Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 14:14:33 -0700 From: RC in Sacramento Subject: Munchkin chapter 5 This is a work of fiction. It depicts the often sexual relationship between two young girls. If this offends you or if you're not old enough to be reading this stuff, then get out NOW. If, however, you're where you want to be, then enjoy. MUNCHKIN Chapter 5 by Sacwriter The car that pulled up next to Becka's convertible rumbled and shook with power, the driver giving the V8 engine some high revs before he shut it down, just for a little drama. The machine was long and sleek and yellow, with mag wheels and a front end that looked like a cruising shark. Like the convertible next to it it also had a flat black hood and bore the chromed galloping horse emblem of the Ford Mustang on it's grill, but there the resemblance ceased. The new car was bigger and bolder, and looked like what the pony car wanted to be when it grew up. The familiar bass growl brought Becka out from the interior of the garage, wiping her hands on a shop towel and followed closely by Joe, who had also recognized the call of a muscle car. He stood back shyly and watched as Gia climbed out of the shotgun seat, and from that it wasn't too hard to figure out that the driver had to be their brother Bobby. The blood resemblance between Roberto and Gia Cameron was obvious to anyone who saw them together, despite the difference in their heights. At 6'2" Bobby was tall like his father, but like his sister he was also blade thin, and as handsome as a male model on the cover of GQ or Vogue. He smiled when the girls introduced him to Joe and shook his hand, open and friendly, but the boy still found himself shifting uncomfortably. The new arrival was definitely making him feel jumpy. Maybe it was his imagination, or perhaps a heightened sensitivity to violence after his recent experiences. Whatever it was, there was an electric feeling of danger in the air surrounding Bobby Cameron, something like the controlled tension of a carnivore with a seat at the local watering hole. Aw geez, why do I always have to think things like that? Joe looked away, trying to find a way to get the paranoid image out of his mind, searching for something, anything, to say. Finally he gestured to the vehicle the tall man had arrived in. "That's a really trim Mach 1 you've got. I guess your family must like Mustangs, huh? Um, it's a '69, right? Like your sisters' pony car?" Bobby raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Yes, it is. They're both '69s. How could you tell?" "Um, well, you know, a couple of things. Like, the shaker air ram on the hood? They only made those for the first two years, the '69 and '70 models." "You're right, they did. After that they started using the double air rams built right into the hood. But you knew it wasn't the '70, and you also knew what year the ragtop is. How did you figure that?" "Oh, well, that was easy, I just counted the headlamps. They gave all the '69 models four lights, but went back to just two the next year." Joe was beginning to relax now, feeling more on solid ground. The question and answer thing was a familiar ritual from his younger days back in Michigan. It was the universal way that enthusiasts of all stripes sought to prove themselves, by testing each others' knowledge and thereby displaying their qualifications. Sports buffs, collectors, movie fans, they all followed the same ritual. Joe had done the equivalent a hundred times before, and now he saw a grin beginning to tug at the corners of the older man's mouth. He decided it was safe to do some verifying of his own. After all, that's how the game was played, wasn't it? "It sounded like you've got the 428 in there. That's the engine built by Cobra Jet, right?" "Yeah, the CJ. The smaller engines were built at the Windsor plant." "About 350 horse power?" Bobby laughed, as at an inside joke. "Yeah, right, Ford said it was 335 when they first came out. But they purposely underrated 'em because of the concern about allowing muscle cars out on the streets. It was kind of controversial back then. Actually, they're closer to 400 horse. Hey, how come you know so much about Mustangs? My sisters don't usually hang around with gear heads, they get enough of that at home." "Aww, hey, I was raised in Dearborn, you know? Michigan. That's where the plant is that built these guys. If you don't know cars there, you get beat up a lot. Hey, did you know that the 1970 models also had a different emblem on the grill..." A few feet away the Cameron sisters shared a knowing look, listening to the animated conversation the two young men were suddenly engrossed in. Becka rolled her eyes and Gia grinned. "Gasoline and testosterone," the younger girl remarked, bringing up an old conversation the two had shared many times. "Crosses all boundaries, doesn't it?" Becka snorted. "I guess. G, he's been practically a basket case all day. Sticks close to me, goes all silent like when anybody else