Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

probably because he was being secretive about his sexuality at the time— especially when neither of us was around. I'll just give it right back to them, but Kevin takes it personally, I think. At least at first, but this past year we've been so active in trying to raise awareness around diversity that he's come into his own.
    This Road Trip was our prize at the end of a pretty tough year, but it symbolized the final acceptance of an LGBT group at the college, and the first time the rainbow flag was flown during the final ceremonies when the senior class graduated a few weeks ago. Going to Key West to help hold the one-and-a-quarter-mile rainbow flag was just too fucking cool for words, and we are going to be there, no matter what shit happened, because I was going to hold that flag. It was personal for me; I had been the one to come up with the idea of the LGBT group, and counted it as a major coup that it actually happened. This had been my first taste of activism, and I really liked it. In fact, I intended to continue doing it for a long time, even after I graduated in two years.
    The three of us fought hard most of this past year with a couple of lesbian friends as well as other minority groups to not only have the right to start up our group, which had grown to over ten people within a few months, but to celebrate our uniqueness on campus as we pleased. In other words, we were able to persuade the administration to acknowledge the diversity on campus and help us stop at least some of the bigotry and religious crap that was going on, not only against the LGBT students, but other minorities as well.
    It wasn't that the administration was that difficult to persuade, it was getting them to give everyone some sort of awareness training around diversity, and to help us start trying to change the campus culture. Hairy, Kev and I had just finished up our sophomore year, so we still had a couple of years to keep working on this. Plus, the three of us got a suite together next year, with two bedrooms, a small kitchen and a living room, so the group could meet there sometimes. Our hope was that having a private place where LGBT people could be themselves would open up the floodgates, per se. Our next goal was to have an LGBT Center somewhere on campus.
    While it was going to be a fucking fantastic year with Hairy and Kevin and me sharing the suite, it also kind of worried me because I had a deep, dark secret. Yeah, you guessed it; I had a huge crush on Kevin, and I was afraid that it would somehow reveal itself before I had the chance to let him know how I felt. Like getting a boner when he walked into the bedroom with just a towel on (or naked, please, please, God), or drooling when he leaned over to pick something off the floor, or crying when he went on a date with someone else. On the other hand, I was kind of hoping that this trip would bring us closer, and I would finally find the guts to actually do something about it. That was my plan, at least.
    Hairy was the fly in the ointment. It was originally just going to be the two of us on this trip, but Hairy got his parents to change their minds at the last minute. I didn't really mind, since he was a good friend and kept us amused a lot, and he could be a buffer between Kev and me if something shitty happened, like he only thought of me as a friend. Or even worse, a brother. And a third to share the expenses was definitely a plus. Kevin was really happy about it, since he knew that his expenses would be tight; his parents had written him off this spring when he came out to them, and cut off his college tuition payments after this year, the fuckers! So he was working as many hours as he could and had to finagle his boss to let him take this time off. It would be his only vacation this summer. Hairy and I were starting at the same restaurant when we got back, and we were counting on making up the money through tips. We had both agreed to pay our parents back so they'd let us come, since we hadn't started our jobs yet.
    "Hey, Jer, there's a rest stop coming up in a mile. Did you see the sign?"
    "Yup, got it; thanks. I'm ready for some real food and a nap. And I gotta pee like a racehorse, so I'm betting Fluffernutter is about ready to burst."
    "If we keep stopping, are we going to make it there in time?" a deep, grumbly, sleepy voice asked in the seat next to me.
    "Yes; I'm going to be there to hold that flag no matter what," I said as I put on the blinker and got ready