#GirlsShitToo

The End

Adree brought a steaming cappuccino, a vase filled with huge dark chocolate and rainbow sprinkle covered pretzels, and a metal CD by a band with a frontwoman (Otep's Generation Doom) to my door Monday morning. "If I remember correctly, you prefer doomed pretzels to dying flowers, right?"

"Totally," I said. "These poor guys are doomed to be my breakfast."

"Along with the bacon and grapefruit on the table," said my mom. "You girls will learn quickly that you can't just eat candy and coffee all the time. College is going to be rough on you."

So the two of us sat down and let my mom feed us, which she seemed to enjoy. She was getting pretty emotional now that the reality I might be leaving for college had settled in, being extra nice to me.

"So, you two, when were you planning to tell me you were dating?" Mom asked.

I choked a little bit on the cappuccino, avoiding Adree's expression. "Sorry. It's hot."

"Yes, it is hot gossip. I shouldn't have to learn about important life events from social media, sweetie," Mom told me directly.

"I've just been really busy, Mom. Sorry."

"Do you girls know about safe sex and all that? I can say that I don't know much about safe sex between girls, so I hope you learned something from sex education this year."

How embarrassing. Blush crept up my face, an unwelcome red creature. "We did, Mom. Affirmative consent and STDs and all that metal."

Mom didn't know when to stop. "Adree, what do you think about the fact that gay couples can now adopt in all fifty states? Did you know it didn't used to be that way?" I almost threw my grapefruit at her, because I didn't want to eat it anyway, and because why was she talking to Adree about this now? Awkward.

With the courage to finally look at Adree, I saw she was smiling. "I think it's awesome. All children deserve loving parents no matter what. I can't believe some people actually used to think that kids deserve 'a mother and a father' so much that they would deprive parentless children of both just to stop them from getting two of the same."

Mom smiled at Adree's answer, and I was worried she was going to start asking about whether we planned to adopt or do in-vitro fertilization, so I halted the possibility before it could come to fruition. "Will you clear our dishes, Mom? We need to run."

Without getting Mom's answer, I grabbed Adree by the hand and dragged her out of the house. 

* * *

When I checked the GoFundMe account after school and saw how much money the fundraiser was bringing in. After just one night it had earned $9700. $9700.00. In one night!

* * *

Thursday, I noticed a few surprising emails in my inbox amongst the slew of usual and growing weird fan and troll emails. I read each of them, one by one.

Delicious Equality <careers@DeliciousEquality.news >

To me

Hello Ms. Delaney,

We are a startup online feminist news source, Delicious Equality. We have followed your work with Girls Shit Too and have been particularly impressed with your most recent fundraising efforts for women in India. We would like to offer you an internship as a creative writer/vlogger. The internship is both paid and eligible for course credit for up to two semesters. The pay starts at $11.00/hr.

Totes Normal <internships@totesnormal.org >

To me

Dear Ms. Delaney,