Lesbian 101 Ch. 03

"Don't worry," Tyler gently assured her, using a thumb to wipe a tear off Brooke's face, "it's just a stupid dance."

"Yeah but... I know how much you were looking forward to it," Brooke's expression was guilty.

"It's fine, baby. I'm not mad at you." Tyler then asked, "Did you kick her ass?"

"I guess so?" Brooke sniffed, "Her nose was pretty bloody."

Tyler grinned, "I wish I could have seen that."

"So you're really not mad at me?" Brooke sniffled

"Brooke, why would I be mad at you? You were sticking up for me. You're like... my hero!"

Brooke couldn't help it; despite her tears, she laughed. "How did you get out here so quick? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"As soon as I got your text I walked out. You are so much more important to me than Social Studies."

"Oh, Tyler," Brooke hugged her again. "Shit. How am I going to explain this to my parents?"

=======

"We have to ground her," Allan declared, pacing back and forth in the bedroom he shared with his wife. Allan could be a stern father, raised by equally stern parents as a child. There were times Allan struggled when disciplining Brooke, as daughters sometimes needed a gentler touch. That's when he relied on Brooke's mother the most.

"Darling," Nancy sat on the edge of their bed, "She's eighteen years old. She's an adult. We can't ground her anymore."

Allan shook his head, "No, she has to learn that there are consequences for her behavior."

"Don't you think she knows that?" Nancy argued, "You saw how upset she was about being suspended. She won't be able to go to school and be with her friends for a week. Plus, she won't be able to attend her own prom. I think she's being punished enough. I know she's still under our roof, but after summer she'll be out on her own. If we ground her now, she'll simply resent us for it."

"But getting into a fight?" Allan spread his arms helplessly, "That's not the girl we raised."

"Of course it isn't," Nancy stood from the bed, "And she's already proven that. We haven't hardly had to discipline Brooke since she was in grade school. She's been a wonderful student and she never gets into any trouble. Whatever happened today that caused her to get into a fight -- well, I'm guessing this other girl is probably just as much to blame, if not more so."

Allan didn't look convinced.

Nancy approached her husband and put her hands at his shoulders, "Honey, if one fight at school is the worst we have to face during Brooke's teen years, we're getting off easy. She could be out doing drugs or having sex, like so many other teenagers we hear about. She's a good girl. You know she is."

"I suppose you're right," Allan finally conceded with a sigh. "I just can't believe our little girl got suspended from school."

"She's not our little girl anymore," Nancy hugged her husband reassuringly, "She's a young woman, now. She's going to have to learn the consequences life will throw at her, but on her own. We have to let her go at some point."

"All right," Allan finally agreed, "But she's going to spend the week constructively - looking for a summer job. I won't have her sitting around the house goofing-off all week."

=======

After dinner, and a long talk with her parents about adulthood and responsibility, Brooke was sitting at a computer desk browsing through her favorite social media site. She was wearing a pair of tiny, blue cotton shorts and an over-sized tee-shirt with one bare leg bent up onto the chair as she absently played with a blonde ringlet, twirling it around her finger. From downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring.

Her mom answered the door and Brooke heard Tyler's voice. Brooke rushed towards her bedroom door to try and hear what was going on.

"...sorry about your prom plans... you must be..." Brooke heard her mom.

"...it's okay..." Tyler was saying, "... sure she's... upset than I am..."

Brooke strained to listen, cracking her bedroom door open.

"...be okay if I went up and saw her?" Tyler asked.

"Of course," Nancy had agreed.

After a few moments, Tyler appeared at the top of the stairs. She was still wearing the clothes she had on at school, her tanned legs in a pair of khaki shorts and a pair of Nike's without any socks -- all so she could show off her new anklet.

Brooke was waiting for her and grabbed Tyler's hand, pulling them into her room and closing the door. They hugged as soon as they were sure they were alone.

"How you holding up?" Tyler asked.

"I'm fine," Brooke assured her, breaking the embrace and padding across the carpet in bare feet.

Tyler followed. "How'd they take it?" she asked, referring to Brooke's parents.

