Octopus Lips

Juliet Jones

     No one said anything for a few moments.

     She moved on with her story, stammering out of anxiety, "Th-then my parents found some of my new girl stuff the therapy group kids had helped me get, they thought I was gay, which technically they're not wrong but in the other direction, I don't like boys. I had to get out of the house for a bit. Now I'm here. I uh, understand if you don't want to be friends anymore-"

     "Oh, no that's fine!" Chase exclaimed, "Can I call you Jules now?"

     She nodded meekly.

     "We don't Jules," Chase grinned, "We love you."

      "Ah," she wheezed, and wiped the tear forming at the corner of her eyes. "I was so scared, I know there's not too many other LGBT kids at our school I didn't know what you were going to say."

     "You'd be surprised." I looked over at Rosie.

     She grinned and held up my hand, the string looping over our hands and tying the two of us together. Juliet's eyes widened, and she laughed.

     "Oh wow!" She gasped, "Congratulations."

     "Thank you!" I said.

     "Not to take away from everyone's moment but I'm also gay," Ramon added.

     "Really?" Juliet blinked in happy confusion as Ramon held open his arms to hug her.

     "I knew it!" Chase blurted out, cackling, "I called it, I called it so hard, Johnny tell them how I called it."

     We turned to look at Johnny who had shrunken back and had not gotten up to hug Juliet like the rest of us had. He had shrunken in on himself. His shoulders were raised like the hackles of a dog, and he was brought his knees up on the chair he was sitting on and rocked slightly as tears ran down his face on messy waterfalls. The rest of us went silent.

     "I'm sorry," he winced, soaking in our stares, "I'm sorry I'm such a screw up, I wish I could be as cool about it as you guys. I wish I could accept it that easy, but I just don't... I don't know how!"

     "Johnny." Chase frowned, "don't be a jerk."

     "It's okay," Juliet watched Johnny carefully, "Not everyone is going to like it, I was prepared for this."

      "Wait a second, Johnny what do you mean?" Ramon asked.

      Johnny wiped his face angrily, "I... I... I've had... thoughts... feelings. About boys."

     "Oh," Chase blinked. "Yeah?"

     "Stop acting all cool about it! It's not cool! I hate it, I hate how I feel ostracized from the group and I don't want to feel those things because they make me a freak. Sure, it's fine for you guys, but my parents would kick me out if they found out another one of their kids was ruined. I have to like girls. I know I like girls. I'm not gay."

     Ramon waddled over to him and gently out his hand over the other boy's, "It's okay."

     Johnny yanked his hand away but stayed quiet, furiously wiping his face off of he cried harder and harder. Juliet tapped her fingers together then sat down on the bed next to him.

     "Johnny... it really is okay." She promised. "I know how you feel. It's okay to feels those things... straight isn't the default, it's okay."

      "Yeah, plus you can like both," I added. "That's very much a thing."

     He still seemed unsure. "I don't know."