Love Begins with You

Aftermath

As I stand and watch everybody, whom I do and do not know some snicker around in the crowd, I can feel my legs get weak and all I can do is run.

I run upstairs as fast as I can. I have no clue how I have even made it up the stairs and to be honest, I can't remember. There are some things that I just can't forget, no matter how wasted I am. I just told a whole yard full of people that I am a lesbian, that I am in love with Aria whom is my sister's best friend.

All of these thoughts are running through my head. What is going to happen to me? What will Aria think? Is Lindsey going to be mad at me? Oh my god. Why did I do this? I told Michelle this was a bad idea for me to be drunk and too open about Aria.

The last thing I remember is that I am laying on my bed crying. After that, I am woken up to a wet, cold wash cloth against my forehead. I finally manage to get my eyes open and I see the blurred faces of Michelle and Lindsey above me. I am so embarrassed, the last thing I want is to be seen by everybody.

"What are you guys doing here?" I say, kind of confused because I didn't figure anyone would want to talk to me right now.

"You're okay, Grace. Don't move a lot, you don't want to puke anymore" I hear Lindsey say in her soft, girly voice as I try and get up just to sit up because laying down in making the room spin.

"Grace, you remember what you did right?" Michelle says, knowing about all of it before hand, but she also knows that nobody else knows.

"Sadly, yes I remember Elle" I say trying to hold back tears.

"Grace, It's okay that you're a lesbian. I will always love you for you. You don't have to be afraid that I am mad or anything, now Mom and Dad are all you have to worry about. All I have to say is, why MY best friend? Why not yours?" Lindsey says in a playful voice, giggling.

"Well, I'm sorry Michelle. You didn't make the cut" I say laughing when I see Michelle make a playfully pouty face.

"Where is Aria? Is she okay? I'm sure that she's really confused right now" I say looking down, hanging my head.

"Oh, Aria. She's downstairs. I think she is just as surprised as me and Elle are!" Lindsey exclaims while she looks at Michelle and laughing.

"Uh, well, I kind of already knew" Michelle speaks out softly.

"HUH? You told Michelle and not me? You brat" Lindsey replies, laughing.

"So, I guess everybody left? And the party's over?" I say while looking over at Michelle and back to Lindsey.

"I mean some people left, but there are still about 30 people outside" Lindsey says as she laughs and then adds "do you think you need to go back out there though? I mean, we will go with you. I just don't want you to feel awkward in front of everybody now."

"Dude, this is MY birthday party, yes I want to go back" I just laugh as the words leave my lips.

I clean myself up and throw on a swim suit under a long, floral summer dress before we all head back out to the back patio.

We make our way outside and I feel everybody's eyes on me.

I deicide to grab the microphone and I choke out, "Hey everyone. Grace again!" I laugh as everyone's attention is on me. "I'm sorry if I ruined anyone's night, but who wants to get in the pool?" I yell out to the smaller than before crowd.

Surprisingly enough, some people clap and then jump into the pool.

I run and get a head start into the pool while shedding off my dress that's on top of my bikini.

I expose my perfectly golden tanned skin with all of my tattoos which some people have never seen. I have a little heart on my lower stomach where I had previously put a sticker while tanning. Since it's summer now, my dark tan takes over that pale heart so it sticks out. My bikini top has my favorite print, leopard. The bottoms of my bikini are just a plain red paired with the leopard.

I jump and dive into the pool where there are less people so I jump on anyone.

I go under water and come back up and dry my eyes off. I open my chlorinated, burning red eyes to see the one and only Aria in front of me standing in the pool. I do not want to face her and hear what she has to say about my little secret and self exposure.

"Hi. Aria. Hi" I say in the most awkward voice ever.

"Grace! I was going to come upstairs with Michelle and Lindsey, but they were scared that you would be really nervous. I can tell that you're a little nervous now" she says with a laugh at the end while she looks at me being so weird.

"Yes. I can definitely say that I am a little nervous. I don't want you to hate me or think I am a creep or something" I say while looking at Aria, waiting for her reaction.

She then smiles and giggles a little.

"No! I do not think you're a creep! Are you crazy?" She smiles and I see that beautiful sparkle in her eyes and cannot help but lock my eyes on her. She has the most beautiful smile. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She has the only woman I have ever paid attention to. She's mesmerizing.

I finally realize that she is waiting for my response.

"Oh! Well that is so good. I am very glad. So, did you get things with your boyfriend straightened out? I'm not trying to be nosy. That was just a really bad thing that happened. You don't deserve to be cheated on."

"Oh! Him! Yeah. You forgive and forget. You know how it is. Guys huh?" She laughs when she realizes what she just said and gives me a funny look and proceeds to correct herself. "I forgot, I mean.." she laughs then pauses and I can tell that she feels awkward.

"No, it's fine!" I say quickly so she doesn't feel stupid.

It's been a couple hours since mine and Aria's conversation.

Everybody is gone and the back yard is wrecked. Lindsey, Michelle and I are all picking up trash and cleaning up.

Afterwards, Michelle comes and gives me a big hug and says, "I think I am going to head home now. I'm so tired." Thankfully, Michelle literally lives next door and has since we were kids.

"Okay! That's totally fine. Thank you for coming! Tonight was fun. Definitely a birthday to remember, huh?" I say and then laughing quickly after to assure her that I'm okay.

Michelle has always been worried about me. She is a worrisome girl, really. She has told me since the day I finally got my love for Aria off my chest to her. She is the only person I have told, well until now. She is always worried about my parents finding out. They do not condone this type of "behavior" and I was told that when we had the birds and bees talk when I was 13. Too bad I was still in love with Aria then too.

Michelle grasps me in a tight, embracing hug. "Gracey, I love you. I'll always be here behind you."

I see Michelle walk towards the outside gate to go to her house.

I decide to call it a night myself. I walk up to my bedroom and make my way to the catastrophe of a bathroom. I clean up all the puke beside the toilet and on the toilet seat.

I change into my pajamas and lay in bed to read a book and listen to music before going to sleep.

As I lay in my bed, I am thinking about the whole night and think to myself that I should go tell Lindsey thank you for everything and tell her goodnight and that I love her.

Lindsey's room is downstairs past the living room, at the end of the hall.

I approach her room quietly in case she is asleep.

I notice the door is cracked about an inch and I poke my eye into the opening.

The first thing I see is Michelle sitting on the end of Lindsey's bed, in her PJs. My first thought is Why is Michelle here? She said she was going home. Also, why is she in Lindsey's room?

I then hear the following words leave Michelle's lips, "Thank you for not telling Grace, Linds. I don't want her to know yet. I don't know how she will react."