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“Team.”
Team leaned forward and focused on the professor as aggressively as he could. Maybe, somehow, this time, if he ignored her, she’d go away.
Weirder things had happened. Those fish without eyes who lived at the bottom of the ocean for one.
“Teaaaaam. Psst, Team!”
Beside him, Pharm, the traitor, shook with laughter and kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He was probably just happy it wasn’t him that she was harassing for once.
He took it back. There was at least a biological explanation for the fish without eyes. Nothing in science could explain Manaow.
“What?” he hissed.
“Look at this,” she said and slid her phone onto his desk.
He glanced at the screen reluctantly. He’d barely known her for three weeks, but he’d already come to realize that with Manaow, that phone could have contained anything from a cute cat meme to some kind of weird porn.
Turned out it was worse than porn in the middle of class.
Team stared down in growing horror at a Facebook group dedicated to him with almost 200 members. The avatar was him pushing out of the pool during a swim practice, and it was just…posts upon posts of pictures of him.
Dimly, he could hear the professor end the class and people start to gather their belongings and clear out. But all he could do was keep scrolling. So many wet, shirtless pictures of him. Why? Why him? Wasn’t this kind of insanity saved for Dean and Win and Pruk? Why was he being dragged into this? He’d only been officially on the team for a week.
Pharm’s bright yellow backpack came up on his periphery, and then his friend was leaning over his shoulder to look.
“What is it?” he asked. Team wordlessly handed the phone over and sunk down in his chair.
“I figured this would happen eventually,” Pharm said.
“Why?” Team demanded.
“Because open swimming practices have started and everyone suddenly realized you’re hot,” Manaow said.
“How long has this been up?” Team asked.
“Mmm…two days,” Manaow answered.
“And there’s already 200 people on it?” Team cried. A thought occurred to him. “Manaow, are you the one who…?”
“Ew, no way,” Manaow said. “If I made a group about you, it would be called Annoying Chip Gremlin, not Baby Bao Team.”
“What’s it called?” Team shouted.
Pharm burst into laughter as he scrolled back to the top of the feed. “That really is the name of it!”
“Those are all basically the same picture of me posted over and over again,” Team complained. “Why are there so many of them?”
Manaow cackled and threw a heavy arm around Team’s shoulders. “Come on, Baby Bao. I’ll buy you lunch.”
Team stuffed chicken and rice into his mouth and chewed mutinously.
“Honestly, only you would be mad that people think you’re hot,” Manaow said, looking up from her compact where she was applying an extra layer of blush.
“It’s just so stupid,” Team grumbled. The truth was, the thought of all of that attention from so many girls made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. If they were anything like Manaow, they’d eat him alive.
“P’Dean!” Pharm shouted as his whole face lit up.
Team glanced over his shoulder. His heart raced when he saw Win, Pruk, and Dean walking towards him.
As much as he tried in the week since it happened, it was impossible to forget that Team was once on his back on Win’s bed. He had Win’s hand wrapped around his cock, his mouth sucking wet kisses down Team’s chest. He had Win wrapping Team’s leg over his shoulder, mindful of Team’s injured foot, as he pushed into Team for the first time.
The memory of that night still made his palms sweat from a combination of hot embarrassment and lingering arousal.
He hadn’t told Win it was his first time, but it was clear that Win had figured it out by the slow, patient way he’d opened Team up and made sure that everything felt so, so fucking good the whole time.
Team had been half-afraid that Win would tell the whole swimming team what happened, but so far, he hadn’t said a word. Team realized that his first impression of Win being a hard ass and a jerk weren’t right. However he’d misinterpreted him before, there was no mistaking the care he’d taken with Team that night.
After a brief and stilted conversation the next morning, Win had followed Team’s lead and didn’t mention it again. Well, not with his words anyway. His knowing looks and cocked eyebrows said enough to fill a book though.
“Move over, Baby Bao,” Win said when they got to the table, winking at Manaow when she giggled.
Team groaned and tipped his head back in anguish. “Sit on the other side,” he sneered and stuck his tongue out at Win.
Win ignored him and pushed his shoulder until he could make a space for himself beside Team.
“So you saw the group too?” Manaow asked.