"They didn't ground me," Brooke seemed surprised, sitting at the foot of her messy bed, "But I got about an hour-long lecture during dinner and I have to spend next week summer-job hunting. I think that'll be the worst of it. At least from my parents..."

Tyler sat beside her, bending forward to untie her own sneakers, "I did some digging. I talked to Britney Dunham, who'll actually still talk to me despite the fact that I'm a 'lesbian whore', and she talked to Krystal Summers, who is of course best friends with Jenny Anderson."

Brooke nodded, following along.

Tyler pulled off a shoe, "According to Britney, Jenny won't press charges against you because the school found out she was sexually harassing you and Jenny didn't want to get into any more trouble than she already was. Evidently, Principal Miller gave her a three-day suspension and she can't go to prom, either."

"At least there's some justice in this world," Brooke said.

Tyler removed her other shoe and sat back on the bed, arms extended behind her, "Yeah, so it looks like you'll serve your week-long banishment and that'll be the end of it."

"You're still wearing your anklet," Brooke regarded it.

"Of course," Tyler wriggled her foot, "I'm never taking it off. I love the way it looks on me and I love that it came from you."

"I like the way it looks, too." Brooke placed a hand on Tyler's leg, "I still feel awful about missing prom, if I hadn't lost my cool today..."

Tyler leaned over and kissed Brooke with soft lips, "You were sticking up for me. I love you for it. We'll be able to return our prom dresses and we can just do something else that night."

"Like what?" Brooke pouted and looked miserable, "I feel so guilty."

Tyler lifted a shrugging shoulder, "I dunno. We could go to a movie. Someone told me Face Punch is really good."

Brooke stuck her tongue out, signaling her distaste for that idea.

"Okay..." Tyler got the message, "Um, we could go buy a dozen rolls of toilet paper and tee-pee Jenny Anderson's house?"

A grin creeped onto Brooke's face, "Tempting."

Scrunching her brow in thought, Tyler suddenly remembered, "On Saturday's the roller rink has Rainbow Night. We could go there?"

Brooke glanced with a questioning expression, "Rainbow Night?"

Tyler nodded, "Yeah, like... for gay people." Tyler suddenly realized she wasn't sure if Brooke identified herself as fully gay, "Never mind, forget it."

"No," Brooke shook her head, "No, that sounds kind of cool, actually."

"Yeah?" Tyler smiled warmly.

"Wow," Brooke searched her memories, "When's the last time we went roller skating? We were just kids."

"Parker Smith's tenth birthday party," Tyler recalled clearly, "She threw-up birthday cake in the middle of the Hokey-Pokey."

Brooke laughed, "I remember that! She had that cute little white dress on and she got vomited frosting all over the front of it."

Tyler was nodding and giggling, "Remember? All the kids next to her were slipping in the puke on their rolling skates."

Both of them started laughing uncontrollably at the memory.

"...all those kids...!" Brooke was laughing so hard tears started coming out, "...slipping and falling in Parker's puke..."

Tyler had to hold her stomach until their laughter subsided.

"Oh my god..." Brooke was smiling and wiping the water out of her eyes.

"I remember," Tyler put her hand on Brooke's, "Whenever we went roller skating, you were so afraid of falling that you wouldn't go out to the rink unless I was with you, so I could hold your hand and help you balance."

"I was such a klutz as a kid," Brooke nodded, "Roller skating sounds really fun, Tyler. Let's do that."

=======

The following week was miserable for Tyler. Since Brooke was suspended, Tyler had to ride the bus to school and she couldn't imagine a more horrible fate for an eighteen year-old senior. Every morning she vowed to save up for a car once she had a summer job. While at school, Tyler was even more miserable. Without Brooke, she realized just how lonely it was being an openly gay student in high school. Some of the teasing had subsided, but most of her former friends avoided her like she had the plague. Rob was the only person she talked to during most days, other than teachers. Knowing that she'd see Brooke in the afternoon was what got Tyler through it, as Brooke would come over to Tyler's house every day after school to hang-out.

By the time Saturday had arrived, Tyler was thankful her week from hell was over and she was looking forward to her date with Brooke, who picked Tyler up early in the evening. The roller skating rink was barely a half mile from the neighborhood where they lived and as soon as they arrived it brought back many nostalgic childhood memories.

