Running From Lions

Alex took a deep breath and walked towards the plain white double door. He stood on the door step for a few seconds, looking around at the neighbourhood. Children were playing on the street, watching for cars passing. Older ladies were out tending their gardens. The sun was shining; it was a normal summer day in Baltimore, Maryland.
Blinking twice, Alex took a step forward and knocked on the front door to the Victorian mansion he stood infront of. The door swung open suddenly and there stood a certain Jack Barakat – Alex’s best friend.
“Hey man!” Jack exclaimed, pulling Alex in for a hug. “Glad to see you! Everyone’s out back!”
“…Everyone?” Alex said slowly looking into Jack’s brown eyes. “You mean…”
“Yes, she’s here. Sorry but she was kind of on the original invite list. Just because you two have had a bit of a…”
“Falling out.” Alex interrupted emotionlessly.
“Yes, that” Jack continued. “Just because you two have had a falling out doesn’t mean you can’t stand to be in the same room.” Jack offered his best friend a smile. Alex just shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his black ripped skinny jeans.
“I dunno.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Things are different now. She’s changed.”
“Alex.” Jack said placing his two hands on the younger boys shoulders. “Man, bro, dude, please just deal with it this once? Look, you can sleep over tonight and we can bitch about her all you like.”
This brought a smile to Alex’s face. He nodded slowly and walked through the door.
“Shoes?” He asked.
“Won’t need them.” Jack smiled. Alex kicked off his bright green vans in the front entrance way. The boys make their way through the hallway and into the kitchen. Bowls of chips and snacks were set out on the counter top, along with a couple of beers and sodas sitting in a cooler on the floor.
“Help yourself man” Jack said, disappearing through the screen doors that led to his backyard.
Alex grabbed himself a beer from the cooler “Gotta love underage drinking” He chuckled to himself. He made his way outside to find his friends sitting around on the pool deck in Jack’s yard.

“Alex!” a familiar voice came from the crowd. He spotted one of his good friends Zack stand up and greet him with open arms. A smile immediately appeared on Alex’s face
‘thank god’ he thought to himself ‘its been so long since I’ve hung out with these guys. This is what I need.’
“Where have you been buddy!?” Zack said, he brought Alex into a tight hug.
“gaaaAAAAAaaayyyYY” Jack called from the edge of the pool, where he sat laughing and splashing the girls of the group. They giggled and squealed, appreciating the attention from the attractive young man.
“shut up faggot!” Zack growled. “I just fucking missed Alex okay!?”
“Yeah, yeah” Rian joined Zack at his side. “We all did!” He shined his pearly whites towards Alex. “How have you been buddy?”
A small smile appeared on Alex’s face. He was finally remembering what it was like to be at home again, with his friends and his family. This Is where he belonged.
“Good.” He smiled and nodded, taking a sip of his beer that he had already cracked open.
Rian continued to smile “Awesome, well we’ve got a lot to catch up on! How was the trip anyways!?” The boys walked over to the side of the pool where a few lounge chairs were set up.
“Tell us all about L.A.” Zack said, with sparkles in his eyes.
“You are both such homosexuals” Jack chimed in, overhearing the conversation.
“Fuck you man.” Rian said raising his middle finger at Jack who was still sitting on the pools edge. Jack just stuck his tongue out and continued to tease the ladies who were splashing around in the water.
“… why the fuck are they here anyways?” Alex said, raising his eye brows. “I mean obviously I know… her reason.” he nodded towards the skinny brunette in the water with narrow eyes. “But why Maria and Stella?” He sighed heavily dropping his head into his hands. He shook his hair out and looked up at Rian with questioning eyes.
Rian just laughed. “Well,” He rolled his eyes “Maria and Stella have pretty much been following Tay around all summer since they found out that she would be deciding who makes the cheer team when school starts up again.” He laughed “I swear, those girls are made of plastic.” Zack laughed and nodded his head.
“Oh god.” Alex groaned. “I forgot, senior year starts in two weeks. Where has the time gone!? I feel like its been months since I’ve seen you guys.” He looked up at the sun for a second “where does the time go...”
“Well it’s been a month” Rian said “To be exact, anyways.”
“dude! Los Angeles! Tell us!” Zach encouraged.
“WERE THERE ANY HOT BABES?” Jack yelled from the pool. Somehow he had been dragged in by the three ladies, and was now treading water from the deep end.
“JACK. IF YOU WANNA TALK YOU CAN COME HERE. SERIOUSLY.” Zack called angrily.
“You’re just a jealous asshole!” Jack said. He plunged under the surface of the water and came up with a huge smile on his face. “Hey Stella, might wanna check those strings on your bikini” He winked. The blonde girl screamed and splashed Jack in the face, all while wearing a huge smile painted in red lipstick.
Alex rolled his eyes. “Same old Jack” He said.

He thought back to when he first met his best friend. They had been put into the same class in grade eight. Alex was the new boy in the school and he sat down at an empty desk beside Jack. Within the first few seconds Jack had leaned over and whispered to him “psst. If you ever drop a pencil, ask Miss. Andrews to pick it up for you. She always wears low jeans, you can see her thong!” The boys laughed over this for hours and took turns throwing pencils around the room. By the end of the day they had earned themselves two weeks of detention and a friendship that would last a lifetime.