“I was waiting for it to happen,” Win answered. He took a drink from his bottle of soda and wiggled those stupidly expressive eyebrows at Team. He could probably give whole Ted Talks just with those things.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Team grumbled.
Manaow said, “Team doesn’t understand how hot he is.”
“Oi!” Team shouted.
Win smirked. “Believe me, I know.”
“Oi!” Team said again, slamming his hands over his burning hot ears.
Manaow leaned forward until she was practically on their side of the table, clearly sensing gossip. “What do you mean by that?”
“Both of you, shut up!” Team demanded.
“Nong Team?”
Team’s head whipped around to see a student he remembered as being one of the seniors who helped him at registration weeks ago.
“P’, hello. Do you need something?” he said, not quite sure what her name was, or if he’d ever gotten it in the first place.
“I wanted to say good job on making the swim team. I saw your race to qualify. You were really impressive.”
“Ah,” Team said, at a loss. “Thank you, P’.”
“Apple,” she told him gently.
“Right. P’Apple. Thank you,” Team said.
“And I wanted to give you this to congratulate you.” She took her hand out from behind her back and placed a gift bag on the table.
“Oh, um…” Team stared at the bag, almost afraid to touch it. “You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to,” she said. “And I was wondering if we could get dinner some time.”
Team felt his stomach drop, his anxiety churning as he looked at her hopeful expression. Behind him, he could feel the interested stares of his friends watching the whole exchange. He refused to even glance at Win.
“P’Apple,” he began and winced when her face dropped at his tone. “I’m sorry, P’. It’s just…” He took a deep breath and spared a quick look behind him before admitting, “I don’t…like girls…that way.”
Apple went shocked for a second before her expression evened out and she gave him a small smile. “I see. Sorry to bother you.”
“It’s not a bother!” Team rushed to reassure her. He pushed the bag towards the end of the table. “Here you can…”
“No, it was a gift because you made the team,” she said, nudging it back. “Keep it.”
“Ok, P’. Sorry again,” he added miserably. She walked away and Team laid his arms out on the table in front of him and pressed his cheek to the cold metal, moaning.
“Poor Team, so popular,” Manaow said, patting his hand in mock consolation. “At least that explains why you’re afraid of girls.”
Team’s head popped up and he glared. “I’m not afraid of girls.”
“Sure you’re not,” she said. “What did she get you?” She grabbed the bag and peeked inside. “Ohhh, chocolate.”
“You can have it,” he told her.
“Yay!” she cried, unwrapping the treat. She took a bite and then held a hand over her mouth to talk as she chewed. “If it makes you feel better, you’ll probably be getting attention from guys too.”
“Why would that make me feel better?” Team asked. He could feel his anxiety spiking at the thought of more awkward interactions like that one.
“Because you like boys? I’d love to have some hot guy chasing after me,” she said wistfully. At the end of the table, Pruk seemed to choke on a bite of food.
He waved away their concern and gasped, “I’m fine” as he took a drink from his fruit soda.
“Unless you don’t like girls or boys?” Manaow said, looking away from Pruk when he got himself under control.
“Leave him alone,” Pharm admonished.
Team froze when Win shifted beside him, somehow moving even closer to him. His arm wrapped low around Team’s waist and his knee bumped against Team’s.
Embarrassingly, Team felt some of his anxiety melt away at the reassuring touch. He subtly leaned more of his weight against Win’s side without acknowledging the gesture, and bit the corner of his lip when he felt Win’s fingers slip under his untucked school shirt to rub circles over his waist.
“Sorry, Team,” Manaow said, sounding contrite.
“It’s ok,” Team said. He took a breath and continued, “I like boys. Only boys.”
Win gave his side a comforting squeeze, and Team couldn’t stop himself from putting his hand on Win’s thigh under the table.
“It’s always the hot ones,” Manaow said sadly.
“I’m not gay,” Pruk said, his voice nearly a shout. When the table’s attention turned to him once again, he pushed his glasses further up his nose and added, “If it matters. To anyone.”
Dean snorted and asked, “Are we done talking about this now?”
“Yes,” Team said.
“Please,” Pruk added.
Later, as Team and Win walked back to their dorm, Win shot Team a sly look.
“So, about you liking guys…”
“Shut up, Hia.”