Why they run, p.7
Why They Run, page 7
“What’s this?” Jason asked, meeting his mother’s eyes.
“Just in case you need to get food, or a souvenir or something,” she explained. “I want to know you’ll have something with you if you need it.”
Jason took it gratefully and put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “I’ll be alright, you know that, right?”
Mrs. Everett sighed. “I know. Just be careful. And make sure Marcus stays out of trouble. I don’t wanna know what shit that kid’s gonna pull if he’s unsupervised.”
Jason laughed. “I will, don’t worry. Take care of yourself, Mom. I don’t want you to worry about me; I can hold my own,” Jason stated.
Mrs. Everett wrapped her arms around Jason, her head now only reaching his shoulders. “You’re getting tall, you know that?”
Jason grinned. “I know it. I love you, Mom.”
Mrs. Everett breathed in sharply. “I love you too. Now go get Marcus before he blows your phone up,” she said, chuckling, and Jason noticed that his ringer had been going off almost nonstop for their whole conversation.
“I will,” he said. He stepped out of the house and grabbed his keys on the way out. “Call me if anything comes up, OK?” he said to her. She just nodded, and he stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
It was still pitch black outside, with the tiniest sliver of sunlight threatening to peek out from behind the trees. Jason yawned, as if suddenly aware that it was only a couple of hours ago that he had gone to bed. He hopped in his car and started to Marcus’s house to grab his things. He lived only five minutes away, but when they were younger, they joked about moving in next to each other. Sleepovers every night, and Nintendo every morning. Now he’s having sleepovers with his girlfriend, Jason thought. He smiled at the thought of Marcus finding the one, even if this wasn’t the case. He loved seeing his best friend happy like this, even if he was the third wheel for a while.
It was all worth it to see the glow coming from Marcus whenever he talked about Meghan. He pulled up to Marcus’s driveway, slamming the door shut behind the parked car. He took the key from under the doormat, where it always was and unlocked the door. As he pushed the tall oak doors open, a voice called out from the kitchen. “Marcus? Is that you?”
It was Mrs. Levine, Marcus’s mom. “No, Mrs. Levine, it’s Jason. I’m just picking up his stuff before we head to the airport,” he explained, stepping into the kitchen to greet her. She was short, about 5’2” and was sporting a floral bathrobe, with a matching bonnet tied around her head. She was holding a coffee pot in one hand, and as she strode toward Jason, he could see the bubbling anger in her eyes. “Where the hell did Marcus go last night? I swear if he was out with that girl, I’ll—”
“No, no, he stayed at my place last night, he just wanted to sleep in, so I told him I’d get his bag for him,” Jason quickly lied, already preparing to scold Marcus about not telling his mom earlier.
“Oh, well, good. His stuff is in his room, sorry about how dirty it is, but you know him.” She laughed and pulled Jason in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Jason. You keep my boy outta trouble, you hear?”
Jason reciprocated the hug and laughed. “I will, don’t worry. But we gotta let him have a little fun sometimes, right?”
Mrs. Levine laughed. “Right, because that’s how teenage boys get into medical school. Fun,” she reasoned and moved to the counter to pour a cup of coffee.
Jason headed to the back of the hall, where Marcus’s room was. It had navy blue walls, with a twin bed in the middle. There was a white desk to one side, and on the other wall was a collection of shelves, each holding trophies and medals from his track career. Jason felt a twinge of sadness. Marcus had worked so hard all these years to get to varsity track, and now that he was here, he went and sprained his knee. He picked up one of the silver trophies, turning it over. On the back, it read, 2019 men’s 400-meter champion, Marcus Levine. Jason reminisced. He remembered that meet, Jason himself won second, but he couldn’t care less. Not when his best friend just won his heat and qualified for finals. Jason himself had qualified the previous week, but he had silently prayed every night that Marcus would, too. It wouldn’t have been the same without him. Now he would have to finish the season without his best friend by his side. That stung.
However, Jason knew that Marcus would still support him. He reached for the small black suitcase on the floor, as well as a small black fanny pack.
