"You" - Chapter 5 - "Deception"

"Ellie!" Marco exclaimed, jumping in the door and wrapping his arms around Ellie in a giant hug. Ellie smiled softly and returned the hug, glad to see Marco again, and anticipating what he would say when she told him her recent feelings.
"Come on in. We can hang out in the basement until dinner," Ellie said.

Marco exchanged greetings with Ellie's mom and then went to the basement. She let him flush her with details of his life for the past several weeks, including his relationship with Dylan, just so she could have that all covered before her breaking news. She was glad to have a friend that would understand completely.

"So, what's been going on with you, lately? You have a new guy in your life?" Marco asked, smirking.

Ellie looked up at him, confused. "No! Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"Okay, I'm probably not supposed to tell you this, but Paige asked Dylan to ask me if I knew if there was a possible mystery man in your life and if so who it was. Paige said she saw you writing poetry. Come on, El - you? Poetry? It's gotta be love!"

Ellie swallowed hard and figured now was as good of a time as any. "Well, you may be right on that one. And I've been waiting to tell you this for a while. I mean, you'll always be my friendly soulmate, and Sean and I had a lot in common, but this is - this is so different. Like, this is the first time a relationship has made me feel different. And different in a good way. You know, just, chronically happy. I was confused at first, and still have a lot of unanswered questions, but I have a stronger feeling that this is for real."

The suspense was just about killing Marco. "Well, who is he??"

Ellie exhaled somewhat deeply. "She, actually. I don't know if it's love as in 100 true, in-love, love, but Ashley and I are definitely becoming more than just friends. Right now, she's like... my world. I don't know if I'm in love with her, but I know I love her, and it's a special kind of love."

Instead of the smile and hug that Ellie expected, Marco stared at her blankly. "Ashley. As in Ashley Kerwin? Ashley Kerwin the female?"

"Uh, yeah... why are you being so weird?" Ellie asked, suspiciously.

"What are you thinking? Are you even thinking?" Marco inquired angrily.

"What? So, I like Ashley, as in the female. You're dating Dylan, as in the male. How is this any different?"

"Because you're not gay, and you shouldn't be pretending that you are! You know, it's people like you that give gay people a bad rep and make people think we're nothing but a bunch of confused idiots!"

"People like me? What the hell..."

"Small-minded people who don't know any better just assume that gay people got that way because they made a choice.. you know, decided to live life on the wild side, and that's why they don't understand all the crap that we go through. They think this is just some lifestyle we've bestowed upon ourselves to be experimental, or promiscuous, or what have you. I never understood why, but how can they not think that when people like you and Ashley go from being straight to gay overnight?"

"Marco, it's not that simple..."

"You're right. It's not. But you're making it that simple. You're interfering with the generalization of those of us who don't have a choice. I can't just choose to be straight. There are times that I would if I could, but it doesn't work that way. So, on behalf of all the other real gay people out there, do us a favor, and don't make it seem like sexuality has an on/off switch."

Marco stormed out, leaving Ellie shocked and feeling more alone than ever. The one person she expected to be on her side just turned on her for a stupid reason. Or was it? Ellie began to replay his words in her head over and over again, and wondered if she was wrong about Ashley all along. She reached for her compass as a release, but then remembered that she and Ashley had worked past that. The only thing she could do at the moment was dig her fingernails into her pillow and fight the tears she knew would come soon enough.