comes near. Acts like some dog that's been kicked too much. And then Bobby drives up in that monster of his, and suddenly he comes out of his shell. I mean, I like cars too, but I will never understand guys!" Gia laughed, then put her arm around the other girls' waist and gave her a squeeze. "You don't have to understand them, little girl. You just have to understand me. So, what's happening with his aunt? Was Dad able to get a hold of her?" "Nah. We called the company she's working for, their office up in Carson City. They say she's out at the place they store all their heavy equipment at Lake Tahoe, and they won't put through a call unless it's an emergency. But they said they'll pass her a message when she gets off tonight." "You think she'll have any problems with Joe staying with us while she's gone?" "Papa Bear doesn't think so, and neither does Joe. He still doesn't want her to know what happened, though. You know, the assault in the bathroom and stuff. I can understand that." Gia glanced up, and for a few moments studied her sisters' face closely. That Becka could understand what Joe was going through was an understatement of huge proportion. She knew how hard the other girl had worked to put the horrors of her past behind her, to deal with the fear and remembered pain that still caused her the occasional nightmare and panic attack. And the fact that they were once again dealing with sexual violence was causing Gia more than a little concern for her lovers' state of mind. Becka must have felt her stare, because when she looked back her lips twisted wryly. "Quit it," she growled. "Quit what?" Gia replied, her eyes opened innocently. "Quit trying to read my mind, dammit. And stop worrying about me, too. I'm not having flashbacks or anything just 'cause this kid almost got raped. I know the difference between him and me, alright?" Gia turned away from her, but also nodded. She leaned back and rested her head on Becka's shoulder, felt her lovers' arm pull her in a little more. They both knew that no matter what she said, a part of her would still worry about Becka. Because that's what you did when you loved someone, right? You worried. Becka sighed, and decided to change the subject. "I'll be working on this van the rest of the day, so you'll have him all to yourself. I know you've got things to do and you're gonna have to take him with, so keep an eye out for Harper. I don't think I scared those creeps off for good. If Joe wants to go back to his place and get something, make sure you have one of the boys along." "Oh, what, you think I'm afraid of a weasel like Gary Harper? I already faced him down once, remember? He won't bother me." "Gia, there's three of them! They're stupid but they're mean, and that makes them dangerous. And the time you faced him down you just poured a soda over his head in the cafeteria, it never had a chance to get violent. He doesn't know that you're tougher than me, and if he gets mad enough he won't care, either. So just do what I say and watch your back, okay?" "Okay, okay, you're right. I'll be careful, I promise. So, are we still going to Juicy's this weekend?" The dance club she was referring to was a juice bar that catered to minors, and was a favorite place to be for the students at their high school. Becka sighed now and shook her head regretfully. "I don't know, G. Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow? It's a three day weekend, so Juicy's is gonna be open on Sunday." "Sounds good. Hey, maybe we can bring Joe along." "What, you mean stag? You know the kid doesn't have a girlfriend." "No, but I bet Justine and Kelly know somebody they can fix him up with. I'm going to see them today, I'll ask them about it." Becka frowned, thinking about Justine and Kelly's friends, most of whom were cheerleaders like them. She tried to picture their painfully shy, geeky charge dancing with one of the stuck-up and permanently uptight members of Roosevelt High's social elite. The resulting image made her wince. * * * The talk with Bobby Cameron had been a blast, and it had raised Joe's spirits considerably. It had been so cool to talk to someone like Gia's brother and to feel accepted by him, instead of like something found on the bottom of a shoe. And to know that he had actually impressed him with his knowledge of cars! The other young man's show of respect had been the first real boost to his ego that Joe had felt in almost four years, and when they finally turned back to the girls he was wearing an ear to ear grin. Gia explained that she would be taking him for the rest of the day, and they went over what she had planned. First off was a late lunch, at the mention of which Joe suddenly realized just how long ago breakfast had been. Afterwards she had a couple of errands to run, and then she would take him to their house and help him get settled in and introduce him to their other two brothers who, she assured him, were every bit as cool as the one he had already met. Joe was perfectly