“The hell is this?” Jason laughed to himself. He grabbed it anyway and started out the door, but was quickly stopped by Mrs. Levine.
“Heading out, Jason?” she asked sweetly.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ve got all his stuff. I’ll tell him to call you once we land.”
Mrs. Levine smiled. “You’re too sweet. And thank you for keeping him in line. He wouldn’t be where he is now without your influence. You’re good for him, Jason.” She smiled and squeezed his shoulder.
“I’m not sure I’d be either,” Jason chuckled lightly.
“Now you go have a good time,” she instructed.
“We will, thanks again, Mrs. Levine!” Jason called out, already walking out to his car.
“I’ve told you, boy, just call me Jane,” she replied.
“Sure, Mrs. Levine.” Jason stepped into his car and slowly pulled out of the driveway. Jane rolled her eyes and waved from the doorway, before turning and shutting the door behind her, her floral robe swirled behind her as she did.
“God damn it, Marcus.” He groaned, driving to Meghan’s house to pick him up. It’s bad enough that he had to lie to Jane, but having to pick him up from her house? Jason just hoped it didn’t get awkward. The drive was short, only a couple of miles away from where Marcus lived, but with how slow the sun was rising, it felt like years before he pulled up at the familiar orange -tinted driveway. He didn’t even have to get out of the car, before Marcus stepped out of the door, followed by Meghan, who. . . What? Gave him a kiss? She stepped back inside, and Marcus started for the car, grinning at Jason like a madman the entire time.
“Meghan doesn’t need a ride?” he asked, raising his brows and tilting his head a little in a look that said ‘I refuse to be your personal taxi.’
“Nah, her mom wanted to take her to say goodbye,” Marcus explained. Then he gave Jason a nudge at the look on his face.
“Oh, shove off,” he said, waving his hand.
Jason put the car in reverse, backing out of the driveway, and entered directions to the airport in his Google Maps. “So…anything I should know about?” Jason asked, and he could hardly hold in his laughter.
“Yeah, um, we watched Netflix, and I gave her the earrings, which she loved, and we just sort of…clicked,” he explained, folding his arms behind his head and kicking his feet up on the dashboard.
“Get your nasty ass feet off the dashboard, and give me more details. I did not just lie to your mom about you staying at Meghan’s just for you to tell me it was ‘good,’” Jason lectured, giving Marcus a glare.
“Fine, we kissed. And it was. . . intense,” Marcus admitted, flushing deeply.
“Oh.” That was all Jason could think to say. He knew they had gotten closer, and especially after sleeping over, they were bound to kiss eventually. Jason just wasn’t expecting it. “That’s amazing, man. I mean, was it amazing? Or am I getting the wrong message here?”
“No, it was pretty damn amazing. Everything about her is just perfect. And she knows it too.” Marcus laughed.
“She’s hot, that’s for sure. You scored on that, Marcus,” Jason admitted.
“She’s beautiful,” Marcus corrected.
“I’m happy for you, really. You found your other half,” Jason said, smiling. He remembered learning about Greek mythology in history class. About the Myth of the missing half. It was believed that humans were first created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. The humans were then divided in half, and it is said that they would spend the rest of their lives searching for their other half. Their soulmate.
Jason thought about what Meghan and Marcus would look like as an Androgynous. Then he cursed himself mentally for ever daring to think about that. But if Marcus did just find his second half, Jason couldn’t help but be a little jealous. He thought about his second half, if it was out there somewhere. What was she doing right now? Painting? Writing? Playing a sport, or maybe she’s in a different time zone and is still asleep. Jason lost himself in the idea that his second half was out there somewhere, trying to find him, too. Instead, he decided to let the light shine on Marcus, who was currently trying to find himself in the mix of friendship and love.
“It’s all gonna work out. You’ll take her out to dinner or something in D.C., treat her right, and she’s gonna love you. You’re more lovable than you think you are,” Jason insisted, and he smiled when he saw a flash of confidence across Marcus’s face.
“Thanks, man. Now we just gotta get you a girlfriend,” he joked.
Jason sighed. “It’ll happen when the time is right,” Jason philosophized.
