I tripped getting out of the car and landed on my side in the middle of the street. Darius was still in the car, holding my foot on his lap, trying to tie my laces, but he was laughing too hard, and he couldn’t get his hands to work. “Leave it,” I said. “No, man. You gonna trip and hurt yourself.” “I already did trip because of you. Let go .” I yanked my leg free and kicked the door closed, and that made them laugh more. And then he and Christoph drove off, both of them laughing. Darius called out, “See you later, man!” No, I thought. I suddenly had no desire to see him again. I was hurt, and I wanted to be done with them and with wrestling, though I had no idea what I’d do next. Or who my friends would be. All I could think about at that moment, all I wanted, was my bed. A misty rain was falling, fingering my face, and the trees were whispering something I couldn’t make out, and my body was aching. I moved toward the house, intending to slip in through the front door,...
reflections and whimsies on literary fiction