Knox

The first time I met Jason Reynolds was at an Obama victory party in 2012. I’d canvassed the 13th Ward near the college, and after the election results were called, I joined a rambling group of volunteers on its way back to the DePaul campus, drunk on hope and Natural Light.

It was a cold night, and we were walking straight into the wind when a kid in black running pants and an oversized hoodie slammed into my side. I lost my footing on a slab of ice and landed ass first in the street.

“Sorry, man,” the kid gasped, blowing white plumes of frigid air down at me. He reached for my hand and helped me up. He was surprisingly strong for such a small guy.

“What’s your hurry?” I asked, brushing ice and snow off the back of my jeans as the kid jogged in place beside me.

“I’m trying to get in a training run, but I forgot about the election. Crazy crowds.”

“You forgot about the election?” I had no patience for political apathy in my youth.

“Well, no, I just wasn’t thinking about the traffic it would cause. Sorry,” he turned to leave, and I felt kind of bad for being rude.

“Dude, wait.” He turned back with a questioning look. “Sorry for being a dick. We’re heading to a party, you wanna come?” The guy wasn’t as young as he looked at first glance. In fact, he was kind of cute.

“I’d like to, but I’ve got to finish this run and study for an exam tomorrow.”

“What exam?”

“Organic Chemistry.”

“No worries, I aced that class. I can help you study.” I knew I was being forward, but something made me want to spend more time with him. He seemed to hesitate.

“What’s your name?” I began to jog in the direction of my dorm. He joined me after a beat.

“Jason.”

“Freshman, right?”

“Fuck you.” He grinned, so I knew he wasn’t really pissed.

“I’m Knox.”

“Stupid name.”

“Touche. Why do you train in the middle of the night?”

“This isn’t my normal schedule. But I had two exams and a speech in Interpersonal Communications this week, so a ten o’clock run was the best I could manage.” He looked pretty cheerful for an overworked freshman.

“Well, come on, I’m freezing.” We ran the rest of the way back to my dorm, and it was embarrassingly clear that he was going slow so I didn’t fall behind. Once we arrived, chilled (both of us) and gasping (me), we collapsed in my room and broke open the twelve-pack of beer my roommate left me for my 20th birthday.

“I’ve got my notes from freshman Chem somewhere around here.” I was slumped in the corner of my bed, against a pile of pillows. “Give me five minutes to warm up and I’ll find them.”

“No rush. I’m gonna take a five-minute nap.” And then he did. It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen-one minute he was awake, the next he was snoring lightly, his lanky body draped over the ugly green chair where I threw clothes in that questionable range between clean and dirty. His face, in rest, looked serene but strong, with light stubble covering his cheeks and chin. The hood of his jacket fell back, revealing his short-cropped hair, more brown than blond.

I stared at him for a long time, longer than he would probably be comfortable with if he was awake. There was no use denying I was attracted to him, but I’d learned from experience to put a damper on such feelings. It was pointless to crush on straight guys, and there was no evidence to suggest that Jason was gay.

I rolled off the bed and opened my closet, where a large stack of books and yellow legal pads was crammed in the corner. I found three notebooks held together by a large rubber band, marked “Org Chem” in black Sharpie. I was nothing if not organized back in those days.

By the time I emerged from the closet, Jason was awake, sucking down the last few sips of his beer. We sat shoulder-to-shoulder on my bed and went through my notes, but it was pretty clear he knew most of the material already. He was smart. I told him so.

“Not smart, just prepared.” I wasn’t sure if he was being falsely modest, but I wanted him to acknowledge the compliment.

“What’s the difference? It’s smart to be prepared.”

“Is it smart to be drinking beer in a stranger’s dorm 8 hours before my chemistry midterm?” He asked with a pointed look.

“Not usually, but in this case it happens to be a brilliant move.” His answering smile made my pulse race, and I felt a buzz of something between us. My cock stirred, and I averted my eyes. Calm down, Knox.

“Your eyes are totally black,” Jason said as he grabbed my chin and squinted to get a better look.

Well, shit. So much for calming down.