Warm and Cold

Choruses of "thank you" rang throughout my ears as several of my peers walked through the open door. I responded to each "thank you" with different variations of "you're welcome". When the coast seemed clear, I lugged my backpack over my shoulder and followed my fellow students. This was and always has been a common ritual of mine.

The familiar smell of body odor, musty cologne, and staleness hit my nose and it wrinkled in response.

"Must be high school," I muttered. I spotted my girlfriend over the sea of students. Her height made her seem like an oddly shaped boat over an ocean of heads. As I walked over to her, butterflies did nosedives in my stomach.

"Kira!" I called. When she turned to face me, the butterflies created a tornado.

Kira Butu was as beautiful as ever, her black curly hair was a halo, enough to cover her ears. Her dark brown skin radiated beauty from its pores, enchanting me with every inch. Kira's nose was short and wide, her cheekbones subtly defined. Like most days, she wore her lavender lipstick. Most people say her eyes have an icy and cold look in them, like a polar cap of a glacier. But I can see past that. I can see the embers beneath the glacier. I can see the kindness, the ambition, and the smarts in her milk chocolate brown eyes.

"Hello Cade," Kira said in her classic emotionless voice. "How did you sleep?"

"Just fine, love." Her cheeks warmed slightly as I hugged her. Some hard glances were thrown our way, although we have adjusted to those daggers by now. Not only is Kira several inches taller than me, she is also transgender. For some reason, one or both of these reasons were an excuse for knives to be thrown our way. Some even make snide comments about my sexuality. Although they were correct in the matter of me not being straight, I am not gay. In fact, I'm only bisexual, but no one knows that...yet.

I've been thinking about how to come out ever since I first discovered my sexuality freshman year. I haven't even told Kira, but I have devised a plan. This plan was to come out to Kira, then my school's GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) club, and lastly my parents. Today was tge day for the first step. I figured she would be be supportive since she's a part of the LGBT+ community herself. I didn't know how wrong I was.

"You're what?!" I wiped off the water that was recently in Kira's mouth, now dripping down my face, with my purple flannel sleeve. In hindsight, I probably should have waited until she finished drinking.

"I'm bisexual," I repeated, adding what was hopefully a calm tone to my voice. "You're the first to know."

We were inside my unfinished basement, sitting together on an old and and tattered bed, currently being used as a couch. Our reflections shined back at us from the TV across the room. Kira's normally stoic and emotionless face was instead filled with with surprise and disbelief. I guess I was good at acting straight. Maybe I should get into theater.

Kira paused for a moment. She seemed to be fighting a losing battle within herself, her eyes darting back and forth, and muttering to herself. It was like she was talking to ghosts, arguing fiercely with them. When I called Kira's name, she jumped like I blew a horn in her face.

"If you tell anyone, I'll break up with you."

Some of the water must have spewed in my mouth because it tasted like copper. The burger I ate earlier had to be fighting back as well to make my stomach feel like this.

"Kira-"

"Promise me," She interrupted. Her eyes and face were rigid, set and determined like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse.