Catching Rainbows

11

tw/ homophobia/hate speech

I had the misfortune of meeting her boyfriend a few days later when I picked her up to go to the water park.

He was sitting on the porch of the address she'd given me, with another guy. She came out immediately as I pulled up at the curb. I waved and hit the window button.

Her boyfriend's friend shaded his eyes to see me and smiled. It was a little creepy, not gonna lie. "Hey, Chloe, who's your friend?"

The boyfriend, who looked like a pig but maybe that was just me being biased, snorted appropriately. "Don't bother, dude. Look at those stickers; she's a lesbo."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Keith! What the fuck?"

He tried to feign surprise. "What, babe, is that not PC? Sorry, what should I say? The D word's out too, right? Can I still say lesbian? Sorry, dude, she's a lesbian." He caught my eye and smirked. "No offense meant, Chloe's new friend." He cracked up, clearly going for a reaction from her, and I hoped she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

I had something I'd like to give him, a hand grenade maybe, but I maintained my cool. 

"No worries," I said airily, which anyone who knew me at all knew meant you now have Worries, Big Worries, All The Worries.

Chloe was red, miserable. "Don't be a dick, okay? Jesus, I hate you." She shook her head, trying to hide the humiliation and failing. I got the idea it wasn't an unusual feeling for her and it pissed me off a little more.

"Yeah, yeah, bye Chloe," he dismissed her, chugging some beer.

She slammed the door and dared to meet my eyes with a trembly smile. "I'm really sorry about him. They're already drunk," she said, clicking her seat belt as I pulled away from the curb. "He's not really homophobic."

I didn't know whom she was trying to convince, but I gave her the out. What else could I do? Of course he was homophobic. "It's fine," I said easily. I'd heard worse. Much worse. "Guys are dumb. Don't give it another thought."

She had on a white sundress and a red bikini underneath that tied behind her neck. Maybe it would come untied. One could only hope.

"He's just a total ass when he's drinking," she tried again. "Even more so than usual." I got that she was defending herself for being with him, though it was really hard to see why they were together. I barely knew her; she must have her reasons.

"Really, it's fine," I said, emphatically, not wanting to spend any more energy on Dickboy.

"It's really not, but I can't--" she blew out air in frustration. "I know it's bad that I'm with a guy like that but I just can't--I'm not able to explain it to you. Right now," she finished lamely.  "I know that makes no sense."

"Listen," I said, though I was properly intrigued. "You explain whatever you want to me, whenever you're ready, and I'll be here for it, okay?"

She nodded, her lips pressed together, picking at a cuticle.

"Hey," I said, daring to touch her bare arm for a moment as I pulled up to a stoplight. She looked up at me. "Don't give him another thought today."

"I won't," she agreed, finally relaxing. I accidentally-on-purpose had Hayley Kiyoko's Expectations playing and Feelings came on then. "Ooh, I love this song," she said, turning it up. "I'm hooked on all these feeelings," she sang, on-key, and I couldn't believe my overall luck. "I love Hayley Kiyoko."

"Same," I said happily, turning it up a little more.

They had a killer snack bar at the park and we ate throughout the day. I loved that she loved food. I ate pretty well most of the time and running around after Hailie burned a lot of calories, so I could eat whatever I wanted on the days where the opportunity presented itself.