“Or in other words, ‘I can’t get a girlfriend.’” Marcus nudged his shoulder. “I’m kidding. It’ll happen. Just give it time, and while you wait, enjoy life.”
Jason sighed, turning his head. “Your lip OK?” Marcus asked, noticing a small red cut on Jason’s lip from earlier.
“Fine,” he replied, a little more snappily than he intended.
Marcus smiled sadly and put a hand on his shoulder. Jason leaned into the touch. It was a touch he trusted. Warm and welcoming. He smiled softly, then yawned.
“Why does our flight have to be so damn early?” Jason groaned.
“Not a morning person, huh?” Marcus laughed.
“You know I’m not.” Instead of putting in the effort to stay awake through conversation, he turned on the radio and cranked the volume high. He loved music. It didn’t matter what genre or what time of day. The beats and the lyrics always managed to bring Jason to another world. Jason queued something he thought fit the mood, figuring Marcus wouldn’t notice. Marcus noticed and immediately shot him a lazy glance.
“Now you’re just patronizing me.” ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison blared from the car’s stereo as Marcus rolled down his window, allowing air to flow in the car like a tornado. It was like a dream. Jason was sure the minimal time he’d spent on his hair that morning was all for nothing now, with the way the wind was blowing it around, but he didn’t care. Right now, there was just him and Marcus, the wind, and the music. His father, miles and miles behind him. His future is miles ahead. They cranked it up louder as they pulled into the airport’s parking lot, and continued singing in the car even after they parked, making sure they had time to finish the song.
“And you’re my brown-eyed girl.” Jason leaned back in the seat, plopping his feet up on the dashboard and squeezing his eyes shut as he mouthed every word.
Marcus let out an exasperated laugh, folding over until his head hit the dash. He was positively glowing. Jason smiled. “Always the right song for the right time. You might be like a DJ reincarnate,” Marcus mused.
“Or a Bach or a Mozart, or a Beethoven or something, right?” Jason prompted.
“You think you could be a Beethoven? What makes you even remotely close to Beethoven? He composed symphonies without being able to hear,” Marcus argued, his brows drawing together as he no doubt pictured a younger Beethoven plinking away at keys that produced no noise.
“I feel like I could do it.”
“How could you even say that?”
“Well, for starters, I can hear. So one step ahead.”
“He was an icon, Jason, a historical figure!”
“The only reason I’m not a historical figure is because I’m not dead yet. Quit giving Beethoven a lead.” Jason smiled to himself at Marcus’s discomfort. He knew he could never be a Beethoven; hell, he listened to his music while he studied. But he loved to make Marcus squirm.
He laughed, pushing up out of his seat. The pair made their way to the security check-in to find the rest of their group. It wasn’t a huge margin outside of the track team, but enough —about 20 people, including Jason and Marcus. Meghan, Zoe, Scarlett, Adam, Ben, Logan, Beau, and the rest of the others that Jason recognized from their history and English classes, but never bothered getting to know.
“Settle down, everyone. I know we’re all excited, but let’s keep composed, shall we?” Mr. McApherry instructed. “Now let’s get into pairs of three, who you’ll sit with on the plane. Every seat will be full, so please don’t argue too much about where you end up,” he addressed. People shuffled their feet. “That means move, people!” Coach Allen bellowed from where he stood behind them. Students began shuffling into pairs. The track kids laughed a little at the other kids’ terrified faces. The only Coach Allen they knew was a strict, demanding teacher who didn’t give second chances. Jason wondered how they would’ve reacted if they knew that the whole track team had set up a Tinder account for him, and were currently trying to help him find love. He didn’t protest, which made it even funnier.
“Where do you wanna sit?” Jason asked Marcus, who was eyeing Meghan out of his peripheral vision. “I’m with Zoe; she’s scared of flying,” Meghan explained. Marcus leaned over to Jason’s ear. But he didn’t have to say anything. Jason knew.
“It’s OK, you go with her,” he said. Marcus looked at him gratefully and moved to where Zoe and Meghan were talking. From the looks of it, Meghan was thrilled when he asked, based on the way she threw her arms around him. Jason was less than thrilled, however, as pairs moved to their respective areas, slowly draining out.
