Page 80 of Running With Lions

Sebastian leans on Emir as Willie continues with another story.

“—and then, like Charlie Brown going to kick a football, the douchebag misses a free kick. It was epic.” Willie’s doubled over, wheezing as he talks. “Hewent flying but the ball didn’t move.”

Sebastian never gets tired hearing about Mason’s first game, especially not the way Willie tells it.

“Didn’t Coach bench you?” Grey asks.

“Twice!” Willie howls. “I don’t know why Coach kept putting him back in.”

Mason says, smugly, “He knew I was an all-star even back then.”

“Or,” Willie drags out the ‘r’ as he elbows Mason’s side, “we had three players out with mono thanks to the lovely Cara Beckman.”

Sebastian and Mason both make a face. Cara Beckman was a junior cheerleader with excessively teased hair and a thing for athletes. She tried flirting with Sebastian a few times, something he found amusing.

It’s sticky-warm. Mason flicks sweaty dark locks out of his eyes. He says, barely annoyed, “Okay, enough of that, William.”

Willie’s face is scandalized. “Uncool, Riley.”

The moon is out. A fistful of stars accompanies it, but there’s hardly enough light for Sebastian to truly enjoy Emir’s face as he laughs. He likes the crow’s feet around Emir’s eyes. Dark stubble makes the pink of his mouth stand out.

“Um,staring,” Emir whispers. His tongue has a dollop of ice cream on it when he sticks it out at Sebastian.

“Sorry.”

Emir says, “I didn’t say I had a problem with it,” and Sebastian sags with—he doesn’t know. He still hasn’t figured it out. They’re friends, from what he can tell, but there’s also more. Possibly. Sebastianwantsmore.

Sam made the first move on him. Sam told him she was his girlfriend. Sam said, “I love you” first, words she didn’t mean. Sam broke up with him. First by text and then in person. His reference points when it comes to dating are pretty messed up, so he’s not sure how to approach discussing this with Emir.

Now isn’t the time, though. Not with Emir amused at something Willie’s animatedly explaining, laughing at Mason’s jokes, or putting a hand over Grey’s knee. This is Emir, as himself. Sebastian’s scared of ruining that.

He waits for his moment to direct Emir’s attention toward him. It happens when his friends talk college, a conversation Sebastian’s avoiding like bird flu. Sebastian scoops up a spoonful of ice cream and knocks his knee against Emir’s. When Emir looks at him, Sebastian holds out the spoon. Emir smiles slowly.

“Hey,” Sebastian says, softly, as he feeds Emir, “They like you.”

Emir mashes ice cream around with his tongue. “How can you tell?”

“I justcan.”

It’s a good enough reason. He scoops more ice cream. Humming and nodding, Emir pops his mouth open. Sebastian has better reasons, like how Mason hasn’t once been unnecessarily snarky with Emir, or how Willie’s yapping like there’s a fire sale on all their top-priority secrets, but he’s enjoying the glow that radiates from Emir.

Acceptance has an amazing effect on people who pretend they don’t need it.

Emir says, “They’re pretty cool.”

“Yeah?”

Emir shrugs, then nods.

“Oh shit, Shah, did you ever hear about the time our boy Hughes was so nervous dancing with this girl that he blew chunks all over her dress, at herbirthday party?”

Correction: Sebastian’s friends are the worst.

23

Sebastian is sprawled on hisback, in bed, tossing a soccer ball in the air, then catching it. It’s their last Sunday at camp, but he’s been spaced out since dinner. Something about a good meal and a heap of anxiety puts him under. Only a week of camp remains, then school starts in two weeks. Sebastian isn’t ready for camp to end.

He’s not ready to face his future, whatever that looks like.

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