caption: I'm the only one here

Definitely excited, and nervous, but mostly excited! Trying to focus on the excitement.

Yes, yes, focus on the excitement. Please! Your excitement is very important to me, plus you get to get all fancy. Maybe bang Julia at the afterparty - who knows?

“and i guess in order to keep people alive it’s a basic right to keep guns, like that’s such a smart move. we shouldn’t be complaining. great work, america.”

Oh, yeah. Such great work. I mean aside of the 998 shootings that have happened since Sandy Hook. Ugh, I’m just so over people dying. Like, am I next? Is my girlfriend next? I’m just scared it’s going to be someone I love yet

Heather looked over the other girl’s features and the venom she felt gushing out of her soul lessened at the simple sight of how much of a toll this was taking on Evie. With a heavy sigh she slumped against one of the shelves, crossing her arms and staring down at the thin carpeting meant to be inviting and cozy. “Ev, you have my deepest apologies for having to deal with my unhealthy mood today. I don’t believe this trip will be doing much for it either and perhaps we should leave and get you home before this dampens your day further. I cannot do this to you in good conscious.”

Evie looked taken aback as she gingerly pushed a book back into its place on the shelf. Turning herself toward her friend, she held out two books and began, “We came here because you thought it would help, you’re not making my day bad and um, it’s not like you’re trying to be a huge debbie-downer or anything on purpose.”

“i think the government just to rethink over their actions, i mean australia and the other nations have laws that have helped them for years. when is it our turn?”

They’re just arguing that it’s part of the liberal agenda. And I mean yeah, it is, but the liberal agenda is also, I don’t know, keeping people alive?

“Ooh, ouch. Yikes. But I mean, at least you remembered? That’s a positive.” Darren made a mental note to double check and make sure that his cast was on his thank you list, “Thanks Ev, I appreciate your support.” 

“It’s no problem, I mean you’re kickass, Darren,” Evie said leaning across the table taking one of his hands and looking at him rather seriously. “I know it’s gotta be difficult if you’re freaking out this much.” She took a drink of the glass the waitress had set in front of them moments before, leaning back and giving him a shrug.

“I feel like I’m so out of the loop sometimes when I talk to them, but they are good kids. I’d be honored to be a gay mother to them if they want me to. It’s also inspiring being with them, seeing how their generation’s attitudes have changed about LGBTQ issues. With all the bullshit that’s happening in the world right now, it’s refreshing.”

“Oh, I love it. LGBT kids don’t take any shit. I love it. I mean even though there’s only like six years between us there’s already such a contrast in how like LGBTQ issues are handled. I mean I know I’m already crazy confrontational but like it seems like people a little older than me are always a little scared to say stuff back sometimes? I don’t know, I’m just really glad that these kids are ready to start a damn revolution for LGBT rights.”

“I find that zombies have become far too mainstream to produce quality content at this moment. How about politics in the vein of George Orwell?” Heather did her best to feign complete attention to the conversation but her mind began to wander back to the cold blade in her back placed by her father. It took a handful of moments for her face to return to a cold scowl. “Perhaps a novel where males have been erased from the race and women rule the world and have begun to systematically take over the universe?” She mumbled.

Evie released a deep sigh as she looked through the dystopian novels in front of her, trying to find a book that met Heather’s demands for a book. “I don’t think there’s one where they’re erased but I can look for a female protagonist?” Evie offered meekly.

I’m glad! And yeah, I remember that. You deserve lots of love and happiness, so yeah, go celebrate you and whatnot! Me? No, no, I’m just going to sit at home and watch Rent or something. Force Steven to tango with me, that sort of thing. Although, I think Steven might go to Pride. His moms want him to send pictures. 

Oh, why not? I mean if anything I know Carmen and I were planning on taking Steven and Andie to get Big Gay Ice Cream, and I know everyone there would love to see you at least make kind of a gay appearance. Please?

“i’m sick of the minority only having attention when it comes to death and i’m still fucking pissed because i’m a fucking gay latino and those were the majority that got shot during the pulse shooting. i mean i know i shouldn’t be concerned about my own safety but that was my family there and i feel very afraid for my own safety anywhere now. it sucks.”

Dude me too. I mean being a latina I’m already scared some white guy with a gun is gonna shoot me for that, but, shit, being gay too? I don’t know, I just really think as a country we need to have a serious talk about gun control and need to stop catering to the NRA and the aggressive second amendment support. When they made that amendment we didn’t have machine guns.

“would you be able to prank darren with me?”

Oh, honey absolutely. Pranking Darren is just something I live for. He gets so panicky. 

Heather’s eyebrow shot up and she stared down at the smaller girl with an amused smirk. “Ev I cannot imagine dystopian books being the genre that you should be taking part in, especially with your ooey-gooey-sappy love life as it stands nowadays.” Knowing that Ev was simply being as supportive as she could of her, Heather breathed out a sigh, causing her shoulders to slump a little. “I don’t mind either way I suppose, although I would prefer to a lengthy read due to the fact that painting isn’t distracting me enough at the current time. Perhaps a series would suffice.”

Evie let out a soft laugh and rolled her eyes, “I mean I am very much in ooey-gooey-sappy love, but I kind of like things that don’t always mimic life. Dystopian fiction is always way more interesting that romance novels,” Evie nodded at Heather’s reasoning for the dystopian fiction and quickly asked, “Zombies, natural disaster, or politics?”

“thank you, my fellow gay and i mean what just happened to our people in recent weeks, i think we have the right to be angry if things do go wrong.”

Exactly, I’m kind of sick of people like us dying. I mean, hell, I don’t want to die too.

“See, that’s kind of what I figured. I think I’ll end up having a ‘REALLY IMPORTANT TO THANK’ list going and pray I don’t forget my mom or my sister or someone.” Darren smiled, “I’m hoping I can hold in any sort of tears or blabbering until I’m drunk at the after party.”

“I almost didn’t thank my cast when I won. My cast. I thanked my parents and that feels a little iffy, but I mean it at least with like Anna. And Darcy is my little sister too so....” Evie mumbled with a tiny shrug and continued, “It gets hard when you get up there, I think if you get up there you’ll be okay, though. You’re a tough cookie.”

Heather stared at Evie dully, wondering for the eighth time that day why the woman decided to tag along, knowing full well that Heather was in no mood to be sociable. “No, but they are full of lies and frilly hopes of life working out in the best way possible.” She bit back the snapping instinct to tell Ev to get her hands off of her shoulders but instead she licked her lips and mumbled, “perhaps I should look into the dystopian genre today. Do you happen to know where that might be?”

Evie’s face dropped slightly and she let her hands slide down Heather’s arms to meet her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze before letting go and mumbling, “Yeah, I read a lot of dystopian books, um do you want dystopian sci-fi, YA Novel, or just general fiction? We kinda have to go by section but um, I can recommend some?”

Happy pride, Ev! You excited? I know you’re usually excited.

I honestly am on cloud nine. I mean like this was my saving grace after coming back from California last year, so I mean it’s just a safe time to be me, you know? What about you any big gay plans?