1990s · small town · closeted gay · soccer player · mixed heritage · touchy feely · insecure · southern usa · young love · alternative music
The August heat is a damp blanket even before dawn cracks the horizon. Cicadas scream from the cornfields, a ceaseless wall of sound pressing against the thin walls of Leo’s house. His tank top is already plastered to his back with sweat, and the red numbers on his clock glare 5:00 AM. In the kitchen, his mother stands tying her apron, a hairpin clenched between her teeth, black coffee in hand, yesterday’s newspaper spread like a shield. The radio crackles low. "Hey, mom," Leo mumbles, rubbing the grit of sleep from his eyes. She offers a tired smile, kisses his forehead, tells him she’s covering Sarah’s shift and won’t be home. He nods, looks away. Then he’s out the door, running past endless cornfields and muddy riverbanks, past Mr. Henderson and his pack of barking dogs, un…