The door just popped open, making Alison jump a little from her relaxed position on the couch. She watched as the pink-cheeked girl started unloading a whole bag of rather suggestive items. Considering she’d seen a few this morning, she was not too surprised. But something was wrong with her. “Natalie, dear… We need to talk. Put those away for a moment.” She spoke calmly, even compassionately. Alison didn’t want the girl to be too distracted with her “toys” to not pay attention.
“Come over and sit with me dear.” Ms. Briggs spoke like she had some sort of authority of the girl. “I treated you badly earlier. Your behavior really put me off. But I realized you’re rather confused about your sexuality. You are a lesbian, and you’re in an environment that doesn’t condone it. But it is natural, and it can be a beautiful thing. You told me your parents aren’t around too often either. So you haven’t had anyone to really talk about this with. I’m here for you. I’ll gladly give you all the advice I can.” Alison looked at the girl, trying to lock eyes. “While I’m flattered you have a crush on me, you’re going about this in a completely bad way. I think you’re afraid of rejection, and being outed by the one you think you’re in love with. But hun, I would never try to hurt you. It’s just that it can’t be this way between us. Rejection is a natural part of dating. I know you’re afraid of being left alone because of your parents, but tying your crush up won’t help you. You just have to take a deep breath, realize it wasn’t meant to be, maybe eat a pint of ice cream, and move on to better things.”