86. Black Leopard

“Good thing I didn’t know you were watching.” I sit down next to Poe.

“You won the race. You were awesome.”

“Yeah, but I would’ve probably tripped if I’d seen you.”

“Shocked that I’m at a sporting event?”

“Shocked that you’re at mine.”

She smiles. “You beat those guys pretty bad.”

“Coach says I set a new school record.”

Poe looks up at me and beams. “That’s amazing. Congratulations.”

I shrug as if this is the sort of thing I do every day.

“You don’t seem happy.”

“I was happy running. Now I’m just exhausted.”

The track meet is still going on down below the stands.

“A record. Now you’re a jock, huh? And I obviously don’t hang around with jocks.”

I laugh. “Why’d you bolt this afternoon when I saw you?”

She glances out to the football field below with those eyes so heavy and so full. Poe is sorta like a beautiful animal, like a bobcat or a leopard.

A black leopard, so sleek with those eyes, but also always ready to snap or bite back.

“It’s no big deal,” Poe says.

“Nobody was around, so I don’t know why you had to—”

“Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“Just shut up, okay? I’m watching the meet.”

I give her a look that says you gotta be kidding me, but she doesn’t look back. I take a sip of bottled water and then look down below too. I’m too tired for any kind of drama this afternoon.

The sky is beautiful with pockets of clouds and an endless blue that I wish I could sail away on.

“Guys are pretty stupid,” Poe says, surprising me.

“What?”

“Just hush, okay?”

“I thought that’s what I was doing.”

Then the black leopard moves over and kisses me on the cheek.