"Skye can't you just give it a shot? Why won't you listen to me I-"
"No! How about you try listening to me for once would that be so goddamn hard!?" Skye's blue eyes were flashing like lightning and she looked ready to punch Jeffrey squarely in the jaw. "You've been telling me how much you love me and value my intelect and opinion, but that's such bullshit! If you actually cared about my feelings you wouldn't do this every time we see each other."
Jeffrey knew she was right, that it was wrong of him to keep pressing the issue when he had gotten such a deffinative answer so many times before but a little part of him still believed that someday she might come around. There had to be someone else, some other guy, a guy who probably liked math and read astrophysics textbooks for fun who had stolen Skye Penderwick's seemingly frozen heart. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't at least try going on a date with him, nothing fancy of course just coffee or something and if it didn't work it didn't work but he didn't like to admit just how much it hurt that she was so violently opposed to the idea. "Skye you know I love you, I've loved you for six years and honestly I know we're both just 18 but I don't think I'll ever feel the same way about anyone else but you. We were best friends and we know everything about each other, why can't you see how perfect we could be!?" He said in a voice that sounded close to tears.
"Can you stop trying to guilt me into dating you already!? If you really knew everything about me you wouldn't be asking me out for the seventh time!" Skye snapped back at him.
"What do you mean?" Jeffrey asked her slowly, dreading the inevitable, the fact that she already had a boyfriend and hadn't told him about it because she hadn't wanted something like this to happen.
"I mean I'm gay! I like girls, okay!"
The words hit Jeffrey like a ton of bricks and he felt almost as if he was going to stumble and fall over backwards from their metaphorical impact.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked.
"I was going to and then that same day you asked me out and I was still so unsure of myself that it just tripped me up and I ended up getting angry." Skye didn't look angry anymore, just tired. However, Jeffrey still made sure to word things carefully as he'd seen how her temper could flare back up.
"Who else have you told?"
"Just Rosey and I made her swear on the Penderwick family honor that she wouldn't tell anyone, even if they were never going to meet me or even knew who I was."
"I'm really sorry." Jeffrey said apologetically.
"Yeah whatever, can you just leave for a while? Go take Batty to go music shopping or whatever you guys do." And without another word the young woman turned and left the room making sure to slam the door behind her. Jeffrey just sat on the bed collecting his thoughts before he decided to listen to Skye and go out. In a way this new had lifted a weight off his shoulders. He had always shut himself off from the dating pool in a sense because he had always hoped that Skye would 'come around' to him and now he knew she never would he felt as if he could finally let go of those feelings. Of course he still loved her and part of him might always feel that way but now he knew there was no choice but to move on. With that Jeffrey Tiffton got up from the old bed he had always imagined kissing Skye on and didn't look back as he closed the door.
As Skye entered the kitchen with the intention of making herself a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich or something to that effect she found herself face to face with her father, Iantha, and Jane who were all staring at her.
"Skye we, um, heard your conversation with Jeffrey just now and I want to let you know that we support you completely." Iantha's calm voice made it sound as if she had overheard Skye telling Jeffrey that her favorite color was green and not blue, not that she was a lesbian.
"You heard that?" Skye wasn't sure if this fact made her angry or just relieved because she didn't have to sit them down and tell them outright.
"You were screaming." Her father pointed out. "But the point is that we're with you no matter what and no matter how we find out."
Jane seemed unable to contain herself anymore. "I knew it!" She said trimphantly. "You always looked at girls the same way I looked at boys!"
Skye couldn't help but smile just a little despite the fact that the rollercoaster of emotions she had been on that day had her feeling like she was about to start crying. She hadn't known how much their approval had meant to her until she had ir. However, all she managed to do was give them a choked up thank you and excuse herself to the backyard so as not to embarrass herself by bursting into tears in front of them all.