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Every day, she came at the same time, sat in the same booth, and ordered the same thing. There was no surprise when the same workers would be there, save the weekends, and they would all greet her the same way; rain or shine. The diner never had more than four or five people, and the workers were very friendly and kind. All of them knew her by name and enjoyed her company greatly- which made coming here all the better.
Though, that isn’t why she turned up in this booth every day.
The reason she came here every day was because of a certain waitress. They didn’t talk much, she was the only employee there who didn’t personally know the patron. The waitress was always so quiet and reserved, only speaking when she had to. Her uniform was a pastel pink dress with a crisp, white apron tied around her waist. That’s how she could tell the waitress was a bit on the chubby side, though that didn’t matter to her. If anything, it made her more perfect. Her hair was very long, and from what she could tell by how thick her bun was, it reached her ankles, and it was dyed a light gray. Her skin was pale, but it was easy to tell she was new to this country, judging by her subtle accent and her bronze skin color. But the woman’s favorite part about this waitress was her stunning green eyes. They were a dark green, resembling two glossy Emeralds, and they were absolutely gorgeous.
Though she could never get a word out to the waitress. The only things they’ve said to each other only regarded food and never strayed from that topic. The woman so desperately wanted to get to know the mysterious worker but knew she never could, and if she ever managed to, she would probably get told to leave and more than likely have a restraining order put on her for taking her interest too far.
Her name is Lynn, and she is 17 years old. She worked as a bartender for her friend's bar, though underage, and in her spare time boxed competitively. Whatever time was left between this, Lynn spent at high school or this diner. Juggling all of these was hard to do but she managed.
Lynn lived in a small apartment with a roommate, Jeremy in a more dangerous part of the city. She was nowhere near to how reserved and clean as the waitress was, not even close.
For starters, her mother had kicked her out for a few reasons, the main being her mother just couldn’t look at her without getting sick. She was disgusted by her daughter for reasons that Lynn didn’t understand. Lynn knew this wasn’t her mother's' fault, she was just mentally ill, but she still could not stand her and seethed with quiet resentment towards the older woman.
With a quiet tap on the table, she brings herself back to today, sitting inside a diner that looked to be stuck in the 50’s, and staring at a woman who was taking her order. Her hair was carefully pulled into a tight ponytail on the back of her head and she had put on a bit of mascara, her usual midweek attire. The waitress waved her pencil in front of Lynn’s face.
“Hello? A-Are you okay?” She questioned, concern covering her face like a mask.
“O-oh, uh, yeah. Sorry, that happens sometimes.” She smiled, a bit nervous, and cleared her throat.
“So, would you like to order now, ma'am?”
She nodded, glancing down at the menu again. Without hesitating, she stated her order out loud, but it was too fast for the waitress to comprehend so she repeated her order, pausing when she got an idea. It was a bit risky but she had to try it.
“Are you allergic to peanut butter?” The waitress furrowed her brows in confusion and blinked a few times.
“Why?”
“Well, are you?”
“No, I’m n-not.”
“Okay,” Lynn smiled, genuinely happy this time, “I’ll take two milkshakes then, one Cookies n’ Cream and a Peanut Butter Chocolate shake, extra whipped cream on both, please.”
The woman nodded and scribbled it down hastily onto her notepad, glancing up when finished. “I-Is that all for t-today, ma'am?”
“Well, I have a small request. But I will ask you about it when you come back.”
“O-Oh, uhm, alright.” And with that, the pastel waitress left to the kitchen for a few minutes, then emerged from the small wooden swinging door to begin her usual nightly routine of cleaning off tables. Even if she wasn’t paying attention, she was still so graceful and careful. Her hair moved like it wasn’t even a part of her head; so fluid and beautiful, like a small stream flowing gently. She watched the waitress until she disappeared and came out with a plastic platter with Lynn’s food on it. Her usual burger and fries looked as good as ever, along with the two milkshakes.
