Chapter 6 #3
I put my hand up to stop her. “You have a place to stay for as long as you need it.” Even though that wasn’t exactly what Carter and I had talked about, I knew she would agree now that I had confirmed Eliza’s story.
“Really?” The light immediately returned to Eliza’s eyes.
“Yes. Obviously if this is going to be long-term, we’ll have to set some rules, but I’m sure we can work something out.
” I wasn’t sure what rules we needed to set, but it sounded like the adult thing to say.
I was sure Carter knew what kind of rules a teenager needed.
I couldn’t remember what they were, since I was always set on breaking them at that age.
Eliza jumped from the table and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“Then yes, I would love to help out at Pride.” She sat back down and looked at Miriam.
“What do you say, Mir? Wanna work together like we used to when we were kids?” She moved her eyes from Miriam to me.
“Miriam and I used to put on these elaborate plays for our parents when we…” Her face dropped again as if the mention of her parents had reminded her of what they did.
“Well, Miriam is super great at organizing things. I was always just along for the ride.”
Miriam chewed on her bottom lip while Eliza watched her expectantly. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to.”
I knew exactly why Miriam was nervous. It was easy for a straight person to attend Pride.
It was fun, and they didn’t have to worry if people wondered anything about them, because what did it matter?
For a closeted gay person, going to Pride felt like coming out of the closet, whether it actually happened or not.
“Aw man, do you already have plans?” Eliza asked.
“Um, not. Not necessarily.”
“Ah, I get it. You’re worried that your parents will find out and be mad you attended Pride, because thou shall not be prideful or whatever, right? Can’t support a man lying with another man?”
I knew Eliza was just quoting the Bible to be silly, but I felt bad for Miriam. Eliza had no idea what kind of internal battle she was facing right now.
“I wouldn’t worry about them. A bunch of people go to the event, so I’m sure you’ll blend right in.
Plus, if your parents are how they appear to be, I’d say they’ll most likely stay far away from an event like that.
It’s definitely worth checking out. A lot of allies go and they all seem to have a lot of fun. ”
“Okay, I’ll think about it.” Miriam gave me a knowing smile, so I could tell I had eased her worries about people finding out her secret just because she attended this event. I also could understand if she didn’t feel comfortable enough yet though.
Eliza had not caught on to our secret conversation one bit and seemed to be satisfied with Miriam’s response.
I looked down at my watch and noticed it was getting late in the afternoon.
If I wanted to have time to make these phone calls, we needed to continue on with our day.
“Ready to head out? I figured we could stop on the way home to get a phone plan added to that old phone of ours. That is, if it’s okay with you two. ”
“That would be great,” Eliza said cheerfully. A moment later, some of that cheer drained from her face, and she slouched in her chair. “I’m not really sure how much use I’ll get out of it. I don’t have the numbers of any of my other friends, so unless they find me, I have no way to reach out.”
Miriam reached out as if she was going to grab Eliza’s hand, but sat her hand down on the table in between them instead. “I might have some of their numbers from doing school projects if you want me to give them to you.”
Eliza shrugged. The more time that passed, the more defeated she looked.
“I guess. I’m not even sure if any of them want to talk to me.
They seem to be pulling away ever since finding out I was pregnant.
The only person who was still acting the same around me was Adley, but I probably ruined that when I snuck out of her house without saying anything the other night. ”
“I definitely have Adley’s number. You should try to text her.
If nothing else, she’d probably be really happy to hear that you’re okay.
” Miriam bumped her shoulder against Eliza’s.
“You were afraid things were going to be weird with me, and this is honestly the most normal things have been between us in years.”
A small smile returned to Eliza’s face. “You’re right. Plus, this way, I can keep in touch with you without having to borrow Jax’s phone.”
The way Miriam's face turned red made me thankful for her sake that Eliza was completely oblivious. “Definitely. I want an update on how your doctor’s appointment goes.”
“Speaking of which,” I stood from the table and picked up my trash. “We should get the phone taken care of so we can head back to the house and see what Carter figured out.”
As we walked back to the car, Eliza came up beside me. “Thank you so much for everything you’re doing for me.”
“No need to thank me. I’m just doing what everyone else should have.”
And this world would be a much fucking better place if more people did.