Seeing in Color

Twenty-Two

Alex

Why did Magnus have to ask me that?

I didn't feel comfortable talking about my feeling with anyone. Not even Adriane.

When I heard homecoming was only a week or two away, I panicked. I had always wanted to go, but Adriane was sick last year. And the year before that, I was single and new to the high school. No one else knew me.

Now was my chance.

To be completely honest, I really did think Magnus was attractive. We were the same age, but we didn't have many classes together. He didn't play sports, and I wasn't in band, so we never saw each other during school. Outside of school, he was always with his older, graduated friends. Annabeth never had me over during the summer, not after her aunt's death.

I raced out of his room and back into the living room where Annabeth sat. She looked up from her laptop and smiled. "Come hang out for a bit!"

I moved over some books and propped my feet up on her legs, kicking off my hiking boots.

"Aren't you grateful that my feet don't smell?" I laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"So, what did you ask Magnus?" Annabeth smirked, and I could tell she understood what happened.

"I asked him to homecoming," I scooped up a tiny kitten from the basket beside the couch. It mewed and rubbed its red tabby face against my palm. "He said yes. I get to dress him and he's fixing his hair."

"About time!" Annabeth nudged me. "I told you that the two of you would make a cute couple."

"It isn't a date! It's just a dance," I stuck my tongue out at her and she returned it with a knowing smile.

"Come on, Alex. I know you. I know how you think, how you stick out your tongue when you're embarrassed, how your cheeks stay the same color, but your eyes get all shiny when you're happy. We're best friends. I know that you like him."

"Annabeth, be quiet!" I hissed. "He could hear us!"

"Trust me, he can't hear anything. I swear he needs hearing aids. I can scream and he won't hear it."

Sighing, I fiddled with the arms of the pink flannel shirt around my waist. The kitten nuzzled my chest and purred. I spotted the mama cat in the corner of the room, perched on a bookcase. She stared at me for a few moments before stretching and leaping to the floor, disappearing into the kitchen.

"How long will you keep them?" I picked the kitten off my chest and it mewed in surprise. Its eyes were still closed.

"I'll be keeping Riptide if no one claims her," Annabeth nodded towards the kitchen. "And once the kittens are weaned and old enough to leave Riptide, I'll find them good homes. I don't want any of the kittens, just Riptide."

She glanced at me and smiled. "She's already litter-trained."

I laughed and stroked the head of the red tabby in my hands. There were three more in the basket, and one in Annabeth's arms.

I was never allowed to have pets. My father banned any when I brought home a garden snake in third grade. My stepmother hated animals, anyways.

My stepmother hated many things. Pink, pottery, trans people, civil rights, etc.

We were very different people.

"So, how's your home life been, Alex?" Annabeth seemed to pick up on the sudden darkness in my eyes.

I sighed and focused on the kitten. "Really bad. My stepmother found out about my stash of poetry books in my floorboards and burned all of them because they were 'too liberal and stupid'."