With her gentle hands, she set the round piece of plastic on the table handing Lynn the cheeseburger, fries, and the two milkshakes. “Is that a-all I can get for you r-right now?”
“Well, I wanted to ask if you would like to sit down and have a milkshake with me.”
Immediately, her face turned a light pink and her gorgeous Green eyes widened. Still, she looked as beautiful as always. “U-uhm, I-I’m not really sure..”
Lynn chuckled and gestured towards the other side of the booth, a toothy grin on her face. “I don’t bite. C’mon, taking a few minutes to rest won’t hurt anybody.”
She nodded and sat down quietly, scratching the back of her neck gently. Her eyes were locked to her legs and she had her hands clamped together, twiddling her thumbs anxiously. Lynn ate in silence for a few minutes, the waitress not glancing up even once, until the boxer set down her burger, wiped her mouth off with her hand, and asked the other woman why she was being so shy.
“I-I just don’t k-know you is all…”
“Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry.” Lynn grabbed her burger again, holding it in her bandaged right hand. “I’m Lynn, I go to school up the road. The high school, don’t remember its name. And you? What’s your name?”
After she finished speaking, she shoved her burger in her mouth and took a huge bite. Grease dripped from her lips and landed on the table, leaving thin shiny lines on her chin and dark spots on her bandaged hands. The waitress, a bit grossed out from Lynn’s messy eating, cleared her throat as quietly as possible and smiled awkwardly. “M-My name is Silver, I-I also go to that school…”
“Really?” Lynn looked up, talking through the food in her mouth. “I’ve never seen you there before. What year are you in?”
“I’m a S-Sophomore, I-I’m in some advanced cl-classes though, like 11th g-grade English.”
“That’s cool,” Lynn finished her burger, wiping her hands off on the bottom of her shirt. “I’m a Senior..barely.”
The purple haired teen chuckled and pulled her milkshake towards her. “So, what’s it like working here?”
“It’s pretty…” Silver stayed silent as she thought of an answer, staring at her lap. “B-Boring.”
She looked up and chortled at how long it took herself to find such a simple word. It seemed Lynn found it funny too, as she had a smile playing on her lips. “I-It gets pretty boring around h-here.”
“It does? Huh, I thought it would be pretty entertaining since it seems like all of the staff know each other.” Lynn nudged the Peanut Butter flavored milkshake towards the Silver. “That and there aren’t many people who come in, so I expected you and the others to goof off a lot.”
Silver smiled a genuine smile and shook her head, “No, I-I try to stay on task as much as I can. When t-there aren’t customers, I usually clean up a bit or take s-stock.”
Lynn nodded and sipped from her milkshake, “I can understand that. Though, I prefer making the messes rather than cleaning them.” She chuckled again.
The two talked for a while longer, both finishing their dairy treats and said goodbye when Silver had to begin preparing the diner for closing. Lynn, on the other hand, had to go to a practice match to begin her training for the upcoming state semi-finals. So, with that, she departed the little diner and competed as best as she could with a little warmth in her heart cheering her on.
A few months after meeting at the diner every day to talk, the two of them had become a lot closer than Lynn had ever imagined happening. Lynn usually escorted Silver home before walking the other direction to her apartment. Of course, she never told Silver that her house wasn’t in the same direction as hers. Lynn knew that as soon as she said that, Silver would try to convince her to take care of herself, which she would end up doing because Lynn couldn’t say no to the short girl.
When the championship finals came around for boxing, Silver showed up and cheered Lynn on as she beat the other competitor, a two-hundred-pound man, and won the championship, secretly doing it in Silver’s honor. Lynn hugged her tightly after winning and didn’t want to let go. It was out of character, but Silver didn’t seem to notice. Either that or she didn’t care. But things like this began happening more often, and Lynn stared up at the ceiling at night, wondering why she didn’t Silver to leave her side.
