GxG One Shots

A cheerleader's secret part 8

Julia's eyes widened at the scene, her clear eyes dancing with glittery reflections as she gazed at all the lights. Camryn's backyard was large, easily being able to fit in at least forty people in there with space to move around. The way the party looked like, it seemed as of there were that many people there at once, all laughing and talking.

String lights with hanging bulbs shone brightly, crisscrossing from tree to tree and bathing the backyard in its fairytale lights. All the people, young and old, wore smiles on their faces. Adults talked together, some in small pockets, others in large groups in the chairs, all the while holding a drink in there hands with their eyes crinkling in amusement. A few kids ran around, weaving between people in a game of chase, their grins stretching across their faces.

"Woah," Julia breathed out. She was at a loss for words. This was what Camryn's life was like. Full of life and happiness and energy. Family and friends. Love and affection.

Julia stiffened, suddenly getting overwhelmed by it all. Camryn's life was beautiful. She wasn't sure what she ws doing there. Julia had done nothing but cause grievance in the cheerleader's life. She was still in the closet. She was still figuring out her feelings. She was still the cheerleaders secret.

Of course, she wanted that, but it didn't change the fact that Camryn deserved to have someone she could show off to the world. Someone who would come up to protect her, rather than their own "image" in fear of their best friend. Someone who wasn't a secret.

Julia stepped back, shrinking into the shadow. She didn't want to reach the golden light of backyard. She didn't want to meet everyone and feel their stares as they see Camryn and her holding hands. No, she couldn't deal with their scornful gazes. She couldn't bring herself to face all the expressions of shock and disappointment once they see Camryn is with someone who isn't ideal for her- a woman.

But then Camryn squeezed her hand, jerking Julia out of her whirlpool of thoughts and into reality, and Julia is met by the incredible blue-yellow eyes of the cheerleader.

Her eyes were wide, concern filling them. "Hey, you okay?"

"I just..." Julia bit her lip and looked back at the party. "Im scared."

"Scared?"

"Thats a lot of people," Julia began to ramble. "A lot of eyes. A lot of looking that will happen if they see us together, and that means some people won't like it, if not all, and then theyll gossip about us, and then word will spread, and then the whole party here would look down at us, and then-"

"Woah woah woah," Camryn brought Julia closer, Julia felt her heart nearly beat out of her chest. "Slow down there. Its just my family and some close friends."

"Exactly," Julia exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. "These are important people to you." Julia opened her eyes and looked back at the scene before her. "This isn't just a party I happen to go to at your house where they happen to be there. You've had this since you were small. These people have been in your life since then, and they helped shaped many of your memories, maybe some people even helped shape you to be who you are. Its not just a party, its a literal part of your life that I'm stepping into. Im stepping into a memory, a tradition, a- I don't know, something special in the present. Its all extremely overwhelming, and I don't think I can go in there knowing the weight of the meaning."

Camryn didn't respond. The cheerleader glanced at the party then back at Julia. She squeezed her hand gently, and caressed Julia's knuckles with her thumb.

"I know that you're scared," Camryn said softly. "But this place," Camryn gestured with her free hand, "These people? They won't judge you or us, I promise. Out of all the places in the world, this tiny spot on earth is where you can be free."

Julia stared at the party with longing, but refused to move.

"Hey," Camryn came closer to her, so close Julia could feel her breath brush against her lips. "You can be you, Jules. You get to be honest here. You get to finally breathe, Jules."

Julia met Camryn's gaze, and her heart threatened to drum out of her chest. "Okay," She spoke nervously. "Okay."

Camryn smiled, and her dimple's appearance made Julia's heart flutter. "Ill be here the whole time."

"The whole time?"

"The whole time," Camryn repeated, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "Always."

Julia gazed back at the party, and she breathed in deeply. There was something different about the air. It tasted...freerer. "Don't let go in case I fall, which let's be honest will probably happen because I have the insane talent of making a fool of myself."

Camryn laughed. "I won't, I can promise that."