Seven Dates

Chapter Two

"I have a bro I'll call. He's a killer quarterback," Brent pulls his phone from the back pocket of his sweatpants, scrolling through his contacts. 

I bite my lip. I'm sure the sports team has decent guys but after pronouncing I like the soft feminine type I'm jarred that my first date will be with a burly football player. Brent is the spitting image of the football team members at our high school. Buzzed brown hair, a strong body, thick jaw, baby face, and sea blue eyes and a baggy pull-over hoodie with our home team's emblem. I'm not attracted to Brent, so why would he recommend someone else from the team?

He's also in a different social circle than I am. We have our small friend group of Leah, Ari, Brent, and I and each of them has their extended friend circles. For Brent it's the sport team, for Leah the bookworms, for Ari the edgy crowd, and for me the art club. I imagine how this date will go, pairing a jock with an artsy girl. I glance at Leah, begging for help, but she stays quiet. Ari snickers, enjoying my resistance.

"Wasn't this supposed to make me like dating guys?" I sip my drink, eyebrow raised. Brent shakes his head, grabbing and unwrapping a second taco from his tray. I've only prodded at my first taco. Everyone at the table has eaten more than me. Ari tosses the wrapper of her first taco into the trash can beside our table. Leah nibbles the last bites of her first taco. How can they eat so comfortably when I'm struggling to do more than poke at my meal?

"Once you get to know Kyle you'll be into him. There's not a girl in the world he couldn't get to like him," Brent assures between munches. I cringe. I doubt, even if I was straight, that I'd be interested in the type of guy that could get any girl to like him. Ari or Leah should have picked the first date instead of leaving it up to Brent the dudebro.

"You know this won't go well." I groan, glancing at the two girls. Ari leans back in her seat, her glitter and eyeliner caked hazel cat eyes glistening back at me. Her cut up band tee hangs loosely from her skinny shoulders, leading down to ripped jean shorts showing off too much of her tempting curves. A tight black choker wraps around her neck, a tiny red guitar dangling below it, framed by her straight ombré brown-and-pink hair.

Leah's bright eyes, butter yellow curls, red cheeks, and makeup-less face contrast starkly beside Ari. Leah's plush white sweater and tight blue jeans are conservative by comparison, though the extra fabric bunching around her body doesn't do much to keep my imagination controlled.

"Kyle's hot," Ari wiggles her eyebrows, interrupting my daze. "Step one in being a lesbian is not giving into sexy abs. At least, that's what I'd assume step one would be." She smirks. I roll my eyes. Brent's friends are her type of guys. She's dated nearly half of them. I should have known she wouldn't be any help. No matter how talented Kyle is or how "sexy" his abs are, he can't make a lesbian straight.

"Ash, I'm sorry," Leah admits. I force myself to bite at my food. "You should at least try. Your parents will kill you if they find out you're a lesbian. Kyle might not be your type but he seems like a nice guy." Leah is reasonable. She realizes my sexual orientation won't change. But maybe they're right. If there is any chance of bisexuality it would be good to know before I spill my secret to my parents. Even if my attraction to girls overwhelms me, there could be an attraction to guys deep down in there somewhere. Probably not, but maybe.

"I assumed I'd get a different response from my best friends." I close my eyes, disappointment seeping through my tone. I know they're worried how my parents will react but this idea of trying to remind me that boys are dateable is silly. They can't wrap their heads around the idea that I'm only attracted to females. Or maybe this is some conversion camp style intervention. Either way, I wanted them to support me. They are the only ones who would have.

Leah's words ring in the back of my head. I picture coming out to my mother as she sits on the couch, studying her Revelation verses, or to my father when he's on one of his anti-gay rants. I blink, trying to hold back tears. I'm stressed I didn't get the reaction I hoped I would from my friends. Stressed my parents will never accept me. Stressed I have to force myself to go on dates to prove to everyone that I am gay. Leah extends her hand across the table and pats my shoulder. She always knows when I'm about to cry. 

"Ash-" She starts but Brent scurries back to the table and plops in his seat with a grin stretched across his face. I assume that means good news for him and bad news for me.

"Kyle will meet you at Wildton's Pub tonight," Brent cheers. Ari squeals. Leah casts me an encouraging half-smile. I roll my eyes, dreading the date to come.