I banged my forehead on the table for what was probably the millionth time that day and cried. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0n6ZVoQcx 維尼
I had nothing. Absolutely nothing. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡABywA0FEjM 維尼
Nothing that would meet my boss' expectations. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKcj7JmpGS 維尼
It seemed as if there was nothing I could do to save my job now. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OJliRlBPR 維尼
After our confessions yesterday, Antonio and I had exchanged numbers. It had turned out to be a very bad idea - for me, at least. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡs36dA4enCb 維尼
Every two seconds I got a text from him, as he complained about his daily life.8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1he6FfeOG 維尼
But at least he wasn't going to lose his entire job altogether. Unlike me. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDrJ7Z167S 維尼
Staring at the blank Word document, I exhaled. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHtNBfhnSP 維尼
Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I almost fell off my chair, hitting the side of my head hard on the edge of the table. I cursed aloud, grabbing the vibrating phone off the table and hauling myself up. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFWIqZMfJ5 維尼
I struck a glance at the screen:8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfYEG3YHBy 維尼
Matilda 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Mje31vG5O 維尼
Matilda? I thought. The girl from school? I still have her number...?8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0oOrySx4y 維尼
I picked it up. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPteb5s5eC 維尼
"Hello?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡptF8vc3EQQ 維尼
That was definitely Matilda. Her voice was almost exactly the same. We'd been in secondary school together, and we used to be close friends. Until...8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlLo7pydGz 維尼
"Darren? You there?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMFA6UH9U2 維尼
"Oh-h-h, yeah..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxhEytFFqG 維尼
"Hi..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBGEZSBsYA 維尼
"I haven't seen you for... Ages."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7awwgTZwVF 維尼
She giggled. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7ox2sKPdO 維尼
"I wanted to catch up with you. I found your number in my phone and decided... Why not?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiZstpMuYv 維尼
"Why not?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡrurLFYtgpG 維尼
"So, uh..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡlh71cd9nTd 維尼
She paused, as if she had nothing else to say. I was the one to eventually break the silence. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8AptfiEqD 維尼
"I miss our school days."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaQ55tebiv 維尼
"Yes. The good old days, as it were. Before we became adults..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhn56C0aoI 維尼
"I have a lot of regrets. But they were good times."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPZ9HOwx1R 維尼
"Good..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDZtkQgzdf 維尼
I could feel the hesitancy in her voice, as if she there was something on her mind. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HuL0DhxWz 維尼
"This isn't about the whole... Crush on me thing, is it?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7zto3BviD 維尼
"Oh! I..." Matilda replied quickly, and then stopped. "Can I tell you something?" she whispered. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNqX5Tt8N4 維尼
"Of course. You can tell me anything you want!"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iqe4KSPYt 維尼
"Hmm."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ss22pvNo2 維尼
Another pause, this time as if she was composing her answer carefully. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡzT7SyhwRzQ 維尼
"I never did have a crush on you."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfiXZYqzoN 維尼
"Then... How come you never denied it? Every time it was brought up, you'd turn away as if you were trying to... Hide something."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡhumOukTvLW 維尼
"I was trying to hide something."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUqTNi4VFi 維尼
"You... were?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlzUPpRwyY 維尼
"And it wasn't my feelings for you. I'm sorry."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYd8aaOkvN 維尼
"Oh... That's... Completely fine!"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ7u2Hcbn7 維尼
I tried to imagine her face now. Little Matilda, all grown up. Her smile... She may not have been my childhood crush, but all the same, she was attractive. And her smile was the best of all. She had always been the shyest of all of us, but on that rare occasion where she did smile, we all smiled with her. Matilda always seemed so depressed, she rarely ever did smile. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKRRn7lx1c 維尼
I could hear rustling from the other side of the line. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5GVlCendx 維尼
"Matilda... You okay?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sv1ocHKo2 維尼
"... "8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Sn9Ji63sT 維尼
"Matilda?" 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTNlX74SXo 維尼
"Aren't you going to ask me... Why?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xouRYhZwW 維尼
