confess their forbidden lives to their hypocritical and
extremely dysfunctional high-society family and friends.”
“No, I’m not familiar with that particular
saying,” JJ managed between breaths. She noticed that Queenie
wasn’t breathing heavily at all.
“I just need to do it. Not for me, but to
wake them up. They need a wakeup call.”
“But haven’t you ever considered just taking
your mom and dad aside and having an adult conversation with
them?”
Queenie lifted her feet off the treadmill,
resting them on the sides as the motorized track moved between
them. She fixed her eyes on JJ. “Really?”
JJ felt her mouth go drier than it already
was. She knew as soon as she said it, she shouldn’t have. She
stepped off of her treadmill and wiped the sweat off her forehead
with the towel that hung on the side bar. “I know,” she said
gently. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I just think you should try a
different approach with them, that’s all.”
“These are the McBrides,” Queenie replied.
“The only thing they know how to do is throw money around. They
don’t know any other way. I could talk and talk ‘til I run out of
air. It won’t matter. They cannot and will not hear me.”
For a brief moment, JJ thought that maybe she
saw tears forming in Queenie’s eyes, but because of the sweat on
her friend’s forehead and face, she couldn’t tell for sure.
“Sauna session?” Queenie asked, wiping her
face with the front of her T-shirt before JJ could say anything
else.
“Sure, why not.”
Once in the enclosed steam-stilted walls of
the sauna, JJ felt that Queenie finally could unwind. She’d been
high-strung and agitated ever since she’d returned from her weekend
visit with her parents and the wedding shower madness.
JJ tossed a cup of water onto the stones,
releasing a sizzling sound in that enveloped the room. Steam rose
up around them.
“I feel like a slab of bacon in here
sometimes,” Queenie said into the heavy air. “I bet we could just
bring some in, slap it down on the bench and watch it cook.”
“Sauna session and bacon. Yeah, I like the
combination.”
“Who wouldn’t? You can cook yourself and your
bacon at the same time.”
“The amazing sauna,” JJ added in an
infomercial voice. “Eat and instantly sweat away the calories.”
The sizzling ceased and Queenie rolled over
onto her side, resting her head on one elbow. “So, how was your
weekend?”
“Uneventful,” JJ responded, hoping that the
topic of Kendal would not come up.
“And the cheerleading queen?”
Great, JJ thought to herself as she tossed
more water onto the stones, sending a burst of steam into the air.
“Good, I guess.”
“You haven’t talked to her since your last
tutoring session?”
“Well, not exactly. I ran into her on Friday
night.”
“Where? At the library?” Queenie knew JJ
would never set foot in a soccer party and that Kendal was equally
unlikely to set foot into the athletic center, which made the
library the only logical option.
“No, I literally ran into her,” said JJ.
“Right on the lawn in front of the library. She was coming home
from a soccer party and I think she’d had too much to drink or
something. My hood was up so I never saw her and we almost collided
head-on. I caught myself, but she spun around and fell.”
“That’s priceless.”
“Then I helped her up and walked her home.”
JJ recalled the ensuing conversation and Kendal’s engaging
laughter. “You’ll never believe this, but she asked me the
question.”
“What question?” Queenie was sitting up now,
her cheeks dotted with sweat.
“The question,” JJ said again.
“Which is precisely what I am asking you.
What question?”
“You know, for someone as quick-witted as you
are, you’d think you’d be a little more able to pick up on the
obvious. The question, silly. The gay question! She asked me if I’m
gay.”
“Well that didn’t take long.” Queenie chewed
her lower lip. “It was
extremely dysfunctional high-society family and friends.”
“No, I’m not familiar with that particular
saying,” JJ managed between breaths. She noticed that Queenie
wasn’t breathing heavily at all.
“I just need to do it. Not for me, but to
wake them up. They need a wakeup call.”
“But haven’t you ever considered just taking
your mom and dad aside and having an adult conversation with
them?”
Queenie lifted her feet off the treadmill,
resting them on the sides as the motorized track moved between
them. She fixed her eyes on JJ. “Really?”
JJ felt her mouth go drier than it already
was. She knew as soon as she said it, she shouldn’t have. She
stepped off of her treadmill and wiped the sweat off her forehead
with the towel that hung on the side bar. “I know,” she said
gently. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I just think you should try a
different approach with them, that’s all.”
“These are the McBrides,” Queenie replied.
“The only thing they know how to do is throw money around. They
don’t know any other way. I could talk and talk ‘til I run out of
air. It won’t matter. They cannot and will not hear me.”
For a brief moment, JJ thought that maybe she
saw tears forming in Queenie’s eyes, but because of the sweat on
her friend’s forehead and face, she couldn’t tell for sure.
“Sauna session?” Queenie asked, wiping her
face with the front of her T-shirt before JJ could say anything
else.
“Sure, why not.”
Once in the enclosed steam-stilted walls of
the sauna, JJ felt that Queenie finally could unwind. She’d been
high-strung and agitated ever since she’d returned from her weekend
visit with her parents and the wedding shower madness.
JJ tossed a cup of water onto the stones,
releasing a sizzling sound in that enveloped the room. Steam rose
up around them.
“I feel like a slab of bacon in here
sometimes,” Queenie said into the heavy air. “I bet we could just
bring some in, slap it down on the bench and watch it cook.”
“Sauna session and bacon. Yeah, I like the
combination.”
“Who wouldn’t? You can cook yourself and your
bacon at the same time.”
“The amazing sauna,” JJ added in an
infomercial voice. “Eat and instantly sweat away the calories.”
The sizzling ceased and Queenie rolled over
onto her side, resting her head on one elbow. “So, how was your
weekend?”
“Uneventful,” JJ responded, hoping that the
topic of Kendal would not come up.
“And the cheerleading queen?”
Great, JJ thought to herself as she tossed
more water onto the stones, sending a burst of steam into the air.
“Good, I guess.”
“You haven’t talked to her since your last
tutoring session?”
“Well, not exactly. I ran into her on Friday
night.”
“Where? At the library?” Queenie knew JJ
would never set foot in a soccer party and that Kendal was equally
unlikely to set foot into the athletic center, which made the
library the only logical option.
“No, I literally ran into her,” said JJ.
“Right on the lawn in front of the library. She was coming home
from a soccer party and I think she’d had too much to drink or
something. My hood was up so I never saw her and we almost collided
head-on. I caught myself, but she spun around and fell.”
“That’s priceless.”
“Then I helped her up and walked her home.”
JJ recalled the ensuing conversation and Kendal’s engaging
laughter. “You’ll never believe this, but she asked me the
question.”
“What question?” Queenie was sitting up now,
her cheeks dotted with sweat.
“The question,” JJ said again.
“Which is precisely what I am asking you.
What question?”
“You know, for someone as quick-witted as you
are, you’d think you’d be a little more able to pick up on the
obvious. The question, silly. The gay question! She asked me if I’m
gay.”
“Well that didn’t take long.” Queenie chewed
her lower lip. “It was
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