amenable to all of this. In fact, he would have been amenable to just about anything that meant he wouldn't be left alone. They said their goodbyes to Becka and Bobby, and after the tall young man drove off they climbed into the girls' red convertible. As Gia was adjusting the seat to fit her shorter legs, Joe waved shyly to Becka. She smiled and waved back, which left a tingly feeling of warmth in his chest and made him grin back. As they pulled out of the parking lot he turned in his seat to watch her for as long as he could. * * * Lunch had been meatball subs and fries at a deli, where Joe had insisted on paying. After all he still had the hundred dollars Mattie had left him, making a comfortable bulge in his wallet, and it felt nice to be having lunch with a pretty girl. Almost like a date. Joe smiled, wishing that Milo could be there to see him now. Or anybody else from school, come to think of it. Gia had picked a booth in the corner that had a good view of the parking lot so that they could keep an eye on the Mustang. The sun through the big plate windows was warm, and the air was redolent with the smells of cooked foods. His companion was being her usual warm and ebullient self, and the simple fact was it just felt good to be there. Pretty soon she had drawn him out of the last remnant of his shyness, and had him talking animatedly about his previous life in Michigan. Once the flow had started all Gia had to do was sit back and listen, chewing on French fries and adding the occasional comment to keep him encouraged. He briefly touched on the fact that his parents had died in a fire, but other than the comment he had avoided any talk about them at all, as he had with any aspect of his life since their deaths. She suspected this was because the subject was still traumatic for him so she didn't push, but she decided to remember it for later. Eventually he seemed to wind down, and his excitement was once again replaced by hesitation. Gia waited patiently, knowing that if she was quite it would encourage him to fill the silence. "Um, do you, uh, mind if I ask you a question?" he finally said, validating her patience. "No, go right ahead," she answered, taking a sip from her strawberry milkshake. A single pink drop clung to her lip, and absentmindedly she licked it off. She failed to notice how the sight made Joe lick his own lips and swallow nervously. "Uh, you and Becka... are you two really sisters? I mean, I heard you guys were like adopted, or something." Gia grinned. "Actually, she's the only one who's adopted. I was born this way. But yes, I know what you mean. My family and I did adopt Becka. It took awhile, but it finally became official about five weeks ago. She's my sister now, and I am hers, forever." Joe blinked. That last statement sounded suspiciously like a marriage vow. He remembered what Milo had said, that he had disregarded at the time, about the two girls being a lot more than sisters. That the two of them were, actually, l— Man, no way in hell was he going to ask that question! Joe was trying to figure out just what it was he did want to ask, when Gia suddenly jumped up in her seat and snapped "HEY!" her gaze riveted through the window and out into the parking lot. Joe barely had time to blink before she was gone, spinning out of the booth and running towards the exit behind her. When she got to it she opened the door and stuck her head outside, shouting. "Hey you! Get your ass the hell off my car! That ain't a barstool!" Joe glanced through the window then and saw three guys about his own age, clustered around the red Mustang. One of them had just leapt up guiltily from where he had been sitting on the hood, then laughed with his friends and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. He gave Gia a negligent wave, and the three of them started to amble away. Gia pulled her head back in the door and then strode back to their table. Despite her shouted words Joe noticed that she didn't seem particularly angry or even upset about the incident. She sat down at the table without a word, and then calmly fished inside her purse for a Bic pen and some scratch paper. "Um, Gia? What's that for?" "What?" Gia said, looking up from where she had just written down the license plate of the car the three boys had gotten into. "Oh, you mean this? This is in case I find any scratches on the hood of the car. Then Becka and I have to track those guys down and kill them. Hey, do you want that pickle?" * * * The first stop they made was, surprisingly, back at Roosevelt High. Gia parked in the lot out behind the gymnasium, which already held about a dozen other vehicles. As she led the way towards the back of the gym, she noticed how Joe kept close to her, looking around the small parking lot anxiously. It wasn't hard to figure out who he was afraid he would see there. He jumped nervously when she reached out and took his hand, then flashed her a nervous smile when she gave it a reassuring squeeze. When they stepped inside