Pride - Delilah and Aubrey

one

The loud clanking of metal-on-metal rattled through the train car on an early Saturday morning. Too early, in fact, for Delilah Bisley, freshman, on the southbound train into downtown Alcott for this year's annual Pride Parade. Next to her was none other than Clayton Quaid, half-brother, and complete pain in the ass. Above all of that, he was the only person in their small town that she could trust with the biggest secret she's ever had to keep. That she was in fact a raging lesbian. The conversation went a little something like this:

"I think I might like girls. But I'm the same person I've always been so I just hope we can still-"

"Holy hell! It took you this long?"

"How did you-"

"Honey, you can't tell me you have that vintage Spice Girls poster because you like their music."

"Clayton, I swear to God I will tell Mom you've been seeing that kid, Jeremy, from band."

"You bitch."

Needless to say, things got better between the two over time. Clayton finally seemed to realize that they needed each other, even if they did have to rip into each other from time to time to keep the peace... But back to the train.

"Mom's taken care of, for sure?" Delilah had asked, for the fifth time that morning. Her legs were bouncing up and down and the crumpled pride flag she had viciously stuffed in her backpack the night before was beginning to bust open the zipper. She had been waiting for this day for exactly 11 months and 18 days.

"Jeez sis, don't sound so cynical. You keep asking this question and if you ask it one more time I'm gonna stop humouring you, but yes, Mom is taken care of. Now, anymore questions before we arrive?" Clayton had stopped gazing out the window and focused his eyes on a young man across the isle. He had been staring for a few moments now, and Delilah had picked up on it.

"Keep it in your pants, Clay! And- wait, before we arrive? Exactly how close are we to downtown Alcott?"

"Possibly closer than you think?"

Delilah clenched her fist and gave Clayton a solid punch in the arm. Her brother barely winced on impact. The act did however catch the attention of the young man across the isle, much to Clayton's glee. Delilah watched as he gave the man a wink. "This man is actually related to me," she muttered under her breath.

"So... You know if anyone from our school is coming this year?"

"Uh, hell no. You think there are other people like us at Seldstone? That's like saying Mrs. Aldrin and Mr. Erikson weren't hooking up. Impossible."

"... Del, I think they were married."

"You get the point!"

"Arriving at, St. Mathews Station," the cold, recorded voice bellowed on the speakers above. 

"St. Mathews... Clay, that's our stop! I can't believe you didn't tell me we were this close. Idiot."

"Hah. Worth it to see the look on your face," he chuckled, earning one more punch in the arm. He seemed disappointed in the younger girl's punching ability. "Tsk, I thought you did MMA."

"I do!" Delilah responded defensively. She suddenly felt the seat under her jump, figuring that meant they had arrived. Her anxiety suddenly returned and her body began to vibrate. All that energy inside such a small girl, you'd think she'd explode. To be fair, she almost did while getting up from her seat, her brother practically had to catch her by the handle of her backpack.

The step off the platform and into downtown Alcott was a moment Delilah would never forget. The trees, the cars, that random homeless guy trying to make moves on every woman walking by, the details were unforgettable. She took a few steps forward into the busy sidewalk and turned to her brother. "I-It's beautiful!"

"You think this is beautiful?" Clayton shot back, taking a look around. "These people are literally all straight."

Delilah sighed and grabbed her brother's hand. "We've gotta get moving, the parade starts in two hours!"

"Relax sped, we've got time. Now where'd you say the fest is?"

"Uh... Fifth and Park. You've been downtown before, do you know where it is?" She ruffled around a bit in her bag and finally pulled out a pamphlet, no, a map of Alcott. "We're here... Fifth is there..."

"And Park is right there. It's about... 10 blocks or so?" Clayton chimed in.

"Tsk... Let's get walking then."