Daylight - Taylor Swift

Chapter 4

June 5th, 2016

"Like... gay? How gay is gay?" Charlie paused, knitting her eyebrows. Her mouth sat agape, and her grey eyes moved quizzically as she processed.

"Like the couple times I've slept with women, I really, really liked it..." Jo answered hesitantly, watching her sister's face for any real sign of how she felt about it.

Charlie gulped, "So you have..."

"Yeah," Jo filled it in, "But I got tested and stuff too, because you can never be too careful. Uhm, and every time I see Taylor Swift in front of me I kind of really want to kiss her. Like she's hot."

"Are you sure? Because Nana and Papa are gonna kill you."

Jo nodded, pursing her lips together, "I hate it. Like I wish I could be into guys, but the way I feel when I see some women smile makes up for it all. If you can't accept that, I understand. I know how we were raised, so I know you might want nothing to do with me but I hope you do."

Jo had tears in her eyes as she spoke, croaking out the words in an attempt to keep her composure. She knew how their uncle had been exiled when he came out to their grandparents as transgender about five years before. His kids went to live with their other father, his parents took him out of the will and cut off contact. It was brutal, and Jo was almost happy her mother wasn't alive to see that happen to her family, because she would've hated it.

"Can I, uhm, just have some time to process this? I love you, you're my big sister and all but I don't want to say something to hurt you."

"Okay," Jo offered a weak smile, "I love you, too. I've got some stuff to do, clean up a little. If you wanna talk tonight then come find me. And if not, when you're ready, I'll be an open book. I'm still me, Char. I'm just me who isn't going to have a husband someday."

"I know," Charlie stood up and took her phone up the stairs and Jo waited just long enough to hear the door creak closed instead of the slam that she had expected.

It was only a few minutes later, as Jo was wiping down the countertops, that her father walked in and immediately noticed the teardrops falling down her cheeks. She wiped them away as they landed on the marble, so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice the solider enter.

"Hey, sport," he frowned, undoing his sneakers. He had just gone for a run, claiming it helped him sleep, "You okay?"

Jo looked up and nodded softly, "Yeah."

"Something at work? Charlie?" Billy asked, his face was full of concern. It wasn't very often that Jo cried, if ever. He also didn't really know how to handle it, because Jo always had her mom to comfort her until she was old enough to do so herself, and Charlie had Jo.

Jo had almost been raising Charlie since she was fourteen, and it added extra layers to her bones that wouldn't have been there otherwise.

"Yeah, just... a day. Thanks," she forced a smile, taking her index fingers and wiping along the brim of her dark brown eyes.

He nodded, studying her for a moment, "Okay. If you need anything, bud, I'll be in the garage. I'm here, alright? Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Can I come with you?" She asked. It had always been easier when she was in the garage with her dad. He towed around this old 50's truck, full of rust and missing half it's parts. He'd had it since before she was born, and slowly was restoring it inch by inch.

"Sure! You wanna do some sanding? I think this baby is gonna be ready to paint soon. We can talk, or we can sit quietly. You must be really down, you haven't really come out to give me a hand since your mom died."