Love is love

As we reach her car, we get in. She starts driving, but that damned silence won't ever leave us alone. It's almost like we learned dark secrets about each other, the most shocking and juicy ones. The ones you could never take back. The ones that would haunt you forever, stick with you forever. Once said, they can never be taken back. It was almost too real. Did I really just confess to Laureen?

"Grace," Laureen breaks the silence, "you got the necklace, right?"

"Oh yeah," I sigh, relieved. I almost thought she was going to say something grim. Then I remembered Sam. It's always a possibility, even if Sam wasn't in the hospital. All we can do is hope for her.

"Ok, good." she is also relieved, "Just making sure. We're planning on giving it all to Mark tomorrow. Alexis will meet us at the front door and we'll give her the blue dress we got. I think Mark will feel a bit more accepted. It's good that they do, they've only been rejected. It's not ok, but we're here for them!" Her confidence sparks, making me feel a bit better.

"Yeah, Mark doesn't deserve all that's happened to them. Maybe we should ask if they want to be called a girl from now on, I think it would help.

"Mark would love that. But, should we call them Mark? I mean, maybe a more feminine name. They just realized they're trans, and it just feels so right to them, you know?"

"Yeah, when I was thirteen, I realized I was into girls and just girls. I remember that exact moment. The moment I realized I am lesbian. At first, I denied it. But eventually, I accepted it fully. Now, I embrace it. I realized that's who I am. What about you?"

"Oh," Laureen seems a little surprised by the question, "well, I was twelve. I was interested in girls, but also boys. I found them both attractive. That's when I realized I'm bisexual. A lot of people accused me of wanting to cheat, but that's not true. What do you think?"

"Bisexual doesn't honestly mean someone's more likely to cheat. Bisexuals are more loyal. It's not a crime to like boys and girls. It's not a crime to like people of the same sex. Love is love. You can't change that."

She just sighs, relieved I'm not bothered. "That's good to hear. Some people judge, but a lot of people are bisexual. More than they realize. They don't have to pick a side, just like genderfluid people, or other people like bigender, don't have to pick a gender. They are whatever they feel they are. Love's not a choice."

"Amen BROTHER!" I shout, jokingly. She laughs, and I laugh with her. We both smile as we pull up to my home. She slowly glides to a stop, and I unbuckle. I grab what I got from the mall, even grabbing the yellow dress. I'm going to give it to her some other time, a better time. I still can't believe she likes me back. We're sitting there, alone. With that damned silence once again. But, I don't leave just yet.