It started when Silver showed up to her graduation, clapping and praising Lynn for completing high school, something Lynn had never thought she could do. She had even bought Lynn a little stuffed bear that had her graduation date, June 3rd 1985, sewed into the bear’s chest. The bear’s cute eyes stared deep into Lynn’s feelings and made the sensation boil up inside her chest. It was so hard for Lynn to think about without getting carried away by an endless train of thoughts, all of them about Silver.
“Lynn?”
A cup filled with a steaming liquid was set in front of her, and she looked up and saw her closest friend staring down at her, his eyes meeting hers with concern. Quietly, Lynn looked around Mike’s messy apartment and sighed. “Are you having another episode?”
Lynn shook her head and stared down at the warm black coffee that was now in between her hands. “Kind of. I’m not really sure at this point.”
The bald man sat down on the other side of the kitchen table, taking a sip from his own drink. “Oh? Is everything okay? Jeremy isn’t stealing your books again, is he?”
“No, no it’s not that. It’s something else..” She looked up to meet Mike’s tired gaze and began messing with the two small black rings that went through her bottom lip. Mike nodded, taking off his light blue work hat and setting it on the counter behind him. The bandages on his head were blood stained, as usual.
Mike was a good friend of Lynn’s, though he was kind of an asshole. Though being an asshole wasn’t really his fault. When Mike was about 5 or 6, Mike’s frontal lobe got hurt real bad by something. He never explained what had happened or why, only that he doesn’t have much control over his actions or what words roll off his tongue. Lynn had seen the scars on his head; they were like cat scratches but much deeper. Mike didn’t explain those either. Sometimes they would get bloody after an exam or if he scratched them too much, thus the bandages wrapped tightly around his head.
Lynn had met him at her old job, she was a janitor and he was night security. They rarely saw each other but sometimes Lynn would hang out with him in his office after her shift had ended. It was a fun time, until the boss noticed that things began to be stolen, like pizza pans, even an oven, and fired them both under the impression that they had stolen them.
“Well? Spit it out, kid.” Mike kept eye contact with her as he took a long drink from his coffee. Lynn shifted in her seat, drawing herself back to the present day while Mike untied his long black tie and set it on the table.
“It’s about Silver. I…” Lynn looked at the floor, a heat rising to her pale face. “I don’t know, Mike. She makes me feel all warm and shit and I have no idea what to do. I’m starting to think something is wrong with me because this isn’t normal. I never feel like this.”
Mike grinned and chuckled a bit, setting his cup down on the table, giving Lynn the ‘you’re-really-stupid-and-it’s-funny’ look.
“So, you mean you love her ? Is that what you’re saying?”
Instantly, Lynn shot upright and glared down at him. “No I’m not saying that. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a fucking lesbian. God Dammit, Mike.”
Lynn settled back down in her seat, still glaring daggers at the man across from her. She was definitely not a lesbian, she liked men. It was a well known thing that she liked men. Even though she has never had intercourse with one because she found that revolting, she still is positively not a lesbian. Why would she be? It’s not like she’s ever thought about Silver being her girlfriend more than a few times.
“So, you're in denial? That's ironic.”
Lynn growled and crossed her arms, “I'm not a fucking dyke.” Mike smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you giving me that look?”
“Jeremy isn't just my friend, Lynn.”
The purple haired woman paused and gave him confused glare. “What do you mean?”
“What do you think I mean?” Michael sipped his coffee, eyeing her. “You’re living with my boyfriend, Lynn. Sheesh.”
This was followed by a long silence, neither of them making eye contact for ten long minutes. Mike finished his coffee and got up to put it in the sink, washing his hands off as well. The mug in front of Lynn remained untouched while she sit there, her mind racing with possible reasons why she could be feeling like this.
She couldn't be gay. She couldn't be.
Lynn combed her fingers through her messy ponytail, causing the tie to fall out and let her hair loose. ‘I’m not gay,’ she thought, staring blankly at the wooden table.
‘I’m not gay.’
Her mother slammed her hands against Lynn’s desk. “What’s next, Lynn? Tattoos? Another piercing? Why don’t you just get ‘I’m a degenerate’ written on your forehead in big, bold letters.”
