PART II - LENNY

I stared at my phone. Sofi still didn't get back at me.

It had been so easy in a heterosexual relationship – I just waited for Jamie to ask me. I shook my head to get rid of the thought of Jamie.

Didn't she want to go with me to the ball?

Maybe she was afraid of outing ourselves in front of the whole school. Though I always found she was comfortable in her sexuality – more confident that I was for sure. Maybe she wanted to protect me, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want it.

I paced up and down the living room while I waited for Aimee and Aaron to arrive. Still, I jumped when the doorbell rang.

"Good morning," Aimee said while eying me carefully. "You don't look like you're having a good morning."

I simply showed her my phone with mine and Sofia's chat open.

"Maybe she isn't ready to out herself?" Aimee suggested.

I shouldered my bag. "She could tell me so."

"Maybe she has her own proposal planned and you interfered with that."

I thought about it a moment and felt a smile finding its way to my face. "You think so?"

"Lenny, she looks at you like you're the sun in person."

I wrinkled my nose at that comparison. "She really shouldn't be looking at the sun, it's bad for your eyes."

Aimee laughed and put her arm around my shoulder on our way to the car. "If it turns out that she's actually afraid to be outed, you should probably tell her that everyone already knows. The hands, the looks, the way-too-long hugs – you guys are really not subtle."

I nudged her in the side. "People don't see that with girls. They still think were 'best friends'."

We closed the doors behind us and Aaron started the car. "Everyone thought you dated before you even started dating," he said. Aimee shot me a momentous glance.

I looked outside the window. "Do you think people will have a problem with it?"

"Some will."

"Jamie will." I slapped Aaron's upper arm. "Hey, don't take it out on me. Sammy told me like a month ago that Jamie was bothered with how friendly you and Sofi became."

"Don't worry, Lenny. It's 2020. Even in the worst-case-scenario, you'd still have us and your lesbian friends. And after January's election, you won't be student body president anymore and people might stop paying you so much attention."

"What a great pep talk, thanks."

Sofi wasn't around when I got to our locker. With a deep sigh, I put in the combination and opened the door. I stopped the moment when I saw a present with my name on it. My heart beat heavily in my chest. Aimee might have been right. I looked around to see if Sofi was watching me but I didn't see her. I unwrapped the present and inspected the small notebook in my hands. The pages were filled with little drawings and it took me a moment to understand.

On the first one was the two of us in front of our lockers, over Sofia's head was a speech bubble with "Have Mercy" written in it. The next page showed us on the stage, under it was a Romeo and Juliet quote from our audition. The next drawing was only me on a sofa, my face was hidden behind With The Fire On High. There were several more drawings: us watching Full House, us on a hill, us on my bed with my hands on her thighs and our faces only inches apart, our first kiss real kiss. The last one showed, like the first one, us in front of the lockers, and in the speech bubble above Sofi's head was written, "Will you go to the winter formal with me?"

When I looked up, she stood next to me. I flung my arms around her neck.

"You stole that idea from the chewing gum ad."

She chuckled against my body but her arms hugged me closer. "That's what you have to say to me?"

I got back on my feet and pushed myself away so I could see her face. Through my hands on her neck, I could feel her fast pulse.

"Of course I'll go with you, but you knew that."

"I hoped."

I shook my head unbelieving. "Can I kiss you?"

She smiled down at me pulled me closer again. "Always."