Heteroflexibility by Mary Beth Daniels Page A

straight for him.
    Now my gaydar might have the accuracy of You Sunk My Battleship , but the “ping” came loud and clear. I looked around again and realized that every couple on the dance floor was the same sex. Two boys circled the stage, hat brims colliding. Girls kissed in the dark corners. For the first time in my stupidly sheltered heterosexual life, I realized the connection with rainbows—flags, shirts, jokes, and now, the name of this bar.
    “This is a gay bar!” I said, then slapped my hand across my mouth.
    “The girl is sharp!”
    I recognized the voice and whirled around to see Nikki behind me, hanging onto Bella.
    “Oh my God! I’m in a gay bar!” I really wanted to shut up, but I was so freaked out, I couldn’t stop saying it.
    Nikki let go of Bella and hooked her elbow around my neck. “No worries, penis-lover. We won’t let anyone convert you.”
    Jenna handed me a light pink drink. “A cherry bomb. I think you could use it.”
    I took a sip and instantly felt light-headed. “What is it?”
    “Cherry vodka and Red Bull,” Jenna said. “It’ll take the edge off.”
    I took a hearty swig.
    The music washed over me, and I looked around, imagining everything in still frames of a camera angle. Two bars, one with male bartenders, the other with girls. A large elevated dance floor surrounded by a rail. A long mirror lined the very back, beyond the stage. A number of couples writhed, tightly entwined, in front of it. Austin was smoke free, so the air was clear, but the lights were dim. Still, I could make out about fifty people wandering the open space.
    The DJ shouted over a song. “Grab your partner! It’s time for the Tennessee Waltz!”
    “Is everyone coming?” I asked Nikki as they dumped their jackets on a chair and filled a table with their drinks.
    “There ain’t nobody who could drag Blitz to Rainbow,” Nikki said. “But the Audreys should be here soon.”
    Aud and Audrey. Crap. I remembered the pictures on Fern’s computer. Obviously Audrey didn’t know, or she wouldn’t have been so nice to Fern at the game. Maybe none of them did but me.
    The two couples climbed the steps to the dance floor, and I suddenly realized I was going to be left alone.
    Other partners streamed by. Men with hands in each other’s pockets. Girls locked tightly together, swaying against each other before the music even began. I tried to act natural, leaning casually against the back of the stool, kicking a leg up on an adjacent chair, like I was just taking in the scenery.
    One older woman leaned against the rail a few feet away. She was tall, with amazing short gray hair that stood straight up in every direction. The odd combination of features was arresting, the mature face, the crazy hair, her lean figure in jeans and a black sweater. She caught me looking and smiled. My chest tightened. I really had to watch where I looked.
    “Zest, what the hell are you doing here?” Aud stacked her jacket on top of the pile.
    I startled, seeing her. I glanced guiltily at Audrey, so petite and innocent looking. But there hadn’t been any recent pictures. Whatever it was should have been long over.
    Except that now Fern was involved in the Hoebag’s wedding plans. Due to me.
    I swallowed. “Nikki insisted I come.”
    “That girl is always up in other people’s business.” She took Audrey’s sweater and laid it across the back of a chair. “You going to be okay by yourself?”
    I nodded. “I’ll just sort of, you know, watch.”
    “Well, signal or scream or whatever if you need us.” She shook her head and crossed the bar to the dance floor. She said something to Nikki and Bella, and they all looked at me.
    I waved casually, settling on a stool with my cherry bomb. I could do this. I would be clear that I felt no discomfort whatsoever.
    The waltz began and the couples began dancing, some smoothly, others in forced mincing steps. I’d grown up two-stepping, as rural Texas girls do. We’d started going