bound to happen sooner than later. I mean,
everyone on campus thinks that the entire women’s basketball team
is gay.”
“Aren’t we?”
This was one of the unfortunate consequences
of attending a private school in the middle of a small,
conservative southern town. Most people at Sampson Academy assumed
that if you were a girl who was involved in sports, you
automatically belonged to the rainbow coalition.
“So, what did you say?” Queenie asked.
“I told her the truth.”
“And did she run away screaming?”
“Thankfully, no.” JJ sat up and hugged her
knees to her chest. “She was . . . she seemed okay with it.”
“Is she still going to let you tutor
her?”
“We’re supposed to meet tonight. We’ll see if
she shows up.”
Queenie started to say something else, and
then stopped.
“What?” JJ asked.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t do that,” JJ scolded. “Just tell me.
For crying out loud, it’s getting hot in here.” She could feel the
underside of her knees collecting sweat.
“I just think you should be careful. That’s
all.”
“Queenie, she’s straight. Remember?”
“Precisely my point. You always fall for the
straight girls.”
“I don’t always fall for straight girls.”
“No? Do you really want me to recite the list
of names?”
“Okay. So I’ve been attracted to a few
straight girls in the past, so what? It’s not like it’s a habit or
anything. They were just little crushes, nothing serious.” JJ
turned her head and muttered, “Except for the Dibble Syndrome of
course.”
“Oh, yes,” Queenie agreed. “The Dibble
Syndrome was something special. Thankfully though, the other girls
you had crushes on were fortunate enough to be spared your
obsessive ways.”
“Cute.”
“But my point is that I don’t think this is
just a little crush that you’ve got going on here.” Queenie sat up,
clasped her hands together and pointed her jointed fingers in JJ’s
direction. “You know how straight girls work, right? Girls like us
intrigue them and they get curious. Then, after their curiosity
wears off, they freak out and say they were just exploring that
side of things and while it was fun and all, what they really want
is a guy.”
“Queenie,” JJ sighed.
“It’s true! It’s called the science
experiment.”
“I don’t care what it’s called. You’re being
ridiculous.”
“Look,” Queenie said pointedly. “I’m not just
making this up for your amusement. I’ve been there, I’ve been the
science experiment before and it’s not fun. I just don’t want to
see you get used or hurt, and I think this situation has the
potential to go in that direction. You don’t think with your head
in these situations. You follow that emotional lump in the center
of your chest instead.”
JJ began to massage her forehead, shielding
her eyes.
“I know you like her,” Queenie continued,
unabashed. She lifted up her legs and stretched out her
sweat-saturated body. “The least you can do is admit that
much.”
JJ’s hand dropped swiftly from her eyes,
“Okay, so I like her. So what? She’s beautiful and smart and
there’s something special about her and I want to find out what it
is. There’s this energy between us, I can’t explain, but it . . .
.” JJ stopped talking as soon as she realized she had said too
much.
“I knew it,” said Queenie. “I knew you liked
her.”
“What do you want, a medal?”
“Nah—the simple thrill of being right is
satisfaction enough.”
JJ groaned. “Let’s get out of here, I’m about
to sweat away to nothing.”
They lifted themselves off of the benches and
opened the sauna door. The coolness of the locker room air embraced
them and JJ took a long, drawn-out breath to fill her lungs before
she went over to the sink and splashed cold water on her hot sticky
face.
“Hey,” said Queenie as she wiped off her legs
with a towel. “I did mean half of what I said in there. Be careful.
And don’t get wrapped up in
everyone on campus thinks that the entire women’s basketball team
is gay.”
“Aren’t we?”
This was one of the unfortunate consequences
of attending a private school in the middle of a small,
conservative southern town. Most people at Sampson Academy assumed
that if you were a girl who was involved in sports, you
automatically belonged to the rainbow coalition.
“So, what did you say?” Queenie asked.
“I told her the truth.”
“And did she run away screaming?”
“Thankfully, no.” JJ sat up and hugged her
knees to her chest. “She was . . . she seemed okay with it.”
“Is she still going to let you tutor
her?”
“We’re supposed to meet tonight. We’ll see if
she shows up.”
Queenie started to say something else, and
then stopped.
“What?” JJ asked.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t do that,” JJ scolded. “Just tell me.
For crying out loud, it’s getting hot in here.” She could feel the
underside of her knees collecting sweat.
“I just think you should be careful. That’s
all.”
“Queenie, she’s straight. Remember?”
“Precisely my point. You always fall for the
straight girls.”
“I don’t always fall for straight girls.”
“No? Do you really want me to recite the list
of names?”
“Okay. So I’ve been attracted to a few
straight girls in the past, so what? It’s not like it’s a habit or
anything. They were just little crushes, nothing serious.” JJ
turned her head and muttered, “Except for the Dibble Syndrome of
course.”
“Oh, yes,” Queenie agreed. “The Dibble
Syndrome was something special. Thankfully though, the other girls
you had crushes on were fortunate enough to be spared your
obsessive ways.”
“Cute.”
“But my point is that I don’t think this is
just a little crush that you’ve got going on here.” Queenie sat up,
clasped her hands together and pointed her jointed fingers in JJ’s
direction. “You know how straight girls work, right? Girls like us
intrigue them and they get curious. Then, after their curiosity
wears off, they freak out and say they were just exploring that
side of things and while it was fun and all, what they really want
is a guy.”
“Queenie,” JJ sighed.
“It’s true! It’s called the science
experiment.”
“I don’t care what it’s called. You’re being
ridiculous.”
“Look,” Queenie said pointedly. “I’m not just
making this up for your amusement. I’ve been there, I’ve been the
science experiment before and it’s not fun. I just don’t want to
see you get used or hurt, and I think this situation has the
potential to go in that direction. You don’t think with your head
in these situations. You follow that emotional lump in the center
of your chest instead.”
JJ began to massage her forehead, shielding
her eyes.
“I know you like her,” Queenie continued,
unabashed. She lifted up her legs and stretched out her
sweat-saturated body. “The least you can do is admit that
much.”
JJ’s hand dropped swiftly from her eyes,
“Okay, so I like her. So what? She’s beautiful and smart and
there’s something special about her and I want to find out what it
is. There’s this energy between us, I can’t explain, but it . . .
.” JJ stopped talking as soon as she realized she had said too
much.
“I knew it,” said Queenie. “I knew you liked
her.”
“What do you want, a medal?”
“Nah—the simple thrill of being right is
satisfaction enough.”
JJ groaned. “Let’s get out of here, I’m about
to sweat away to nothing.”
They lifted themselves off of the benches and
opened the sauna door. The coolness of the locker room air embraced
them and JJ took a long, drawn-out breath to fill her lungs before
she went over to the sink and splashed cold water on her hot sticky
face.
“Hey,” said Queenie as she wiped off her legs
with a towel. “I did mean half of what I said in there. Be careful.
And don’t get wrapped up in
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