had a sad significance that she couldn’t quite pinpoint, and she was sure people were deliberately choking up the aisles so that she couldn’t get back out into the main concourse.
She forced her way out and sat on a bench in front of the store. She looked up at the fronds of a huge potted plant. Celine Dion screeched about love over the sound system.
It took Mel and Avery almost five minutes to emerge. Mel came right to Nina. Avery hung a few steps back.
“I’m sorry,” Mel said softly. “We were going to tell you. We were just trying to find a good time.”
Nina knew this was the moment she was supposed to say something wonderful. This was when she lived up to her beliefs in equality, her conviction that homosexuality was completely normal and wonderful. Except—she couldn’t seem to speak. “I need to get some air,” she managed to say.
Nina was in a trance now. She got up and went back the way she had come, past Burberry, back through the maze of tables and people buying food in the food court, to the set of doors that led to the parking lot where they’d left her car just forty-five minutes before. It felt like her head was plugged up with something cottonythat muffled the noises of the other conversations, the music, the mall. She stepped outside into the muggy afternoon.
The first thing she did was stretch a smile across her face. It took a great deal of effort.
Of course
it was okay. She had no problems with this stuff. She was planning on having the council do stuff with the gay-straight alliance. She had no issues with this at all. So, she’d been surprised. That was okay. They’d understand that. The surprise would wear off. She just needed to turn around and show them it was all going to be fine.
Her knees were a little wobbly. She laughed at nothing in particular and turned to go back inside.
Nina guessed correctly that Mel and Avery would be waiting for her in the food court near the Orange Julius. She had a kind of natural GPS when it came to the Triangle. She fixed a smile on her face and sat down with them. They’d both gotten drinks and had one sitting and waiting for her.
“I was surprised,” she said. “Sorry.”
Possibly the understatement of a lifetime.
They sucked on Orange Juliuses for a minute. No one seemed to know where to start.
“So,” Nina said, “how long have you … ?”
She left the definition open.
“Since July,” Mel replied. “July Fourth.”
“July Fourth?”
Nina slowly counted back in her mind, even though she knew that July Fourth was almost two months ago. She needed thistime to be shorter—a week, maybe two, something passing. But it was about the same amount of time that she’d spent with Steve, and in her mind, that meant that the whole thing had been set in cement.
“How did this start?” Nina said.
“It just kind of happened,” Avery said.
“But you never said—I mean, you’ve both dated guys. I know that doesn’t matter. I mean, I know things can happen, but … you never said anything about girls.”
“I knew,” Mel said, shredding a napkin. “It was in my mind, but I didn’t know if it was real. Then one day, I just knew it was.”
Nina looked to Avery, but Avery just watched Mel destroy the napkin.
“Oh,” Nina said. “Well, it’s great that you’ve come out….”
“We haven’t told anyone,” Avery said. There was something in her tone that told Nina that they didn’t want her to say anything either.
“Or whatever,” Nina added quickly. “That you know. I don’t want you guys to act differently around me. Don’t feel like you can’t do things because I’m there.”
This was a lie. Nina knew deep down that if she saw another one of those kisses right now, she was pretty sure she would have to be medicated.
“It won’t change anything,” Mel said. “It’s really not that different.”
Nina was pretty sure this wasn’t true either, but she appreciated Mel’s saying it anyway. She started
She forced her way out and sat on a bench in front of the store. She looked up at the fronds of a huge potted plant. Celine Dion screeched about love over the sound system.
It took Mel and Avery almost five minutes to emerge. Mel came right to Nina. Avery hung a few steps back.
“I’m sorry,” Mel said softly. “We were going to tell you. We were just trying to find a good time.”
Nina knew this was the moment she was supposed to say something wonderful. This was when she lived up to her beliefs in equality, her conviction that homosexuality was completely normal and wonderful. Except—she couldn’t seem to speak. “I need to get some air,” she managed to say.
Nina was in a trance now. She got up and went back the way she had come, past Burberry, back through the maze of tables and people buying food in the food court, to the set of doors that led to the parking lot where they’d left her car just forty-five minutes before. It felt like her head was plugged up with something cottonythat muffled the noises of the other conversations, the music, the mall. She stepped outside into the muggy afternoon.
The first thing she did was stretch a smile across her face. It took a great deal of effort.
Of course
it was okay. She had no problems with this stuff. She was planning on having the council do stuff with the gay-straight alliance. She had no issues with this at all. So, she’d been surprised. That was okay. They’d understand that. The surprise would wear off. She just needed to turn around and show them it was all going to be fine.
Her knees were a little wobbly. She laughed at nothing in particular and turned to go back inside.
Nina guessed correctly that Mel and Avery would be waiting for her in the food court near the Orange Julius. She had a kind of natural GPS when it came to the Triangle. She fixed a smile on her face and sat down with them. They’d both gotten drinks and had one sitting and waiting for her.
“I was surprised,” she said. “Sorry.”
Possibly the understatement of a lifetime.
They sucked on Orange Juliuses for a minute. No one seemed to know where to start.
“So,” Nina said, “how long have you … ?”
She left the definition open.
“Since July,” Mel replied. “July Fourth.”
“July Fourth?”
Nina slowly counted back in her mind, even though she knew that July Fourth was almost two months ago. She needed thistime to be shorter—a week, maybe two, something passing. But it was about the same amount of time that she’d spent with Steve, and in her mind, that meant that the whole thing had been set in cement.
“How did this start?” Nina said.
“It just kind of happened,” Avery said.
“But you never said—I mean, you’ve both dated guys. I know that doesn’t matter. I mean, I know things can happen, but … you never said anything about girls.”
“I knew,” Mel said, shredding a napkin. “It was in my mind, but I didn’t know if it was real. Then one day, I just knew it was.”
Nina looked to Avery, but Avery just watched Mel destroy the napkin.
“Oh,” Nina said. “Well, it’s great that you’ve come out….”
“We haven’t told anyone,” Avery said. There was something in her tone that told Nina that they didn’t want her to say anything either.
“Or whatever,” Nina added quickly. “That you know. I don’t want you guys to act differently around me. Don’t feel like you can’t do things because I’m there.”
This was a lie. Nina knew deep down that if she saw another one of those kisses right now, she was pretty sure she would have to be medicated.
“It won’t change anything,” Mel said. “It’s really not that different.”
Nina was pretty sure this wasn’t true either, but she appreciated Mel’s saying it anyway. She started
Similar Books
