I've Been Waiting All Along (Book 2 - Rock Canyon Series)

Chapter 2 - Charlotte (She/Her/Hers)

Chapter 2 – Charlotte (She/Her/Hers)

The mall was packed. For all the talk about economic uncertainty and department stores folding up, this place was bumping.

I hadn't bothered to change before shopping. We spent so much time talking to my mom before leaving that I just wanted to get going. My mom was as enthusiastic about Ty as she was about Kellan when he first showed up. I think after the shock of two of her kids turning out not as advertised, the sight of a cute boy wanting to hang out with her daughter sent her over the moon.

Actually, that's probably a little harsh. I could be reading too much into this, as Maddie always says. Maybe mom is just awesome to all our friends? I don't know. Me and Maddie haven't really had many. Kinda makes sense now though, yeah? We didn't feel entirely comfortable in our own skin, and because ignorant adults had banned discussion of gender and sexual orientation in schools, we had to figure it out for ourselves. With all the confusion and lack of self-knowledge, we weren't exactly out there making friends.

Anyway. Mall. Packed. Ty bought us lunch at a stir-fry joint and I probably ate more than I should but since Maddie veganified the pantry it was a waste not, want not situation. So, that pretty much meant Yolo-ing this shrimp teriyaki thing and coasting on the insulin rush.

We took our time meandering up and down the hallways, taking every side shoot available. The echoey din was annoying and I kinda just wanted to bolt, but Ty seemed to be enjoying himself so I didn't say anything.

We had a vague plan to hit up Dick's Sporting Goods and Lids. I wanted a fitted hat like his, and I also wanted some dude athletic shorts. I didn't really know why–it just made me happy thinking about wearing them. I had caught myself writing about gender in my journal a few times and figured this might be the safest way to explore without arousing too many suspicions. I wasn't sure of anything, so I didn't want anybody asking questions yet. Everyone always rushes the questions after someone has discovered something new about themselves when what is actually needed is space and time.

As we exited a side hallway and returned to what constituted the main drag, we slid in behind a group of girls our age, separated only by a young family with two loud toddlers. A couple of the girls kept glancing back at us, lingering on Ty. I peeked at him to see if he noticed but he seemed oblivious, more focused on me and our meandering conversation about my past. He started to ask me another question and I cut him off.

"Yo, heads up in front of us. A couple of hotties checking you out." He nodded and in an impressively subtle move that I immediately knew had been performed at least a hundred times, he swept the space in front of us, his eyes enveloping the merchandise but never quite pausing, his field of vision lingering only long enough for his brain to register the flawless geometry of the little cuties. It was godlike.

If I'd been one of them and hadn't known what he was doing, I woulda never known I'd just been scoped. I would have thought he was oblivious to me. And that would have made me all the more interested. 

I wondered if this was an unconscious male thing on his part, or if he knew what he was doing. I didn't know him well enough to ask so I filed the question away.

I tapped him on the arm. "Whatcha think?"

His lips quirked up on one side. "Yeah, they're cute. Especially Yellow Dress. Don't seem my type though."

I tilted my head. "Yellow Dress is the obvious choice. And don't get me wrong–I like the obvious types. But I think the girl in the black shorts off to her side is hotter. She's got an outsider vibe and those anaconda thighs don't hurt, either. I bet she plays field hockey. I'd let her smack me with her stick." I licked my lips and took another glance at the cutout in the back of her tank top.