Alex smiled watching his best friend in the water. He inhaled deeply and exhaled with a heavy sigh. “L.A,” he said “was awesome. Guys, I’ll take you there one day. It’s so hard to describe though and I was thinking of taking a dip to cool off? It that cool?”
“Yeah, yeah” Rian said “go ahead!” He smiled at his friend. Zack just nodded and smiled.

Alex walked into his best friend’s house to change into a pair of Jack’s borrowed swim shorts. He made his way up the stairs, passing photos of himself as a little boy. Over the years the Barakat household had become his second home. Jack was the only son in his family, so they had cherished Alex as if he was their own. Photos of Jack and Alex playing various sports were set on the walls in the stairwell. Alex just smiled while passing by. He entered the familiar bedroom and pulled open the dresser drawer.

“Hey babe.” A smooth subtle voice came from behind him. Alex gasped and turned around.
“Oh. You” He shrugged and narrowed his eyes. “Could you leave? Your presence isn’t needed.”
Tay prodded towards Alex and laid her right hand on his chest. “Oh but my presence is always needed.” She raised her eye brows and pursed her bright pink lips forward. “Didn’t you miss me baby?”
Alex just grimaced “Fuck no. Tay, I left because of you. Do you seriously think that I wanted to come back and see you? No. Just fuck off will you?” He took a step back and turned away from her. “I need to change, could you leave?” Taylor put her hand on her hip.
“Nothing I haven’t fucking seen Alexander.” She pouted. “I don’t understand you. One second you want me and the next you hate my guts. I saw the way you were looking at me in the pool. You know you want me!” Tears were almost escaping her big brown eyes.
“No Tay, if anything I was looking at you, wondering how fucking disgusting someone could possibly get. How skanky, how…dare I say… slutty?” he laughed at his last comment. “Yup” he agreed with himself “Definitely slutty.” Tay looked at him with narrow eyes.
“Excuse me?” She spat.
“Tay, you’re standing in front of me wearing a fucking bikini and four inch heels.”
Tay looked down at herself and back at Alex. He eyes narrowed and she turned on her heel. “fucking whatever.” She said. He could hear her swearing as she stomped down the stairs.

Alex laughed while he changed into his swimwear. Him and Tay hadn’t always been that way, he remembered a time where he would go out of his way to impress her, writing her songs and singing about her smile. He had never loved a girl quite the way that he loved Tay Jardine. December 13th, the day before Alex’s 18th birthday, had been a nightmare. He woke up to find that Tay had cheated on him with a boy who was going to university. On that day, Alex vowed never to fall in love again. Girls were a waste of time. Especially girls like Tay.

He made his way down the stairs and out the door with ease.
“Alleeexx!!” Jack called from the pool. “Coming for a swim!?” Alex laughed and ran towards the water. In a quick motion he plunged towards the surface and into the deep depths of the pool. He emerged gasping for air.
“That’s more like it” He smiled at his best friend. “Hey, where did the girls go?” He laughed.
Jack snorted, “Tay came down here in a fuzzle, I don’t suppose you had anything to do with it? Well she was right fucking pissed, so she stormed off. Stella and Maria of course followed.”
Alex laughed while treading water. “Cool.” He said. “So tell me Jack, any girls this summer?” His best friend blushed slightly and dunked his head underwater.
“OOOHH, not getting away from me fucker!” Alex said. He swam on top of his best friend and tried to play-drown him under the waves.
“You….Ass….hole….mother….fucking…..alex!!!” Jack said while choking on water. He escaped Alex’s grip and swam for safety. “No fucking girls” He said grumbling. “Nadda. Not a single babe has come by to see the Jack master.”
“The what master?” Zack choked, emerging from the house with a can of soda in hand. Rian soon followed, he had a cell phone pressed against his ear and was talking into it with a huge grin on his face.
“Cassadee” Zack whispered with a wink.
Alex and Jack climbed out of the pool and into the lounge chairs. The sun beamed down on them.
“Maybe there will be some transfers this year” Alex mumbled to himself.
“Like you even care man, you don’t believe in love.” Jack turned his head to face his best friend.
“Yeah but I mean, for you.”
“I just want babes” Jack closed his eyes and smiled “mmmmm. Girls.” He sighed.
“Well, I wish you the best of luck” Alex laughed. Zack tossed the boys a beer and joined them on the loungers.
“Rian get over here!” Alex chirped. Rian looked over at the boys in the sun and talked into his phone,
“Gotta go babe, love you, say hi to the band. Yes. Yes. Nope! LOVE YOU SO MUCH BEAUTIFUL.” He sighed heavily and pressed the “end” button.

The boys sat in a circle, Alex raised his drink and called out:
“To home” He smiled
“To home!” Rian and Zack repeated.
“To my faggot best friend,” Jack snorted. “Being home, missed you bro.” They all clinked their bottles together and drank.
Little did they know, this was the beginning of the craziest year of their lives.