The Baseball Team:
We know the basketball team is at practice. That makes this the perfect time for revenge. How dare they steal our trophy. Even though two of them brought it back and apologized, the damage had been done. We have our pride. What would it say about us as a team, as a sport, and as men to not seek payback.
What we know is that breaking in in the dark during an evening practice is way safer than in broad daylight during tomorrow afternoon’s game. Beyond that, we have not thought this through. We have no real plan. We don’t even know how to break in. Will a credit card pop a locked door open like in an old movie? Should we smash through the front window? And once we’re in, what do we take? Since they suck so bad, they have no trophies. We are clueless idiots, but we’ll have to figure something out. As we mount the front steps to the basketball house, one of us has the brilliant idea to try the door knob and we’re shocked to find it unlocked. Who are the idiots now?
We barge in, knowing the house is empty because practice just started. We’re inside for all of ten seconds before we realize why all the lights are on and the door was unlocked: the house is NOT empty. Someone is home.
There is a boy sound asleep on the couch with his face buried in a text book that has become a pillow. His eyes are peacefully closed and we can hear faint music leaking through his headphones. He doesn’t see us and he can’t hear us. He looks peaceful.
We all talk in urgent whispers:
What do we do now?
We leave.
No. The dude is out cold. He’ll never even know we were here.
But we don’t even know what we’re taking and now we don’t have as much time as we thought.
Who is this guy?
He’s definitely not on the team. He’s too little. He’d just get knocked around.
Maybe he’s the little brother of one of the guys and he’s here for a weekend visit.
No. He’s a student. I had him in a biology class last year. I think his name is Enzo.
Why’s he here?
No idea.
Well, he seems to be welcome here. We don’t know what to take, right? Maybe we just take him.
What do you mean?
We take him. They stole our trophy. Maybe this little dude is like their mascot or something. Maybe he’s important to them. Let’s take him.
Like, kidnapping?
We’re not gonna murder him and dump his body in the middle of the football field or anything. We’re just gonna borrow him. A long weekend sleepover. We’ll return him in time for his Monday classes.
What are we gonna do with him all weekend?
He won’t want to stay. We’ll have to make him stay.
This is sounding like a lot of work.
Sometimes work can be fun. He’ll be at our mercy. We can do whatever we want with him.
With no plan and no other obvious alternatives, the six of us nod in agreement. Enzo is about to become our playmate for the weekend. One of the guys grabs the kid’s sneaker by the toe and jiggles. Nothing happens. The way he’s lying on his stomach, there is a small patch of olive toned skin visible between the bottom of his hoodie and the waistband of his sweatpants. One of the guys pokes at the exposed tender spot with his finger. That does the trick. Enzo jumps about a foot straight up before crashing back down.
The dude is super ticklish.
Good. Now we know how we’ll keep him occupied and us entertained all weekend. Laughter is the key to a long and healthy life. This little guy is about to laugh his ass off for two straight days. And so are we.
Enzo’s eyes are open now and they bulge out when he realizes that he has uninvited company. He pulls off his headphones, surveys the six burly athletes that surround him and he says nothing.
You’re coming with us.
Owen:
Practice is over. None of us ever expect Enzo to cook dinner for us on practice nights, but he always does. I saw him prepping enchiladas this afternoon and right now, my stomach growls in anticipation. Wyatt and I are out of the showers before the others, sitting by our lockers getting dressed.
Wyatt scooches next to me, “You really should tell him how you feel.” He pulls on his left sock.
“What are you talking about?”
He contemplates his bare right foot, but lets it dangle in the air for a moment. “Come on, Owen. It’s me. You can talk to me. Hell, you can probably talk to any of us. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who sees what’s going on here.”
“I still don’t get it.”
Wyatt sighs, “It’s only a matter of time before someone else sees what you see, but unlike you, is brave enough to do something about it.”
“You need to stop talking in riddles.”
“Owen, you are totally in love with Enzo and it’s time you tell him.”
“He’s my best friend. Of course I love him.”
Wyatt shakes his head, “You two are much more than best friends. You’re always there for each other. Okay. Let’s try something. I want you to imagine that you are stuck in an elevator for six hours. You can pick anyone. Who do you want to be stuck in there with you?”
Enzo, of course. But I say nothing.
“You’re going on the trip of a lifetime – Paris, Rome, wherever you want. It’s an all-expenses-paid trip for two. Who do you bring?”
My mouth opens but no words come out.
He continues, “If you got bad news, who do you want to hug you? If you got great news, who do you want to hug you? Who is the first person you want to see in the morning when you wake up?”
“We share a bedroom.”
“And you’re not sick of him. Sometimes I want to punch Cooper in the face.”
I laugh. If Cooper were my roommate, I would too.
“Let’s try this. Close your eyes.”
I do as I’m told.
“Imagine It was Enzo and not Ray who left school to not return.”
I literally feel a little jab in my heart.
“Keep your eyes closed. Someone is kissing you. Whose lips are on yours? Who do you want to own those lips?”
Enzo. I swallow hard, “You think I’m suddenly in love with my best friend?”
“No. I think you’ve ben falling in love with your best friend for more than two years now. You told me about how you two met. How he introduced himself and pretended to be as lost in statistics as you were. I think you felt a flutter in your heart that very first moment and it’s been growing into something bigger ever since.”
I blink at him.
“But here’s the thing, Owen. Enzo is here at school full-time now. While you’re busy doing nothing about how you feel, someone else is going to come along, see all the things you see and fall in love with him for all the same reasons.”
“What things?”
“How he shows up at all of his best friend’s games and cheers him on. How he makes delicious food from his heart and shares it with the people closest to him. How he helped you in statistics while never making you feel ashamed. How his head lands on your shoulder when he falls asleep on the couch. How he never complains about being the only normal guy in a house full of apes. How he is always cold when it is not cold where he is. How he smiles every time you walk in the room and it makes you blush.”
I nod. It’s all true. I tell Wyatt, “I might be bisexual.”
“Maybe,” He grins. “You’re definitely Enzo-sexual. And you need to tell him. It’s probably pretty unlikely that someone else hasn’t already fallen in love with Enzo for all the same reasons you have. Hell, if I’m honest, I think I have. Basically from the first day you introduced him to me.”