Page 10 of July Skies
“Is it?” Leigh Ann asked.
“I only say that because, from the sounds of it, many youngsters in this area feel freer to come out while still in school. Did you know that your county has a higher rate of LGBT youth than any other in Oregon? More than Multnomah or Lane counties. If any cities in Oregon were bound to have higher rates of LGBT teenagers, one would think it was either Portland or Eugene, the so-called “liberal bubbles.”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“It’s true. Suppose I was wondering how that really played out at your school. Clark High, right?”
“Yeah. I go to Clark High.” Leigh Ann shifted in her seat. Had Dahlia already made her too uncomfortable to continue? Probably.
“Are there are a lot of kids in your class who identify as part of the LGBT community?”
“I guess so. Again, don’t really think about it.”
“Would you say it skews more toward the girls?”
“I guess?”
Typical teenagers. They never wanted to commit to their answers.
Leigh Ann fidgeted with the buttons on her flannel before continuing. “I don’t think most of the kids in my school really identify as anything. They go out with whomever they want. There’s a lot of experimentation going on.” She blushed again. “Not like…that…”
“Would you say most of the kids in your school have lesbian moms? Or gay dads, for that matter?”
“Maybe it’s fifty-fifty between gay parents and straight ones? My parents are straight. It feels normal no matter what.”
“I see. Do you feel there is any pressure to identify as a certain way? Either coming from adults or your peers?”
“No,” Leigh Ann was quick to answer.
Dahlia’s mouth twitched. “Thank you, Lee Ann, that was very…”
“Leigh Ann.”
“Excuse me?”
The girl stood up and scooted the chair back beneath the table. “My name is Lay Ann, not Lee Ann. I guess it’s a regional thing.”
“Right. Sorry for mispronouncing your name.”
“Happens all the time. Have a good night, Ms. Granger.”
Leigh Ann was halfway out of the kitchen before Dahlia stopped her again. “Wait, hon. Do me a favor and don’t mention what I’ve asked you to anyone, including your parents. It would… taint the bias, so to speak.”
Leigh Ann’s last, non-committal shrug was all Dahlia saw as the girl turned the corner. Soon, the front door closed with a thud of the screen. Wayne reentered the kitchen, a strange look on his face.
“What?” Dahlia asked.
He opened the fridge and pulled out his personal carton of orange juice. “Stooping low enough to ask little girls their sexualities, huh?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Please, Dahl. I’m starting to see what your issue is around here.” He took a swig of his orange juice and let out a sigh. “Try not to piss off the locals with your latent homophobia, huh?”
Dahlia said nothing as he left the room again. She merely picked up her pen and, pretending she hadn’t heard anything, jotted down a few new notes for the next day’s filming.
Chapter 7
KAREN
