No Ordinary Exchange

and we're only beginning

I know I don't have a large platform, but I still have a platform, so I'm going to use it: Black Lives Matter. There should be nothing controversial about this statement. If you don't agree with it, I encourage you to check your privilege. If you still don't understand, stop reading my stories now because you are not the audience I write for.

So, I don't want to ask that people donate, because I know that there are many factors influencing financial situations at the moment (including but not limited to the covid-19 pandemic), but I encourage you to sign petitions (texting JUSTICE/ENOUGH/FLOYD to 55156 is a good way to start) and to continue educating yourself on the situation at hand as well as on structural racism - especially if you are white and American. If you can donate, by all means do. If you can't, consider watching videos on YouTube where all ad revenue goes to support Black Lives Matter (ex. search "Zoe Amira"). I myself am trying to learn how to better be an ally and address the white privilege I know I experience in my life. It is not enough to "not be racist". We must be anti-racist. I will never understand what is like to be black, but I do understand that silence is violence, which is why I'm including this note here. I might only be a teenager, but I want to do whatever I can to help.

If you'd like more resources, feel free to message me on Tumblr @ thinkingisadangerouspastime (or just scroll through my recent posts [ignoring queued ones] and/or my "ref" tag). A basic Google search should also turn up a bunch of information/resources, too. The best time to start learning about and fighting against white supremacy and systemic oppression was hundreds of years ago. The second best time is now. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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"So."

"So."

Rayla gave him a gentle if amused smile. "We're... a thing now."

Callum nodded. "Yep. We're... a thing." His chest flooded with warmth at the thought, despite the lack of a label on the relationship.

They were sitting in a booth at the café where they'd had their first real conversation those many weeks ago. Callum felt it was pretty romantic when he'd suggested they meet up there to discuss their new relationship, but he didn't actually voice that thought aloud. Surely he wasn't allowed to say that on their first... sort-of date. Was he? That would be moving way too fast, wouldn't it?

"I guess we need to..." Rayla seemed to struggle to find the right words. "Talk through our... expectations? What we're looking for?"

"Uh... yes?" Ugh, he sounded too uncertain. "Yes. Yes, agreed. We should do that."

They stared at each other for a moment, then proceeded to burst out laughing.

"Okay, I think we might be putting some unnecessary pressure on ourselves," Rayla said amidst her laughter, wiping a tear from beneath her eye. "Let's - let's try this again. Starting point. Who should we tell, and how?"

Callum nodded, his own laughter slowly dying off. Her question seemed the perfect place to begin. "Claudia and Soren, obviously. I'm pretty sure Claudia is going to lose her mind. Although, they might have already seen us... uh..." He coughed. "You know. At the game."

Rayla rolled her eyes, but he didn't miss her blushing. It was nice to know she was as new to all this as he was. "They were probably too caught up in the win to notice, but I agree. We definitely have to tell them."

"I also want to tell Ez," he continued. "And my dad. They... er, expressed their support for me pursuing a relationship with you before I left for the game. It was incredibly embarrassing."