Average Jane |Lesbian Story|

Chapter 12

Charlie and Jonas had agreed to make the flyers for the poetry contest on Mary's computer. Jane looked for them as she walked to school on a Tuesday morning. Sure enough, they were there, prominently displayed on the big bulletin board by the main office and on the Book News Bulletin board outside the library.

There was a school rule against posting any unauthorized notices on bulletin boards, but these flyers looked amazingly professional. No one could have guessed that they were made by a bunch of high-school pranksters.

Would Lucy see them? Did anyone ever actually look at a school bulletin board? Until this morning, Jane never had. It was a flaw in the plan that none of them had considered. Jane looked around and when she saw no one there, she ripped the flyer off the board and threw it into the bin. She decided she'd better mention some fake flyers to Lucy during Peer-Teaching. She knew she had to say something to her, anyway, after being so cold and silent all through class yesterday.

No one teased Jane about Lucy today. There were no hearts with her initials in them scrawled on any chalkboards, no annoying chants of "Janieee!" and "Lucyyyy!" Jane had never seen an episode of teasing end more quickly and completely. And for that, she was relieved.

At this point, she wondered if Lucy's favorite Oscar Wilde's line was written especially for her. It was equally worse to be talked about and not being talked about. And somehow Jane got to experience both.

In math class, Jane pulled her desk promptly over to Lucy's, without waiting for her to move hers like usual.

"Um...Lucy?" It was the first time she had ever spoken to the girl without her speaking to her first. Lucy looked up, her freckled face flushing with surprise and also a little bit of pleasure.

"I don't know if you saw...on the bulletin board..." Jane's voice trailed off.

"What's on the bulletin board?"

"Er...like...a writing contest or something?" she said.

"A writing contest? No, I didn't see it, but I love contests. I enter them all the time. I never win, but you have to keep trying, right? I read that a lot of famous writers have their books rejected twenty or thirty times before they're finally published. And you definitely can't win if you don't enter." Lucy shrugged and opened her math book. "It was nice of you to tell me, Jane. I'll go and check it out."

Now Jane just wanted to smack herself. No, it wasn't nice of her to tell Lucy about the contest. It was probably the single meanest thing she had ever done in her life. She had let Jonas and his gang do it to Lucy. Just because she couldn't stand their silly jokes.

However, it wasn't long for Jane to feel less mean, or at least less bad about being mean, because Mary came up to her again at lunch.

"I took a photo of this out of Lucy's notebook when she was getting changed for gym," Mary whispered wickedly to her.

This time Jane held the phone firmly so that Mary couldn't snatch it back.

'To Jane

I will love thee in the winter,

When the ice and snow lie deep.

I will love thee in the spring,

When the budding willows weep.

I will love thee in the summer,

When the sun burns hot and bold.

I will love thee in the fall,

When the aspen leaves turn gold.

I will love thee all year long.

Love eternal is my song.'