Page 5 of The Broposal

“Is Kenny okay?” Tatiana eventually asked.

I didn’t know how to answer. Kenny would have said yes, of course he was okay. But I wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t know why he won’t break up with her. She’s way too controlling.” I ran a hand through my hair. “She wants him to break our lease so they can move in together.”

Then again, if I couldn’t get another job soon, he might not have another choice.

“Oh shit. Are you gonna be okay if he does?”

“He wouldn’t do that. Are you kidding? He’s scared shitless of living alone with her,” I said, knowing I needed to get my ass in grind to get another job now. Tatiana nodded.

“Why is he with someone he’s afraid to live with?” she asked, as if it were that simple.

“Hell if I know” was all I could bring myself to say. If I knew anything about Kenny’s relationship, it was that it was beyond my comprehension.

It was hard to pay attention to the show after that. It’d been a few months since Jackie first asked Kenny to move in, but so far Kenny hadn’t budged. He’d lied and said it was because his traditional Mexican Catholic parents wouldn’t approve of them living together before they were married, but Jackie wasn’t buying it. (Kenny’s parents were the farthest thing from traditional.)

Lie or not, Jackie was getting fed up. She was nice enough when they’d first started dating in high school, but the longer they were together, the bolder she got. By now Kenny and I could barely hang out without Jackie getting possessive.

Relationships were always fun in the beginning, but I knew from watching Kenny’s that eventually it wore off and turned soul-sucking. When you let someone get close enough, nine times out of ten you ended up getting burned, and romanticrelationships were the perfect recipe for getting too close. I vowed never to get to that point with anyone. As much as I cared for Kenny, no way would I let myself end up like him.

I hated that thoughts about Jackie distracted me from the show that was supposed to be distracting me from losing my job. Jackie somehow found a way to suck out the fun in everything even when she wasn’t there. And when the last winner was announced, Kenny still wasn’t back. Tatiana and I helped Leti and the crew clean up the venue while we waited.

Once we were done, Leti appeared behind me, throwing their arms over Tatiana’s and my shoulders, holding their wig in one hand, their face now devoid of the intense makeup and their black hair braided down their back.

“Have you ever thought about doing drag?” they asked, looking me up and down.

“Nope.” I couldn’t act for shit, and I had major stage fright. I was definitely more of a spectator.

Leti frowned. “We need more performers for the next show.”

“Sorry, Leti. I’d just embarrass you.” I laughed at the idea of myself wobbling down a runway in heels. I’d probably break an ankle… again.

“I’m not even sure we’re related. Whatever. Who’s hungry?”

Leti and Tatiana debated where to get food while I wondered how much an Uber would cost to get all of us home. I couldn’t be spending too much now that I was out of a job. Before I could call the Uber, Kenny finally showed up. His light brown skin was flushed and sweaty as he jogged over to apologize.

“Sorry, guys. Jackie and I had some stuff to work out. I didn’t mean to miss the whole thing.” He frowned, pushing his glasses up his nose with his index finger. “I hope y’all haven’t been waiting too long.”

“Didn’t think you were coming back,” I said under my breath.

“Of course I was coming back.” Kenny frowned like he was offended. I shook my head and sighed. Kenny was a good dude and always intended to be on time to things, but he also lived in the moment, so he wasn’t exactly punctual.

Leti leaned toward Kenny and cupped his cheeks in their hands, inspecting him closely. “Have you ever thought about doing drag?” They let go of his face and took a step back. “We need more performers for the next show.”

Kenny’s lips pursed to the side. “Yeah, kind of.”

I couldn’t say the news surprised me. Kenny was a theater kid in high school and was always looking to show off his acting chops. Plus, he was an incredible dancer. He would have no problem figuring out how to duckwalk.

“You should do it! I can do your makeup, and you can wear one of my outfits!” Leti squealed. “You have the perfect bone structure for drag. I can’t wait to do your face.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Kenny’s bone structure was…

Yeah, it was good.

“I don’t know,” Kenny said, looking conflicted. “Jackie would hate it…”

“Ah, yes. Heterosexual opinions are very important on this matter,” Leti deadpanned.

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