the huge building Joe stopped and blinked, a little surprised to find that the place was filled with girls. Their shrill voices and laughter, the squeak of sneakers on polished wood floors, echoed and re-echoed from the far walls. There were two women who he recognized as the girls' P.E. coaches but the rest, about twenty all told, were all student age. Despite the lack of pom poms, it was obvious to Joe that Gia had led him deep into the heart of cheerleader territory. Oh great, the last place he wanted to be. Joe didn't subscribe to the myth that all cheerleaders were brainless bimbos with a nasty streak a yard wide. Sure, that portrayal described some of them, he had suffered at the hands of more than a few like that. But he wasn't about to paint them all with the same brush. At the same time, he was more than aware of the huge social distance between them, cheerleaders at the top, geeks like him and Milo at the bottom. You could fill that gap with the Pacific ocean. "Uh, Gia? What are we doing here?" "I've got to talk to a couple of friends, we're organizing a party for Sammie Waters. You know her, the editor of The Rough Rider? Anyway, she's turning eighteen this week, so we've got to do something about that. Hey, there they are." Gia picked up her pace and Joe had to hurry to keep up, painfully aware of the curious eyes that were cast his way. He looked past her shoulder, and saw that they were heading towards the only two girls who were actually wearing blue and gray cheerleader outfits and not street clothes. One had short blonde hair in a pixie cut, the other had long, curly red hair. They seemed to be in an animated conversation with another girl who was sitting on the lowest seat of the bleachers, a blonde who had her arms crossed and a sullen expression on her face. The sullen girl barely looked up as Gia and Joe approached, but when the two in uniform spotted them they immediately stopped what they were doing and ran forward, squealing in delight at the sight of Joe's escort. The next few minutes involved a lot of hugging and even more squealing, interspersed with rapid fire questions from the blonde and the red head, who didn't appear the least interested in an answer. Gia seemed to be waiting for the other two to wind down, like a sailor waits patiently for the turning of the tide. Joe stood to the side, shifting uncomfortably and wishing he were somewhere else. After a while of this he found his attention wandering, and let it shift to the girl on the bleachers. He saw that she had turned and was now sitting sideways, with one long and tanned leg bent at the knee and resting on the seat in front of her. Her arms were no longer crossed, but the sullen expression on her face had changed, and had taken on an aspect of irritation that looked like it was bordering on tears. The girl reached down and picked up a pad of note paper that Joe hadn't noticed before, then shook her head and dropped it back down. And then she made a quick and complicated gesture with her hands, in a manner that suggested complete and utter frustration. Joe blinked, his eyes going wide in amazement. It had been years since he had used it, but he immediately recognized the girl's gestures for what they were. She was speaking ASL, American Sign Language. The language of the deaf. And from what she had just said, it was easy to infer what she was so frustrated about. Joe considered his options, checking on Gia and the other two girls. It looked like they weren't going to finish up any time soon, and hell, Gia hadn't even bothered to introduce him. His decision made, he quietly slipped past the chattering trio and approached the girl seated in the bleachers. Joe began to lose a little of his confidence as he got nearer to the seated girl. He had noted absently that she was pretty, but he could see now that 'pretty' wasn't nearly a fair description. A thick main of golden blonde hair, interspersed with streaks of brown, hung down to her shoulders. It was parted in the middle, with loose bangs that kept falling, hiding first one eye and then the other. She had a shoe button nose, set above pink colored full lips that Joe had yet to see smile. She wore a blue Superman T- shirt, tied off under full breasts, with a pair of shorts that looked at least one size too small. The width of belly exposed between the pants and the top lay flat and tanned, and a flash of gold hinted at a navel ring. The long, strong legs ended in a pair of sneakers without socks, and around the left ankle he could see the circle of a tattoo. As he stopped in front of her Joe felt a flash of shyness that left him groping for words. But as she turned an annoyed look on him he realized that this time he didn't need to say anything. Instead he let his hands fall into the familiar gestures that he had learned almost before he learned the spoken word. He saw a surge of delight in the expression on the girl's face, and the smile like breaking sunlight that accompanied it. She sat up