In the next three daysCaleb spent at Ginny’s, he felt like he was on a break from reallife. Since Kate liked dabbling in the kitchen, he always had hisfill of home-cooked meals. He also didn’t have to worry aboutcurfews. Though since he was too busy with schoolwork, there wasn’tany reason to stay out late.
The only downside was thatCaleb was no treated as a guest. The aunts assigned him to do thedishes with Ginny. Sometimes, Ginny escaped after dinner to herroom, and Caleb was left on his own to deal with the meal’saftermath. But he didn’t mind. As he rinsed plates and scrubbedpots, he thought about a lot of things.
He let himself feelthings, too. He felt happy to be back in school. Felt proud forcoming out. He allowed himself to feel the hurt—from what happenedwith Franco, but most especially from his last conversation withhis mom.
Sometimes the pain wouldbe too excruciating to bear. Once, when Ginny stayed behind inschool for a Wordplay meeting, Caleb held back his tears during thecommute home. Upon entering the house, he raced up the stairs tothe guestroom, letting the hurt have its way with him.
He was lying on the bed, awet patch staining his pillow when Mitch walked in on him with anarmful of beddings.
“Shit, sorry!” sheexclaimed as Caleb quickly sat up, wiping his cheeks. But insteadof leaving, Mitch deposited the sheets on the table and in onesweeping motion, perched beside Caleb and gathered him in her arms.She didn’t say anything, just placed a palm on his back and rubbedup and down in 2/4 meter. Up and down, up anddown. Caleb foundhimself responding to that beat, his breath ragged as he inhaled,exhaled, inhaled, exhaled. When his breathing slowed down, so didthe hand that stroked his back.
Caleb pulled back, voiceraspy. “Does it ever get easy—being different?”
Mitch’s smile was gentle.There were tears in her eyes, too. “Everything gets a little easierwith time. At some point, we move on because we’re so much morethan being gay or lesbian or any of those things. We’re daughters,sons, engineers, artists. We find our happiness. Achieve things.Live our lives like everyone else.” She put an arm around Caleb.“It’s going to be okay, I promise. Your mom loves you very much. Ifshe didn’t, she wouldn’t have reached out to me.”
At those words, he liftedhis head with a questioning gaze.
Mitch nodded. “Kate and Italked to her before you did. I managed to convince her to save mynumber. We’ve been messaging back and forth. I’ve even sent hersome books that may help her understand.” She gave his shoulder areassuring squeeze. “She loves you, Caleb. When she left you here,she reacted out of fear. People are afraid of what they don’tunderstand.”
He flinched a little,remembering Franco’s words: People arenaturally scared of things they don’t understand. Understanding andacceptance go both ways.
“I know you’re hurting,but if you find some space in your heart to let her in, don’thesitate. Don’t shut her out from your life.” Mitch cupped hischin, forcing him to look into her fierce gaze. “And don’t beafraid of being rejected. Kate, Ginny and I will always have yourback. Whether or not it works out with your mom, you’ll beokay.”
He nodded his headrepetitively—up and down, up and down in 2/4 meter. Caleb wanted tobelieve Mitch, needed to believe her. Because if he didn’t hold on to that scrap ofhope, he would go crazy.
* * *
“Comein!”
Caleb stepped inside,thinking how Ginny’s room looked like the result of a unicorn’sbarf-fest. Each wall panel had been painted a differentcolor—pastel pink, lemon yellow, lavender, and an orange shade solight, it bordered on peach. The room was as colorful as Ginny’shair. Almost. Hisfriend was lying down on her tummy, head bent over a notebook shewas scribbling on. From where he stood, Caleb could see her blackroots gaining an inch of territory into her cotton-candyhair.
“Oh, myGod,” he burst out, making Ginny look up in surprise. Caleb’s facewas a tribute to Edvard Munch’s TheScream—palms flat on cheeks, eyes buggedout, mouth forming a huge O. “You actually have normal blackhair like the rest of us!”
She shot him a witheringlook as she brushed her hair back. “That awful, huh?”
“Not as awful as myhaircut,” he reassured her, plunking down on the space beside her.“Why haven’t you retouched it?”
She shrugged. “Got tiredof it. Also, the salon trips are eating into my allowance.” Shesmirked. “It’s au naturelfor me—at least for now.”
Caleb nodded sagely. “Sothis has nothing to do with Noel?”
Ginny snorted. “That guymoves infinitely slower than Friday night traffic. I can’t believehe hasn’t even kissed me yet!” She shot Caleb a sly look. “Not allof us can be as brave as you, you know.”
“For the record, Francokissed me first.” Ignoring the heat that had crept up his face, hegestured to Ginny’s notebook. “That finished?”
She sighed. “I guess. Ithink it’s horrible, but Drew says it’s good for a first try. Ijust want to get this over with.” She pinned down Caleb with alook. “So have you thought about it? You’ll be there tomorrownight, right?”
His gaze wavered. He hadthought about it—many times—and the answer was always adecisive Hell, no. Going to Wordplay’s Newbie Night was equivalent to plungingheadlong into a sea full of squirming sharks. Franco, Drew and Tarawere sure to be there.
But then, Mitch’s advicehad haunted him all day—especially that part about moving on andgetting on with his life. Though Franco had wounded him deeply, theguy also brought a lot of happy firsts into his life. If it weren’tfor him, Caleb wouldn’t have the courage to come out.
Ginny’s voice pulled himout of his thoughts. “Oh, and the aunts are going to bethere.”
“What?”
“That’s how desperate Iam, Cale,” Ginny moaned. “If you’re not there, who else can I counton?”
The guilt was threateningto transform his Hell, nodecision into something entirely different.Biding for time, Caleb picked up a thick paperback strewn on thebed.
