Everyone had left the room, leaving Bette and Tina. Tina looked at Bette, not hiding her concern. Bette studied her feet, and then the blackboard, and then the wall.

“Are you okay, Bette?” Tina finally asked. “You were very silent during the meeting.”

“Am I ever one to speak her mind for everyone to hear?” Bette asked, her eyebrows raised.

“No, but in a normal situation you are very attentive and mostly say something if you don’t agree. I can’t believe that you agreed with Stacy on that banner campaign.”

“Banner campaign?”

“That’s what I mean – you weren’t there mentally. Stacy proposed to decorate the school with banners with gay-friendly slogans. She said that maybe the people of the group could wear Proud To Be Gay T-shirts during that week.”

Bette frowned. “And how is that going to improve the situation? As if people will accept us just because we say we are proud of who we are? It will only put them off more, they’ll think we are arrogant and abnormal.”

“I’m sure not everyone will, but some of the persons we want to reach will take it like that. It’s not wrong to be proud, but they’ll say they’re not running around with straight-friendly banners or Proud To Be Straight T-shirts either. But that’s not my point; my point is that you were so absent and I wondered if something was wrong? Maybe at home, your Dad?”

“Not really. I’m trying my best to hide Emily from him, he thinks we’re friends.”

“Emily being your beautiful girlfriend?”

Bette blushed. “Yes, I’ve known her for some time now.”

“You two got along from the moment she arrived here, as I recall.”

“I had met her some time before that at a gallery. She changed schools because she didn’t like her old school anymore and she thought it’d be fun if she was in my class.”

“I didn’t know you were into art. Ms Lerner is a fan as well.”

Bette made a face that apparently was very funny because ms Kennard burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, I don’t like her all that much either.”

Bette had a hard time controlling herself. That laugh, that voice, that smile, that softness, those eyes and those lips and everything about her, her entire charisma was so overwhelming she just wanted to jump her bones already. She took a deep breath.