Arlington, Texas, Baldwin Junior High, 2019
As Leo retrieved his book bag from his locker, he wracked his brain trying to work out what he'd done to prompt a call to the principal's office.
Again!
Two days in a row! Pop's gonna flip!
He slammed the locker closed and twiddled the dial on the lock; sighing at the words FAG FRY written in pink paint across the door.
Two weeks previously, when he first discovered the vandalism, he made a formal complaint to Mr. Brite.
"Stop drawing so much attention to yourself, Sutherland; and you won't give them any cause to attack you."
Leo wondered whether the school would even make the effort to remove the insult from the locker or whether he'd be made to stare at it day in and day out. He suspected the latter.
As he turned the corner into the administration wing, he almost jumped a foot in the air to see his father through the small window in the door, talking to Mr. Brite.
Shit!
Whatever he'd done this time, it was pretty bad if his dad had been called in.
"Hi Dad," he innocently sang as he pushed through the heavy door.
It didn't take him long to notice the strange and thick tension in the air nor the way everybody stared silently at him. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"Um…" he muttered. "Afternoon, Mr. Brite."
Can't hurt to suck up a little.
His father was looking at him in a way he'd never known before. "Hey, Leo."
"What's going on?" Leo asked, feeling instantly uneasy. "Is Pop okay?"
"Yes," his father replied dryly. "He's just fine, Kid. You ready?"
"I guess." Leo shrugged, pulling his backpack over his shoulder. "Where are we going?"
His father smiled in what Leo suspected was meant as reassurance. But there was no confidence behind it and Leo's stomach unexplainably flipped.
"We need to leave now," his father told him.
"Don't do this!" Mr. Brite took a few steps toward them. "He doesn't need to be involved in all this."
"Stay out of it!" His father growled back.
Leo jumped at the unfamiliar tone while examining the look on the faces in the room. For the first time he recognized what he saw.
They're afraid…
"Dad?" he asked again, cautiously this time. "What's going on?"
"It's too late! Can't you see that?" Mr. Brite continued, ignoring Leo's question. "They just called me not 15 minutes ago! They knowabout the boy!"
Leo looked up just in time to catch his father's stoic demeanor falter.
Mr. Brite stared forcibly at his dad. "You won't get 5 miles from the school… and he'll be right in the line of fire…"
Leo didn't like the way Mr. Brite pointed right at him.
"Line of fire?" he whispered.
"That's enough!" his father warned, taking hold of Leo by his shoulders and backing them both out of the room. "Come on, Leo. Time to go..."
The door closed behind them and Leo found himself following Noah hurriedly toward the main school entrance, flanked by two large swing doors. His father was about to push down on the metal exit bar, when three police cruisers skidded along the circular drive out front.
"Hey," Leo wondered aloud, "...what are they doing he-…?"
He was yanked by the collar to the left before he could finish his sentence; stumbling at his father's efforts to drag him down an alternative corridor.
"Dad? What the…?"
"Shut up and run!"
Realizing he wasn't going to get a fast answer, he followed behind as best he could; struggling to keep up with his father's wide strides.
His eyes widened in disbelief when something glinted in his old man's right hand. He feet slowed. "Dad? Is that a gun? Why… why do you have a gun?"
"Keep moving!" His father barked back, eyes constantly darting behind them. "I'll explain everything later!"
They burst through a side door and out onto the basketball courts; eyes forced to quickly adjust to the sudden hot sunlight.
Leo had never seen his dad so out of control. His pop was usually the one to overact and get all emotional about stuff. Seeing his dad in this state upset Leo now more than anything. But he kept going.
Leo was physically fit; naturally athletic and active. But even hewas flagging by the time they reached the end of the second football field.
"Dad…" he gasped, stopping to bend over his knees and struggling to draw oxygen into his burning lungs. "I can't… anymore…"
"Just up this grass bank, Son," Noah yelled over his shoulder, already halfway up himself. "We're almost there!"
As they cleared the top of the hill, sweat dripping from both of them, Leo spotted his pop behind the wheel of a strange white van. The engine was running and he could tell his pop was relieved to see them. Luke's eyes were wide and he kept looking toward where the cop cars were parked in the distance outside the school entrance.
"Get in, get in!" Luke desperately cried; leaning over the driver seat to fling the door open for Noah.
"Whose van is this?" Leo asked, fearfully approaching the vehicle. He looked back over his shoulder and watched one of the police cruisers pull out of the school drive. "Are we in trouble with the cops?"
He kept his distance from Noah, who was flinging open the van's sliding door.
"Noah hurry!" Luke yelled. "They're coming!"
Leo peered into the back of the van. It was one of those windowless ones, brimming with supplies. His heart sank.
"We're moving again," his voice cracked. "Aren't we?"
"Dammit, Leo!" Noah shouted. "We don't have time for this! Get in the damn car, now!"
"No!" Leo yelled back obstinately. "No! You promised! You said we wouldn't have to move again for a long time!"
Leo stood his ground; arms folded; face in a frown.
