Caramel
It is Friday today. Summer. 6:30 pm. I walk outside. It is about 70 degrees F. “Perfect weather for me.” I think as a cool breeze washes over me. I open the door to a new car smell. Fresh and clean. I know it won't stay that way for long with the way my mothers’ cars get after a month. She just bought a 2004 Taurus. We drive the mile to Josh's house. As we pull up to the driveway I call him and turn the radio from my rock music to his hip hop station. “Ew, rap.” Crosses my mind.
My mother and I sit and wait for him to come out. As he leaves his house, he trots down the stairs wearing a horizontally striped baby blue and white shirt with a matching baby blue cap. He opens the door and sits in the car. Josh sees my Alcatraz Cell Block C shirt and laughs. He sarcastically comments "Nice shirt." My mom laughs.
As we drive to Queerzone my nerves start. I am anxious and nervous at the same time, with a bit of excitement for a new environment and possibly new friends. The sun is beating down on me as I walk up the steps of the front porch of a cream colored house it an Ozone Drop In Center sign. I cautiously knock on the door. A pretty Caucasian girl answers. I say, “Hi, I’m here for the drop in.” The girl says, “Sorry, this is Queerzone. The drop in is closed.” I say, “I am here for the Queerzone. I thought that was the drop in.” “Well come on in” she replied.
I walked into the house and a smell of cooked flesh enters my nostrils. Smells like overcooked hamburgers to me. A dark skinned girl walks up to me and says, “Hi, you’re cute. I’m Ayshia. What’s your name?” I giggled and said, “Hi. I’m Kaitlyn. It’s nice to meet you.” She seems nice to me. It was kind of a weird greeting though.
I look to my right and there is a dark purple couch against the window and 4 people sitting there. The girl that answered the door told me her name was Ashley. She started rattling off other names as I looked to the corner and saw a girl with a shaved head in a vertically striped white and gray shirt. Seeing her caramel colored face distracted me from Ashley. She must be mean. Anyone that beautiful would be. I looked back to Ashley and say “What?”
She laughed and says “Ayshia go get Mel.” Mel. The name kept repeating itself in my mind. Ayshia did as she was told. Mel is brought over and Ayshia says, “Mel, this is Kaitlyn and Josh. They’re new to Queerzone” Mel says “Hi.”
An older woman walks into the room and says “Hi” to Josh and I. “Are you here for Queerzone?” she asks. “Yes,” I answer shyly. “I’m Kaitlyn and this is my friend Josh.” I feel bad because after meeting the beautiful girl, I forgot about him. Mel turns and walks away from the group. The older woman tells me her name is Krista and that she runs Queerzone. She tells me that Queersone is a place for Queer youth to hang out and be themselves. I tell her that I am a lesbian and I would like to start coming here every Friday. She tells me that we can talk later because Borders is here right now and has made us some food. I was right about the hamburgers.
Mel walks back into the room. I can’t take my eyes off of her. Her thin face and caramel skin is too beautiful. She looks older then I. I ask her, “So how old are you?” “Nineteen.” is her reply. “Ew, I can’t eat this.” She tells me. I don’t know if I will like this girl. I avoid her for a while and hang out with Ayshia and Josh.
My avoiding her doesn’t last long. We strike up a conversation about my shirt. She tells me she likes it and I thank her. We talk some more and find out that we have a lot in common.
Mel and I are now engaged. This has taught me to not judge a person before you have a conversation with them. This is an important lesson to learn because it will help you with finding new friends.
