Quin's point of view.
__________________________________________________________________________
“I’m dropping out of school,” I announced, slamming open my locker.
“Why?” Lisa asked, glanced up from stuffing a jacket, a pocketbook, and a stuffed hippo into her backpack.
“Why do you think?” I asked. “My secret’s out. I need to drop out of school.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Quin, you’re taking this way too seriously. This is one of those things that everyone teases you about for one day, and the seguinte dia they’ve completely forgotten about it. ‘Kay?”
“Okay,” I said grudgingly.
Lisa tried to geléia, geleia her pocketbook into her pack. She had gotten in the jacket, but what with the books in there as well, she just couldn’t fit in the pocketbook and the hippo.
“What if you put those in your locker?” I suggested.
Lisa stood and turned the combination on the blue metal door of the locker, then swung it open. Pencils, paper, and an iPod case covered in rosa, -de-rosa and white rhinestones rained down on her.
“No room,” Lisa said. She plucked the case off of the white tiles that covered all the school’s hallways. “Been looking for this,” she commented absentmindedly.
“You can put your crap in my locker,” I offered.
She grinned. “Thanks.” Lisa stuck the jacket, the hippo, and the pocketbook into my hands and took off down the hall, slinging her backpack up onto her right shoulder.
I opened my locker, shoved Lisa’s stuff into it, and slammed the door closed. Someone touched my shoulder. I turned. It was Wesley.
The super-confident boy. The boy who was nice to everyone, but could stand up for himself, and still without saying a cruel word. The boy who could make someone feel tiny just por smiling at him.
“Uh…hi,” I said. I definitely felt tiny right now.
He smiled at me. He had a great smile. “Hi. Hey, can I ask you something personal?”
“Um, yeah. Yeah, sure.”
“Are you really gay?”
He must have seen the shock on my face, because he said quickly: “you don’t have to answer if you don’t want. I was just wondering, because I am.”
“You’re gay?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it’s not like I go around ‘hey, I’m homosexual!’ If someone asks me about my sexuality, I answer honestly. If they don’t ask me, I’m not going to randomly go up to them and tell them.”
“But you’re completely open with it,” I said. It wasn’t a question. I could tell he was, but he nodded anyway.
“Yeah,” he said. “I learned to accept it, and then I was ready to ask other people to.” He looked into my eyes. “You’re not ready, are you?”
I shook my head. He smiled a little.
“Well…if you need help with it, you can come to me. If you want.”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful.
He grinned and headed off down the hall.
Lisa turned out to be right. Everyone had forgotten about the rumor except for Tonia, who kept trying to change the subject to it. Then Ryker or Zoë would just change it back to whatever we were talking about previously, though, so it was alright.
Fawn sat with us again, even though Lucy and Ammine were back. She said she didn’t feel like sitting with them. Personally, I think she just wanted to sit seguinte to Ryker. I noticed her sneaking coy glances at him out of the corner of her eye multiple times.
I also noticed Wesley sneaking glances at me. I wondered why he was doing that.
Then I remembered: he was gay, too.
But that still doesn’t exactly explain why he kept looking at me. I mean, I’m not that cute or anything. I have straight, light blond hair, I’m a little shorter than most of the boys in my grade, and my nose turns up slightly at the end. And my complexion is practically white. My face turns almost scarlet when I’m embarrassed. Also, my eyes are some weird greenish-brown color that my mom says is hazel.
I think that word’s a little too pretty for the color of a swamp.
No, he wasn’t looking at me because he liked me or anything. It was something else.
It must be.
Either way, I found myself thinking about him through the day. He was sort of cute, in a way. Not as cute as Travis, but still cute.
At least we could be friends. Me and Wesley. I mean, we had that in common. I had been hoping that someone would admit to being gay. I’m too shy to do that.
I mentioned him to my mom when I got home. She seemed happy about it, but told me not to tell my father.
Well, duh. My father has some huge problem with people who are bi or homosexual. He’s just another person I’m never gonna tell.
I just nodded at my mom, though. “I won’t tell him.”
I walked up to my room and flopped onto my bed, pulling a travesseiro over my face. I closed my eyes. I was tired. I needed to rest.
My phone vibrated inside my pocket. I dug it out and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Hi. This is Wesley.”