straighter as her own hands came up as she eagerly replied to Joe's question. he signed back, spelling it out. Tristen held her hand over her mouth to cover a silent giggle, and Joe took the opportunity to sit down on the bleachers facing her. He blinked when he noticed that her eyes were bi-colored, with one blue and the other a light hazel. It seemed kind of strange, but it was also very attractive. This time Tristen laughed silently at the joke, not bothering to cover her mouth with her hands. To some it might have appeared strange, the way the blonde girl showed the physical signs of hilarity and yet no sound came past her lips. But to Joe it seemed perfectly normal. His mother had laughed like that. * * * Gia's patience was eventually rewarded, as her two friends finally ran out of things to say, or more likely just out of breath. As it was, she had already found out all she needed to know about Sammie's party without having to broach a single question. So instead she tried, belatedly, to introduce them to Joe. "Listen, this has been great, but I know you're about to start practice soon so I'm going to get going. I just wanted to introduce you to my friend here. His name is Joe Mun... Joe? Hey, where did he--" "OHMYGAWD, he's talking to Tristen!!" Justine suddenly shrieked, pointing past Gia's shoulder. The red head's sudden outburst startled her, causing her to spin around to see what sort of trouble her charge had gotten into. But all she saw was Joe sitting on the bleachers having an animated conversation with the girl her two friends had been talking with. There didn't seem to be anything wrong... "Gia, who is that guy? How does he know how to talk with Tristen?" Justine asked, almost jumping up and down in her excitement. "I don't—who's Tristen?" "That's Tristen!" Kelly put in, just as excited as the red head. "She's new, and she's deaf, we haven't been able to speak to her for days, 'cause nobody here knows sign language. She's had to write notes and stuff just to tell us who she is." "Yeah, which sucks. But now your friend is here and we can finally talk to her. Hey, who is he, anyway? And how does he know sign language?" "Um, his name is Joe Munson. He's a senior like us, and he's sort of a friend of mine and Becka's. But we just met him, so I don't know anything about the sign language. Why don't you ask him?" Gia didn't have to suggest it twice, the other two girls practically dragged her over to introduce them. Joe heard them coming and sprang to his feet, his shyness reawakened by all the attention. Seeing his apprehension, Gia quickly stepped in and introduced him to Justine and Kelly, then asked to meet the girl he was with. "Oh, uh, this is Tristen, Tristen McCormick. And this is my friend, Gia Cameron." Joe blushed. "Tristen says she's pleased to meet you, Gia." "Wow, this is great," Justine put in enthusiastically. "Now we can really talk to her." "Yeah, and we really have a whole bunch of questions, too. Like about what routines she was taught in her old school. Now you can tell us what she says, Joe." She turned to face Tristen head on, and then spoke to her slowly, in an exaggeratedly loud tone of voice, accompanied by a ridiculous series of gestures and expressions. Joe had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "Tristen, we need to know what cheers you already know. So if you can just, like, tell us what you have done before, we can—" Tristen interrupted her with an angry snort, then turned back to Joe and began to sign rapidly. "Kelly, you don't have to raise your voice like that. Tristen can hear just fine, she just can't speak." "What?" Kelly said in a normal voice, blinking in confusion. She looked back at Tristen, who gestured at her ears and nodded in the affirmative, the expression on her face saying it all. Yes, you doofus, I can hear just fine. "Yeah. She says she already told you that the first day, she wrote it down, but you guys keep forgetting. She says it's very annoying." "Oh," Kelly answered in a small voice, her pale skin going red in embarrassment. "Sorry." Tristen shrugged, then directed some more rapid fire gestures to Joe. "She says don't feel bad, a lot of people do that to her. They keep forgetting that she's mute, not deaf. Anyway, she says these are the routines that she's familiar with from her old school." For the next ten minutes Joe acted as translator, carefully spelling out the terms that were unfamiliar to him but that seemed to be easily recognized by the other two cheerleaders. His hands were beginning to cramp from all the activity when the coaches started blowing their whistles and calling for the start of the practice. Tristen rose with a smile, and gave him a grateful hug, which after a few moments he awkwardly returned. He wasn't used to female company, much less this kind of contact, and wasn't sure how to handle it. The other two girls thanked him for his help also, although not in so friendly a manner. "Thanks, Joe, we really, really appreciate