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“Um… just a couple months,” I said. “We just became official recently.”
I knew Brianne would probably wonder what I was playing at, since we’d been official for a while. But I needed an explanation for why I hadn’t told my mom about her earlier.
“Great. It’s good to see you in a
happy relationship, honey,” she said, turning to Brianne. “I hope you’re taking good care of her. I was so worried when she decided to transfer.”
“We take good care of each other,” said Brianne. “She’s fit into Beasley just fine.”
So that was it, then. It was so anticlimactic. She’d accepted it without question and I’d worked myself up for nothing. I had nothing to be worried about—she’d accepted me the way I was, and not only that, she was happy for me.
I wondered what my dad would have said. I didn’t remember much about him, since he left when I was young, but there was a reason he and my mother had split up. The area I came from was kind of rural, so it was likely he didn’t share the same views as my mother.
Good thing he wasn’t in my life anymore, then.
After lunch, we decided to walk around the Riverwalk a bit, so my mother could get the Rosebridge experience. Since it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, there were tons of people around, painting a picture of Rosebridge as a happy, cheerful place, which it certainly could be. The three of us sat on some benches near the river.
“I think you’re really happy here,” she said. “You’ve found people you really click with. I guess transferring really was the right decision.”
“It wasn’t that, Mom,” I said. “It was finding out who I really was that changed things. I didn’t know… before… that I was… into girls.”
A bolt of anxiety still went through me when I said that.
“That would certainly help, wouldn’t it?” She smiled and took my hand. “You know I’ll love you no matter what, right?”
“I know, Mom,” I said. “Thanks.”
I finally could breathe a sigh of relief. The day had gone even better than I’d expected. She hadn’t even made a big show of accepting me—she’d been all casual about it instead. I felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders, like tension was being released.
And when Brianne and I made it back to our home that evening, I felt, in some intangible way, like I could finally move forward with my life.
19
BRIANNE
“T hank God,” I said.
“What happened?” said Margie, her eyes wide.
“I got the Human Nature job. They liked me at my interview and said I’d be perfect,” I said, glad I’d finally gotten something. And this gig had been one I’d really wanted, too, because it seemed so interesting and worthwhile—something that actually made the world a better place.
“That’s awesome! Congrats!” Margie came and kissed me on the lips, throwing her arms around me.
“I feel a lot better now. If I can score another part time job, I’ll be set. And maybe I can turn it into a marketing consultancy. How cool would that be?” I said, feeling like my dreams could take flight once again. I knew my parents wanted me to become a marketing executive at a fancy firm eventually, but that wasn’t the life I wanted for myself. The cool thing about this Human Nature job was that it was so flexible. I didn’t have to lock myself into the 9-5 slog.
“That would be awesome. I’m sure you can do it if you want to,” said Margie, her eyes shining up at me.
I appreciated her support. To make this good day even better, I was supposed to be playing at the Shadetree show with Kaitlyn this evening. This month’s show focused on the outdoor sculptures they had displayed on the terrace, where we’d be playing. There would be food trucks and outdoor activities for kids, too. It was going to be a blast.
I checked the time on my phone and realized that I had to pick up my pace if I wanted to get there in time. We had to arrive early to set up, and Margie was giving me a ride. Emily was still in town, and she was going to join us. Sadly, Miriam, Tracy, Siobhan, and the rest of the crew weren’t around.
But that was fine. I remembered that one practice session, with just the four of us, where I felt the energy in the room elevate the music. We had a good rapport together.
I made sure to dress up stylishly—I wasn’t in a rock band, but I was a musician, after all—and make sure I had all my supplies. And then we were off.
Every time I showed up at Shadetree, I was amazed by the place. It was just so damn cool, and I couldn’t something so cool had showed up right here in Rosebridge.
I immediately spotted Kaitlyn and Emily on the terrace, talking with Professor Barley. When we walked over, they waved at us.
