The Untitled.

How To Talk To A Homophobe

"I walked down the stairs with Brandon today."

"Oh? What's up?" I hopped in the couch with her and stole a few popcorn in her bowl in which she had widened her eyes for.

"Well, he is indeed homophobic."

"Told you. How did you know?"

"He said he was being seduced by a gay dude when he was 11 and had a severe trauma, PTSD or something. And then ever since that happened, he became a complete homophobe." I sighed, getting up and going through her kitchen. "Hey, you still have that cereal that I like so much?" I asked while fussing around her cabinets for a sign.

"Yeah. I think. Check the fridge, Adam might have left it there."

My eyes beamed as I caught sight of the cereal box with Adrianna's directions. I pulled the box and began pouring it in a bowl and some milk. I went to sit on the couch and watched television with her. "Is it just me or this show is making me stupider." She pointed out, the show was High 5.

"I think you're fine." I confirmed with a nod. We stayed there, just watching even though the show had ended and comes with another one. I've finished my cereal and stole a few fists of popcorn in her bowl. She didn't mind anymore.

"Do you think Brandon will change his mind about me when he finds out I'm bi?" There was sadness in her tone as she leans in my shoulder.

"I most certainly think he will. 100%." I sighed and laid my head in hers.

"I thought so too, we've seen his face when Mrs. Hudson was talking about the community, and we caught sight of him disagreeing. What an ass." She sighed as she slid the half empty bowl in the coffee table. "Thank you for being there for me. Glad I got the right friend, accepting and supportive." She snuggled as she produced incoherent sounds of despair. She likes Brandon and so does him, but upon hearing that he's a complete jerk and would probably kill someone gay, she never knew how to find the feeling of being loved again. She knew Brandon would panic and he'll hate himself for dating her. She did admit that she has only 3% feelings for him and ready to drop anytime soon.

"Maybe I could talk to him."

"Best of luck." She said.

---

"Hey," Brandon said from behind, taking a few steps down to sit beside me. "Uhm, nice choice of destination." I rolled my eyes as we started scrambling over our Math project in the stairs.

"Have you done the paper in Geometry?" I asked, confused of sorting the research papers.

"Uhm... nope." I gave him a look and a brow.

"It's due this Wednesday!" He raised his hands in defeat and nodded to a few of my long rants. "Yes, yes. Yeah."

"I had almost all the topics and you haven't done Geometry? I got 8 topics and you got 2! You only even had one! A sixth grader would beat you up to it. You had one job." I shoved the papers in his face.

"I'll get it done tonight." He said in fear.

"Get it done before 10pm." I pointed out, sending him glares.

"Y-yeah, yes. 10pm."

"Sharp." I hissed.

He gulped. "Sharp..."

I shooked my head and started fixing the papers again. The other papers flew down from my intense shoving of papers in his face; he quickly went down to collect them. Geez, why would Adrianna fantasize of marrying this loser?

Not long, he handed me the papers neatly and just stood there as I sort the pages in order. "Nice bracelet."

"Oh," I looked to my wrist; I was wearing a rainbow bracelet. I remember that I bought it online to show how I love Adrianna and didn't have a problem at all with her coming out to me. She was dead afraid that her parents wouldn't accept her for what she feels because she even lived in this religious family tree that every family reunion, they would all go to the church first before having the exciting activities. She was really happy that I would do something like that for her. "Thanks."

I started fumbling around the papers again when he spoke; I looked up and saw a confused and uncomfortable Brandon. "You see uhm, can I ask you something?" I nodded, signaling for him to go ahead. "A-are you..." he gulped, "gay?" There it is, ladies and gentlemen.

"What about being gay?" I questioned with a straight up face.

"I-I don't know. So, you are?" I pat the seat next to me from where he sat a while ago; he went to his seat and looked down.

"It would change a lot of things if I were gay. But, no, I'm not gay." I confirmed. He still has that confused face.

"Why are you wearing the bracelet?" he scratched his neck. "I see a lot of "people" wearing them, so I quickly confirm that whenever I see straight people wearing them, they're now "them"."

I stared at him. God, this kid is stupid, I thought.

"I have friends who came out to me with fear as they say what they feel. I'm gay."

He gave me a bored look and looked at somewhere else.

"Coming out to someone is a life risking act and decision, riskier than putting water into an ice cube container from the sink and to the fridge, I have loads of friends out there telling me they're gay, and I really respect who they are. I know you have a severe trauma back when you were a kid and that made you think that gays are mosquitoes that you couldn't stand getting a fan, a spray or an electric tennis rocket to flank them to death. They're people too, humans, they have feelings, if I think that mascaras and make up are a waste of time because girls like to hide themselves from shame, hence, coming out to the world is even braver, because you are admitting that you are different, what's scary is that what if the world doesn't like you back?"

He may not be giving me a look, but I damn right know he's listening. "The community was created not for them to parade their sexuality when pride month comes, but a stereotype of misfits joined together because they're more confident to people who are like them, they can talk whatever they want to talk about, walk or dress whatever they want or live whatever they wanted their life should be living because they are fucking sick of living in a fucking mask, and they all wanted to be accepted so they teamed up together and shout out to the world that we are motherfucking gays!" I breathed in, tired of what felt like rapping Alphabet Aerobics by Blackalicious.

I don't know much about the community, but I hope I didn't offend Adrianna about what I explained to him. "I wore this," I raised my wrist, "because I have friends who have suffered living in the shadows, and this means I love them even though they won't be the old, but the improved."

Brandon wanted to say something, but stuttered a lot. "What about what happened 6 years ago?"

I snorted. "Screw him, he seduced you."

"Then what should I feel now!?" he asked again, with a confused look and with more volume. "I don't get this at all."

"Brandon, you were angry and you've been labeling it wrong. You should be angry at people like the one who seduced you, not the sexuality itself."

---

"I am famished!" I shouted as I enter Adrianna's house with her, I swung my arms around her, giving her all my weight.

"Damn, I really hate Chemistry. I got this big fat homework and I need medical help." I chuckled as we hopped into the couch. I lay down and used her lap as my pillow. "What a day."

"Screw Chem, I'll watch High 5 instead." I chuckled at her decision and later on drifted to sleep on her lap.

---

Adrianna and I were talking about Brandon, she talked to him last night and said they should stop dating because she isn't up for some love, she still can't over the homophobic Brandon phase and she just needed some time to think about other stuff. "like... High 5." She said in wonder. We both crackled up laughing when Brandon suddenly appeared right in front of us. "Hey," he gave both of us a smile which Adrianna seemed to feel weirded out by this action "Uhm, I'm really sorry about last night. I get what you want, and uhm I hope we're still friends and in good terms, yeah?"

"Yes, thank you for understanding." She said, finally breaking through without chaos. "I-is that..." Adrianna pointed the bracelet that I gave to Brandon. He was holding the arms of his bag and it was easy to caught sight of it since it is flashing with colors. "Oh, this uhm yeah." He smiled, nodding.

"My little brother came up to me." He said in gratefulness. "I think he didn't come out to me as to why he knows that I sort of hate, you know." He chuckled, "so, when he saw that I was wearing this, he told me immediately. It was really random and awkward because he was making food for me, he wants to be a chef, and yeah that's all. Thanks about yesterday too. And uhm class is about to start, see you girls later?" We nodded as he walked away and dived into the crowd.

Adrianna looked slowly to me, mouth ajar and in complete shock. "You brainwashed him?"

"Mmmm, more like literally washed his brain." We both cracked up laughing again.

"Damn, you're good. Can I date him again?" I chuckled and punched her lightly in the shoulder as we hopped together in our next class.

12/22/18