Sacrifices

Those Simple Days

Running. Feet pounding against the roads, across the sidewalks. Muscles pumping, moving as fast as possible. Curly hair blew in the nice warm wind. Skinny arms moving in jerked movements. Intense eyes focused farther down the path. The sun shining down on tan skin. 

    Lungs running out of air quickly. Movements slowing down without permission. He could see his goal slipping out of his skinny fingers. The feeling of becoming desperate grew like an ember being fanned to become a flame.

    He couldn’t let this happen. He couldn’t stop running. Not now. He was already so far away from the horrible orphanage. He was only a mile away until the police’s search borders would end. He was so close, yet so far away. Leo pushed himself, trying to send any left over adrenaline into his veins. 

    Everything stopped when Leo bumped into someone. The force threw the scrawny boy down onto the ground, while it left the blond to just become rather shocked.

    “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” The blond claimed, already extending a hand out to the Latino to help Leo up. 

    Instead of accepting the hand, Leo just looked at the blond in awe. He had a tiny scar on the left side of his lip, just barely visible. He had very muscular arms, along with close cropped hair and electrifying bright blue eyes. 

    Blood rushed to Leo’s cheeks as he accepted the stranger’s hand, being pulled up by said man. Leo doubted the other could see his blush, due to his rather tan skin that he loved having for that exact reason, so he had no reason to cover his face like other people. 

    “Oh, um, sorry about bumping into you like that. It was my fault.” Leo scratched the back of his head, awkwardly, letting his fake humor lace with his words.

    “Don’t worry about it. Name’s Jason.” The blonde- Jason- offered his hand again to Leo, though this time to shake it. Leo took it.

    “Leo.” The Latino answered, inwardly screaming. The smile on his face felt more genuine. He hadn’t felt like this in a while now. 

    “So, Leo,” Jason tested the name out, and Leo could feel his knees starting to buckle, “what were you running away from?”

    The smile on Leo’s face threatened to fall, but he pushed it to stay the way it was. Afterall, he can’t let Jason know the truth, can he? Then he’d probably leave Leo. And Leo really didn’t want that to happen.

    “Uh, my little brother, Harley, was chasing me down the street. He’s a really slow runner, but he tries.” Leo lied through his teeth, thinking about Harley back at the orphanage home. How disappointed he would be if he found out Leo ran away. It hurt his heart a little. 

    “I see. Well, should I take you back to your house then?” Jason asked, his little smile that melted Leo’s heart growing slightly.

    “No!” Leo practically shouted, panic and fear swirling deep in his bones. He couldn’t let Jason take him back to the orphanage. Couldn’t let the pretty blond see he lied straight to his face. But at the look of shock written on the other’s face, he felt guilt creep up on him. “I mean, my dad is really self-conscious about our house. He doesn’t like visitors.” 

    Leo was mentally kicking himself about digging a deeper hole for himself, while another part was encouraging it, telling him it’s all for the better. Leaving Jason in the dark is for the best. 

    Jason scanned Leo warily, partially suspicious, but ended up accepting the lie. “Okay, then. I’ll let you chase down your brother. I’ll see you around, Leo.”