The rolling rink was in a large warehouse-like building. Inside, the oval rink dominated most of the space at the building's center, with benches and tables all around it. One side of the rink had space for lockers, bathrooms, and a long counter where people could rent skates. On the other side, a concession counter sold food, snacks, and soft drinks.

Brooke was pulling on her skates, pushing the ankles of her favorite white denim jeans under the skates to lace them up. Her pink buttoned blouse was designer fit and left untucked at the waist. Brooke had lifted her curls through a clasp and they tumbled down to one side of her head in an attractive mess. "You'll hold my hand, right?" she asked nervously, "I haven't done this in years."

"Neither have I," Tyler replied, lacing up her own skates. She was dressed in a blue crop-top, skimpy white shorts, and knee-high tube socks. Her straight black hair mirrored Brooke's, pulled tightly into a cascading ponytail. "But yes, Brooke," she smiled, "I'll hold your hand."

"You know you're more athletic than I am," Brooke pushed herself up from the bench, unsteady on her wheeled skates. "Oh shit..." she waved her arms, trying to maintain balance.

Tyler stood on her skates easily and rolled over, snaring one of Brooke's flopping hands.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," Brooke squeezed Tyler's hand tightly.

"You'll be okay," Tyler assured her, "I won't let you fall. Come on."

"Whoooaaah," Brooke wavered, tippy and unbalanced on the carpeting. But with Tyler there to lean against, she made it to the rink without catastrophe.

Once they were on the smooth cement, things improved. Brooke still clung to Tyler's arm but she was able to skate along at a decent pace. Comparatively, Tyler looked as though she had been born on skates and moved easily.

The rink was busy that night and dozens of other people were all around. There were male couples as well as female couples, all of different ages. There were single people as well, chatting and meeting others who shared their sexual persuasion. Tyler smiled as she looked around at everyone, all the gay people, and suddenly she didn't feel so alone in the world. She could be comfortable holding Brooke's hand without wondering if anyone was staring at them for being different.

"I think I've got the hang of this," Brooke was staring down at her feet, "But don't you dare let go of me!"

"Don't look down," Tyler giggled, "Just let your feet do what they need to do."

"I'm trying..."

For the first time in weeks, Tyler didn't feel like she stood out, "Look around, Brooke. Look at all these people. They're just like us."

"Yeah," Brooke tightened her hand on Tyler's, "Oh my god - look at those two old guys. They're so cute!"

The pair made several loops around the oval rink, holding hands, talking, and laughing. When Brooke complained that she was hungry, the two agreed a trip to the concession stand was a priority. They obtained a basket of chili-cheese curly fries and a pair of fountain sodas in Styrofoam cups. They settled at a small square table next to the rink that had four chairs, sitting next to each other on the same side.

"Don't let me eat too many of these," Brooke reached for a napkin, "They'll go right to my ass."

"Oh, I know," Tyler agreed, "They're so fattening, but sooo yummy."

"This is so much fun," Brooke picked at a fry carefully, trying not to get any grease on her neatly-manicured fingernails. "Do other places have Rainbow Nights?"

"Probably," Tyler reached into the basket as well, though less delicately. "I was surprised you wanted to come, after I suggested it last week."

"Why?" Brooke glanced at her, "This is cool."

"Well," Tyler gestured with a palm, "I know we're dating and everything, but I wasn't sure if you considered yourself gay. I mean, either way I don't care, but -"

"Tyler," Brooke interrupted her, "For the last month I've been having mind-blowing sex almost every day with you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"I just wasn't sure," Tyler shrugged, "I didn't know if you still wanted to try sex with a guy, or something."

Brooke's expression scrunched, "I don't. But even if I did - I would never cheat on you."

"I know that," Tyler reached for her soda, "I just meant, you know... that I'd let you."

A humorless laugh escaped Brooke's mouth, "You'd just let me have sex with a guy?!"

Tyler sucked some soda through a straw and nodded.

"I can't believe you!" Brooke sounded peeved.

"What?" Tyler's brow furrowed in confusion, "What did I say?"