"Why what?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXxtEpMMKe 維尼
"Why I was trying to hide something. What was I trying to hide. That," she said. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyDWhIHHa7 維尼
"Oh... I suppose... I'm a bit curious... But it's really none of my business, so if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhsINtsekQ 維尼
"I want to tell someone. I think maybe... If I tell the right person, I might start to feel... Better about it."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQc7avkjge 維尼
"Okay, then. If you want to tell me, fire away."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNFk4tmmBi 維尼
"Please... Keep it secret?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAnKzdJD9x 維尼
"Of course."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0F6yiZQ7b4 維尼
"Okay... Here goes..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeTcIjtiaF 維尼
She took a breath. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡjujj7Fvegj 維尼
"My friends made up the rumour about our crush. It was just with random boy - don't take it too personally. But they did it for me, to hide the truth..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡtffUlQ9K45 維尼
Pause. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BvWcQfvxK 維尼
"The truth, which is...?" I asked quietly. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡln3T52ktaw 維尼
"I don't think I'll ever get in a relationship with a man. I don't think... No... No, not for me. Never. I... Never really feel that connection, you know, when you feel like you're in love... I don't think I'll ever feel that with a man."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjCDZtu4Ye 維尼
"How can you be so sure?" I asked, a little pointlessly, already knowing the answer. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡprkQBoOYb7 維尼
"I'm... Uh..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWAODnN4lV 維尼
Her voice was so quiet now, it was barely audible. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡO213L1zDlT 維尼
"Lesbian."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6BDJaqT52 維尼
"Yes."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRUqkhQYzG 維尼
"Hey, guess what?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM7kLyTewZ 維尼
"...what?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0pgaTO2P8 維尼
I inhaled and tried to sound cheerful. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90vJRe7htN 維尼
"So am I! Well, not lesbian, but..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLcW5sXJ3W 維尼
She sounded like she was going to burst into tears. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡms2wTHS1w9 維尼
"Darren! I know you're trying to make me feel better, but... Don't you feel guilty? It took me a lot of courage to tell you this, and now you... You... Make fun of me!"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPffGqGUH7 維尼
She sounded very indignant. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcVaARyrjd 維尼
"What... Whatever are you talking about?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIa0yOQh41 維尼
"Huh? What? You mean... You were serious?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrUJFl788A 維尼
"Deadly serious. I'm gay."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDK1serdWc 維尼
"Serious serious?"8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡV67RFLNRiQ 維尼
"Serious serious."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0buR1LPZs 維尼
"So..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡoggZBVNTdm 維尼
"You're not alone in life. You see? There are so many other people out there too," I exclaimed. "There's no need to feel embarrassed! Well..." 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡInVqu3PAnV 維尼
I stopped abruptly. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwav5ga7cK 維尼
"There are, of course, the haters out there..."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVYdJQ0wxe 維尼
"Outside of school, I had friends too. But when I told them... Some of them reacted badly. Called me inhuman. Unnatural. Alien. And much, much worse... And I went to bed crying every night." She was whispering again. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡriOHYIV7Pz 維尼
"I know, but..." I reassured her, gently. "But the main thing is, you're not alone. There are others out there too. And there are also the supporters. The people who don't hate us. Of course, there will always be someone who doesn't like us but we will face the haters together, okay? You and me, and other LGBT friends we can find, we will stand together."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZuU1jyoZV 維尼
"United."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCY2Ls8gR9 維尼
"United." 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMds4l5tH3 維尼
Pause. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJrE4D7u6f 維尼
Then...8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCvZZ9xGcU 維尼
"Thank you so much... Darren."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡbizj1vS74n 維尼
I smiled. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6A4w4P3Dm 維尼
"Thank you too."8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqUEAe87a0 維尼
I put the phone down and couldn't help but grin.8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdUFcIX0q6 維尼
My conversation with Matilda had just given me the inspiration I had needed for my article. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHcrAzqtyJ 維尼
In a nutshell? 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡ785utPwA12 維尼
Matilda had just saved my job. 8964 copyright protection550ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXuS2S4V64 維尼
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