Trust Me, Elisa is Totally Gay

Near the top of the hour, the students filed out and were replaced by a new bunch that was just as loud. I had gone from grumpy to acceptance, justifying their obnoxiousness as youthful audacity and tried to remember how I was like when I was their age. When I do that, I intellectualize and justify their actions.

There were 2 women in the new group who were exceptionally loud and intriguing. The leader and louder of the 2 had on an on oversized track jacket, boxy jeans, multiple face piercings and a plaid baseball cap with the letter “A” on it; the other woman wore dirty jeans, Harley shirt and appeared to be pining after her friend. She agreed with everything she said, laughed at all her jokes and addressed her as “Sweetie.” She had a paternal feel that reminded me of Rosanne Barr in Rosanne: brash but sweet. It was obvious that they were friends, not partners. Like the other students, they talked about fellow students and teachers.

Every opportunity the piercing woman had to express her sexual preference, she did…with gusto: “I don’t care what they think, I’m gay and there ain’t no way I’m going back,” she expressed, looking around to garner attention. She was also fond of outing other students: “Elisa in English class is totally gay. Trust me.” She repeated the same statement with many different people.

I was putting the final touches on my Britney essay when she caught my ear. I only caught the tail end of what she was saying: “Martha thinks that just because I’ve got piercing and don’t wear dresses, I don’t have great legs. I’ve got great legs.” The woman in the Harley shirt agreed saying, “Yes, sweetie.”