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Kristy came out with a bang, like I always knew she would. Being a lesbian was no different than anything else in her life; she threw herself into it fully, no holds barred. Within two months, her High School had a Gay/Straight Alliance (with Kristy as president, of course). Within six months, they included homosexuality in the sex-ed class. Within a year, she was dating one of the prettiest girls in the school and could be identified simply as "the dyke".
I wasn't there for most of this, of course, and heard about it second-hand from Mary Anne. It amused me, to a point, although Mary Anne's constant insecurities regarding her best friend's orientation got on my nerves. "Do you think she likes me? You know, likes me?" she would ask.
To which I'd respond, "Please. When has Kristy ever held back when she's wanted something? If she was into you, you'd know." And I'd listen a bit longer as Mary Anne wondered about what it meant for their friendship, whether people thought she was a lesbian (I always had to repress a giggle at that), why she hadn't noticed before. And eventually I'd reach my limit and exclaim:
"How could you not have known? Girl was a cowboy hat away from K.D. Lang since the day we met. Jesus, Mary Anne, she's a lesbian, not a terrorist. What's the big deal?"
And then Mary Anne would get very quiet, and I'd feel guilty for blowing up, and she'd mumble something like, "Yeah, I guess you're right, it's not a big deal," and we'd find an excuse to hang up. So predictable, I wondered why we didn't just make recordings and save ourselves the angst.
When the time came for my annual Connecticut trip, I was more excited than usual. I couldn't wait to see the "new" Kristy. A little nervous as well, truth be told. I wondered if Kristy's newfound lesbianism came with gaydar. And what Mary Anne would do when she found out her other best friend (not to mention step-sister) was "that way" as well.
To my surprise (and pleasure), Kristy was with Mom and Mary Anne at the airport. Mary Anne gave me a crushing hug. I turned to Kristy, who quirked an eyebrow and extended her hand. I laughed, and tugged her to me, giving her a big hug as well. I could feel her kind of relax when my arms went around her.
Mary Anne had a baby-sitting job that afternoon, but Kristy said she was free to hang out. She went up to my room as I went for some ice cream. Well, ice cream for her, non-fat frozen yogurt for me. Mom caught me in the kitchen, looking nervous.
"You know about--"
"Yes," I interrupted.
She bit her lip. Sometimes I wonder what Mom notices. She seems so out of it, but there are times she's pretty perceptive.
"Maybe you should leave the door open," she said.
"God! You're as bad as Mary Anne!" I slammed the refrigerator door shut. "So she likes girls! It's not like she's a rapist. It's not like we don't have a lot of other things in common. We can hang out. Nothing's changed. Jesus." I leaned against the door. Poor Kristy, if this was any indication of what she'd had to put up with...
Mom gave me a considering look. "You really are your father's daughter," she said, and I didn't know whether it was a complaint or a compliment. I took the food upstairs.
Kristy was standing near the door, fidgeting. "Were you guys, you know, fighting about me?"
"No," I said. Maybe I slammed the door a little harder than necessary. "We were fighting over my mom's closed-mindedness. Nothing to do with you."
Kristy winked. I winked back, and went to sit on my bed. She grabbed my chair, flipped it around, and sat on it backwards. Like always.
I ate a little of the yogurt, but I really wasn't hungry. I searched for something to talk about that didn't involve lesbians. "How's the club?" I asked.
"Which one?" Kristy asked, a spoonful of ice cream hanging out of her mouth.
I smiled. "The BSC. Though I do want to hear all about the other, as well."
Kristy took the spoon out, her face falling a bit. "It's...okay. I don't know if Mary Anne told you. I'm thinking for stepping down as president. Maybe...dropping out altogether."
I couldn't have been more shocked if she'd pulled a hidden zipper and revealed that she was Johnny Depp in disguise. "No!" I said. "Why?"
Kristy shrugged. "Lots of reasons. Business has really gone down since I came out." She sighed. "Guess people don't want the town dyke watching their kids."
"That sucks."
"Yeah, pretty much. I was hoping that our, you know, regulars would stick on. But there are a few families who haven't called in months and I know why. I can't decide if I should go talk to them..." she shrugged again. "Not much I could say. 'Hey, why aren't you calling the BSC? Are you a homophobe?' Wouldn't work. And it's not fair to the newer members. They're not getting enough experience.
"Plus, I just don't have the time to devote to it. It was all well and good when I was 13, but I've got my future to consider now, and I want to do something more with my life than watch kids. And the GSA is really taking off..."
"Tell me about that," I said.
Kristy raised an eyebrow. "The club or being gay?"
I laughed. "Both. Mary Anne tells me you have a girlfriend."
Kristy scowled. "Mary Anne has a big mouth. And she listens to too much gossip."
There was a little flutter in my belly. I tried to repress it. "No girlfriend?" I asked, trying to keep from sounding hopeful.
Kristy gave me a weird look; I obviously wasn't as successful as I wanted to be. "No," she said. "Well, there was Candice, but that was, like, a straight-girl experimentation thing."
"I hate that," I said. Kristy gave me another weird look. "So...no special someone in your life?"
"Not really," she said. She put her bowl down and stretched. Slowly, trying to look casual, she moved over next to me on the bed and leaned against the headboard. She was blushing a bit.
So cute.
"Um," she said, then stopped. She took a deep breath. "So the GSA is doing well. We're working on some anti-bullying stuff for the school. Maybe send the teachers to some training. You know that 33 percent of all teen suicides are gay kids?"
"I've...heard that," I said, trying to keep my voice even. Trying to keep from reaching out and touching her.
She nodded. Inched a bit closer to me, but still had her face turned away. "I've, uh, been getting a lot of help from the HRC. I'm learning how to network. I might be able to turn this into a career, be able to do something important with my life."
"I've always known you'll do great things," I said honestly.
Her breath caught and she finally looked at me. Her eyes caught mine. Slowly, her hand rose to my face. Her index finger traced my jawline. "Dawn," she said, her voice husky. Sexy. "Are we on the same page here? I don't..."
"Are you going to kiss me or what?" I asked. And then her lips were on mine. Warm. A little dry. Insistent. Confident. Very Kristy. We kept it closed-mouth, but I was still breathing heavy when she pulled away.
"Whoa," she said. She rested her forehead on mine. "What are we going to tell Mary Anne?"
I rolled my eyes. Wasn't that a bucket of cold water. "I don't care," I said. I smiled. "Just make sure the door's locked. We'll worry about the rest later."