Kris and Kit

Chapter 25 ~ A Scary Situation

Kris

When I invited Riley over, she liked to sometimes ask if Sherry could come too. Of course, I always said yes she could come over too, because Sherry was cool, and Riley really liked her. I wasn't sure what was going on with them. Sherry often went out of her way to make sure Riley was comfortable and happy. The two of them spent a lot of time together, and they had a lot in common. Sherry always texted me about Riley, and Riley always texted me about Sherry.

Soon the two of them were sitting at my kitchen table as I gave them chips and dip. Everything was going great; Sherry asked if I made the dip, which I had, and she said it was really good. However, when Riley got up to go to the bathroom, Sherry's carefree expression changed. "Hey," she began, taking a deep breath. "I have to tell you something."

Nothing grabs a person's attention like hey-I-have-to-tell-you-something. Quickly, I finished chewing and took a drink of soda. "Um, okay. What's up?" I questioned. Scenarios began to pop up in my head, some seeming more likely than others. She probably wasn't moving. I already knew she was gay, but maybe she was going to say something about that. What was it?

"I um... I have a crush on Riley," Sherry revealed.

We were then blanketed in awkward silence as I processed her words. "Oh," I said.

"Yeah."

"She's uh... she's aromantic." I was thinking of a way to tell Sherry that Riley did care about her a lot, just not in a romantic way, but then Sherry surprised me by saying it herself.

"Yeah, I know. I know Riley isn't going to find me attractive. I think she cares about me as much as I care about her though. We have a really strong platonic connection."

I smiled, nodding. Before either of us could say anything else, the door to the bathroom clicked and opened. Just before Riley appeared, I told Sherry to text me about her crush on Riley later.

A few hours after Riley and Sherry left my house, Sherry texted me. I took a seat on the sofa in the living room, the place where Kit and I had slept not too long ago. Wrapping myself in a blanket, I read Sherry's texts. She told me about a queerplatonic relationship she would like to have with Riley. They would basically continue to be friends, except there would be an understanding that the two of them shared a special, very strong, platonic bond. Sherry asked me if Riley was uncomfortable with kissing, hand-holding, and that sort of affection, but I really didn't know. Finally, I decided to call her about it. I was better at talking about serious things on the phone.

"You'll have to ask Riley what she's comfortable with. It's up to you two to decide the boundaries," I told her.

"You're right. I think I'm gonna ask her to be my QPP."

"Oh cool!" I exclaimed. "Let me know how that goes. Also, what does that mean again?"

"Queerplatonic partner," Sherry explained. I could practically hear her smiling, and I felt very happy for her and Riley. I thought back to when I felt vaguely threatened by Sherry's relationship with Riley. As I got to know Sherry, I grew to like her and respect her more. Now, when the two of them continued to grow closer, it felt like our whole friend group grew closer. Also, I knew Riley hadn't forgotten about me. She asked me for advice pretty often, and she liked spending time with me still. This was okay. It was going to be just fine.

Halloween came around and we all decided to get together at my house. My house had become the place to be ever since my friends figured out that my parents were accepting of the LGBT community. My mom bought a lot of candy, and I poured it into two big bowls on the kitchen counter. Liliana and I decorated the place in black and orange. The room was filled with bats, pumpkins, and ghosts. A cloth that looked like spiderwebs was draped over the dining table, streamers hanging from the chandelier.