leave it, a few drips don’t matter.”
“ Shouldn’t I try to wipe them off?”
“ No, they’ll just smear and look even worse. Don’t worry about it.”
“ Ok.” Lara finished with the blaze.
“ So why’d your mom want you out of town?”
“ Oh, I think she’s hoping the rumors will die down if I’m gone for a while.”
Katie wasn’t sure if she should ask what the rumors were about, so she stayed quiet.
“ It’s all right, I don’t mind talking about it.”
“ Ok,” Katie said. “What rumors?”
“ I’m surprised Patty didn’t tell you. I know my mother had a long chat with her and told her all about it before I got accepted into the program.”
“ No, Patty didn’t say anything about rumors.” That must be why she was so concerned about them having problems though.
“ I was friends with this girl at school. Everyone thought we were best friends, which we were, but then they started saying that we were more than just friends. We never did find out who started saying it or why, but eventually the teachers got wind of it, and one of them called our parents.”
“ Uh oh.” It was never a good thing when teachers called your parents.
“ Yeah, but the real problem was, it wasn’t just a rumor. It was true.”
“ Does your mother know that?” Katie had no issues with someone being gay, but she knew that other people often did, especially parents.
“ Oh yeah, I told her. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I knew I was never going to date boys, so I figured what the hell. She might as well know now.”
“ That was gutsy.”
Lara laughed. “Or stupid, I haven’t decided which.”
Katie just smiled, but no way did she think it was stupid. On the contrary, she found Lara’s openness impressive.
“ I’m guessing this isn’t going to be a problem for you then?” Lara asked.
“ No, of course not.”
“ Most of the kids at school didn’t care either. They loved gossiping about it, but none of them were mean to us or anything. It was our parents who couldn’t handle it.”
“ What’d your father say?”
“ Oh, I doubt my mother will ever tell him. They got divorced when I was three, and he moved to Seattle with his new wife. They have a couple of kids, but I’ve never met them. I’ve seen pictures though.”
“ So you never see your Dad?”
“ Nope, he just sends cards.”
“ That must be really hard, I can’t imagine not being able to see my Dad.”
“ It’s hard to miss what you’ve never had.”
“ I never thought of it that way. What about your girlfriend? What did her parents say?”
“ They totally freaked out. They told her not to worry because they didn’t believe a word of it, but the idea of anyone else believing it made them crazy, so they transferred her to a private school. They said that way she wouldn’t be burdened by the ‘stigma’. Then they rented a beach house in California for the entire summer and took off.”
“ Did you even get to say goodbye?”
“ Oh yeah, we both cried, and she said she’d miss me, but I think that she was secretly glad it was all over. I don’t think she ever got over the shock that she fell for a girl.”
“ How about you? Were you shocked that you fell for a girl?”
“ No, I always knew I liked girls. I guess that was the biggest difference. She never wanted anyone to find out, but I knew I’d have to face it someday. I mean, it scared me, but I knew I couldn’t avoid it forever.”
“ Yeah, I guess not.”
They reached one of the places where the creek pools. It was completely shaded by trees, and there were rocks strewn throughout the water. Katie left the supplies on the bank and stepped out onto the rocks.
“ I love this spot,” she said and navigated her way across the pool.
“ It is beautiful. My dog Beau would just love it.”
“ You have a dog?”
“ Yep, he’s a golden retriever, and he loves to swim. If I brought him here, I might never get him home.”
“ Wait until
“ Shouldn’t I try to wipe them off?”
“ No, they’ll just smear and look even worse. Don’t worry about it.”
“ Ok.” Lara finished with the blaze.
“ So why’d your mom want you out of town?”
“ Oh, I think she’s hoping the rumors will die down if I’m gone for a while.”
Katie wasn’t sure if she should ask what the rumors were about, so she stayed quiet.
“ It’s all right, I don’t mind talking about it.”
“ Ok,” Katie said. “What rumors?”
“ I’m surprised Patty didn’t tell you. I know my mother had a long chat with her and told her all about it before I got accepted into the program.”
“ No, Patty didn’t say anything about rumors.” That must be why she was so concerned about them having problems though.
“ I was friends with this girl at school. Everyone thought we were best friends, which we were, but then they started saying that we were more than just friends. We never did find out who started saying it or why, but eventually the teachers got wind of it, and one of them called our parents.”
“ Uh oh.” It was never a good thing when teachers called your parents.
“ Yeah, but the real problem was, it wasn’t just a rumor. It was true.”
“ Does your mother know that?” Katie had no issues with someone being gay, but she knew that other people often did, especially parents.
“ Oh yeah, I told her. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I knew I was never going to date boys, so I figured what the hell. She might as well know now.”
“ That was gutsy.”
Lara laughed. “Or stupid, I haven’t decided which.”
Katie just smiled, but no way did she think it was stupid. On the contrary, she found Lara’s openness impressive.
“ I’m guessing this isn’t going to be a problem for you then?” Lara asked.
“ No, of course not.”
“ Most of the kids at school didn’t care either. They loved gossiping about it, but none of them were mean to us or anything. It was our parents who couldn’t handle it.”
“ What’d your father say?”
“ Oh, I doubt my mother will ever tell him. They got divorced when I was three, and he moved to Seattle with his new wife. They have a couple of kids, but I’ve never met them. I’ve seen pictures though.”
“ So you never see your Dad?”
“ Nope, he just sends cards.”
“ That must be really hard, I can’t imagine not being able to see my Dad.”
“ It’s hard to miss what you’ve never had.”
“ I never thought of it that way. What about your girlfriend? What did her parents say?”
“ They totally freaked out. They told her not to worry because they didn’t believe a word of it, but the idea of anyone else believing it made them crazy, so they transferred her to a private school. They said that way she wouldn’t be burdened by the ‘stigma’. Then they rented a beach house in California for the entire summer and took off.”
“ Did you even get to say goodbye?”
“ Oh yeah, we both cried, and she said she’d miss me, but I think that she was secretly glad it was all over. I don’t think she ever got over the shock that she fell for a girl.”
“ How about you? Were you shocked that you fell for a girl?”
“ No, I always knew I liked girls. I guess that was the biggest difference. She never wanted anyone to find out, but I knew I’d have to face it someday. I mean, it scared me, but I knew I couldn’t avoid it forever.”
“ Yeah, I guess not.”
They reached one of the places where the creek pools. It was completely shaded by trees, and there were rocks strewn throughout the water. Katie left the supplies on the bank and stepped out onto the rocks.
“ I love this spot,” she said and navigated her way across the pool.
“ It is beautiful. My dog Beau would just love it.”
“ You have a dog?”
“ Yep, he’s a golden retriever, and he loves to swim. If I brought him here, I might never get him home.”
“ Wait until
Similar Books