“Hey Jason, wanna go with me?” Logan asked, stepping forward. Jason was a good friend of Logan. Not like Marcus, but still, they’d known each other for a good few years. He had ginger hair, but he dyed it brown once, so it was more of a muted strawberry brown. His eyes were so blue that it was almost scary when he looked at you. He wasn’t pudgy, but his frame was less defined and more muted. He wore a black athletic tee that hugged his form and black sweatpants. He stifled a yawn.
“Sounds great. Who else do we need three to a row?” Jason asked, openly. From across the airport, he spotted Meghan and Zoe, linking arms with Marcus, and arguing with Scarlett about something. Jason could tell by her body language that Scarlett was not happy about what they were telling her. She threw her arms up in the air in protest before dramatically stalking away, and turning towards.
Oh no. Hell to the no.
“Hey, Logan, is it cool if I sit with you guys? My friend wants to sit with her boyfriend, and I’m officially the third wheel now, so. . . ” Scarlett trailed off, staring at the floor.
Oh, knock it off, Jason thought. It was all an act, he could tell. Logan, however, was not the brightest and obviously wasn’t picking up on the social cues because he seemed ecstatic at the idea. “Yeah, sure. We needed one more person anyway, so that checks out,” he agreed.
“No, actually, I was about to ask um. . . Ben if he wanted to sit with us. He doesn’t have a group, so I think that would be better,” Jason quickly interjected, hoping he could save the situation.
“That’s nice of you, Jason, but I actually do have a group,” Ben called out from a few groups over. Jason palmed his face and groaned.
“Thanks, Ben,” he grumbled sarcastically.
“No problem,” Ben jived cheerfully. Jason lifted his head to reveal Scarlett glaring down at him.
“Listen, I’m just as upset about this as you are, but I’m fine with choosing Meghan’s happiness over my own. So please just pull yourself together, stop acting like a little bitch and sit on the stupid plane,” Scarlett hissed through gritted teeth.
“Rude, but fine. At least you said please,” Jason relented, slightly shocked at her forwardness. Logan slithered in between the two and draped an arm around either of them.
“This is gonna be great,” he cheered, like a positive ray of sun.
Scarlett scoffed and pushed his hand off of her shoulder, but Jason couldn’t help but smile a little.
10
SCARLETT
An hour later, Scarlett sat in the window seat of a freezing plane. Seriously, I couldn’t have remembered to bring a jacket? At least she got the seat she wanted. Looking out the window always eased a little bit of the anxiety she felt when flying. She couldn’t help it. Zoe was scared of flying too, but it was worse for Zoe, so Scarlett took the knife’s sharp end and sat with someone she hated, just to make her happy. But that wouldn’t stop her from doing it again. Even if she had to endure something that wasn’t great, she would do it if it meant her friends wouldn’t have to. So she sat next to one person she truly hated, so her best friend could sit by someone she truly loved.
Sometimes she just wished someone would think about her needs like that, too. That someone would willingly prioritize her. It wasn’t all bad, though. Logan was there, too, but he’d never been much of a conversation starter; instead lingering on the aisle seat, his nose already buried in his computer.
“Just catching up on homework,” he’d say, though Scarlett wasn’t sure what classes he was taking, to constantly have that much missing work.
Jason sat in the middle, sandwiched between them, and while they each had a good amount of room, Scarlett couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad for his unfortunate seating. At least she had the pretty view of the ocean beneath her as they flew from the California coast to the capital of the world. She decided that between reading and watching movies, she could pass the time fairly well. The plane jolted and Scarlett tightened her grip on the arm rest without realizing. The pilot announced takeoff, and as the plane sped up on the runway, so did Scarlett’s heart. Her knees bounced up and down rapidly as she tried to calm the panic that squeezed her heart. Her hands hurt from how hard she gripped the arm rests, but she didn’t care. Not at a time like this. Jason seemed to be watching the takeoff happen with a pleased expression, but that quickly turned to confusion, and then concern as he noticed Scarlett visibly picking at her nails, and shaking like a newborn lamb.
