Running with Lions

by Julian Winters

“Those boys are ruthless. Thank the heavens we stopped having children after you, because now I have three sons when I only asked for one.”

“High school is just like the night sky. It’s beautiful. Some moments, you’re just in awe of it. But it’s dark and endless, which can be scary, too. When the stars fall away, what’s left?”

“Oh, I love that boy!” she cheers. Then, in a careful voice, she says, “I always thought it was such a shame you two stopped seeing each other when you were younger.”

Sebastian’s against having a Taylor Swift oh-my-god moment. He scrubs the back of his hand over his eyes and sits taller. “You think so?”

“I love you, Bastian, and I truly love that boy too. Get your act together, because when I visit you in New York, I expect him to sit right next to me at all of your games.”

“Is this a pregame pep talk?” Zach asks. He slants his eyes at Cole. “You need some advice from our new star sweeper on how to tighten up your shitty defense?” Cole scowls. “You’re going down, Keating.” “Hmm, those fighting words or are you flirting?”

“For a school full of preppy assholes, you’re sure concerned with my team’s sex lives.” Zach’s posturing is at an all-time high. “Want in on the action?”

And that’s the thing, life is sometimes just another day, and sometimes it’s moment after moment after moment that only paralyzes you if you let it.

“I’ve applied for a scholarship, and my parents have found some good deals on apartments,” Emir says. “The Village?”

The future is only grim because people see it that way. It’s unpredictable. Life is a summer storm of insecure thoughts. There’s an umbrella of precautions to prevent insecurity, but it doesn’t always keep the rain out of your face.