‘I'm not gay.’
“Mom, please, stop, you don’t understand. She’s just a friend!” She cried, tears falling from her wide eyes.
‘ I'm not gay.’
“Then why do you look like that? Like a disgrace? A goddamn dyke? What would your father think of you?” She walked over to her and yanked on her newly pierced ear, tearing it out painfully.
‘I'm not gay.’
“Please don’t bring him into this, I haven’t done anything with her-” Blood dripped from Lynn’s ear in small, slow drops, staining whatever it landed on.
‘I'm not gay.’
“Just stop it already! Just get the fuck out of my house, Lynn! I’m done with you dishonouring this family! You’re sick. You’re a disgusting, diseased woman.” Lynn reached for her mother but she pulled her arm away and left her daughters room without another word.
‘I am not gay!’ she threw her hands out in front of her, throwing the mug across the dining room to hit the wall with a loud crash! that echoed through her.
“You know that it's okay if you love her, Lynn.” His bright blue eyes showed comfort to Lynn’s distraught mind, offering her a way out of her confusion. “There is nothing wrong with falling in love with someone, even if they're not a guy. You're a good person Lynn, under that hard shell of yours. I know that you are aware of your feelings for her.”
Mike grabbed one of her injured hands, holding it gently. “Love is Love, Lynn. There isn't a guide to who you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, just your own feelings.”
Lynn choked on her own words, staring back with countless emotions running through her veins. “ What would they think of me, Mike? My family...” Tears formed in her eyes once again. “I’d get disowned again, Silver would hate me. People would think I’m weird or perverted. I can’t be this way.”
Mike chuckled. “Are you trying to live your life or please others?”
Immediately, Lynn felt like she had found the missing piece to a lifelong puzzle —her mother was wrong. Through all of the years of her mother belittling, yelling, and abusing her, Lynn surrendered her own voice. Her own identity and emotions. Lynn suddenly remembered she had her own feelings. There wasn’t anything wrong with them. Loving the same gender is love.
They sat together for a few more minutes, Lynn smiling through a light red on her face. A happiness bubbled in her chest and she looked right at Mike. “I love Silver.”
The following day was Saturday, which was a big night for Lynn. Again, the yearly quarter finals were here and Lynn was competing again. Lynn was accompanied by a small, shy teenager who stayed quiet the whole time in the locker rooms, helping her get ready to fight.
Lynn closed her locker door and made sure she locked it tightly. Quietly, she looked to the shorter teen and smiled. “Did you know that every time I fight, I make sure that I win for you?”
Silver shook her head, a light pink on her face. She blinked those beautiful Emerald eyes of hers and looked up at her boxing friend. Slowly, Lynn reached her hand out slowly to grab the shorter ones’ but jumped away when the two minute warning bell rang throughout the desolate locker room. Lynn had to leave. Quickly, Lynn began lacing up her gloves with the help of Silver.
“Does that bother you?” Lynn’s eyes fell to the tiny hands tying her laces together. Silver shook her head again, letting her hands fall to her sides when she was finished. Lynn then clapped hands together to make sure they were tight enough on her thin, pale fingers.
“I have to go, Silver. I’m driving you home, no arguments. I’ll see you soon.” With that, she scampered off through the large red locker room door to the cheering crowd outside.
Silver made her way to the other doors on the opposite side of the large concrete room, adjusting the camera strap that hung around her neck. At least she knew she could take some good pictures while she was waiting.
Anxiety bit and ate at Silver’s mind, reminding her of the conversation she had with Lynn. Her words still echoed through her head, “Did you know that every time I fight, I make sure that I win for you?”. What was she implying? Did Lynn find out about how Silver felt? Her breathing quickened and she felt the need to run away and hide, afraid of what would happen after this match. Would Lynn confront her and tell her that she didn’t want to be friends anymore? What if nothing was ever the same again?
