Under the Acacia - 1. Gal Pals

The greatest sin you could ever commit against a friend is to fall in love with them. Sadly, I learned this the hard way. Hi. I’m Mark, I’m a sixteen year-old college student. I have black hair, brown eyes, and this pasty complexion. God blessed me enough, though. The only problems I had with my look were my freckles, but that really isn’t an issue, is it? I’m not super good-looking, but I’m not ugly too, at least that what they used to say. But then it’s different in college. People tend to be more judgmental as to looks.

That and the fact that I was alone made me depressed all the time. You see, when you’re fifteen and were shipped off to school on a whole other island; you’d tend to get homesick. The only cure, as my mother and father put it blatantly, is to meet new people and make new friends. Easier said than done, right? Precisely why in the 3 months of boarding school I’ve had so far, I only made one friend. Her name was Jo, short for Johanna – but she hates that name. And no, she wasn’t the one I fell in love with, though I would have if I weren’t gayer that a rainbow.

Jo was beautiful. I mean be.a.u.ti.ful. She had super straight hair that fell just below her shoulders, dark brown eyes, and this complexion I’ve never seen on anyone before. It’s this light, almost caramel, brown that just glows in the sunlight. Oh God. She had the most perfect skin. She hardly wore any make – just powder here and some lip-gloss there. It didn’t hurt that she had one of the highest GPA’s in the school too. Also, this wonder woman of a girl, I later found out, had been to China, Las Vegas and some place in Europe to represent our country in Math competitions. She is that perfect.

This is mainly why I wasn’t really at ease with her being friendly with me. We met at Gym class. I didn’t know anyone, so when the coach asked us to go in pairs for this weird exercise routine, my nerves went crazy. No one ever wants to be pity picked. It’s too embarrassing, especially for a very image conscious boy such as myself. But then this amazingly perfect creature walked up to me and asked me if I could be her partner. I mean, I know I’m cute and all, but I’m betting I’m just a 7 and this girl, she’s a solid 10. Why’d she pick me? We’ve never ever met before. And when I looked around, I saw plenty of cute guys that would match her better. In fact, her picking me made some of our guy classmates obviously pissed. Seriously, they were shooting daggers with their eyes my way. Anyway, when she asked me if she could be my partner, I obviously acted like some dork and just clammed up. She was like, “Hello?” and with that I finally unfroze.

“Umm… I’m n-n-not sure.”

“You’re funny.” She giggled. A little blush pierced through her bronzen cheeks.

“Okay. It’s settled. You’ll be my gym partner.” And with that she pulled me to one corner and we started the exercise. I was hardly given the chance to resist.

After our gym class, which was exhausting, mind you, we went to this tiny stall where they sold Siomai and Iced Tea. It was funny how we both had already separately planned to go there after the class even before we even met. She too was as much of a Siomai addict as I was. This was crazy! She liked all the movies I loved. She also read this really cool blog by a guy named Comicality, and she also hated yogurt! She was so much fun to talk to, that is, after I completely got over my nerves. But just a few hours into the conversation, it happened. She explained why she asked me to team up with her. I nodded politely, still keeping that grin I had before we began this line of conversation. She said it was because none of the other girls seemed to like her. Jealous bitches. And she found the other boys in the class quite threatening. I found what she said a bit rude. What did she mean? Was I not manly enough? I was a bit insulted and she quickly picked up on my mood change.

“No. It’s not that you’re not threatening. You are!”

“Huh?”

“I mean. You look tough enough but you know…” She leaned in closer to me and looked me oint blank in the face. “ I know.”

What did she just say? She knew?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” My heart was racing. Could she have possibly known? This was the first time someone could have known.

“Oh my God. I am so sorry!”

“What are you being sorry for?” I felt all my blood escape my face. If she picked me because she knew I was gay, that means I’m that obvious? Was I being swishy? Oh God! Does anyone else think I’m gay? How long have I been so obvious?

“You see, my brother. He’s gay you know. So I kinda can tell.” She said it. GAY.

“What?!” I almost screamed at her! My eyes flared an accusatory yet vaguely guilty look.

She paused for a bit as her eyes widened up and her face turned pale too, almost as pale as mine was by then.

“Oh my God. Please don’t hate me. You’re straight aren’t you?” She said almost tearing up.

“This is classic Jo. I meet a perfectly good guy, cute too! And I scare him away with my loud mouth!”

I was still speechless.

“Look Mark, I’m sorry okay. I’m actually wrong most of the time. Well, actually no. But there’s always a first.”

“Okay. I promise I won’t ever bring this thing up ever again. Just please don’t hate me. Please.”

A zillion thoughts rushed through me then and there. I had conjured up in an instant a foray of possible scenarios I could use to just get the hell out of there. But something overcame me. It was far stronger than fear itself. It was an alien feeling – something I’ve only felt a few times in the past. It was Courage.

Courage.

And I did it. “Don’t be sorry...” I paused to catch my breat.h “I am.” . I swear when I said that, Katy Perry’s Firework came on. And no not the intro, but the very chorus!

“Say what?” She looked like she was taken by surprise. But I could tell she felt a rush of relief, though she still had inklings of disbelief.

“You know.”

And our eyes locked. My lower lip was quivering like crazy. No one knew. No one even suspected as far as I know. But this girl… She picked up on it in just a few minutes – without even talking to me. So how else could I have played this but to just come out with it. The truth.

“ I am gay.”

And just like that she suddenly lit up.

“Aww Marky! Can I call you Marky?” She didn’t let me answer that. I later wished I did.

“I promise I won’t tell and… OMG! I finally have a gay friend!” Sigh. I wasn’t expecting that reaction. But at least it wasn’t rejection… and hate. This, I thought, I could totally handle.

And just like that, Jo and I became best friends. Gal-Pals, if you would permit the political incorrectness. We would eat lunch together every single day, even on Sundays. She would sneak in to our all male dormitory and creep into my blanket and cuddle. We would have been like a real couple, and many did suspect. But alas, I was a friend of Dorothy’s and she knew this. Oh wow. How awesome it felt then to finally just be released from lying even if it’s just to one person.

With my coming out to Jo, a whole world of possibilities slowly unfolded.