Christmas in a Safe Room
By Kieran Frank
Lending a helping hand was something I had been good at for as long as I could remember. I used to climb trees to save cats. I’d studied a lot and had taken good notes, which helped with tutoring other students in high school. I had even learned various technologies to help my grandparents out, which helped them keep up with the times.
What I hadn’t done, though? I had agreed to look after Saul Zacarias whenever his sister, Patricia, was out of town. Saul and I used to be best friends after coming out to each other—he as gay and I as asexual. We had met through our fathers, who had already been good friends—Papi and Mr. Zacarias were coworkers in the auto industry. Saul had been like a brother from another mother: he was the bold and adorable reb