These thoughts were loud, drowning out even the noise of the roaring crowd of excited teenagers. Though, there was one thought that stayed in her mind the whole time that gave her a little comfort. What if Lynn feels the same way, too?
When Lynn got into the arena, every word people spoke about the match was drowned out by the loud and obnoxious cheering. Like always, she made her way up to the front, meekly pushing her way through the drunk crowds of college students. When she made her way to the front of the large room, she took the camera cap off of her lense and lined up a shot of her violet haired friend with a neutral frown playing on her pale red lips. Shining were her eyes in the harsh light of the ring, and her face was shadowed with the lighting. She stood tall, focused and ready.
As soon as the buzzer sounded, the two boxers went at it, Lynn hopping around to dodge punches. She glanced at Silver in the crowd, feeling more energy bubble up in her chest. This would be the day where she finally tells her. It had to be, Lynn couldn’t keep waiting. Lynn needed to claim Silver as her own and never let anybody hurt her ever again.
To the viewers of the match, they saw Lynn throw in a punch once in a while. Then she would punch them in the chest or in the head while they had they tried to swing at her. But for Lynn, this was much more. A fight with her anxiety towards telling Silver. That was all this came down to.
Lynn shot her arm out and struck his jaw, knocking him backwards.
“You’re not my daughter anymore, Lynn.” Her mother eyed her with anger. “You lost that title when you became this monster. ”
Within three minutes, her opponent was tired and Lynn had an advantage over him. There was no mercy when Lynn punched him square in the face or when she kneed him in his chest.
“ Mom please-” Lynn’s mother slapped her, seething with anger.
“Don’t you DARE call me that.”
Lynn’s eyes began to tear up and she kicked him in the side.
Silver became mesmerized, watching her friend beat the man into submission, eyes tracking her every move. She couldn’t feel that way. Lynn wasn’t like her. Silver jumped at the sound of another buzzer, shaking her head and saw the referee was holding Lynn’s right hand in the air.
The referee yelled out something inaudible and the crowd went absolutely wild. There was so much screaming and yelling, Silver couldn’t even hear herself think. With urgency, Silver ran and pushed through the crowd, eager to see the woman alone. As she rounded corners, she slid and hit walls, but she didn’t care. She wanted speak to her friend, and as quickly as possible.
Silver got into the locker room and found Lynn slouching against a few lockers, drinking out of her water bottle every few seconds. Lynn must have heard Silver’s footsteps because she stood up smiled. “Lynn!” she cried out, a huge smile on her face. “Y-You did it! I’m s-so proud of y-you!” Silver hugged her tightly, squeezing the air out of her lungs.
Lynn one didn’t make a noise, only smiled softly. She was content with this. Lynn finally took the courage to lift her friend’s head up and without hesitation, leaned in to kiss her. It was soft, yet filled with so much emotion. Lynn’s face grew to be a huge, heartwarming smile when she pulled away. Immediately, she noticed Silver’s was basically a tomato.
At first, there was no response to this, Lynn’s heart beat quicker from the intense anxiety she was feeling. Lynn felt more nervous than when the match first started. Silver didn’t say anything for a few more minutes until she made eye contact with the violet haired woman and nodded, tears forming in her eyes.
“Y-Yes. Oh m-my gosh, f-finally, yes! ” Silver hugged her, now partner, even tighter than before, crying gently into Lynn’s sweaty tank top. Lynn only smiled and sat her head down onto Silver’s, gripping her shirt like it was the last thing she would do.
It felt like the weight of the word was lifted off of her shoulders, and for once in her life, she wasn’t worried about tomorrow or about anybody hurting the Junior's heart. Finally, she had complete peace at mind, and she felt like she could smile for days upon days on end. There was no more fear, anger, or the denial that plagued her before, there was only the strong and warm bubbly love she felt for Silver. Without hesitation or shame, she could think about the future she would have with Silver, regardless of what society’s norms were or what they told her. She didn’t care, and that, was a good thing.