wound.
"Look, Darcy, I do genuinely like you, but I'm afraid I don't agree with your lifestyle choices. I'm sure you can understand why?" I said, my tone clipped and cold. "I don't think it would be appropriate for us to remain friends."
Her eyes opened wide in astonishment and she exhaled a long shaky breath.
"Wow. I mean…talk about brutal." She sat down on a large box and put her face in her hands. I watched her from a distance, not really knowing what else to say or do, but I wasn't at all prepared for the tears in her eyes when she looked back up at me.
Her serotonin levels are low from the drugs. She's probably experiencing a come down.
"Do you know what? I had you pegged completely wrong. If I'd known you were such a narrow minded bigot, I would have stayed well clear of you." She stood up, more angry than upset now.
"Narrow minded…? Oh, I suppose it's the 'in thing' to be liberal and broad minded when it comes to drugs these days?" I spluttered, smarting from her insult. "Well, you can call me old fashioned, but I stand by my views. I think you should leave now."
"What? What the hell are you talking about? What have drugs got to do with anything?"
"Oh drop the act , Darcy! I heard you buying them at the party."
She shook her head in disbelief.
"Alison, I don't know what you think you heard, but I've never taken drugs in my life, I have no intention of ever taking drugs, and I've certainly never bought any!" Her face suddenly dropped as something dawned on her. "Wait a second, what exactly did you hear?"
"I heard you give someone named Baz fifty pounds for something 'illegal.' "
" Oh Alison, that wasn't for drugs!" she said dejectedly.
"Well , what then?" I asked, running out of steam. Her reaction was not one of denial, as I'd expected, but of shock and confusion. I started to wonder if perhaps I'd got the wrong end of the stick? She looked anguished as I waited for an answer.
"I...I paid him to steal something for me."
"Oh." I wasn't expecting that. I tried to work out if that was worse than buying drugs, but my emotions were all over the place. Judging from the expression on her face, it looked like she had a very good explanation ready for me and I realised I should maybe start preparing my apology. "Hold on, what were you talking about? Why did you call me a narrow minded bigot?"
She sighed, then returned back to the box she'd been sat on.
"I think we've got seriously crossed wires. I'll explain…from the beginning if that's okay?"
"Okay." I sat down next to her, curious.
"I've only ever been in two relationships. Like, ever. My first was when I was fourteen, and it was with a really cute guy at school. I thought I was in love with him, like you do when you're that young. I told him I didn't want to have sex until I was sixteen and he was really cool with that and never once pressured me or anything. But then when I turned sixteen, I suddenly realised I didn't want to have sex with him. Because I was gay."
And there it was. Confirmation of what we'd both been dancing around for the last few weeks, now out on the table. She watched me carefully for my reaction.
"I think I worked that out a while ago" I said softly, and she exhaled in relief.
" That was what I thought you were talking about when I first came in. I thought someone might have told you at the party, and that maybe you hadn't realised. So anyway, once I knew I was into women, I went to a few gay pubs and clubs in the surrounding areas. I wasn't looking for sex though, like all the girls who tried to chat me up. I was looking for someone special, you know? But because I wouldn't ever go any further than kissing with any of them, I sort of got a reputation for being frigid, and they all started to avoid me.
When I finished my exams, I decided to take a year out and go
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