SOUL

he saves her from older guy

October 23rd, 2014

The day had started like any other—school, breakfast, the usual routine—but something had been gnawing at Leo ever since he woke up. It was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, a sense of unease he couldn't quite place. He tried to ignore it, shaking it off as just another bad mood after the loss at the game. But the feeling lingered, like a shadow he couldn't escape.

He was standing by his locker when Greg approached him, slapping him on the back with his usual carefree grin. "Yo, you wanna hit up a party tonight? Heard Jacob's throwing one. Should be pretty wild."

Leo shrugged, still distracted by that persistent feeling in his gut. "I don't know, man. I was thinking about checking out this band at the park."

Greg raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "A band? Since when do you listen to live music?"

Leo shrugged again, trying to make it sound casual even though he had no idea why the park event had been on his mind all day. "My dad mentioned it at breakfast. Said there's this indie band playing. I don't know, it sounded kinda cool. Figured it might be better than getting wasted like every other weekend."

Greg chuckled, shaking his head. "Indie? Really, dude? Never pegged you for that kind of scene."

"Yeah, well," Leo muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just want a break from the usual, you know?"

Greg looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright, whatever you say. I guess a change of pace could be good. Sure, let's check it out."

Leo nodded, though he couldn't shake the strange feeling in his chest. Something about the band in the park had stuck with him ever since his mom mentioned it. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of going had been lingering in his mind all day.

Later that evening, Leo stood in front of the mirror, pulling on a fitted black shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He ran a hand over his buzz cut, smoothing it out before grabbing his favorite Jordans and heading out the door. The sun was beginning to set, casting the sky in shades of pink and orange as he picked up Greg and their friends and drove them to the park.

The park was already buzzing with people when they arrived, the stage set up near the center with the band prepping for the performance. Leo parked the car and helped his friends find a spot near the front. While they spread out on the grass, Leo volunteered to get drinks from one of the nearby vendors.

As he stood in line, waiting for the sodas, he caught a glimpse of something—or rather, someone—out of the corner of his eye. Mary.

She was standing off to the side, talking to an older guy, a beer in her hand that she clearly didn't buy herself. Leo narrowed his eyes as he recognized the guy—Lane Benton. He'd graduated when they were freshmen and had a reputation for being a bit of a creep. Leo felt his gut tighten with unease as he watched Lane lean in closer to Mary, making her laugh in that light, carefree way she rarely ever did.

The sight of it made something cold settle in Leo's chest. She wasn't old enough to drink, and Lane wasn't the kind of guy who just offered drinks out of the goodness of his heart. Something about the whole scene felt wrong.

Leo grabbed the drinks and made his way back to his friends, but he couldn't take his eyes off Mary and Lane. He barely noticed Gina approaching him until she snatched one of the drinks out of his hand.

"Leo, what's taking so long?" Gina asked, glancing over at him. "We've been waiting forever."

Leo nodded toward where Mary and Lane were standing. "See that guy over there with Mary? That's Lane Benton. I don't like how he's acting around her."