Different Kind of Love

Chapter 5 Cupcakes in Town

School continued in a very similar pattern over the next few days.  Then, it was Labour Day weekend.  Since Dinah and her family went away for the holiday, I was kind of alone.  I sketched in my sketchbook, painted, read Pollyanna for the millionth time, worked on my Spanish, English, history and math homework the teachers assigned to us and I spent most of the time in my room, except coming downstairs for meals and stuff like that.

On the last day, before school started again, I was painting with watercolours a picture of a swamp.  I was in my boredom mood, but at least the picture was nice, I guess.  Anyway, Kaelyn barged into my room, ignoring the "Please, knock!" sign I hung up on my door, and swiped the paintbrush out of my hands!  "Yargh!" I cried, lunging for my paintbrush.

"Ha-dee-ha-dee-ha!" Kaelyn laughed, dancing around my room, as if she thought she was a professional ballet dancer, which she definitely is not.  I put both hands together and begged, "Please Kaelyn, you'll get paint everywhere!"

"Will you come to the mall with me?" Kaelyn asked, ignoring my remark.

"I don't know," I decided to taunt back, "you haven't proven yourself to be a good mall partner."

"Oh c'mon!" Kaelyn protested, "You haven't done anything at all today, or yesterday, or the day before that!  You're like a lump slouching on a couch!"

"Am not!" I hollered, snatching the paintbrush, "Get out!"  So Kaelyn did.

I told Mom I was going on a walk after that.  I needed some time alone and also needed to prove to Kaelyn that I wasn't a lump.  I wore a pair of jeans, because it was a bit cooler outside from last night's  rainfall, a wool, droopy, lilac coloured sweater, and a purple T-shirt with a smiley face on it, like the emoji.  I also wore my lavender flats, which had very little trace of the tea on them from the previous time I wore them (oh, and by the way, Mom did kill me for getting tea on them).  I ended up by a grocery store, a McDonald's, a cupcake place and a cosmetic store.  I always carry my wallet, (I don't like purses because they are too big) so I decided to head into the cosmetics store to look around and quite possibly buy something.  

I first explored all the face creams.  One of them said on the front, "If you buy me, you will rid yourself of acne!"  I almost laughed out loud for that one, thinking devilishly about that one girl Ember, and her acne problem and how she might want to use some cream.  I didn't really need anything from the face creams so I bought myself a coral coloured nail polish with some leftover birthday money from Dad last year.  As I was leaving, I heard someone behind me, a sweet voice like bells, say, "And here I thought I'd never see anyone from my school on Labour Day weekend without a phone call."

At the time, I was 99.9% sure that it was Dinah who was behind me so I said, "C'mon, Colbly, you were at the-"  I whipped around to see Marionette facing me, shopping bags in her hands, smiling.  "Oh, sorry, Marionette!" I murmured, embarassed.  

"Megan Maxwell!" she laughed, and my cheeks went hot with flattery for some odd reason when she remembered my name.  "I think you've just helped me prove that I am good enough for Brodway, c'ause I can mimic your BFF!"  

I turned even redder on that comment.  "Ye-yeah," I stuttered, "Marionette, actress on Brodway!"

She laughed on that one while I was pinching myself hard on my arm.  You idiot, I thought to myself, why can you not stop blushing?  "Anyways," Marionette went on, calming down, "You want to go and get some cupcakes?"

"Sure!" I said, but it really sounded more like "Shure".  I flipped out my iPhone 5 and texted my Mom:

Hi, am going 2 get some cupcakes with a friend from High-school.

Dinah?  Mom texted back.

No, Marionette.  

K, just don't spoil ur dinner plz.  Have fun!  😃!  Luv u!

I put my phone away and looked at Marionette.  "Mom says I can go." I stated.

"Cool!" she cheered and we set off to the cupcake store.  On our way there, I was urging myself to find something to say to Marionette.  I looked down at her outfit, which was a China blue dress, with navy blue stripes, navy blue leggings, blue flats and a white sweater.  "I like your outfit." I told her, sounding like a Grade One.  I needed to find something better to say and fast, complimenting someone's outfit is what everyone does.  She just looked at me with her sparkling, brown eyes and said, "Thanks, I like yours too." 

"Uh, thanks!" I said.  As we came to the cupcake store called Quintuplet's Cupcakes (originally founded by quintuplet sisters a long time ago), Marionette held the door open for me which I thought was nice, but I'm not sure if she heard me mutter, "Thank you, Marionette!"  Anywho, we were greeted by a cheery women at the front counter, which displayed a bunch of gorgeous, sweet, mouth watering cupcakes!  I wanted them all, but I decided to stick with one for now, but buy a box of four more for my family and I later.  Marionette copied this, saying how generous I was and she was going to be like me and do the same.  I bought myself a vanilla cupcake with strawberry icing and another one of those for at home, Mom got a very pretty chocolate cupcake with white icing and a purple fondant flower, Dylan's cupcake was a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing and a chocolate filling and Kaelyn got a lemon cupcake with lemon-cream cheese icing and a sugar candy heart sticking out of it. Marionette bought herself a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and sprinkles on it for now and a chocolate cupcake with mint icing for later.  She also got a banana cupcake with a caramel glaze, a vanilla cupcake with maple bacon icing, a chocolate cupcake that looked like Mom's and a vanilla cupcake with a swirl of pink and blue icing.  We sat down at one of the tables, which was like green and silver, and ate our cupcakes. 

While we were eating, I looked over to my right and saw, what do you know, that girl Ember.  She was wearing the leather jacket and combat boots she wore on the first day, but she also wore light blue denim jeans and a red T-shirt with fancy images all over it.  She looked lonely and depressed as she ate her red velvet cupcake, alone.  Marionette jabbed her thumb in the direction of Ember and said, mouth full of cupcake, "I feel sad for her.  It's a tough life she has."

"Sorry?" I almost choked, "For her?  She's lesbian!"

"Yeah, so?" Marionette looked me in the eye, brown eyes firm, "What's wrong with being lesbian?  Or gay?  It's just another way of loving people.  Man, I can't believe that it got to you too."  Suddenly, Marionette started waving her hand, "Ember!  Over here!  Come sit with us!"

"What are you doing?" I hissed, "What if someone sees us?"

"You can leave." Marionette pointed out, making me feel guilty so I shut my mouth.  As Ember came over, I felt guilty for what I had said about her.  I realized that lesbians and gays aren't bad at all, people only just think they're bad because they're different.  Like Dinah.  Like Sam.  Like Piper.  There were only a small handful of Marionettes in the world, who treated lesbians and gays as equals, as they should be.  I felt truly guilty.  We all ate in an awkward silence until Marionette spoke.  "So, Ember, how's life?" she asked.

Ember stared down at her cupcake and said quietly, "Good, I guess.  Good-ish, maybe."

"Oh, um, that's not good.  I mean it's not bad, but it's not good either." I cut in, stuttering.

"Oh, really?  Why are you showing sympathy now when you were just being as cold hearted as the rest of them two minutes ago?  Do you not think I heard you?" Ember lashed, no more the mousy girl I saw on the first day of school.

"Oh..." I trailed off, "I-I'm sorry Ember.  I truly am.  I..."

"It's okay." Ember said, but I knew she didn't mean it.  It was another awkward silence until Ember spoke up and said, "I'm not really lesbian anyway."

And I turned to face her, aghast.