The Boy I Love

Stable

I go to Leo's match with my friends, still trying to decipher my earlier line of thinking. Am I attracted to Leo? Already? I mean, yes, usually I'll hook up with a guy I find attractive after knowing him for about ten minutes. But that's when I can see their face, when they're not my roommate at a wrestling tournament during which I may or may not have to wrestle said roommate. All of which seems to make this seem like it might not be the best idea ever. But it's not a choice, obviously. The only thing I can really do about it is try to become close enough friends with him that the other feelings go away.

Yes, I know, that's not the usual line of thinking (the usual line of thinking being: avoid the attractive person and be a jerk until attraction disappears). But I've never really seen that line of thinking be effective. Usually it just leads to pining, which is not something I've ever had to experience and doesn't sound like something I would want to. So I'm shooting to be friends. Friends with Leo.

Vick elbows me. "Tyler. They're about to start."

I look up, and sure enough, Leo is in the centre of the ring, facing off against a guy who's a little bigger than him. They shake hands, and the match starts.

They take a couple swipes at each other before the other guy lunges at Leo. He dances away, then jumps on top of the other guy, giving him the lead in points. The other guy manages to reverse their positions, but Leo escapes.

This kind of thing goes on for a few minutes: Leo managing to somehow get away every time. As the match drags on, the other guy seems to get gradually more frustrated and takes on a more aggressive approach. He takes Leo to the ground with him a few seconds later, but Leo twists out of his grip and shoves the other guy to the ground. The guy, in his frustration and probably exhaustion at this point, lets his shoulders touch the floor by accident, and the whistle blows.

Wow.

I can kind of get where my friends were coming from, now. It's kind of mind-boggling that Leo managed to avoid getting pinned that many times. And that he didn't lose by points- in fact, he's ahead. There are so many ways that the match seemed to have almost ended, but Leo avoided each one every time. I don't think my friends' paranoia of him is valid (at all), but I can see why they think he's good.

"That was nothing. You should have seen the guy he took on before. The dude was probably as big as he possibly could have been to be in our weight division," Nick tells me. Jack nods to confirm this fact.

"I mean, he's good, but I still think you guys are overreacting about him. He's a good guy," I say, trying not to sound too defensive.

"Wait until he has another match against a big guy. You'll see," Nick says, and I roll my eyes before turning back to see both wrestlers leaving the ring. Leo's eyes meet mine, crinkles at the corner of one eye- a smug smile? My heart patters a little faster, and I watch him until he disappears with his coach.

"Tyler." Vick snaps in front of my face. I look at him. "Lunch in a half hour in our room?"

"Yeah, sure. You're getting your lunch from the hotel or somewhere else?"

We leave the building and start back towards the hotel. "We're all going to different places, so do whatever you want."

"Okay. Can I invite Leo?"

Vick blinks at me. "Leo? Why?"

"So that you guys can meet him and realize that he's not the axe murderer you all seem to think he is."

"If he didn't wear that mask, it would be a lot easier to trust him," Nick mumbles.

"But just because he does, doesn't mean he's any less trustworthy," I point out.