under her stare. I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my neck, and felt my hackles rising. “It doesn’t have to mean anything.” I applied the cream liberally to the cut on Kate’s foot, being as gentle as possible.
Kate hissed and jerked away from my touch anyway. I grabbed her leg once more to steady her. “Almost done, almost done,” I murmured quickly, rubbing my thumb over a little patch of blonde hair she’d missed when she shaved her legs in preparation for our beach day.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Kate echoed, curling her toes anxiously as I reached for a bandage. “I’ve been thinking about that. That it doesn’t have to mean anything doesn’t mean that it doesn’t mean anything.”
I didn’t look at her as I opened a package of sterile gauze and began to wrap it slowly.
“What does that mean?” I asked, not getting my hopes up. “Do you… want it to mean something?”
Kate sighed in a dramatic, put-upon way, as if I was the one being cryptic. “No. Yes. I don’t know. Do you want it to mean something? Because I think it might already mean something.”
“Well, what do you think it means?” I held her bandaged foot in both my hands, rubbing it softly. Her toes were ice-cold.
“I think it means that you like girls,” she said bluntly, and at my sharp intake of breath added, “Which is okay. It’s okay to like girls.”
“I also like boys,” I pointed out, letting go of Kate’s foot. She seemed to take it back reluctantly, not quite putting it back down. “I kiss boys sometimes.”
“And you kiss girls sometimes,” Kate laughed awkwardly, wrapping her arms around herself. I stood up and met her eyes.
“Just you, actually.” I bit my lip. “I almost had to kiss Lisa Zimmerman in a game of seven minutes in heaven, but I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad you were my first girl-kiss.” My heart was racing about a mile a minute, but I kept going. “You’re much prettier than Lisa Zimmerman.”
Kate smiled genuinely for a second before she bit her lip and it fell away. “If I… also, maybe….” She trailed off, dragging the toes of her injured foot back and forth across the concrete.
“Liked girls?” I ventured, treading carefully in unfamiliar waters. My stomach fluttered anxiously.
“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. How did you know?”
“I don’t know anything,” I laughed. “It’s just… a hunch. A feeling, maybe, that it’s not any different. Looking at a guy and thinking that I wouldn’t mind if he kissed me, and then looking at a girl, and….”
“Not minding if she kissed you either,” Kate finished for me, sighing. She nodded decisively. “I get that part. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“I thought it might weird you out. Or, you know, Jessa can be a little—literal, when it comes to the Bible, y’know? And even though she supported my Gay-Straight Alliance in theory, it’s….”
“Different, yeah.”
I took a step closer to Kate, keeping eye contact. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted. I thought, maybe—
The door swung open and the both of us jumped. I took a step back, realizing for the first time just how close to Kate I’d been standing. Leaning toward her, too close to be innocent.
“There you are!” Jessa crowed, spotting us and throwing her hands up. “You two disappeared without telling us where you were going!”
“Kate cut her foot,” I said quickly, my heart racing as though I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. “I was just fixing her up.”
“Yep,” Kate corroborated, her lips smacking on the p . “All fixed up. See!” She held up her foot as proof. “Dr. Corinna to the rescue!”
Jessa looked between the two of us, her eyes narrowed. “You two are up to something.” She blinked and then looked at Kate, her face falling. “You told her, didn’t you?” She pointed an accusatory finger. “Blabbermouth!”
“I
Kate hissed and jerked away from my touch anyway. I grabbed her leg once more to steady her. “Almost done, almost done,” I murmured quickly, rubbing my thumb over a little patch of blonde hair she’d missed when she shaved her legs in preparation for our beach day.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Kate echoed, curling her toes anxiously as I reached for a bandage. “I’ve been thinking about that. That it doesn’t have to mean anything doesn’t mean that it doesn’t mean anything.”
I didn’t look at her as I opened a package of sterile gauze and began to wrap it slowly.
“What does that mean?” I asked, not getting my hopes up. “Do you… want it to mean something?”
Kate sighed in a dramatic, put-upon way, as if I was the one being cryptic. “No. Yes. I don’t know. Do you want it to mean something? Because I think it might already mean something.”
“Well, what do you think it means?” I held her bandaged foot in both my hands, rubbing it softly. Her toes were ice-cold.
“I think it means that you like girls,” she said bluntly, and at my sharp intake of breath added, “Which is okay. It’s okay to like girls.”
“I also like boys,” I pointed out, letting go of Kate’s foot. She seemed to take it back reluctantly, not quite putting it back down. “I kiss boys sometimes.”
“And you kiss girls sometimes,” Kate laughed awkwardly, wrapping her arms around herself. I stood up and met her eyes.
“Just you, actually.” I bit my lip. “I almost had to kiss Lisa Zimmerman in a game of seven minutes in heaven, but I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad you were my first girl-kiss.” My heart was racing about a mile a minute, but I kept going. “You’re much prettier than Lisa Zimmerman.”
Kate smiled genuinely for a second before she bit her lip and it fell away. “If I… also, maybe….” She trailed off, dragging the toes of her injured foot back and forth across the concrete.
“Liked girls?” I ventured, treading carefully in unfamiliar waters. My stomach fluttered anxiously.
“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. How did you know?”
“I don’t know anything,” I laughed. “It’s just… a hunch. A feeling, maybe, that it’s not any different. Looking at a guy and thinking that I wouldn’t mind if he kissed me, and then looking at a girl, and….”
“Not minding if she kissed you either,” Kate finished for me, sighing. She nodded decisively. “I get that part. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“I thought it might weird you out. Or, you know, Jessa can be a little—literal, when it comes to the Bible, y’know? And even though she supported my Gay-Straight Alliance in theory, it’s….”
“Different, yeah.”
I took a step closer to Kate, keeping eye contact. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted. I thought, maybe—
The door swung open and the both of us jumped. I took a step back, realizing for the first time just how close to Kate I’d been standing. Leaning toward her, too close to be innocent.
“There you are!” Jessa crowed, spotting us and throwing her hands up. “You two disappeared without telling us where you were going!”
“Kate cut her foot,” I said quickly, my heart racing as though I’d been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. “I was just fixing her up.”
“Yep,” Kate corroborated, her lips smacking on the p . “All fixed up. See!” She held up her foot as proof. “Dr. Corinna to the rescue!”
Jessa looked between the two of us, her eyes narrowed. “You two are up to something.” She blinked and then looked at Kate, her face falling. “You told her, didn’t you?” She pointed an accusatory finger. “Blabbermouth!”
“I
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