"Tyler, I love you." Brooke spoke with conviction, "I lost my virginity to you and I don't ever want to have sex with anyone else. You totally fulfill me in that department. I thought you understood that?"

"I do now," Tyler smiled and set her soda down, "You really think our sex is 'mind-blowing'?"

"Oh my god," Brooke rolled her eyes and smiled demurely, "You know I do."

Tyler leaned over and whispered at Brooke's ear, "You look so sexy, tonight. Let's go have sex in the car."

Brooke's cheeks grew red with blush and she giggled, "You mean, right now?"

Tyler wrapped an arm around Brooke's back and nibbled at her earlobe, "Whenever you want. It made me wet when you told me you never want anyone else."

"Behave," Brooke leaned against Tyler, enjoying their flirty contact. She reached for a fry and fed it to Tyler.

Both of the girls had completely forgotten that it was their prom night and simply enjoyed being together. During the five weeks they had been dating, Brooke and Tyler had grown closer than ever before in their long friendship. The fact that they were life-long companions simply accelerated the comfort level in their romantic relationship. They behaved like a couple who had been together for years, because in essence they had been together for as long as either of them could remember. It was liberating for them to be in an environment where they did not have to temper their bond and could openly display their affection for one another.

It did not go unnoticed.

Another lesbian couple was rolling towards Brooke and Tyler's table on their skates. One of the women had black hair in a short pixie cut which accented her pretty face, while her partner was a naturally curly redhead with adorable freckles. They both appeared to be in their early-twenties in age. They were holding hands as they approached.

"Hello," the redhead spoke first; she had cute, high-pitched voice.

Brooke and Tyler looked up from their flirtatious cuddling.

"We're sorry to interrupt," the pixie-cut brunette said, "But we just had to come over here and tell you two what an absolutely adorable couple you are."

Tyler beamed a smile, "Really? Thanks."

Brooke pushed some hair behind an ear and smiled as well, "Hi there. I'm Brooke, this is Tyler."

"I'm Lucy," the redhead introduced them, "And this is my partner, Jordan."

"It's so nice to meet you," Tyler slid her soda and the basket of chili fries out of the way, "Please, sit down and join us."

Jordan and Lucy sat next to each other on the opposite side of the table from Tyler and Brooke. "We've never seen you here before," Jordan said, "Do either of you go to school around here?"

Brooke nodded as she was sucking some soda through a straw, "Yeah, same school. We're seniors."

Tyler added, "We haven't been here since we were kids."

Lucy gestured between herself and Jordan, "We're juniors, at Hennepin County Tech. Which college do you go to?"

"Cooper," Brooke answered, "High school."

"Oh wow," Lucy giggled, "You guys seem older."

"I have a cousin who goes to Cooper," Jordan declared a little sourly, "Maybe you guys know her? Jenny Anderson."

Brooke almost choked on a curly fry.

"We know her," Tyler's voice cooled.

Lucy rolled her eyes at Jordan, "She's such a bitch, hon. I don't know why you even bring her up."

"We actually used to be friends with Jenny," Tyler explained, "Until Brooke and I came out at school and she turned into a monstrous anti-gay zealot."

"Tell me about it," Jordan sighed, "We were best friends as kids. Then she found out I was a lesbian and it was like a hate-switched flicked on inside of her."

"It seems like our whole high school suddenly hates us," Brooke frowned, reaching for her soda, "Please tell me things get better in college?"

Lucy smiled sympathetically, "It totally gets better. Most people are much more adult about it."

Jordan nodded in agreement, "High school was hell for us, too. I mean my own cousin came to my school and spray-painted my locker with the word 'dyke'."

Brooke was about to take a sip from her soda but she froze, the cardboard cup hanging in her hand mid-air in front of her face.

"Oh my god," Tyler's jaw hung open, "Did you just say Jenny hate-tagged your locker?"

"Yeah," Jordan let out a scoff, "Can you believe that shit? My own cousin, with bright red spray paint."

Tyler and Jordan looked at each other in sudden realization, the painful emotions of the exact same thing happening to Tyler just weeks prior flooding their memories in unison.

"Oh my fucking god," Brooke cursed, "I am totally going to kill that bitch!"