Chapter 19 #2
She pulls out the energy drink from her lunch box and hands it to me. I can’t help the smile that blossoms as I stare at her extended hand, a literal peace offering lingering between us.
I take it. “Thanks. Practice was murderous today.”
“I hope your fellow cheerleaders didn’t give you any issue.”
“None, actually. Well, there was one girl, but the others stood by me. I should have known they would.”
“We’re a generation born from the sheep before us,” she mutters poetically. “Sometimes, it’s easier to be brave in numbers.”
We continue to talk about our favorite things.
She tells me about the art she does in secret because her dad won’t let her study it, how there’s this shop she wants to visit in Oakson Lake, but her father would have an aneurysm if he found out she crossed the bridge.
I tell her about how my mother is making this situation about her, and Whitney sympathizes.
It’s one of the nicest conversations I’ve had in a long time.
Hannah joins us, her clementine scent brighter than it’s been in a long time, and my smile can’t be contained.
I’m happy to see her, glad to know she isn’t afraid to be seen with me.
She sits down like it’s any other day, completely unbothered by the fact Gabby and Quinn will probably have something to say about it when they see her.
“Looks like you’re having a party.”
I turn and finally see Axl walking toward me, his hand casually in his pocket. “For a moment there, I didn’t think you’d show up.”
“And miss our first lunch as an official couple?” he whispers to me conspiratorially. “I’ve wanted this for a long time, Little Reckoning. Even if it decided to pour down rain, I was going to be right here.”
Ledger gives a fake gagging sound, and I blush, unaware he was listening. “Gross. All I want is to eat my lunch.”
“Then sit down, asshole,” Axl laughs, taking the seat beside me. When Ledger sits down, he finally observes the other two sitting with us and goes silent.
A lightbulb goes off in my head. “Hey, Whitney. Ledger used to live in Oakson Lake. Maybe he can show you that comic book art store you were talking about.”
Axl’s scheming smile mimics my own. “Yeah! That’s a great idea.” He turns to his best friend. “You were just talking about that place the other day.”
Whitney looks at him with pure excitement. “Really? Could you? I could give you gas money! I’ve always wanted to go, but I don’t drive, and my dad doesn’t let me go to Oakson.”
Ledger’s eyes are comically wide as he stares at her, fear paralyzing him. Axl elbows him in the side, and he shakes away whatever spiral was happening and nods. “Yeah!” He coughs when his voice gets too high. “Sure, I can take you. What about this weekend?”
“It sounds like a date,” she responds with a friendly smile. Axl and I look at each other, satisfied with our meddling.
His eyes say: Good job, partner.
And mine say: Thanks, I’m a natural.
Cardamom carries over, and the next thing I know, Brent is there.
“Can I sit here?” he asks, looking nervous. I give him a small smile and nod before he sits down between Hannah and Ledger.
Axl smiles too, but he does grip my thigh under the table a little tighter.
I would never betray Brent’s confidence, so I couldn’t tell Axl the real reason why Brent and I are on good terms—great terms, even.
But he trusts me, knows that when I say my ex-boyfriend isn’t someone to hate or be jealous of, I mean it.
I told him a partial truth instead; that we were both hiding our true selves in this constrictive town, hoping to blend in rather than stand out.
Axl gets that, and without knowing the details, he wishes freedom for Brent the same way he does anyone else in this town.
It also helped that Brent stood up for us at the town meeting, letting everyone know exactly where we stand.
That’s why he’s so hard not to fucking love. My sensitive, loving punk. I wouldn’t change him for anything.
The rest of the day is a breeze. Occasionally, there are a few people who give Axl and me nasty looks, but everyone else is cordial and supportive.
It feels so freeing, finally being able to hold his hand as we walk between classes.
And when he kisses me before we depart, right outside my car in the parking lot, someone whistles nearby in a way that makes us laugh.
The guy winks at us but then walks on like nothing happened, showing a small piece of solidarity for everything that’s happened over the last few days.
I realize others must be sick of the way things are just as much as we are, but they were just too afraid to make the first move, to step forward and say “Hey, this is wrong.” But now, Axl and I have taken that leap.
We stood up, unafraid and in love, and opened up the door so anyone who might have an issue with the way this town operates could do the same.
And god, I really hope they do.
I doubt it’ll change overnight. Fear is a powerful influencer and courage can’t be conjured with a snap of a finger, but it doesn’t have to be. There just needed to be a catalyst… a small unfortunate mishap that could lead to something great.
A little reckoning, I think.
And throughout the day, as more and more people look at Axl and me with sincere smiles, I wonder if our relationship had some small effect on making this town better.