“Hey,” I said. For some reason, my coração did a weird little flutter in my chest. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I was just wondering how you were doing,” he said.
I felt weird, talking to him. Not being able to see his face. But I don’t usually feel awkward on the phone. “Pretty good,” I said. “How about you?”
“Same. Except my little sister. She can get really annoying sometimes, always coming into my room and taking stuff. Yesterday, I went into the living room and she was playing around with my phone. She cracked the screen a little, but it still works. I guess I couldn’t be calling you if it didn’t.” I can tell that he knows I feel awkward, and that he’s trying to make me not. It’s working.
“You have a little sister?” I asked. “I do too! Her name’s Lulu. She’s five.”
“Mine’s six. Name’s Susan.” He paused, and I was about to say something when he started talking again. “Maybe we could get them together sometime.”
I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, that’d be cool,” I said. “What’s your number? Maybe we could plan them a play encontro, data sometime. Or they could just talk on the phone.”
I snatched up a pen from my desk. I couldn’t find a piece of paper, so I used a wrapper from a piece of mint gum that had been crumpled at the bottom of my pocket for a while. Wesley recited his number, and I scribbled it down.
“So...see you at school,” I said after I had written it down.
“Okay. Bye.” He paused again. “We should hang out more. At school.”
“Yeah. That’d be nice,” I said. My coração did the weird fluttery thing again.
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye.” I didn’t hang up, though. I kept the phone to my ear until I heard the click of the phone on the other line. Even then I didn’t. I kept it there for the longest time, just holding it there, and smiling, the gum wrapper held tight in my fist.
__________________________________________________________________________
“I’m dropping out of school,” I announced, slamming open my locker.
“Why?” Lisa asked, glanced up from stuffing a jacket, a pocketbook, and a stuffed hippo into her backpack.
“Why do you think?” I asked. “My secret’s out. I need to drop out of school.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Quin, you’re taking this way too seriously. This is one of those things that everyone teases you about for one day, and the seguinte dia they’ve completely forgotten about it. ‘Kay?”
“Okay,” I said grudgingly.
Lisa tried to geléia, geleia her pocketbook into her pack. She had gotten in the jacket, but what with the books in there as well, she just couldn’t fit in the pocketbook and the hippo.
“What if you put those in your locker?” I suggested.
Lisa stood and turned the combination on the blue metal door of the locker, then swung it open. Pencils, paper, and an iPod case covered in rosa, -de-rosa and white rhinestones rained down on her.
“No room,” Lisa said. She plucked the case off of the white tiles that covered all the school’s hallways. “Been looking for this,” she commented absentmindedly.
“You can put your crap in my locker,” I offered.
She grinned. “Thanks.” Lisa stuck the jacket, the hippo, and the pocketbook into my hands and took off down the hall, slinging her backpack up onto her right shoulder.
I opened my locker, shoved Lisa’s stuff into it, and slammed the door closed. Someone touched my shoulder. I turned. It was Wesley.
The super-confident boy. The boy who was nice to everyone, but could stand up for himself, and still without saying a cruel word. The boy who could make someone feel tiny just por smiling at him.
“Uh…hi,” I said. I definitely felt tiny right now.
He smiled at me. He had a great smile. “Hi. Hey, can I ask you something personal?”
“Um, yeah. Yeah, sure.”
“Are you really gay?”
He must have seen the shock on my face, because he said quickly: “you don’t have to answer if you don’t want. I was just wondering, because I am.”
“You’re gay?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it’s not like I go around ‘hey, I’m homosexual!’ If someone asks me about my sexuality, I answer honestly. If they don’t ask me, I’m not going to randomly go up to them and tell them.”
“But you’re completely open with it,” I said. It wasn’t a question. I could tell he was, but he nodded anyway.
“Yeah,” he said. “I learned to accept it, and then I was ready to ask other people to.” He looked into my eyes. “You’re not ready, are you?”
I shook my head. He smiled a little.
“Well…if you need help with it, you can come to me. If you want.”
I nodded. “Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful.
He grinned and headed off down the hall.
Lisa turned out to be right. Everyone had forgotten about the rumor except for Tonia, who kept trying to change the subject to it. Then Ryker or Zoë would just change it back to whatever we were talking about previously, though, so it was alright.
