Anna's Story

Start writing Anna's Story

By: Hailey Gagliardi

Anna knew she was different than the majority of the people she knew, she just never figured out what was so different about her. She knew it wasn't some tragic variable that made her different. She knew it had nothing to do with some magical world that she lived in, where she'd be forced to live and fight in that world like the characters in her books did.

Like most people, Anna watches television, movies, reads, and listens to music—all of which are riddled with love stories or anything of that nature. This never bothered Anna; it was so common she never really thought about it. However, that changed once she stopped being in denial and came to terms with who she was.

After so long, Anna had finally found out what her variable was. She started to notice it sometime during freshman or sophomore year. She would admit to herself that some guys and girls she saw that they were cute, hot, or—this has happened—both. Anna wasn't aware that people normally won't do this; she thought it was perfectly normal—and it was. She thought about all of this, all the times she was in denial, questioning herself, how it had dug a hole for her. She realized how much of a relief it was that she stopped questioning and just accepted it. She also realized how much the media doesn't cover this. The media barely represents bisexuality. If the media had, Anna thought, then maybe I would've known. Maybe if I were educated I wouldn't have been in denial in the first place. Anna knew the closest representation of bisexuality was a character having a fling with the opposite gender then that same character end up being canonically homosexual, like it never happened. Or that the character doesn't like labels.

Anna was lying on the couch lost in thought; her mom was sitting in her recliner reading a book. Her mom looked at Anna over her book; her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulder. She spoke up and said, "So apparently there's an actor that is supposedly bisexual." Anna rolled her eyes but let her mother continue. "I don't believe it," she continued, "I think he's gay but he just doesn't want to admit it."

She took a deep breath before she responded, "It's possible he has a preference. He can still have a preference but still be bisexual. That's a thing." Her mom just nodded in response. Anna took a guess that the reason she didn't say a word was because her mother thought it wasn't worth getting worked up about.

She picked up her phone and texted her friend Eli, informing him what happened. Her phone buzzed and she read his text: People frustrate me like that's a thing. Sexuality isn't black and white. I'm not confused or undecided.

Everyone who knew Eli knew he was bisexual, even his parents knew. He made a long Facebook post about it a while back and every time Anna mentioned conversations she had with her mom or things she heard her say they both got worked up about it. As far as Anna knew, he was the only other person she knew who was bisexual.

Let's meet at the park I want to get out of the house, she replied.

Okay. And Ann, don't let her get to you.

Ten minutes later she arrived at the park, silent and unoccupied as ever. Anna sat on the metal bench shaking her leg—unable to sit still; a cloud that reminded her of a marshmallow covered the sun. She grabbed her phone in her pocket and switched the vibrator on and off repeatedly, stopping her leg from shaking. Anna waited; the breeze kissed her skin, its finger playing with her blonde hair.

She heard footsteps approaching the bench; she looked to the left and saw him, her closest friend. Anna couldn't help herself; she smiled and hugged him.