Page 80 of Emergency Exit
“Me,” said Harper. “And Mel’s pronouns are they-them.”
Ash looked up at Harper, who was standing next to the table. Her emerald green sweater stood out in sharp contrast to Emma’s gray clothes. He saw Emma’s eyes running over the top and felt angry on Harper’s behalf. Harper’s color choices weren’t garish—they were interesting and stylish.
“Oh, who cares what she calls herself,” snapped Emma. “Her name is Melanie Winebaum. She’s a smart girl from Wisconsin trying to make herself more interesting than she really is. Something I’m sureyouunderstand.”
“I do,” said Harper. “That’s why I use their preferred pronouns.”
Ash wanted to laugh. Harper was so freaking cool.
“Emma,” said Ash, “I appreciate your attempt at an apology, but we’re not getting back together. Also, I’m probably going to paint my dining room green.”
“Ash, you’re not going to achieve your goals like this. You’re going to regret this.”
“And tiramisuuuuuu…merda.”Alberto stood by the table, plate extended, eyes flicking between the three of them. Emma looked pale under her perfectly matched foundation, and her nostrils flared angrily. For a moment, Ash thought Emma might scream at him or do something violent. Instead, she rose gracefully to her feet.
“We’ll talk later. When you don’t have so many hangers-on around,” she said, her tone tight and cold. They all watched herwalk out, and Alberto’s gusty sigh when she reached the front door spoke for all of them.
“Are we sure no wine?” asked Alberto.
“I want to go home,” said Harper without sitting down.
“Si,” said Alberto. “Si. I put tiramisu in a box. Ash will take you home.”
Ash held Harper’s hand as they walked home, but he was at a loss for words.
“She used to misgender Mel all the time, and I never said anything,” he said at last. “I didn’t want to fight about it.”
“It’s worth fighting about,” said Harper.
“A lot of stuff was worth fighting about, and I never said anything. She used to say that Forest should have sent Olly to his grandparents after Vera died.”
Harper drew in a sharp breath of shock.
“I really thought I needed her so I could be the right kind of person.”
“I’m never going to be the right kind of person,” said Harper, stopping in her tracks. “Neither is Chloe. That’s why you hate her.”
“I don’t hate her,” protested Ash. “I think I hate myself.”
“What?”
“You, me, Chloe. We are colorful weirdos in a beige world. We don’t act the same. We don’t think the same. If I’m mad at Chloe, it’s because she seems to be getting away with it, and I’m not.”
Harper looked distressed. “Am I getting away with it? I don’t know what that means.”
“Harper, no offense, but you and I are masking the fuck out of ourselves. We work so hard to fit in. Don’t you get tired?”
“Yes, but that’s why Seattle is better. Work is great. They have quiet rooms and work-from-home days, and D-Boss says fidget toys are a work expense. I can just do work at work and notspend extra time on people. I can spend all my social energy on you. I go to parties and actually have fun now!”
Ash nodded. “You don’t make fun of me for talking too fast.”
“I hate that! It’s OK to be excited about things!”
“Or for changing topics abruptly in the middle of a conversation. I think I need to stop listening to anything Emma said and start being myself.”
Harper suddenly went up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
“Yes, please,” she said.