this," Kelly said again. "It'll really help the team, being able to talk to Tristen like this." "Yeah, and she knows some killer routines we never even tried before," put in Justine. "Hey, we were going to invite Tristen to Sammie's party next Saturday, why don't you come too? You could be her date. That would be so cool, you guys make a really cute couple." "Uh," Joe gobbled, totally thrown by the suggestion. Him, and a beautiful girl like Tristen, a couple? He had no words, and didn't know what he would say even if he did. He looked at the girl from Alabama, who grinned at the pink flush rising from his neck. She started to sign again, and as Joe read her gestures he let a sigh escape his lips. Whether it was a sound of disappointment or of relief, he couldn't say. "Uh, she says thanks, she'll be happy to come to the party, but please don't bother trying to get her a date. She says that it isn't necessary, and besides she doesn't... doesn't date boys?" Gia's eyes narrowed, while Justine's and Kelly's went wide at this announcement. The three girls shared a look, and it was Justine who first spoke. "Is, is she saying that she's gay? Like Gia?" Gay like Gia, Joe thought, feeling his pulse quicken at the implication. If Gia was gay, then Becka... Before he could pursue this train of thought, his attention was brought back to the rapidly moving hands of the new cheerleader. He noticed that she was once again grinning at him, and there seemed to be a glint of mischief in her eye. "Uh, no, she says she's not gay, she's... bisexual? Yeah, bisexual. She likes boys too, but right now she's more into girls, so if you know any females like that she might be interested. And... oh. Oh." Joe looked the other girl in the eye, and found himself sharing her wicked little grin. "She also says to tell you that... that she thinks Kelly is really hot." It took a couple of seconds for that to sink in, but then both Kelly and Justine's jaws dropped open at the same time as their eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. They stared at the blonde from Alabama like two deer caught in the headlights of a speeding truck. A BIG truck. Tristen gave Kelly a broad wink filled with innuendo, and then stepped past her on her way to where the other cheerleaders were gathering. As she walked away she gave her bottom under the tight blue shorts some of extra hip action. Kelly and Justine continued to stare, while Joe and Gia were holding each other and roaring with laughter. * * * The ride afterwards was pleasant, the top of the convertible was down, and the unseasonably warm weather was a promise of early spring. Gia was wearing a pair of mirrored sunglasses, and stray strands of her long black hair had escaped from her pony tail and were dancing around her face in the wind. She looked beautiful, not like a young girl is, but rather like a young woman, more mature and sophisticated. He found that he really liked being here, liked looking at her sitting next to him. And when she caught him looking she smiled back, as if she were pleased he was here too. And that Joe liked most of all. And yet his own reactions were beginning to worry at him. The attraction he had felt for Becka this morning had left him totally blindsided, striking out of the blue like a slap to the face. Some of it, he knew, was the simple fact that he was seventeen years old and not accustomed to being around girls. In fact he'd had a healthy and natural interest in all the females back at the gym just now. That the combination of adolescent hormones and the proximity of a beautiful girl should have an effect on him was to be expected, and he had particularly felt that way with Gia and again with Tristen. It was only natural. So why was he so worried about his feelings for Becka? Joe sighed, turning away and looking at the traffic on his side of the Mustang. He couldn't deny it, couldn't rationalize it away, either. His feelings for Becka went way past getting a woody at the sight of a good looking young girl. Becka was beautiful, but Tristen had a face and a body that was like a walking wet dream. And yet there wasn't a moment's worth of doubt which one he'd rather be with. Damn, was he ever messed up! Gia had pulled into a parking space at the post office, she had to pick up the mail for the family businesses. Joe agreed to wait out in the car, grateful for the opportunity to organize his troubled thoughts in private. He scrunched up into the corner of his seat and stared out at the street, trying hard to bring sense our of disorder. Becka Jackson had ruined his life three and a half years ago, and he had feared and despised her ever since. Then yesterday, in the boys room, when Gary Harper had-- Joe winced at the memory, hurriedly pulled away. That wound was still too raw, he wasn't going to go poking at it now. Instead he would acknowledge that it had almost been the most traumatic event of his life, as bad as when his parents had died. Worse, in some ways. And then Becka had come