16Gail hated the sun. Or more accurately, she was sure she could feel herself turning a brighter shade of crimson with every passing moment. To make matters worse, she was certain that the only reason she hadn't simply burst into flames was due to the river of sweat pouring off her body from unforgiving sauna her dark blue, polyester uniform had created. She could feel the prickly heat creeping its way under her arms, and between her legs, making this assignment even more uncomfortable and humiliating than it already was.
Why had she thought coming out to her family was a good idea again?
Oh, right, Holly.
Holly, who she had fallen head over heals in love with. Holly who had left last year and never looked back. Holly, who was probably in some blissfully cool lab right now, thousands of miles away, in San Francisco.
The Toronto Gay Pride Parade swirled past her in a Mardi Gras cacophony of disco, and glitter, and drag queens, and half naked leather dykes on bikes. Freaks. She envied them. Here she was, stuck marching with the TOPD LGBT Diversity Outreach Division behind a supped-up patrol car she wished she were driving. This was not how she had imagined her very first Gay Pride parade to be. Then again, her mother could suck the life out of any occasion, and she had been voluntold to be here.
When they finally arrived at the parade fair grounds she sighed. At least it was over, and she could sit out the rest of the day back stage as the political speeches, and entertainment from musical groups named things like The Dyketones went on until the end of her shift. How bad could it be? She thought as she reached for a free, cold cola, and then she heard her name.
"Peck!"
Lt. DeLuca, the head of the LGBT task force, was definitely summoning her.
Great.
"Peck, we need a volunteer to help TOGLY (the Toronto Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth) raise money for Hope House, the shelter for homeless LGBT youth, and your mother tells me you are good with youngsters." He commanded.
She sighed and put down her drink.
Sitting on a narrow plastic seat above a dunk tank overlooking the parking lot of Toronto City Hall was also not the way Gail had imagined her first Gay Pride to go. And getting dunked in full uniform was not the way she had pictured cooling off.
"Three balls for just five dollars gets you a chance to help LGBT youth, win a prize, and make this officer wet!" The cute, young lesbian in a bright pink tutu and combat boots yelled, while juggling the three softballs.
Gail glared at her. So far, people had come close, but no one had hit the tiny bullseye that would send her plummeting into the tank. To make matters worse, Frankie had been by and had snapped a picture on her phone Gail was sure would be making the rounds long before she was back on dry land. She was never going to hear the end of this!
"I bet I can get that officer wet!"
Gail could hear the smirk before she looked up to see it spreading across the shockingly familiar face.
"Oh really. Do you think so?" She retorted, as she watched Holly toss the first ball in the air and catch it before taking aim.
"I'm pretty sure of it." Holly wiggled her eyebrows and threw.
The ball glanced the top edge of the target and landed with a soft thud in the net.
"Has anybody ever told you that you throw like a nerd?" Gail taunted, a tiny grin growing on her face.
Holly looked good, and maddeningly cool in her tank top, and cut off jeans, with her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail.
"I may have heard that before." Holly replied, her smirk turning into a full grin.
Gail had just a moment to wonder what on earth Holly was doing here before the second ball glanced off the bottom of the target, making the tiny platform where Gail was sitting shake, but she didn't fall in.
"Nerd!" Gail scoffed, "and I thought that softball was your thing."
"Who says I'm not just toying with you."
Gail saw the twinkle in Holly's eyes seconds before the final ball found its mark, and she fell. Gail came up sputtering, and screaming to find Holly laughing at her. As she pulled herself up out of the freezing water she could hear the young lesbian offering Holly a prize.
"Thanks!" She heard Holly say, "but I already have one."
Warm hands gripped the collar of her shirt pulling her forward into a blazing kiss. The world stopped. Her mind went blank. All that mattered was that Holly Stewart was here and she was kissing her!
"You're shivering." Holly whispered as they pulled back, foreheads touching, "Come on, let's get you out of that wet uniform."
All Gail could do was nod and allow Holly to lead her by the hand. As they wound their way through the crowd, they heard a woman say, "Wow! If I had known that was the prize, I would have tried harder!"