Fawn sat with us again, even though Lucy and Ammine were back. She said she didn’t feel like sitting with them. Personally, I think she just wanted to sit seguinte to Ryker. I noticed her sneaking coy glances at him out of the corner of her eye multiple times.
I also noticed Wesley sneaking glances at me. I wondered why he was doing that.
Then I remembered: he was gay, too.
But that still doesn’t exactly explain why he kept looking at me. I mean, I’m not that cute or anything. I have straight, light blond hair, I’m a little shorter than most of the boys in my grade, and my nose turns up slightly at the end. And my complexion is practically white. My face turns almost scarlet when I’m embarrassed. Also, my eyes are some weird greenish-brown color that my mom says is hazel.
I think that word’s a little too pretty for the color of a swamp.
No, he wasn’t looking at me because he liked me or anything. It was something else.
It must be.
Either way, I found myself thinking about him through the day. He was sort of cute, in a way. Not as cute as Travis, but still cute.
At least we could be friends. Me and Wesley. I mean, we had that in common. I had been hoping that someone would admit to being gay. I’m too shy to do that.
I mentioned him to my mom when I got home. She seemed happy about it, but told me not to tell my father.
Well, duh. My father has some huge problem with people who are bi or homosexual. He’s just another person I’m never gonna tell.
I just nodded at my mom, though. “I won’t tell him.”
I walked up to my room and flopped onto my bed, pulling a travesseiro over my face. I closed my eyes. I was tired. I needed to rest.
My phone vibrated inside my pocket. I dug it out and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Hi. This is Wesley.”
“Hey,” I said. For some reason, my coração did a weird little flutter in my chest. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I was just wondering how you were doing,” he said.
I felt weird, talking to him. Not being able to see his face. But I don’t usually feel awkward on the phone. “Pretty good,” I said. “How about you?”
“Same. Except my little sister. She can get really annoying sometimes, always coming into my room and taking stuff. Yesterday, I went into the living room and she was playing around with my phone. She cracked the screen a little, but it still works. I guess I couldn’t be calling you if it didn’t.” I can tell that he knows I feel awkward, and that he’s trying to make me not. It’s working.
“You have a little sister?” I asked. “I do too! Her name’s Lulu. She’s five.”
“Mine’s six. Name’s Susan.” He paused, and I was about to say something when he started talking again. “Maybe we could get them together sometime.”
I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, that’d be cool,” I said. “What’s your number? Maybe we could plan them a play encontro, data sometime. Or they could just talk on the phone.”
I snatched up a pen from my desk. I couldn’t find a piece of paper, so I used a wrapper from a piece of mint gum that had been crumpled at the bottom of my pocket for a while. Wesley recited his number, and I scribbled it down.
“So...see you at school,” I said after I had written it down.
“Okay. Bye.” He paused again. “We should hang out more. At school.”
“Yeah. That’d be nice,” I said. My coração did the weird fluttery thing again.
“Goodbye,” he said.
“Goodbye.” I didn’t hang up, though. I kept the phone to my ear until I heard the click of the phone on the other line. Even then I didn’t. I kept it there for the longest time, just holding it there, and smiling, the gum wrapper held tight in my fist.
I own nothing!
Enjoy!
Chapter 17
Monday
My mom got me a job working st a summer camp. I will be starting Wednesday. Am I looking progressivo, para a frente to getting up early at 8am every morning? Heck no! My mom thinks I will make new friends. I don't think so.
Chapter 18
Wednesday
L. J was at summer camp and he was working there too. It was tons of fun working with him and everything was cool. Until something happened. He kissed me and I like it. Oh and bu the way, this is my last blog. I'm still friendless but at least o have a boyfriend that will always stick por my side. My sister Velvet is still being awesome. She will be going to college seguinte week. I don't think keeping a blog is healthy. I need to communicate with actual people. So this is my last post. Goodbye blog!
Monday
My mom got me a job working st a summer camp. I will be starting Wednesday. Am I looking progressivo, para a frente to getting up early at 8am every morning? Heck no! My mom thinks I will make new friends. I don't think so.
