Different Kind of Love

Chapter 13 A New Page

Please answer, please answer, please answer!  I prayed as I stood outside the door.  Finally, a young girl with dark circles bagging around her eyes from days of sadness, came to the door.  "Ember," I breathed and the tears I had kept in for the whole way there began to come out like a tidal wave.  Ember leaned against the doorway and confusion, pity and a bit of anger crossed her face.  "What do you want?" Ember asked coldly, obviously still upset from me ditching her.

"Ember I need your help!  I'm sorry, I shouldn't have ditched you and you can hate me all you want and...But, I need your help just this once.  We can help a lot of people."

Ember bit her upper lip and thought for a second.  She creaked open the door and gestured for me to come in.  "Why'd you bring your school bag?" Ember asked, hazel eyes looking at my backpack.  I explained that I had run away and the whole story.  "Well, you can always crash here.  I'm an only child and both of my parents work late and don't mind if I have friends stay over.  It's just Peaches and I, chilling  here." Ember said.

"Thank you!" I sighed happily.

"For what?"

"For always being so nice to me, even when I've been a big jerk to you."

"Oh," Ember flushed pink, "thank you.  Now, what did you mean by saying that we can help a lot of people?"

Soon after that, it was Ember and I, sitting in her kitchen, brainstorming ideas.  "What big event is happening next?" I asked Ember.

"Well," Ember said, "The school Christmas Dance happens on December fifth.  That's pretty major."

"I agree.  We can ask Mrs. MacKenzie if we can make a speech there.  How should we spread the words of awareness?" I asked.

"Door to door, posters, on the school website, rainbow bracelets?" Ember suggested.

"Good ideas!  I think we should do posters and rainbow bracelets because we can't knock on the doors of everyone in Peterman High and I don't think much people check the school website." 

"No they don't." Ember agreed, "Let's start making posters."

While we worked away on posters, taking breaks by doing homework and eating Kraft Dinner, I was completely unaware of the white Toyota driving around in circles.  Two figures, one smaller than the other, whispering, "Megan, I'm sorry.  I'm so, so sorry."

My eyes fluttered open to a sunny November day.  A pool of markers surrounded me.   I saw Ember tying her hair into a fishtail braid, wearing a cute black skirt and turquoise top with a white sweater and Doc Martens.  "Ember..." I said.

Ember turned around and looked at me.  "You're cute when you're sleep.  But, you have to get up because school starts in half an hour."

"Oh, gosh!  I'm so sorry!"

"That's okay, you've done enough apologizing to me in the past twenty four hours." Ember teased, swatting lightly me as I brushed my hair.  As we got ready, I realized I hadn't packed any of my textbooks.  Ember assured me that I could borrow hers since we have completely different schedules.  Then, it was off to school.

Fortunately, we made it on time.  Ember gave me her English and science textooks for my first two subjects as she wandered off to her crazy long math class.  "See you at lunch!" she called through the crowd and I felt better knowing that I had one person on my side at school.  As I turned around, slamming my locker shut, I saw Kaelyn standing there staring at me.  "Kaelyn!" I turned to leave.  But before I could get far, she slid up alongside me.  "Megan," she whispered, "Megan, Megan."

"Um..." I said, trying to find some words.

"You ran away." Kaelyn said quietly.

"And?" I croaked.

"Why?" 

"Because Mom wouldn't want a lesbian in the household, now would she?  Gosh, I'm only at Ember's house." I said bitterly, "Good bye, Kay."

"Meg, Meggy, no, wait!" Kaelyn called after me, but I was already gone.

At lunch I met Ember and we went down to Mrs. MacKenzie's office.  The secretary let us in.  Mrs. MacKenzie peered up from her papers and said, "Girls."

"Hello, Mrs. MacKenzie," Ember started, "Megan and I have an idea."

"Yes?" Mrs. MacKenzie looked amused.

"We want to have a Gay Rights day on the day of the dance." I said, "Everyone should wear colours and we can show that gays and lesbians are as equally normal as everyone else."

"Wow, you girls are ambitious." Mrs. MacKenzie said and I felt deflated.  She wasn't taking us seriously!  But then, she went on, "I think that's a good idea, though."

"Really?" I gasped.

"Yes, do you girls have posters?"

"Uh-huh.  They're in my locker." Ember said.

"Put them up whenever you want.  I'll tell the teachers not to make you take them down.  Good luck, girls."

"Thanks." Ember and I said in sync.

As we left, Ember's hazel eyes glittered with excitement.  "Ember," I teased, "You look like you're gonna explode.  Your face is bright red and your cheeks are puffed out like a chipmunk's."

"Sorry," Ember sighed, "I'm just glad that lesbians and gays have the potential of being normal at this school now."

"Yeah," I agreed, getting hyper as well, "And maybe we can start an awareness club, and we can encourage kids to speak up and let their emotions-"

I stopped short.  There was my sixteen year old, the brat-rat, Kaelyn Maxwell, standing in front of me.  Again.  "Omigosh," I hissed, "go away!"  I guided Ember to the side, trying to get around my sister.  She slid to the side, blocking me.  "Megan," she said dully, "I think we need to talk."

"Uh oh." Ember whispered and looked at me sympathetically. 

"'Oh crap' is more like it." I said.