Confident

Beards

Song: That's What Friends Are For by Elton John

November 9, 1993

"So I'm taking my grandma to town and we spot this sign, right?"

"Right."

"And I'm thinking wait a minute, no way. Because this is Derry, right?"

"Right?"

"So I decided hell with it, and I drove up there. You'll never believe it, Greta."

"Oh do tell."

Mike closes his eyes momentarily. He's building up the suspense, which Greta finds obnoxious. "Mini golf. Our very own Derry, Maine is getting a mini golf course."

Greta shoots out of Mike's desk chair and flops down on his bed, where he's holding out his camera. "No way." She breathes out while examining the photos.

Mike shows all teeth. "Right? I can't wait to tell the rest."

"We're going to get kicked out and banned in the span of ten minutes."

Mike nods along, still smiling. "Probably."

Greta smiles now too. "I'll have to tell Linda later. It might be nice to go out sometime. You know? Just the two of us."

The boy flashes a look of mock hurt. "You don't want to invite me?"

The girl's entire face heats up in a matter of seconds. "What? No. It's just that-..."

"I get it. You don't want me third wheeling. Honestly, neither do I." He's rolled over on his back now, book in hand.

Greta snatches the book away, her face now coming into Mike's view. Her eyes are wide in shock, mouth agape. Anger and embarrassment flood through her like a river. "What? Why would you say that?"

Mike shrugs his shoulders before trying, and failing, to get his book back. Greta only furrows her brows. "Seriously."

The boy sits up before giving in. He lets out a defeated sigh and begins. "It's just that I've noticed how close you two are. Always sneaking off during parties. Sitting next to each other. It's not exactly discreet."

"She's just my best friend!"

Mike blows a raspberry. "No. I'm your best friend. She's something, well, more."

"No it's not like that at all-..."

Mike takes both her hands in his. Eventually Greta finds comfort in his warm smile and deep chocolate eyes. He's always been so good at comforting others. It's like it's natural for him, the whole good guy thing.

"You can tell me anything. You know that? You're my best friend. Not to mention that our entire friend group is gay."

"Only Richie and Eddie-..."

"You're blind."

Greta huffs, obviously knowing what he's talking about. "I'm not." She admits finally before staring back up at him.

Their hands are still linked. Greta's glad for this. "You don't have to tell me anything, but if you want to you can. I'm always here. I'm not one to judge."

The girl searches him for any sign of hatred or judgment, but she finds nothing. All that's on display is a smile and welcoming eyes. Maybe it'll be okay. Bottling it up hasn't done any good. Not to mention the levels of stress she's been facing. She swears she's seeing grey hairs already.

"Okay," Greta closes her eyes, "I've been seeing Linda. For awhile."

"Okay. I still love you. Always will. I'm proud of you, Gritz."

Mike has taken ahold of her now. She's nudged in between his arms while he rubs the top of her head with a closed fist. She groans and huffs while trying to escape his grasp. The two are like siblings, which is odd since they've only known each other for a short period of time. Mike used to be the loner in the group, but not since Greta joined. The two found some sort of peace within each other.

"You're so annoying."

Mike just smiles. "I know."

The two lean back against the bed frame, a Game Boy in each of their hands. They're quiet as they play, at least for awhile. Only soft rock playing from Mike's portable speaker can be heard, along with the buttons being pressed every few seconds. Eventually Mike gets tired of it all. It seems weird to push that conversation away so quickly. Especially with everything he's going through. It's only fair to share his half too.

"I need to tell you something too."

Greta's tongue hangs from the corner of her mouth in concentration. Her brows furrow at the tiny screen in front of her. "Hmm?"

Mike sighs, sitting up and taking the device out of her hands. She groans loudly. "It's important."

"I was in the middle of level twelve in The Legend of Zelda!"

Mike sighs. "This is more important than Zelda!"

Greta gives him a look. "I doubt that."

"Just shut up."

She crosses her arms. "Go on."

"I don't really know how to say it. Or even what it means. I've never seen it anywhere before. I feel like no one has. At first I thought maybe it was a stage. Now I've just accepted it for what it is."

Greta hums for him to continue. "You know how you're gay and all that? Same for Rich and Eddie."

Her eyes widen. "Are you coming out to me, Hanlon?"

"Yes? Maybe? No? I'm not sure. I know I'm not gay. I still find girls cute I guess. But I don't think I like anyone. At all. Seriously no one."

The girl has taken a sucker off of Mike's nearby nightstand and pops it into her mouth. "So you just don't like people? Huh. I've never heard of that before."

"That's why I'm confused."

"Are you sure you haven't just found the right one?"

Mike sighs. "You don't think I've asked myself that? I just don't like anyone. I don't want to be involved with anyone. Sometimes I feel like a freak. Most times I just act like it's not even a thing."

Greta remains quiet, which leads to Mike internally freaking out. The girl notices the fearful expression and is quick to fix it. She smiles at her bestfriend. "You're not a freak. I like girls, Richie and Eddie like dudes, and you like no one. It's no big deal. It's just who you are and that's okay. I'll always be there to let you third wheel. Oh! Maybe you can be my beard!"

Mike lets out a shocking amount of laughter, which only leads to Greta giggling along. The two laugh hysterically while rolling around on the bed. And when the duo does finally calm down, they only burst out again.

"I'm serious!" She hits his chest playfully.

"I am not your beard."

Soon the two are back to their Game Boy's. They're so comfortable with one another. Nothing has to be awkward between them. Not even when coming out. If it were anyone else, they would've been in tears. For some reason it's different between the two. Everything comes naturally. Conversations, silence, and even secrets.