re new here. I’m Maddox.” He offered his hand.

The amber eyes rested on him and the perfectly arched eyebrows above them knitted into a frown. “And I’m not interested.”

Maddox remained unmoved for a second. Say what? “Interested in what?” he asked with a snort.

“Whatever it is you’re selling.” The guy had the nerve to look away from him. “A soda and a glass of water, please,” he told the girl behind the register. “Tap water. Yes.”

Maddox could feel his fingers itching for grabbing the guy by the front of his polo shirt and asking him what the hell his problem was. Instead, he settled for a low rumble under his breath.

The guy snapped at him. “Did you just growl at me?” The girl at the register handed him the soda and the glass of water. “What a jerk,” he threw over his shoulder as he moved away.

“Stuck up prick,” Maddox called after him, too dumbfounded for a smarter comeback than that.

The guy didn’t even turn to look at him. Maddox shook his head in disbelief and stormed back to his table.

“Didn’t you want something?” The girl who had let him cut in line shouted after him.

“Another time,” Maddox replied quickly.

He plopped into his seat and let out a loud exhale. 

“What the hell happened over there?” Kane asked. 

“I officially hate that dude’s guts, whoever he is,” Maddox offered promptly. “He’s an arrogant asshole,” he added, as all his friends were staring at him, waiting for him to elaborate on that.

“So, you didn’t get his name?” Rusty asked.

Maddox looked at him like he was growing another head.

“What about the girl’s?” Rusty asked again, unfazed by his glare. 

“What girl?” Maddox bristled with annoyance. 

Rusty grinned. “Totally calling dibs, man.”

Maddox stuffed the lollipop back into his mouth. His day was fucking ruined. Amber eyes slash sexy ass could go fuck himself.

***

“O.M.G. Did Maddox just talk to you?”

Jonathan placed the soda can in front of Ray while congratulating himself for having a steady hand despite the knots in his stomach. The guy had to have gorgeous gray eyes fringed by dark eyelashes and a smile that could make panties drop at a moment’s notice. Could he be more ridiculously attractive? On top of everything, he had just needed to sneak up on him like that, taking him completely by surprise. 

“No, not really,” he replied stiffly. 

“Come on, I saw it,” Ray insisted. “He wanted to introduce himself, right?”

“He basically growled at me. No wonder people call him a mad dog.”

“Mad Dawg,” Ray said. 

“Whatever.”

“What happened? That was a pretty intense moment there.”

“I, well, I thought he was trying to push some drugs on me. I might have said something to that extent,” Jonathan settled for the truth.

“O.M.G., why did you say that? I told you the rumors weren’t confirmed.”

Jonathan shook his head. What was he getting so worked up about? “It was a knee jerk reaction, what can I say? The guy looks like a drug dealer. And he growled at me,” he added. “I’m sorry, Ray, but I don’t think we’re going to hang out anytime soon with Mad Dawg,” he emphasized the moniker, “and his merry men.”

“What of him makes you think of a drug dealer?” Ray asked, still flabbergasted, apparently, over what had happened. “Man, that moment looked like insta-hate from here,” he concluded. “But it doesn’t matter. I’d rather just hang out with you, anyway.”

“Insta-hate? I’d say that’s a bit too much,” Jonathan said.

“Nope. I think you got yourself an enemy.” Ray made a small move with his chin in Maddox’s direction.

Jonathan risked a glance. Yeah, the guy looked very much pissed, munching on his lollipop, a deep frown etched between his eyebrows. And he stared at him, with murder written all over his handsome face.

The only thing to do was groan in exasperation. While he didn’t need to be friends with a mad dog, the idea to have made an enemy so quickly was annoying, to say the least.

TBC