Love and Family | Port Orthos 4

chapter 6: harlow's hatred for misogyny

chapter 6: harlow's hatred for misogyny

~harlow~

       Emmett couldn't make it to my current volleyball game and he was extremely apologetic about it, no matter how many times I told him that I completely understand. I'm just happy he makes the effort to come to my games, but I don't expect him to come to every single one, especially when he's busy with schooling.

       In fact, I would be totally fine with him staying home just to sleep because he's tired instead of coming to one of my games. I don't want him to come if he's struggling to stay awake but when that comes, he still insists on coming.

       But that is one thing I love about him. He's the most supportive partner I've ever had. Granted, I've only dated two other people before him, but still. Then again, it's not much of a comparison. My ex-boyfriend only really cared about having a girlfriend and didn't actually care about me as a person, so he was not supportive at all. My ex-girlfriend, on the other hand, did care about me, but she was still in the closet when we dated, so she was too afraid to come to any of my games or anything just in case someone caught on. 

       Part of me wishes I just dated Emmett to begin with, but at least I got the experience from other relationships so now I know what I don't want in a relationship.

       My school's girl's volleyball team is in the middle of a tournament and thankfully, we haven't lost yet so even if we do lose today's game, which might be possible because both teams already lost one set, we'll still be in the tournament. We have to lose two games to be out.

       We have a short break before the next set begins, so I sit on the bench and take my phone out of my backpack to see if I got any messages from Emmett. He's working on a group project since today was the only time his group could meet up, so it's not like he has to be completely away from his phone.

       I do have some messages from Emmett, asking me for updates for the game. I tell him that both teams lost a set so we're on the final one to determine the winners of the game, and I'll let him know afterwards.

       I also tell him to focus on his group project and not worry about my game, but he said. No, with a heart. Exactly what I would have said if he told me to do something I didn't want to. I love him so much.

       It's a close call, but my team ends up pulling ahead and wins the second set, meaning we've won this game and will continue on in the tournament.

       I pick up my bag and head to the change room to change out of my uniform, but before I can get there, one of my classmates, Chaz, stops me. "Hey, Harlow," he says. "You were so hot out there."

       "Seriously?" I ask. "So my team worked our asses off, won the game, and your only compliment is that I looked hot out there?" Sometimes, I really hate people like Chaz who only cared about girls if they were 'hot' in his eyes.

       "What? Can't take a compliment?" Chaz asks.

       "Believe me, that is not a compliment."

       "Whatever. I bet any other girl would have killed to be told they were hot out there."

       "I guarantee you they wouldn't." I know the girls on the team with me. We talk about people like Chaz all the time and the fact that there are some guys at our school who only attend our games just to check us out. Trust me, none of them would enjoy being called hot by Chaz.

       I mean, even Emmett, who's allowed to call me hot, wouldn't say that as the first thing to me winning a game. He would say stuff like how I was great out there or how I did a good job.

       "I think they would," Chaz says. "You know, you could have just accepted the compliment. You don't have to be such a bitch over it." And there it was. Whenever a woman tells a man that what they said wasn't a compliment, the man immediately resorts to calling the woman a bitch. A tell-tale sign of real misogyny. Wonderful.

       I wish that I could just give Chaz an earful, but I just know he wouldn't listen and would, again, call me a bitch. It's tiresome. No matter how many times we try, we can't get guys like Chaz to listen to us.

       And as much as I wish I didn't have to, that I can just handle this on my own, I look over at someone who I know Chaz will listen to. Seeing as both Kiro and I know sign language, I sign sexist to Kiro before pointing to Chaz. Kiro nods, understanding what I'm getting at.

       Chaz sees me sign and asks, "What is that? What does that mean?"

       "Don't worry about it," I say before I walk away. Kiro starts to head to Chaz and as we pass each other, I say, "He said I was hot out there, I told him that wasn't a compliment, and he called me a bitch."

       "Got it," Kiro says. Even though it may seem like Kiro and I hate each other because of our playful bickering, we don't. In fact, he's one of the first people to stand up for me when I need it, like in situations like this.

       Sexists guys will, unfortunately, never listen to women when we tell them they're being sexist, so I'll gladly ask for Kiro's help. Not only is he what I like to call a man written by a woman, but he can be terrifyingly threatening at times. And not in a 'meet me in the alleyway' type of way, but because he knows exactly what to say to get into someone's mind and scare them. He knows never to physically fight them, so he turns to mental anguish when someone is being a complete ass.

       It's why I never mind turning to him for help when I can't handle something alone. We may annoy each other, but he's there when I need it. 

____________________

i also wish women can stand up to misogynistic and sexist men without being called a bitch but alas, we are far from that happening :( 

anyway olivia rodrigo's all american bitch is harlow's theme song, thank you very much. (fern's is ballad of a homeschooled girl)(even though it's about being homeschool, i think neurodivergent people fit it too)(i saw this as a neurodivergent girly whose theme song is also ballad of a homeschooled girl who wasn't homeschooled lol)

(also peep at the fourth wall break of saying kiro is a man written by a woman lol)(so is emmett tbh)(if emmett was there, he would have gone off on chaz even though emmett hates confrontation)(he also has two moms so it makes sense he doesn't let sexism slide hehe)