in and rescued his sorry ass, and then did it again this morning. So could that be it? Becka pulls a white knight and saves him from a 'fate worse than death', so this was just some sort of gratitude thing? Joe snorted and shook his head. No, there was no way he was going to buy himself as the 'damsel in distress'. He had been scared and traumatized, and he still had the urge to hide behind something whenever he thought too much about the recent past. But he had been taking care of himself and surviving at Roosevelt for a long time now, and he wasn't going to be deluded into thinking fear and gratitude equaled love. No, that was there, but it wasn't what was at the core of his attraction to the big blonde girl. A girl who could rip him apart like a paper napkin, and who was probably gay, too. And with whom he was about to spend a week under the same roof. * * * Gia got back to the Mustang and slid into the driver's seat, juggling the large pile of correspondence as she did. She gave her passenger a quick smile, but quickly turned her attention to sorting. Joe was politely silent for a few minutes, but then broke the quite with a hesitant question. "Gia? Um, can I ask you something? Something personal, I mean." "Well you can ask, but that doesn't mean I'm going to answer," she replied. She had said it playfully, but when he didn't reply she looked up and saw the nervous indecision on his face. "No, really, it's okay. What do you want to know?" The boy next to her fidgeted for awhile, seeming to need the time to work up his courage. Whatever he wanted to ask, it was plain from the redness on his neck that the subject embarrassed him more than a little, which gave Gia a good idea of what Joe was going to say. She had been through this before, several times in fact, and so she waited patiently. Finally he took a deep breath and faced her. "When Tristen said that... that she was more into girls than into boys, do you remember that? Oh, yeah, dumb question, it just happened an hour ago. Anyway, when she said that, Justine asked if she was gay, like... well, like you. And, um—" "And you want to know if I am? Yes, Joe, it's true. I'm gay. The technical term is 'lesbian'. Unlike Tristen who is bisexual and likes girls and boys both, I'm only attracted to girls. And no, I'm not mad at you for asking, either. I'm very open about my sexuality, and I don't care who knows it. But you tell me something now; does my being gay bother you? Does it really make a difference?" "What? NO! I mean, no, it doesn't make any difference to me at all. I'm not like that. It's just, I mean, I've never met a les—a gay girl before. And I, well, I guess I just didn't know how I'm supposed to act. You know? I didn't want to say the wrong thing and offend you or anything." Gia laughed, then reached over and placed a hand on his arm. "Just relax, Joe. Don't make a big deal about it, but don't ignore it, either. And I'm glad it doesn't make a difference, because I really like you and I hope we can be friends. I've had some people who it did matter to, and that wasn't very pleasant." Joe ducked his head and was turning red again, but from the smile on his face she guessed it was okay. They sat and talked for awhile, about what it was like to be a gay teenager and some of the problems she had faced since she came out. She ended up making a few jokes and even had him laughing at the fallacies and misconceptions of straight people. She was just about to start the car and head for home when Joe got serious again. She waited for him to ask the expected question. "Gia? Are you and Becka... I mean, is she--?" "Yes, Joe, Becka is also gay, and she's my lover. I know, we're sisters, but not biologically. We were lovers long before then, and we saw no reason to change that just because of a piece of paper. And yes, our family knows about us, and accepts us, and they also knew about us before the adoption. Was that your question?" "Um, yeah, that was it. Thanks for telling me all this, for trusting me with it. And thanks for everything else, too. I really appreciate all you guys have done for me." Gia nodded and gave him a smile in acknowledgement, then put her sunglasses on and started the Mustang. She was about to put it into gear when she stopped, frowning, as something finally worked it's way into her conscious. Joe's reaction when she had told him she was gay had been open and accepting. He had even seemed relieved, at having gotten past such a potentially troublesome social gaffe without offending her. But when she had told him that Becka was also gay, he had seemed... Disappointed? From the corner of her eye and behind the cover of her sunglasses, she watched Joe carefully. He was once more leaning against the door and looking out at the traffic, with a sad, wistful expression on his face. Gia put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking space, shaking her head. The implications for the coming week were just now beginning to sink in. Oooh, boy. (continued)