"I know. And I'm so sorry. You don't know how sorry I am. But we don't have any other option here, Kid… so get in!"
"I'm not moving until you tell me what's going on! Why do you have a gun?"
"Oh God, Leo!" Luke panicked. "Please, Baby, please get in…"
"Fuck this!" Noah moved forward so quickly Leo barely had the time to blink. His father inserted the gun in his jeans and locked Leo in a stronghold, pulling him back toward the van.
"No!" Leo yelled, crying now; kicking and screaming in anger and hurt. These were not his parents. He wanted his proper parents back. "You guys are scaring me!"
Noah released him at that. Leo turned quickly to face him, hands balled in tight fists at his sides; determined to win this argument. But for the first time he saw just how devastated his father was.
Noah held up both his hands and took two steps back. "Okay, okay... You're right. I know this must all be very confusing for you right now. I know you're scared. But... Leo... those cops think Pop and me did something we didn't and if they catch up... they'll kill us."
Leo felt his insides plummet.
Kill you?
"Noah, they're coming…" Luke gritted in warning.
But Noah kept his eyes glued on Leo, holding up one hand toward Luke to signal he should wait.
"I won't force you, so… right now you have two choices." Noah took a deep breath, "Either you stay and we die or you trust us enough to get in the van and wait for us to explain everything to you later. It's your choice. But, Son, we are running out of time…"
Leo looked between his two fathers and back toward the entrance to the school. The police cruiser had just turned in at the top of the road.
He didn't have a clue what was happening. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. But his parents loved him. It was the one thing he wassure of. So he huffed, wiggled his backpack off; and leapt into the back of the van, shuddering as Noah slammed it shut.
Noah was quick into the driver seat and swung the van around, heading away in the opposite direction of the approaching police.
Luke bent to peer into the side mirror. "They're right behind us."
"Stay calm, Baby. We don't know if they came this way because of the van."
But just as he spoke the siren sounded.
"Jesus!" Luke slunk back in the seat.
"Quick, hide in the back with Leo," Noah instructed.
"What?" Luke almost screamed.
"If we floor it they'll catch us for sure. We're gonna have to take a chance the police on the ground don't know about me yet. It's you they'll have a description of."
"That's a pretty big gamble, Bubby!"
"Look, the van will check out. I made sure of that. I have the correct fake ID and they're looking for my Dodge and your Mustang. Not some random white van. We haveto chance it."
Leo watched as Luke considered this for a minute, then he leaned over and kissed Noah's cheek. "I trust you."
Noah swallowed and nodded, waiting for Luke and Leo to be well hidden amidst the supplies in the back of the van before pulling over.
Usually when Luke put his arm around Leo, Leo would shrug him off with an embarrassed, "Awe, Pop…" But this time when Luke's arm pulled him close he snuggled into his father's comforting embrace.
The atmosphere was thick with fear. He heard Noah taking deep breaths; heard the tap at the window; and the screech as Noah manually wound it down.
"Afternoon Officer. Did I do something wrong?"
There was a moment of silence before a woman's voice responded. "Just a routine check, Sir. May I see your license and registration please?"
Leo felt his pop's breath quicken as Noah leaned over the central console to open the glove box.
Noah retrieved the documentation and handed it through the window.
"You from Richmond Hills, Mr. Herman?"
"That's right. Took a wrong turn earlier. Just pulled into this road to check my map."
"I see," the voice replied. "Just one moment, please."
There was an agonizingly long wait.
"What's going on?" Luke whispered.
Noah checked his side-view mirror. "I don't know. She's talking to her partner."
"Noah…"
Leo looked up to find that Luke was crying. His heart beat faster.
"Relax," Noah replied in a soothing tone. "Everything will check out. The van matches the name and address on the license." He checked the mirror again. "Shh, she's coming back."
The cop's hand reappeared through the window, passing the documents back to Noah. "Thank you for your time, Sir. We have an incident at the school. We saw your van and it was necessary to check it out."
Luke's hold on Leo tightened.
"Not at all," Noah told the officer. "I understand."
"Okay. Well, have a good day."
"And to you." Noah stared into his mirror, watching the cop walk away.
They heard the police car start up behind the van and drive off, before drawing a collective breath.
"They're gone," Noah croaked.
Luke kissed Leo's temple and rejoined Noah in the front of the van. Noah was already on the move again.
Nothing was said for miles. Leo sat on the floor at the back of the van, looking from one father to the other, waiting for the anxiety to dissipate enough to get his answers.
When he spoke, it was through a wobbling voice, tears falling. "Would you actually use that gun, Dad?" he gasped. "Please tell me what's happening…"
His fathers shared one of their fathomless looks.
"Yes," Noah replied, eyes once again turning to the road. "If I have to… I'll use the gun."
Leo sobbed. His life had somehow turned into one of those action movies he loved to watch.
"We wanted you to have more time…" Luke tried to explain.
"We wanted you to enjoy being a kid but…" Noah paused, gathering himself and Luke squeezed his hand. "You have to know now. You have to know everything."