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HORIZON
eight | get your gear

          THE ROOM SMELLED OF A forest scented candle

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          THE ROOM SMELLED OF A forest scented candle. Paintings of nude men and women and several different patterns of blankets hung on the walls. Good energy floated through the entire house like the wind. Feelings of comfort and acceptance were given right when you walked in.

          Of course, when Savannah was first welcomed to the house, she was too distracted by her hand in a beautiful girl's to notice the warmth around her.

         Currently, she stood with her parents in the middle of Jackie's home. A 'Nobody Knows I'm A Lesbian' shirt hugged her body with pride. A can of soda was sitting between her fingers and palm, completely full. Worries of disapproval settled in her chest, becoming too distracting to do anything else but think. All she wanted was for her parents to like her friends and their families.

          Introductions between Savannah's and Jackie's parents were already made. The Alana family made sure to always be early for events. So early, apparently, that they were the first ones to arrive.

          As her parents began talking with Jackie's about the parade, Savannah zoned out into the distance. Her vision became as blurry as her eyes get without her glasses on. Ed Sheeran's voice flowed through one ear to the other.  Suddenly, a head covered with fluffy fire red hair walked into the room. The normal pacing of her heart increased while her blurry vision faded into complete clearness.

          "And I have this neon green mini flag pole that I carry so the kids can immediately find me if they get lost. But they're all good kids and never run off without telling me. They're all attached to the hip," Fanny ━ Jackie's mother ━ explained to Savannah's parents.

          Just like any parent would, Dean ━ Savannah's father ━ glanced away from the conversation to check on his daughter. When he noticed her gazing into space, he grew confused until seeing Carson across the room. It was quite obvious to everyone that the girl had a massive crush. A slight smile grew on his face as he watched her walk up to Carson to start a conversation. Watching someone you love and care for face one of their biggest fears is a moment you'll remember forever.

          Ocean blue eyes stared deep into a pool of chestnut brown while musical instruments spoke for words from pink lips. Every time those pearly whites appeared, a halo circled around a head that held hair which could have been mistaken for feathers. It was as if an angel flew down from Heaven to lighten a life that was once lonely.

          This was a feeling Savannah never experienced. She never admired and imagined someone the way her mind has with Carson. Anxiety would often try to convince her that she didn't deserve to be with such a piece of art but she fought it; she deserved this girl. What she didn't realize was how badly her desire for Carson grew by the day.

          The meeting between parents ended rather quickly and they all left. Now, the kids stood with Fanny beside the minivan in the driveway. Her body was hugged by neon colors so bright that space could notice. She was dressed like a mother in the seventies, it was slightly embarrassing.

          "All right!" she shouted, clapping her hands together, "get your gear on and we'll hit the road! Bianca, come set up your playlist before you do anything."

          "Already on it," Bianca said nonchalantly. All the kids glanced around since the voice wasn't near them but caught her sitting in the passenger seat with a phone in her hand. Savannah stared at her in fascination. The girl was wearing all black; a black leather jacket with a tight black shirt underneath, black jeans, and black Doc Martins. Curiosity flowered, asking how she was going to survive with all the tight and dark clothing when she'll be outside all day. After she was finished, 'LGBT' by CupcakKe blasted through the speakers in the van.

          Savannah was so focused on Bianca that she didn't notice Wes, Jackie, and Carson putting on several different types of rainbow designed items. This was what Fanny meant when saying 'put on your gear'. It wasn't until there was suddenly a sweatband squeezing around her head that brought her back into reality. Carson smiled widely, indicating that she was the one who put the sweatband on.

          Butterflies sprouted from their cocoons in her stomach as she eyed Carson's attire for the parade. A reference to Hayley Kiyoko's popular song 'Girls Like Girls' stretched across a white tee shirt that had the sleeves cut off with a rainbow attached at the top. Jackie was painting rainbow lines underneath her electric eyes, letting her freckles lighten on her face.

          "You want face paint too?" A voice asked from behind. Savannah turned around to see Bianca with another set of paint and a brush. Happy that the tough girl was talking to her, she nodded excitedly. She was motioned to sit in the car while Bianca stood outside of it, to receive clear lighting. "I'm sorry, about being a bitch when we met. I'm sure Carson explained why."

          "Yeah, no, it's totally cool. I understand," she waved her hand in dismissal.

          "You might want to put your hair up; it gets really hot during these things. With the crowds, people get stuck together and it's not pretty," Bianca suggested as she began to stroke lines of paint on the girl's cheek, "I like your shirt by the way."

          Mental note, she thought to herself. While she had the chance, she noticed Bianca had changed her shirt. It was replaced with the popular cropped black 'WHY BE RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, OR TRANSPHOBIC WHEN YOU COULD JUST BE QUIET?' tee shirt. Her belly button was showing, revealing a piercing in it. God, she was cool.

          "So, I don't want to step over any boundaries or anything but I'm curious about why Wes ━"

          "He's trans. You didn't know that?"

          "Nope, I didn't."

          On the way to the parade, Jackie decided that it would be a great idea to sit between Savannah and Carson in the back of the van. It wasn't that Savannah didn't like the girl, she just wanted to be close to the person she had massive feelings for. Who wouldn't?

           Bianca controlled the music the entire way, snapping at anyone who tried to change a song. Obviously, she had this specific playlist for this day. When being asked the title, she responded with a short answer of, "Gay'. Everyone liked how straightforward it was.

          Immediately when arriving, Savannah felt at home. Every type of person you could imagine being at a pride parade was there, having the time of their lives. Music was part of the oxygen they breathed along with the smell of sweet treats. Booths had been set up for many different things such as little shops that sold pride items, face painting, photo booths, alcohol booths that you needed a wristband to get into, etc. This place was everything.

           "This year is going to be a little different," Fanny announced as she dug in the back of the van as the kids straightened their outfits. Suddenly, she whipped out flags similar to her neon one, "you all must hold this just in case you get lost so I can find you. We stick together, understood?"

          Rays of sunshine flooded over Savannah as she blindly took a flag and shoved it in the back of her pants. A permanent smile was glued to her face, watching couples kiss and express their pride to the world. The feeling of immediate acceptance was overwhelming, bringing tears to her eyes.

-

Obviously, this chapter took me forever to write. I guess I kinda had writer's block for this story for a lil but the next chapter will be longer and juicy if anyone cares haha.

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