Chapter 18
Wednesday
L. J was at summer camp and he was working there too. It was tons of fun working with him and everything was cool. Until something happened. He kissed me and I like it. Oh and bu the way, this is my last blog. I'm still friendless but at least o have a boyfriend that will always stick por my side. My sister Velvet is still being awesome. She will be going to college seguinte week. I don't think keeping a blog is healthy. I need to communicate with actual people. So this is my last post. Goodbye blog!
Thursday
The book club meeting was held at the mall today. I didn't want to go at first but I soon realized I has nothing better to do. All my friends hate me. I was going up the escalator when I spotted Tammie, Jennifer and Hazel laughing and glancing at dresses. I don't know what persuaded me to do so but I dashed up the escalator and to them. They instantly stopped laughing when they saw me. Hazel was her usual bratty self. Tammie was being extra annoying and Jennifer actually showed some sign of her missing me. The others didn't like my being here, I guess. Tammie started insulting me and my clothes. I was so hurt that I couldn't think of something clever to say back. Instead I ran away and down the escalator until I reached the book club room. por this time, I was so distraught and in tears that I didn't even want to go to the stupid meeting. I wastes time wondering around the hall. I didn't want to be near anyone.
The book club meeting was held at the mall today. I didn't want to go at first but I soon realized I has nothing better to do. All my friends hate me. I was going up the escalator when I spotted Tammie, Jennifer and Hazel laughing and glancing at dresses. I don't know what persuaded me to do so but I dashed up the escalator and to them. They instantly stopped laughing when they saw me. Hazel was her usual bratty self. Tammie was being extra annoying and Jennifer actually showed some sign of her missing me. The others didn't like my being here, I guess. Tammie started insulting me and my clothes. I was so hurt that I couldn't think of something clever to say back. Instead I ran away and down the escalator until I reached the book club room. por this time, I was so distraught and in tears that I didn't even want to go to the stupid meeting. I wastes time wondering around the hall. I didn't want to be near anyone.
Wednesday
This party is off the hook! Whoever hosted this party is a flat out genius. They have chips, of all kind, punch, soda, boys, movies, and the latest songs por Jake Miller. Jake Miller is an awesome rapper. I'm surprised they have him though. Kyle was there and we were dancing for hours. I had to sit down and get some soda. My clothes and my feet were drenched in sweat. It was so worth it though. On occasion Kyle would grab my butt or whisper words that entangled with the música so I wasn't able to hear him. I didn't like it but this is what boyfriends do. Right? After a short break, we started dancing again. Kyle had gotten us some soco and whatever was in that soco made me loopy but I was able to dance longer and harder. It was so much fun! Kyle has to be the best boyfriend ever!
This party is off the hook! Whoever hosted this party is a flat out genius. They have chips, of all kind, punch, soda, boys, movies, and the latest songs por Jake Miller. Jake Miller is an awesome rapper. I'm surprised they have him though. Kyle was there and we were dancing for hours. I had to sit down and get some soda. My clothes and my feet were drenched in sweat. It was so worth it though. On occasion Kyle would grab my butt or whisper words that entangled with the música so I wasn't able to hear him. I didn't like it but this is what boyfriends do. Right? After a short break, we started dancing again. Kyle had gotten us some soco and whatever was in that soco made me loopy but I was able to dance longer and harder. It was so much fun! Kyle has to be the best boyfriend ever!
Monday
I don't want to talk about the funeral. I don't want to talk about how I cried all weekend or how Velvet, my only friend at home, went with my aunt to Malibu for the weekend. No, I won't talk about any of this. Instead I will say that Kyle invited mr to this awesome party Wednesday night. Yes, I know it is a school night but in less than 6 days school will be over for me. I can't wait. No mais preps or annoying L. J's. Kyle, however, I will miss. Maybe I could invite him to the filmes or something.
I don't want to talk about the funeral. I don't want to talk about how I cried all weekend or how Velvet, my only friend at home, went with my aunt to Malibu for the weekend. No, I won't talk about any of this. Instead I will say that Kyle invited mr to this awesome party Wednesday night. Yes, I know it is a school night but in less than 6 days school will be over for me. I can't wait. No mais preps or annoying L. J's. Kyle, however, I will miss. Maybe I could invite him to the filmes or something.